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| Bertie and Jeeves (Wikimedia) |
Note: Like Holmes and Watson, Jeeves is a capable problem solver, and his follower Bertie writes the "adventures" down. But here, the follower is technically the boss!
Get Ready: How do you feel about servants? Are they "second-class" citizens, or are they equal to their bosses?
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| Left to right: Horse, Sandy, Monkey, Tripitaka, Pigsy (Wikipedia) |
Note: Great books often lend themselves to a deeper way of reading. Let's see how that works with this popular Chinese novel.
Get Ready: Are you familiar with the Chinese novel (or Japanese TV show) about the Monkey King?
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| Two heroes: Batman and Robin; and three villains Penguin, Riddler, and Joker (top) |
Note: The show Batman brought a whole new idea to the superhero genre: heroes could be funny!
Get Ready: Do you like superheroes? If so, who's your favorite? If not, why not?
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| "She, standing at the door, saw me, and thought I made, as I certainly did, a most awkward, ridiculous appearance" (Wikimedia) |
Note: "Founding father" Benjamin Franklin was in may ways "larger than life." His legend is enhanced by his constant writing and publication--often in promotion of his own virtues.
Get Ready: Do you know any good stories about the "first meeting" between a future husband and wife?
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| Bearskin and the swineherd have a grand feast (Gutenberg) |
Note: As Bearskin's story continues, we see him overcome an adversary in much the same way Queen Esther overcame Haman (see Lesson #08-294).
Get Ready: Which do think is more important, physical strength or mental cleverness (though bearskin exhibits both!)
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| The she-bear finds the baby drifting in the basket (Gutenberg) |
Note: Howard Pyle not only illustrated and rewrote the stories of others, but also wrote a few of his own--though with heavy borrowing of common motifs. This one is sheer fun.
Get Ready: As you read, see how many plot elements you can recognize from other well-known stories.
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| Edward Bear is bumping down the stairs on the back of his head... (Gutenberg) |
Note: Winnie-the-Pooh--whose prototype lives today at the New York Public Library--is probably the world's most famous stuffed toy. Let's learn more about him.
Get Ready: Did you have a favorite toy (or other oject, like a blanket) that you dragged around when you were a kid?
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| Macnee as Steed and Rigg as Peel (Wikipedia) |
Note: Before the rise of the Avengers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (but around the time the Avengers superhero team first "assembled" in the comic books, in 1963) there was another team of "avengers" on British television--not as awesome, but a lot more fun!
Get Ready: What do you think an "avenger" does?
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| A TV version of the Cisco Kid and his sidekick Pancho (Wikimedia) |
Note: The Cisco Kid is best known as a hero. Who knew that in his first appearance he was a murderous desperado?
Get Ready: Is it possible for person--real or imaginary--to be both a "good guy" and a terrible person? Must people always be one or the other? Think of some examples to prove your point.
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| The Cardiff Giant is "exhumed" in 1869. (Wikipedia) |
Note: Someone said "There's a sucker born every minute"--and many manufactured OOPArts prove this statement to be true!
Get Ready: What would you think if you heard evidence of, say, dinosaurs and humans existing side-by-side? Or the discovery of a 10-foot tall petrified giant human? Would you believe it? Doubt it? Want more evidence?
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| "I really must insist on your oiling those chains..." (from the book on Gutenberg) |
Note: A "modern" American family deals with a ghost in the house; the ghost loses, but "wins" in the end.
Get Ready: How would you deal with a ghost in the house?
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| Left to right: Pugsley, Uncle Fester, Morticia, Gomez, Wednesday, Lurch, and Grandmama (from a Russian fan site) |
Note: Few cartoons have transitioned as successfully into television and film as the work of Charles Addams. Let's learn its background and meet the key Family members.
Get Ready: What is the attraction of the macabre? And how is it that we often find the most somber things to be hilarious?
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| Gulliver in discussion with Houyhnhnms, by J.J. Grandville (1856) (Wikipedia) |
Note: Many of us know that Jonathan Swift's protagonist in Gulliver's Travels met little people and giants, but there were other interesting encounters on subsequent voyages. Here's one.
Get Ready: This part of Gulliver's Travels seems to say that people are bad. Do you agree? Are people basically good or not?
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| Cast members William Frawley (Fred), Desi Arnaz (Ricky), Vivian Vance (Ethel), and Lucille Ball (Lucy) (Wikipedia) |
Note: A scrappy redheaded comedienne dominated the "Golden Age of Television." Meet Lucille Ball of I Love Lucy fame.
Get Ready: Have you ever gotten yourself into a difficult situation where, the harder you tried to get out of it, the worse it got?
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| The Jabberwock (Wikipedia) |
Note: Lewis Carroll's poem "Jabberwocky" is a great example of nonsense literature--or is it? Find the sense underlying this "nonsense"!
Get Ready: What kind of person does the word "jabberwock" make you think of? If someone called you a jabberwock, would you be flattered? Why or why not?
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| The Open Window by Matisse (Wikipedia) |
Note: Like the American O. Henry, the British author H.H. Munro was brilliant at creating surprise "twists" at the end of his stories, as he did in this one.
Get Ready: Do you know anyone who easily invents clever lies? Is it annoying or amusing?
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| Puss meets an ogre (Wikipedia) |
Note: As the story continues, we see even more of the cat's cleverness.
Get Ready: Is it okay to get ahead by trickery, if the person you are tricking is a bad person? How about if he is a good person?
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| The King introduces the "Marquis of Carabas" to his daughter (Wikipedia) |
Note: A miller's third son is left with only a cat for his inheritance. But what a cat! See how he helps the youth to get ahead in the world.
Get Ready: If you start out with nothing, what are some ways that you can become well-to-do or even rich?
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| Cover of a Dick Tracy comic (Wikipedia) |
Note: The "Sunday funnies" were our favorite source of reading material when I was a kid, and are still around today.
Get Ready: Do you like comics, or comic books? Why or why not?
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| "Let him in!" (Gutenberg) |
Note: Less well-known than Twain's other works--but still popular--this simple "switching places" story becomes a vehicle for Twain to examine ideas of social justice.
Get Ready: Have you ever met someone who looks almost exactly like you? Do you think such a person is out there?
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