Goethe's "Wilhelm Meister" stands in the front rank among German novels. Give an outline of the book. Is there a plot? Is the book an autobiography? If not, how far does Goethe give his own experiences? Is the book a study in realism or does it deal with the unnatural? In what does the power of the book lie? What has the author to say of education, religion and esthetics? Is there a moral purpose, and are any problems settled?
Tolstoy's "Anna Karénina" is of the greatest literary importance, for its author was the founder of the modern realistic school. Have several papers on the leading characters. What is the mainspring of Anna's character? Is the comedy character, Oblensky, satisfactory? Is Tolstoy really capable of humor? Is Levin a mouthpiece for Tolstoy's own views of life? Study the social side of Russian life. Are the problems of Anna the same as those which confront women in other lands to-day? Notice what famous men have said of this book: Matthew Arnold declared it "less a work of art than a piece of life." In a final meeting discuss the subject of realism in fiction compared to idealism, with examples of each class of work. Study and compare the writings of James, Howells, and Arnold Bennett with Tolstoy's.
"Don Quixote" is not only the masterpiece of Spain, but a book with unique qualities. Discuss, Does it give an unbiased picture of the people? Is Don Quixote a madman, or does the author intend to show under his extravagances some philosophy of life? What does the author satirize? Does he successfully combine the real and the grotesque, or lean too far toward the latter? Is the book a parable? If so, what does it teach?
ENGLISH AND AMERICAN
Among the greatest works in English fiction, "Adam Bede" stands out conspicuous by setting forth the eternal question of moral values. In the study of the characters note that Dinah was drawn from life. Notice the development of character in Adam and Hetty.
How does the standard of morals differ in our day from that in the time in which the book is placed? Study the writer's humor and show how it serves to relieve the somberness of the book. Was George Eliot really a humorist? Above all, notice the great moral purpose which inspired the writer. Does her picture differ from that of Dickens in "David Copperfield"?
"The Marble Faun" is worthy of serious study. It is the American masterpiece of fiction. Observe in this book that Hawthorne gave the story such a faithful setting that it may be used as a guidebook to Rome. The style of the book is remarkable; its exquisite simplicity deserves more than a passing notice. Discuss the mingling of the real and the mystical. Note especially the effect of the murder on the different characters.
The remarkable character analysis in this work is one of the author's famous points. The main theme of the book—Is sin really an element in human education?—should be discussed. Does Hawthorne answer the question?
If these books lead to the study of others, the following are among the best to select: Daudet's "The Nabob;" Goethe's "The Sorrows of Werther;" in connection with Don Quixote, Le Sage's "Gil Blas;" Tourguenieff's "Smoke;" Thackeray's "Henry Esmond;" and in our own literature of the present time, Edith Wharton's "House of Mirth," and Margaret Deland's "Iron Woman."