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Lesson 1 (from Prologue and Part One: "Outside In" - "Marriage Parties")
Objective
Students will investigate an author's purpose in using quotes from other literary works to begin chapters or entire works.
Jessie Burton begins her 17th-novel The Miniaturist with with two epigraphs, both taken from the Bible and noted to come "from marked passages in the Brandt household Bible" (1). In so doing, Jessie Burton is from the outset reflecting notions of religion that will constitute pieces of major themes throughout the coming novel. In addition, one of the Biblical quotes concerns luxury and extravagance, traits associated with the the protagonist Nella's husband Johannes. The Biblical quote constituting the other half of the Epigraphs section concerns the destruction of material goods and societal progress. This quote's message will come to be associated with the character of Maren, Johannes's sister and Nella's controlling sister-in-law. Students will study the author's use of the quotes in order to see how a reader...
Aligned to the following Common Core Standards:
- ELA-Reading: Literature RL.9-10.1, 9-10.10, 11-12.1, 11-12.10
- ELA-Writing W.9-10.3, 9-10.7, 11-12.3, 11-12.7
This section contains 10,146 words (approx. 34 pages at 300 words per page) |
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