London in 1700

Directions
For each paper topic you will need to use your textbook and class notes to answer the question given. Read each question carefully, as you will need to frame your answer appropriately in order to get a high grade on the paper. Each paper should be approximately 1000 words in length (or about 4 pages) and should be typed, double-spaced and in 12 pt. font. You must also use proper referencing in the form of footnotes or endnotes (see attached sheet for further instructions). If you have any questions on how to organize your answer to the question, be sure to ask in class or during office hours as soon as possible, so you have time to write the paper with the clearest understanding possible.

PAPER #1: Describe the life of a typical Londoner in 1700.

Due Monday 8 September.

You may decide what gender and class your Londoner was, what their profession was (if they had one) and their cause of death. Though a great proportion of Londoners died in childhood, your's must have reached adulthood for the purposes of this assignment, and they must have married (though you can decided if they liked their marriage or not). You may also find that giving your fictitious Londoner a name makes the wording of your paper easier.

PAPER #2: To what extent were all Londoners engaged in a culture of conspicuous consumption?

Due Monday 15 September.

You must determine to what extent (i.e., to a great extent, to a very little extent) Londoners of all backgrounds made an effort to acquire goods or participate in activities so that they could be seen doing so. This will require you to separate purchases or activities that were necessary (basic food or attending church, for instance) from those that were beyond the means of the individuals in question. Conspicuous consumption, then, is the practice of living "above your station" or trying to show off to those of your social class in an effort to improve your own social status.

PAPER #3: Compare & contrast the toleration given to two fringe groups in 17th/18th-century London.

Due Monday 22 September.

You must select two groups on the edges of London society and determine how similar and different their reception was by mainstream Londoners, as all were tolerated in some way. Groups to consider are: the poor, migrant workers (from the country), Huguenots, Jews, Africans, nonconformists (Quakers, etc.), prostitutes, homosexuals, and criminals. You cannot select groups from the chapter(s) you lead in class discussion, and all students should select groups from two different chapters in the book.

Final Paper Assignment

Due no later than Noon on Wednesday 24 September.
(Hand them in at College Hall 207)

Directions
After viewing the Granada TV/Mobil Masterpiece Theater production of Daniel Defoe's Moll Flanders, you will be required to answer one of the questions below. Your paper should be 1250-1500 words in length (or 5-6 pages), and should be typed, double-spaced and in 12 pt. font. As with your earlier papers, you should reference your sources (the film or the course text) properly, though paraphrasing comments from the characters in the film is acceptable. If you have questions on the paper topic you have chosen, you should either see Dr. Myers during office hours (which will be extended on the 23rd) or you should talk with your classmates. Remember, however, that you must do your own work on this assignment and you should only compare notes with your classmates on plot points or general ideas, but not on your conclusions for the question answer itself.

Questions
Select one of the following…

In her Foreward, Maureen Waller describes Londoners in 1700 as "Buoyant, ebullient, optimistic, audacious, violent, brutal, gutsy - they thrust themselves forward demanding to be heard." In what ways is Moll Flanders an accurate representation of Waller's evidence? In what ways is she not??

- OR -

Select one topic that features in both the book and the film and compare & contrast Maureen Waller's description of it with that presented in the film. The most obvious topics to select would be marriage or religion or Newgate Prison, but you may select another topic if you wish.

- OR -

Moll Flanders was intended by Daniel Defoe to be a tool to help reform wayward Londoners of his day. In your opinion, how effective has he been with his goal? (Use supporting evidence from your class notes, as well as material from the film.)

Plagiarism
According to The Compass, "Plagiarism is the act of taking the work of another and presenting it as one's own, without acknowledgement of the original source. ...It is always the responsibility of the student to provide precise sources for all ideas, information, or data he or she has borrowed or adapted. Simply listing sources in a bibliography is not sufficient. Students who use information from the World Wide Web are expected to follow these same guidelines for the citation of sources."