Monday, March 31

Handout: Mr. Potratz distributed an assignment sheet for an essay due Friday (April 4) comparing Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll with either the 1966 BBC film the class watched part of on Friday or the animated 1951 Disney version.

We watched a few more minutes of the BBC film, then discussed our reactions to it and how it does relate to the book.

Friday, March 28
Mr. Potratz was absent. The class watched half an hour of the 1966 BBC film of Alice in Wonderland.

Thursday, March 27

We read and talked about the "Pig and Pepper" chapter of Alice in Wonderland. Students wrote down what they thought the original poem which "Speak roughly to your little boy" parodies, and we discussed Alice as social satire, and what constitutes satire generally.

At the end of class we watched five minutes of the 1966 BBC-TV film of Alice directed by Jonathan Miller.

Mr. Potratz announced that students will be required soon to write a paper comparing Carroll's Alice with either the BBC film or the Disney animated version.

Wednesday, March 26

We discussed yesterday's not-entirely-successful writing exercise, and Mr. Potratz read aloud another one of the student dream-papers.

We read the Caterpillar chapter from Alice and the original poem which Carroll's "Father William" parodies; we took a detour to Froggy the Gremlin," and we started on "Pig and Pepper."

Thursday: We will start with "Speak roughly to your little boy." How do you suppose the original of that goes?

Tuesday, March 25

Fuselli's Nightmare (projection).
Handout from the NIH on sleep and dreaming.
Creative writing exercise using dreams.

Monday, March 24

Illustrated lecture on Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) and how Alice in Wonderland came to be written. The Liddell sisters and the day on the river. Carroll's original manuscript and the published book.

Dream literature and dreams.

"White Rabbitt" performed by Grace Slick and Jefferson Airplane.

Assignment for Tuesday: Come to class prepared to write about your dreams.

Friday, March 21
Quiz over Alice in Wonderland, Chapters 1-5.

Thursday, March 20

Mr. Potratz finished reading from Tennyson's "Idylls of the King," after which we watched thirty minutes of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

The first five chapters of Alice in Wonderland were due today. The entire book must be read by Monday. Quizzes will not be announced in advance.

Wednesday, March 19
We watched the last 45 minutes of Excalibur, after which read part of the ending of Tennyson's Idylls of the King (the death of Arthur).

HW due Thursday and Monday:
Read Chapters 1-5 of Alice in Wonderland by Thursday; finish the book by Monday. Quizzes will not be announced in advance.