What seems to you the purpose of the author in _Ivanhoe_? What ideals of character does he hold up? What service has he done for the reader of history? METHOD OF NARRATION.--Who tells the story? Would it be difficult to rearrange the plan so that Ivanhoe or some other character should tell it? Why? Does the narrator speak from the standpoint of one who somehow or other knows all that the characters do and think and feel, or of one who recounts merely his own feelings and what he sees and hears? Compare _Ivanhoe_ in this respect with _The Vicar of Wakefield_, or with some other novel. STYLE.--Does Scott attempt to reproduce the language of a time other than his own? Does he introduce dialect? Do the characters talk naturally as we should expect persons of different birth and education to talk, or do they talk alike? Note how Scott describes an outdoor scene (p. 6); a man (p. 7); a scene of action (pp. 300-306). Try to imitate his methods in descriptions of your own. Note the parts of the story where the movement of events is very rapid (pp. 322-330), and others where the author introduces description or exposition (pp. 148-152) to retard the movement. Do you find the sentences natural and easy, or formal and hard to read? Are there many unfamiliar words? THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR.--What are the main facts of Scott's boyhood? his education? his professional career? his success as a poet? his change from poetry to prose? his success as a novelist? his financial distress? his struggle to meet the demands of the law and of his own honor? Would you judge from _Ivanhoe_ that the author was a man of learning? a lover of nature? fond of social life? fond of animals? fond of children? Write what you think we have reason to believe of Scott's character from reading this book. OUTLINE FOR THE STUDY OF THE VICAR OF WAKEFIELD I. Preparation It is well to suggest to pupils who have read _Ivanhoe_ and now turn to the _Vicar of Wakefield_ that the latter is not a romance, but a novel of life and manners; not an exciting story of heroic deeds and wonderful escapes, but a story that paints clear pictures of simple life, quiet humor, and true sentiment. A few facts of Goldsmith's boyhood and young manhood should be dwelt on in order to show his familiarity with the country, the church, and with other matters treated in the story. Other topics of interest are the circumstances that led to the publication of the book; the comparative newness of the novel in literature; eighteenth century essays, like the _De Coverley Papers_; similarity between such essays and this novel. II. Reading and Study To become familiar with the details of this story is simple, but students are likely to overlook little references to the customs and manners of the time, and to fail to use their imaginations in picturing the beautiful but simple scenes of country life. III. Study of the Book as a Whole