(Recorded Course) Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens with Eleanor Bourg Nicholson

Instructor Access (Optional grading support) is available for this course. Please note: this is ONLY recommended if you wish to write the optional paper. All quizzes are internally graded in this course.

Learn why Dickens is one of the most influential writers in history with this novel that’s murder mystery, romance, suspense, social realism, and more. Who knew literary analysis could be so fun?

How to get the most out of The Literature and Mastery of Charles Dickens in His Novel, Our Mutual Friend with Eleanor Bourg Nicholson:

  • READ! Do the assigned reading (the beginning chapters of Our Mutual Friend) before viewing the first class and read all assigned texts/chapters before all subsequent classes. IF YOU DON'T READ, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THE CLASSES!! Reading will be the largest part of your workload for this class.
  • Take the weekly identification quiz BEFORE each week's class. Refresh your memory on plot/character points you might have missed. Take the quiz a second time if you need to! 
  • As you read, note down themes or questions that occur to you.
  • You do NOT need to take notes during class unless it helps you focus!
  • Re-watch the recording and/or review the PowerPoint from class as needed.
  • Do the assignments, quizzes, and any extra work assigned for each week.
  • Repeat each week until the course is completed.
  • Once the course is completed to the satisfaction of your teacher and your parents, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your record

Total Classes: 6

Duration: 55 minutes.

Prerequisite: Willingness to read the assigned materials.

Suggested Grade Level: 9th to 12th grade

Suggested Credit: 1/2 semester Literature.

Instructor: Eleanor Bourg Nicholson

Instructor Email: ebnicholson@protonmail.com

Course Description: "Come up and be dead!" This monumental novel shows the towering Victorian novelist Charles Dickens at the height of his powers, and richly presents a host of thrilling themes, glorious characters, and exquisite language. Come revel with Mrs. Nicholson in all things Dickensian, and tour the streets of Victorian London. In addition to cultivating artistic appreciation and a love of reading, this class facilitates the development of critical reasoning, the disciplined use of the imagination, and a strong knowledge of historical and literary context. (Love of Dickens not required, but you must come prepared to defend your dislike articulately in the face of devout eloquence in his favor.)

Course Outline:

  • Week 1: Introduction to Charles Dickens; Our Mutual Friend, Book 1, Chapters I-XI.

  • Week 2: Our Mutual Friend, Book 1, Chapter XII through Book 2, Chapter VII.

  • Week 3: Our Mutual Friend, Book 2, Chapter VIII through Book 3, Chapter III.

  • Week 4: Our Mutual Friend, Book 3, Chapters IV-XIV.

  • Week 5: Our Mutual Friend, Book 3, Chapter XV through Book 4, Chapter VI.

  • Week 6: Our Mutual Friend, Book 4, Chapter VII to the end.

Course Materials: The complete works of Charles Dickens are available online for free via Project Gutenberg. Any printed editions are acceptable.

Homework: Expect to spend approximately 3 hours per week on homework. This will mostly be reading, weekly identification quizzes, a handful of other small assignments, a concluding quiz/assignment, and recommended participation in Moodle-based forums. Students can also sign up for an optional literary essay with 6 weeks to complete (this project extends the semester so it can, at the discretion of parents, be increased to a full semester's credit).