Colonial

[close] Cowboys, gamblers, prostitutes, and governors, they all existed during these times. The West was open and wild, ready to be roamed and made into a home. The colonies were just begging newcomers to build their home and shop there. Anything could happen at this time, but those anythings could be both good...and bad. Note: This is an advanced roleplay that takes place in Colonial America, as well as when Westward Expansion was going on. This group is connected to the ~Spirit of the Middle Ages~ {A Medieval Times Roleplay}.

[close] Here is an overview of the group reads & activities: Regional reads Nominations and Book discussions. Buddy Reads Find someone to read along with!. Share/discuss your current reading All current polls Vote for the group reads here Challenges, challenges, challenges! Set up a personal challenge Challenge: 50 Books By African Women That Everyone Should Read Authors! If you would like to promote your book, give away copies or otherwise advertise your books please do so in this folder - selfpromotion in other places will be deleted. Photo: Nairobi Skyline by Orientalizing

[close] Some of the world's greatest literature was written in America, from its colonial beginnings through the early 20th century (up to World War I). This group will read and discuss the lives and works of authors such as Emerson, Thoreau, Longfellow, Hawthorne, Melville, Whittier, Alcott, Dickinson, Cooper, Irving, Mark Twain and many others!

[close] Inspired by the Ph.D. Qualifying 50-Book Exam administered to second-year Ph.D. students in the English Department at the University of Pennsylvania, I have created my own version of that daunting task - meaningfully read 50 books across a diverse range of historical periods; generic and formal categories; national and geographic origins; and personal and societal identifications - all from a catalogue of texts spanning more than 1000 years. In the spirit of the exam, I encourage participants to organize their selected 50 works into three broad rubrics according to Genre; Historical Period; and Theme or Theory. Each topic should provide a framework to structure their reading with works that speak to one another. Each of the three rubrics should also include one or two critical, theoretical, or historical works. Keeping with their guidance, all or most of the works from the period chosen should be included in the Historical Period list (i.e., not in the Genre or Theme/Theory lists) to prevent that period's overrepresentation in the challenge as a whole; no more than 20 works from that period should appear on the full list. In other words, at least 30 of the 50 works should be outside of one's designated period of specialization. I want to use this group to make this challenge dynamic. Whether it's weekly discussion posts on specific themes or genres, a support group for those who jumped head-first into the Medieval period, or a deep-dive into the oddities of a specific literary movement or author, an ongoing dialogue is encouraged. The Reading List: https://www.english.upenn.edu/sites/default/files/Ph.D.%20Qualifying%20%252250-Book%2522%20Exam%20Book%20List.pdf For further insights on how to think about Genre, Historical Period, and Theme/Theory when building our your list and rubrics: https://www.english.upenn.edu/graduate/requirements-rules-procedures/first-year-oral-exam