Lost Tools of Writing 1A with P.G. Wodehouse

The persuasive essays introduced and fleshed out in the first level of The Lost Tools of Writing teach students how to think morally about the stories they read. In the short stories of P.G. Wodehouse, we encounter silly and lighthearted tales of high-society mishaps in the British aristocracy, which require the calm and even-handed intervention of the consummate gentleman's gentleman, Jeeves, to set right. But are Jeeves' methods always sound? And is his motivation always ethical? In this course, students will enjoy the humorous escapades of Jeeves and his employer Bertie Wooster, while learning how to think incisively about them and express those thoughts in an orderly and comprehensive fashion, using the skills taught in The Lost Tools of Writing level one. This Fall course covers the first four essays in the Lost Tools text, and will feature a mixture of assigned reading, discussion, collaboration, and writing. Students will be assessed on their ability to fulfill the assignments, and their essays will be graded live one-on-one so that they can receive direct feedback and understanding of how best to employ the tools.