Washington Square Lesson Plan

Insider/Outsider

Kind of Activity:

Classwide Discussion

Objective:

To understand how Henry James was both an insider and outsider and what effect this had on his novel.

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.5, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.7, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.8, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.5

Structure:

Because of his education and upbringing, Henry James felt like an outsider in both Europe and the United States. This helped him write about other outsiders and about ambiguity, especially from a woman’s perspective. Ambiguity means a state of not knowing something for certain.

To learn more about James’s life and work, ask the class to listen to podcast “Love...