Charlotte Temple

I think that Mr. Lawler should teach Charlotte Temple again next year. Although the book was written over 100 years ago, I think teenagers can still relate to parts of it. For example, the main plot was about the age-old and ever popular story of "boy meets girl, girls falls for boy, boy leaves girl". This story is has been around for what seems like forever, and it is still the main idea in plenty of present day novels and movies.

I think that this book also tries to teach an important life lesson. Towards the end of the book, right after LaRue, who committed a few crimes of her own, dies and Rowson writes, "He gave her shelter that night beneath his hospitable roof, and the nex day got her admission into an hospital; where having lingered for a few weeks, she died, a striking example that vice, however prosperous in the beginning, in the end leads only to misery and shame" (114). The last part of that sentence pretty much says that an immoral act, or habit, or characteristic, no matter how beneficial it is at one time will always lead to suffering and regret. While most teenagers have been told time and time again to know the difference between right and wrong and good and bad, I think this text makes this point in an unusual way.

The way this text makes a point of showing what's right and what is wrong is through extreme melodrama. One example of Rowson's use of melodrama is when Charlotte has first left for America, and Mr. Eldridge tells her parents that she has gone, "...the mansion which was once the mansion of peace, became the habitation of pale, dejected melancholy". This sentence makes it seem like eloping was the end of the world for Charlotte's family. While it was wrong of Charlotte to run off, the situation is upsetting at most and not at all life-ending. I think that this melodramatic scene encourages the reader to consider their loved one's reactions and feelings before doing something that is wrong.

I think that the way melodrama was practically ridiculously overused in this book was one of the things that was so interesting about it. It is a unique style of writing that I don't think I have ever noticed before. I think this is good for this English 223 course because their was a lot in this course about reading new types of text that were possibly hard to understand, such as Shakespeare.

I think that the way melodrama was used in this book is comparable to the language in Shakespeare. It is just not something I was used to seeing and it took me a while to get accustomed enough to the writing to fully understand what was going on in Charlotte Temple just like it did in The Taming of the Shrew. Once I did get used to all the melodrama, I was able to laugh at the book in parts where I can only assume Rowson meant to be so melodramatic they were funny, such as when Charlotte's father arrives to see her, "Nature could support them no more, and they both sunk lifeless to the arms of the attendants" (109). I thought this was funny because it was just too ridiculous to take seriously.

All in all I think that this book should be taught next year, because it is not only interesting, but it introduces students to a new style of writing.