1. Purpose: to give students experience analyzing a scholarly monograph.



2. Content: This is an exercise in critical thinking. Your essay should reflect an understanding of what the authors had to say, and as well should convey this to the reader (of your paper) who has not yet read the book. The content of these essays will vary, appropriately, from student to student; each of you will see the body of information or the argument differently. The trick in such a short paper is not to try to rewrite the book, but to convey the essence (or even a portion of the essence) and argument while critiquing the book. To get going, ask some questions. Who is Ellen Ross? Is she an authority on her subject? What is the theme of Love and Toil: Motherhood in Outcast London, 1890 - 1918. Does the book have a central thesis? Does it have a core that can be stated simply? What evidence does Ross use? How well does she use it? What got left out?

The Ross paper is due at the beginning of class on March 26.