Teachers' outlines for studies in English, based on the requirements for admission to college — Key Ideas to Explore

A Teacher's Practical Toolkit

The preface openly states the book's purpose: to offer plans that are “suggestive to teachers of English who are struggling with the various problems which confront them.” Blakely disclaims any desire to dogmatize, noting that each teacher must adapt to pupil needs and local conditions. This humility is reinforced by his acknowledgment of colleagues and Dr. Henry van Dyke for suggestions. The tone is collegial, not authoritative.

The contents list shows outlines for nine major works: Ivanhoe, The Vicar of Wakefield, Cranford, Silas Marner, The Lady of the Lake, The Ancient Mariner, The Idylls of the King, L'Allegro and Il Penseroso, Lycidas, The Deserted Village, The Merchant of Venice, As You Like It, Julius Cæsar, Macbeth, and Comus. This selection reflects the college entrance requirements of the early 1900s.

How Blakely Structures a Study Outline

From the excerpt on The Spectator, we see a typical outline pattern. It begins with “Study of the Book as a Whole,” subdivided into Content and Form. Under Content, Blakely poses pointed questions: “What follies of the time, or of human nature of all time, are satirized here?” He asks students to find evidence of the Spectator's Whig prejudices, citing specific papers and paragraphs. Questions about Sir Roger's character probe whether his whimsicalities “make him ridiculous or lessen our respect for him.”

Composition assignments are concrete: write a paper modeling Addison's style but substituting Macbeth for The Distressed Mother; write a letter from Sir Roger to Will Wimble; compare Addison and Steele's character portrayal. The Form section asks for topical outlines, analysis of paragraph unity, and sentence structure. A comparison with The Vicar of Wakefield is suggested to evaluate “clearness of setting, delineation of character, structure of plot.”

Emphasis on Composition and Imitation

Blakely repeatedly integrates writing exercises into his outlines. For The Spectator, he recommends “practice writing in imitation of Addison's easy but dignified style.” He suggests imitations of certain papers as “extremely profitable” for understanding both content and style. Other assignments include recasting Paper XIV on Labour and Exercise to support school athletics, and writing a reply from Sir Roger to Will Wimble on receipt of a jack.

These tasks go beyond simple comprehension; they require students to adopt the voice of a character or adapt an argument to a new context. Blakely also asks for comparative essays, such as determining which author—Addison or Steele—is more successful in character portrayal, and which shows “more refined and courteous manner.” This approach treats writing as a tool for deepening literary analysis.

The Author's Life as a Study Component

In the Spectator outline, a section titled “The Life and Character of the Authors” appears, asking about Addison's childhood, school and college life, reputation, travels, political career, literary successes, marriage, and death. Blakely also inquires: “What traits of character made him loved by his friends? How was he regarded by his political enemies?” This biographical focus is typical of early 20th-century pedagogy, which often linked an author's life to their work.

The excerpt cuts off before the full list of questions, but the pattern is clear: students are expected to research and synthesize biographical information. Blakely does not provide the answers; the outline is a scaffold for inquiry. This method encourages independent research and critical thinking about how personal experience shapes literary output.

Blakely's outlines are best used as a flexible resource rather than a rigid curriculum. Teachers can select questions and exercises that fit their students' levels and interests. The emphasis on composition, comparison, and evidence-based analysis remains relevant. Readers interested in the history of English education will find here a snapshot of what was expected of secondary students in 1908—and a reminder that good teaching asks students to read closely, write thoughtfully, and think critically.

Holding this 1908 guide, I recalled my own schoolroom copy of Silas Marner, margins penciled with hesitant notes. Those rigid outlines felt like scaffolding for a mind still learning to stand alone. A similar quiet came over me with A Discourse Being Introductory to his Course of Lectures on Elocution and the English Language (1759) — Context and Discussion—another voice believing that how we speak shapes how we think.