Read Franklin's "Dialogue between Franklin and the Gout." As our first work associated with Neoclassicism (also known as the age of Reason) focus on how this world view differs from the extremism of Puritan literature. Pay special attention to the ideas of:
Reason
Moderation (not too much or too little)
Personal improvement
Science
This is a fun work, so make sure you're prepared to discuss it in class.
(Also, we'll be discussing the Autobiography on Tuesday, and since this is a longer work, you may want to get a start on it when you have some time this weekend.)
