The Coquette

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Recreating The Coquette”

In this activity, students will demonstrate their understanding of the epistolary form and The Coquette by creating a contemporary version of the story using social media posts and other electronic forms of communication.

Epistolary novels in the form of letters are rarer today than in Foster’s time, but it is increasingly common for contemporary narratives to include emails, texts, and social media posts. In this activity, you will recreate the basic story of The Coquette using these modern forms of communication while demonstrating your understanding of the novel’s plot and its characterization of Eliza.

Create a Skeleton Outline

Go back to the text of The Coquette and write down the story’s key events; you will need to decide which events are important enough to include in a basic story summary and which can be left out without impacting your audience’s understanding of plot and theme. (Aim for roughly 20 plot points.)

Create Your Document

Your document should:

• Chronologically recreate the basic story of The Coquette. (Note: You can combine several plot points in each entry.)
• Accurately characterize Eliza, mimicking her voice and perspective.
• Include at least three different types of contemporary communication, such as blog entries, emails, Pinterest pins, Instagram posts, or text messages.
• Contain both text and images.

Share and Comment

When you have finished, you will share your work with peers and then read and comment on their work. Your comments will not be from your own perspective—you will choose another character in the story and comment from that character’s perspective on at least three separate entries.

Teaching Suggestion: This activity can be completed individually or with a partner or small group. Students can create their documents on paper or in electronic form; if they are working online, they can search for blank social media templates to make their work look more authentic. If students are creating electronic documents, they will need to allow commenting when they share their work with their peers; if they are working on paper, they can leave space for comments between posts. Electronic documents will track the source of peer comments automatically, but if students are working on paper, you may wish to ask them to initial their comments.

Differentiation Suggestion: Creating a story outline requires the review of a large portion of text; this may present an unreasonable burden for students with reading fluency or attention issues. Even if students will be creating their final documents individually, you might allow them to work with a partner or small group for this step. Students with visual limitations may not be able to complete the assignment as written; if students are working individually, you might allow these students to use text-based entries only.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Sanford’s sexual seduction of Eliza is, on the surface, what makes The Coquette a seduction novel, but there are other kinds of seduction present in the story.

• What idea “seduces” Eliza, and how does it make her vulnerable to Sanford? (topic sentence)
• Explain at least three pieces of evidence that demonstrate the idea that seduces Eliza and discuss the results of this seduction.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, comment on how this aspect of the story relates to one or more of the following thematic motifs: Virginity; Republican Womanhood, Wifehood, and Motherhood; and/or Guilt and Illness.

2. When Eliza refuses to immediately accept Boyer’s proposal, she claims that she is young and that she needs time to understand herself and the world better before she makes such a commitment.

• Is Eliza genuinely indecisive and naïve, or is she deliberately hiding from unpleasant truths about herself and the world she lives in? (topic sentence)
• Explain at least three pieces of evidence that support whether Eliza is indecisive and naïve or hiding from unpleasant truths.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, comment on how this aspect of Eliza’s characterization relates to one or more of the following thematic motifs: Virginity; Republican Womanhood, Wifehood, and Motherhood; and/or Guilt and Illness.

3. The Coquette contains several allusions to mythology, religion, and famous works. Choose one such allusion to use as the basis for your response.

• What meaning does this allusion contribute to The Coquette? (topic sentence)
• Explain at least three pieces of evidence from the text that support your interpretation and make sure to discuss the meaning and/or purpose of the allusion.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, comment on how the allusion you have chosen relates to one or more of the following thematic motifs: Virginity; Republican Womanhood, Wifehood, and Motherhood; and/or Guilt and Illness.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. How does The Coquette’s epistolary form contribute to its effectiveness? Who is the novel’s intended audience, and how does the epistolary form heighten this audience’s engagement? How do the letters broaden the novel’s perspective, allow Foster to create dramatic irony, and both create and reverse audience expectations? Write an essay analyzing the effectiveness of Foster’s use of the epistolary form. Comment on how this form helps to support one or more of the novel’s thematic motifs: Virginity; Republican Womanhood, Wifehood, and Motherhood; and/or Guilt and Illness. Support your assertions with evidence from throughout the novel, making sure to cite any quoted material.

2. The Coquette was written in the era following the American Revolution. One of the novel’s key concerns is the meaning of Republican Womanhood, Wifehood, and Motherhood. What different possibilities do the novel’s various women embody? How do their choices impact other characters and themselves? What literary techniques does the author use to either endorse or reject these different visions of what it means to be a woman, and how does the novel tie its discussion of womanhood to independence and nation building? Write an essay analyzing the novel’s stance on the role of women in building and defining the new nation. Support your assertions with evidence, making sure to cite any quoted or borrowed material from both the novel and outside sources.

3. Gardens are a common symbol in Western literature, and they often allude to the biblical Garden of Eden. Are the novel’s frequent references biblical as well? What patterns do you observe in the plot events that take place in gardens? How do characters seem to think and act when they are in gardens, and is this any different from their general thinking and behavior? Does Foster offer any imagery or language that clearly establishes how these gardens look or function? Write an essay analyzing the symbolic value of gardens in The Coquette. Support your assertions with evidence from the novel, making sure to cite any quoted material.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which quality of Eliza’s most contravenes her society’s conventions?

A) Her intelligence

B) Her lightheartedness

C) Her gullibility

D) Her independence

2. What do Haly’s, Boyer’s, and Eliza’s fathers have in common?

A) They are military men.

B) They are deceased.

C) They are clergymen.

D) They are immigrants.

3. How does Eliza characterize the people—like Mrs. Richman and John Boyer—who try to offer her good advice?

A) Kind-hearted

B) Prudish

C) Sentimental

D) Condescending

4. Who most clearly functions as a foil to Mr. Boyer?

A) Mr. Richman

B) Mr. Deighton

C) Mr. Selby

D) Mr. Sanford

5. Which is not an attitude shared by both Eliza and Sanford?

A) Religious ideals are arbitrary and biased.

B) Marriage is limiting and unpleasant.

C) Life should be entertaining and pleasurable.

D) Money and status contribute significantly to happiness.

6. Which is the most accurate characterization of how Sanford sees Eliza?

A) As a rival

B) As a possession

C) As a role model

D) As a partner

7. When Eliza gets advice that she does not like, what does she generally do about it?

A) Asks someone else, hoping for a different answer

B) Prays about the question, hoping for divine guidance

C) Looks for inspiration in the works of the many poets she admires

D) Walks in the garden and searches her own heart and mind

8. What do elements of characterization such as Eliza’s reactions to the Richmans’ opinions about Sanford and her later comments about fate demonstrate about Eliza?

A) She habitually allows her pride to stand in the way of her happiness.

B) She enjoys breaking social rules just for the sake of breaking them.

C) She believes that outside forces have great power over her choices.

D) She craves the approval of others but often misunderstands how to secure it.

9. How do Eliza’s letters change as she sinks into depression?

A) They become disorganized.

B) They become pedantic.

C) They become shorter.

D) They become sarcastic.

10. Which becomes a motif in the latter part of the novel?

A) The betrayal of friendships

B) Financial reversals

C) Unsuitable marriages

D)The death of children

11. After Eliza realizes that she is pregnant, whose forgiveness does she most seem to desire?

A) Her child’s

B) Her friends’

C) God’s

D) Boyer’s

12. Which is the most accurate characterization of Sanford’s feelings for Eliza?

A) He genuinely values Eliza, but not as much as he values his own comfort.

B) He sees Eliza as nothing more than a prize in his competition with other men.

C) He deeply loves Eliza but undermines her morality because he feels unworthy.

D) He has the desire to punish her for her independence and intelligence.

13. What do Lucy and Julia most hope will be remembered about Eliza’s story?

A) Eliza’s friends and family loved her.

B) Eliza’s independence was her downfall.

C) Eliza fell prey to Sanford, who is evil and dangerous.

D) Eliza had many good qualities.

14. Which value of Boyer’s does Eliza least share?

A) Honor

B) Rationality

C) Duty

D) Politeness

15. Who most clearly serves as a foil to Eliza?

A) Nancy

B) Mrs. Wharton

C) Julia

D) Mrs. Richman

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. What is ironic about the Richmans’ attempt to promote a marriage between Eliza and Boyer?

2. In what way is Sanford’s presentation of himself to Eliza both honest and calculated to deceive?