Dunce Class
A dunce is a person slow in learning or intellectually dull. It historically stems from the 13th century philosopher John Duns Scouts. A class dunce typically represents the stereotype of the weakest student, often subjected to sitting in a corner wearing a cone shaped dunce cap as a punishment. In Chapter 44 of Far From The Madding Crowd, the novel byThomas Hardy, Bathsheba while sitting alone in a thicket away from her home as a retreat to escape the shock of Troy's relationship with Fanny Robin, saw a dunce coming with a bag and a book. The book was psalter ( biblical book of psalms used for private prayer). The scene has several functions: It provides comic relief. Bathsheba has undergone the worst experience of her life. Yet she is slightly amused by the boys absurd method of learning. Even in deep distress there remains s superficial film of consciousness that notices trivial things. Her ability to observe and smile at the boy sugges...