Sparrows-Song Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 I really like the concept of LLFLOTR, but our family is not a big fan of Tolkien. We do, however, love C.S. Lewis and I'd LOVE to find a curriculum like LLFLOTR based on some of Lewis's work. I know the Chronicles of Narnia are for a much younger audience, and I'm looking for high-school material. Any suggestions? Or am I just out of luck? PS~ it doesn't *have* to be based on C.S. Lewis's work... just looking for something besides Tolkien. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 I really like the concept of LLFLOTR, but our family is not a big fan of Tolkien. We do, however, love C.S. Lewis and I'd LOVE to find a curriculum like LLFLOTR based on some of Lewis's work. Just curious -- what is it about Tolkien that your family doesn't care for? (I note from your signature that your children are 13 and 10 -- perhaps still a little young to connect with a lengthy, complex epic?) Just a thought, but perhaps going through the LLftLotR (perhaps a few years from now) might really help your family appreciate Tolkien and the incredible depth and beauty of themes and Truth in The Lord of the Rings. ;) re: study guides for CS Lewis The only in-depth year-long program of a Lewis work I know of is "Further Up Further In", for grades 5-8, which covers all 7 books in the Narnia series. Progeny Press puts out a high school level literature guide for 2 of the 3 books in Lewis' space trilogy: Out of the Silent Planet, and Perelandra. The Progeny Press guides are usually meant to take about 9 weeks. Enjoy your literature journey together! Warmest regards, Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparrows-Song Posted July 22, 2009 Author Share Posted July 22, 2009 Our main reasoning is that no, we haven't read the books or seen the movies, but that my dh watched a bit of one of the movies several years ago and thought it looked "very dark" and wasn't a good fit for our family. I do admit, though, that our children were younger then and definitely would not have understood the depth... dh had trouble getting past the shock of what one of the creatures in it looked like. It is not so much that I'm against trying it again (our kids are older now, 13 and 11)... just that it would be lovely to go with something we are already familiar with and love (C.S. Lewis.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 (edited) Our main reasoning is that no, we haven't read the books or seen the movies, but that my dh watched a bit of one of the movies several years ago and thought it looked "very dark" and wasn't a good fit for our family. I do admit, though, that our children were younger then and definitely would not have understood the depth... dh had trouble getting past the shock of what one of the creatures in it looked like. It is not so much that I'm against trying it again (our kids are older now, 13 and 11)... just that it would be lovely to go with something we are already familiar with and love (C.S. Lewis.) The movies are so completely NOT the books. The movies are about "spectacle" (i.e., the looks, the special effects, the fighting, the drama, "how gruesome can we make the goblins", etc.) and about being an action adventure series of films. And they are adequate B-grade action-adventure films, with some great sets, props and costumes, and a few decent moments of acting, BUT... horribly, the movies almost *completely* stripped out all of the richness and depth of character and the incredible themes. In addition, in a number of places the films completely *changed* not only the plot, but the motivations and basic godly qualities of some of the character, turning honorable, self-sacrificing, noble leaders who inspire others to greatness, into self-doubting post-modern wimps you wouldn't even follow to the water cooler at work. Extremely disappointing. (I obviously have strong feelings about the movies vs. the books!) :tongue_smilie: Tolkien's strong Christian faith runs all through his writing, though it is far more subtly woven into his books, than in Lewis' very overt, and often allegorical works. Lewis was a great admirer of Tolkien's writing, and they, with several other Christians, formed "The Inklings", a group which read their writings to one another and made suggestions. Tolkien and Lewis were very good friends. In fact, one character in The Lord of the Rings combines Tolkien's own personal great love of trees with the deep booming voice of his dear friend Lewis to create only of the most sympathetic, wise, and wonderful characters in the entire trilogy. You will find powerful themes such as loyalty, self-sacrifice, temptation to be corrupted by power, redemption, and servant-leadership in The Lord of the Rings -- and a quest which beautifully exemplifies the trials and suffering (and unexpected helps and joys!) that we experience in the Christian walk. I encourage you to start with The Hobbit -- and perhaps Tolkien's short stories of Farmer Giles of Ham (humorous), Smith of Wooten Major (poignant), and Leaf By Niggle (allegorical), or even his Father Christmas Letters (absolutely charming) -- to get a feel for his writing style, and see if you don't end up finding another author to become familiar with and love. :001_smile: Warmest regards, Lori D. PS -- and I know you're looking for high school Lewis works, but I'd really recommend you look at the Further Up and Further In study on the Narnia books for your family, as they are just as the right age for it; the study includes some great Bible study units, which makes the books not just for children, but for all ages. And for reading Lewis in high school, while no one guide covers all of his works, all of these titles by Lewis can be done in high school with individual guides: - Mere Christianity - The Screwtape Letters - The Great Divorce - Till We Have Faces - at least the first 2 of the 3 space trilogy books: Out of the Silent Planet; Perelandra; That Hideous Strength Edited July 22, 2009 by Lori D. added info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparrows-Song Posted July 22, 2009 Author Share Posted July 22, 2009 Thanks for taking the time to write that out, Lori. I may just get a copy of the Hobbit from the library and start reading. It *would* be great if we found that we loved them! Thanks also for the recommendations of Lewis's highschool-level books. Will check into those! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 (edited) Our main reasoning is that no, we haven't read the books or seen the movies, but that my dh watched a bit of one of the movies several years ago and thought it looked "very dark" and wasn't a good fit for our family. LOTR is my favorite book of all time. I do not like scary movies or scary creatures in movies. I never liked Star Wars because of the creepy creatures. I had to prepare myself to see the LOTR movie and there were times I closed my eyes. I didn't dislike it as much as Lori (in fact, it clarified some things for me that I hadn't figured out after reading the book several times) and I do own it on DVD (my only DVD purchase besides a few yoga DVDs). However, LOTR is my favorite book of all time. Forget the movie, read the book. Frodo is my hero! :hurray: Edited July 22, 2009 by Sue in St Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparrows-Song Posted July 23, 2009 Author Share Posted July 23, 2009 Thanks, Sue! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tajott Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 My oldest son is doing Lit lessons from LOTR. He just turned 17. It is suggested as a middle school and up, but this has plenty to keep my high schooler busy. I have added in some advanced Lit and it has become a 2yr program! There's a lot in there. I believe you could easily wait. He had already read the books, and he appreciated knowing the story and then going back to dissect it and to fill in with other background information. So your family could try reading the books together as a read aloud and if there was interest, you could do the study in another couple of years. The author of this study encourages her students NOT see the movie before reading the book, and I take that route with most books anyways. Let the reader create her own images...it is SO much better, and actually the way most writers want it anyways! Myself, I've never gotten into the series (which is almost considered blasphemous today! LOL). I do know that many who love LOTR don't care as much for The Hobbitt, so if you don't like that one you might still want to give LOTR a try. Blessings, Teresa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 (edited) dh had trouble getting past the shock of what one of the creatures in it looked like. Maybe I'm pointing out the obvious here but the creatures don't look like anything more than how you imagine them when you read the book. Movie makers deliberately make things look like "more" than they are described in books in order to be dramatic. I wouldn't judge a book based on what was seen in part of a movie. That said, I don't particularly think that LLLOTR is that wonderful. Frankly, I found most of the activities to be workbookish and busywork and focusing on nit picky details. The discussion of the text was quite good and some of the unit studies were good, but I will not be using LLLOTR again. Edited July 23, 2009 by EKS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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