Favorite Works from Hawthorne and Irving

[Kfamily]

I'm trying to work on some literature choices and would love some input on your favorite works by Hawthorne and Irving.

 

I'm prepared to have my older daughter read The Scarlet Letter, but there's a small part of me that wonders if she'll like it. If it's really important to include, then we'll just stick with it. Or I could have her read a number of his short stories. I also have House of Seven Gables, but I've not read that one and I'm not sure if it would be liked more or not.

 

Also, she has read "Rip Van Winkle and a children's version of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". I could have her read the original Sleepy Hollow and any other recommended short stories of his. She will be reading his Alhambra as well. If you have any suggestions for other short stories, I'd love for you to share them.

 

Thanks! :)

[FloridaLisa]

Lost my first post, so trying again.  :toetap05: 

 

I'm replying with second hand knowledge.  My oldest took a short story class with Bravewriter years ago (Julie's dh is an English professor who wrote his thesis/dissertation on the short story).  I had a supervisory role only, as this was the first class that we had ever outsourced.  But ds has spoken many times about several of the stories he read in the class. One of those that particularly impacted him was Young Goodman Brown by Hawthorne. Might be neat to add in since you're reading Irvin's short story classic about Sleepy Hollow.

 

Lisa

 

 

[Jane Elliot]

My dd's (13, 15, and 17) and I enjoyed Hawthorne's "The Birthmark" last year. It led to some good discussion and at the end of the year 17yo said it had been her favorite work of the year.

[Kfamily]

Thank you, these are great suggestions.

 

How important would it be for her to read The Scarlet Letter? I can assign it, if it is. But, if not, we could miss it and fill in with the short stories by Hawthorne.

[8filltheheart]

Love Rappiccini's Daughter, but I also love Scarlet Letter.  For general ed purposes, I think SL has more relevance than his short stories, but I can't imagine passing over RD or The Birthmark either.  Sorry.  I'm no help!  ;)

[Kfamily]

LOL! :) Okay, now my list is longer!

[Lori D.]

re: Hawthorne

The very lengthy and convoluted intro to The Scarlet Letter (the Custom House section), can be a stumbling block to a lot of students. Once you get past that, The Scarlet Letter itself is not difficult, and moves right along. Try reading the free Spark Notes summaries and analysis of each section as you go to help with any struggles with comprehension or making connection with the work.

 

As previous posters mentioned, you could also substitute a few short stories by Hawthorne; "The Minister's Black Veil" and "The Birthmark" both have a similar theme as The Scarlet Letter. If you do 4 Hawthorne short stories, or House of Seven Gables, then don't feel obligated to also do The Scarlet Letter.

 

Really, it's up to you whether or not you want to include it. :) There are SO many classic works, no one can get to all of them in high school, so whatever you decide is fine. In case it helps: if one of your homeschool Literature goals is to cover works typically done by most high school students, The Scarlet Letter falls in the top 10 most frequently done works in high school, along with To Kill a Mockingbird, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, something by Shakespeare, something by Dickens, Lord of the Flies, and The Odyssey… And, like those works/authors, Scarlet Letter is fairly frequently referenced or alluded to in other works or in popular culture.

 

 

re: Washington Irving

Since you've already read "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", do you need/want to do more Irving? Are there other short stories or some poets you'd like to cover in the time that you would have used for Irving? For example: colonial poets Anne Bradstreet and Phyllis Wheatley, or first-half of the 19th century poets William Cullen Bryant and Ralph Waldo Emerson. OR… save that time you would have spent on Irving, and "spend" it later in the year on some late 19th century and 20th century short stories and poets you wouldn't have gotten to otherwise… 

 

 

Best of luck in your American Lit. adventures! :) Warmest regards, Lori D.

[Jane Elliot]

 The Scarlet Letter falls in the top 10 most frequently done works in high school,

 

I'm sure this is true, but it baffles me. I don't think high school is the best time to be introduced to this work, not because I think the subject matter is too inappropriate, but because I think the themes are better understood and appreciated by a more mature audience. That said, I did assign it to my oldest three in high school, and one of them disagrees with me. He says he was very glad to have read it in high school, which is surprising because he was more into science than literature. The rest of my kids won't be assigned it in high school, although if one of them decides on her own to pick it up, she's welcome to read it, and I'll be happy to discuss it with her.