Year 4 Lit titles

[kate in seattle]

Next year we will be on Year 4 of the WTM cycle. I know some of you have discussed your favorite American titles lately; any suggestions for British and 'world' titles? My current list is long, but just reading the American titles showed me I had missed some great ones.

 

Thanks for any and all suggestions.

 

Kate in seattle

who hasn't figured out a sig line

[Chris in VA]

We are doing 20th Century this year, so we have added in some world lit and some american. We have tied Lit to history. The lit we read was either written in the decade we are reading about or written ABOUT the decade. Maybe this will help--In order, we've read:

 

Heart of Darkness* 1900's

The Jungle 1907

Metamorphosis* Early 1910's

The Great Gatsby 1920's

Grapes of Wrath Depression

Cheaper By the Dozen (We needed a break, and it's a good look at the 20's)

Parallel Journeys* WWII

The Hiding Place* WWII

Alas, Babylon 1950's

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich* Late 1940's-1950's

 

Next up he'll read Cry, the Beloved Country*

Red Scarf Girl*

Arthur Miller Plays--Crucible, Death of a Salesman (Crucible is about McCartheism veiled as Salem Witch Trials)

Our Town (this is out of order)

Lord of the Flies*

 

Then we have a few to choose from.

I've asterisked those about other cultures or countries.

 

Brit Lit I want him to read eventually (besides Shakespeare)

 

Wasteland

Something by Austen

Something by one of the Bronte's

And most of the Sonlight List, except those "lighter works" that I don't consider great lit.

Hope this helps a bit!

[Karen in CO]

Chris gave you a great list. I'll add a couple.

 

All Quiet on the Western Front WW1

For WW2 Man's Search for Meaning (the first part of the book) by Viktor Frankle was haunting. It is great for a more mature student. Night by Elie Wiesel is also a great choice for an older student that has already read The Hiding Place. But you should check the reviews and pre-read these. I also wouldn't assign both.

 

A few others we read that stand out:

The Woman in the Dunes - Japan

The Metamorphosis - 1915

Either The Stranger or The Plague by Albert Camus

 

 

Ambleside's year 11 list includes a good selection of short stories and speeches that are great for this time period.

 

Try to balance the heavy stuff with something not depressing. When we did this period, we ended up reading three or four books about war in a row and it really got to us. We started looking for lighter reads.