Kfamily Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 (edited) I did not intend to put a sad face at the beginning of the title...I'm not sure how it go there...LOL!! I know that I probably ask too many questions...and many times my questions revolve around the same topics, so I hope this doesn't bother anyone. I did try and spend many hours researching this online. I was hoping to find a syllabus or a site or something that would help me pull this together. I am trying to do this alone, but I really could use any advice or suggestions. I feel like I'm fumbling around in the dark. I absolutely do realize that I need to read the books I'm trying to use myself and definitely intend to...I've started the first one already. Please don't think I'm trying to get others to do my work for me. I'm a bit over my head with this and need some help. As it stands now, I know no one that I can ask in real life. My older dd and I have discussed this before and we've discussed it again recently. She really wants to study the early medieval time period and the literature of that time period. I have over the last year purchased some books for her/us and I need to create a syllabus for this. I haven't been able to find one that combines the literature she would like to read/study and that adds some basic history to it. This is probably a study that will be literature focused and the history will be added to fit it. (Like 8FilltheHeart's idea on the large K-8 Classsical thread...this has been in our family's thoughts for some time now and is one reason her post brought so much meaning to me...I needed to plan a big literature focused study.:001_smile:) I have finally, after much time online, moved to the idea that I will take bits and pieces of syllabi and any questions/theme/essay ideas I can find that relate to the specific books I want to use. I did find one syllabus for medieval eplic literature and have plans to use many aspects of that. I need to add the history and make some more adjustments. I want to create the first syllabus for me. I want to read the books and study the literature and follow the syllabus. I'm hoping that I will then be in a better position to adjust it and create one for her when I'm finished. (Even my younger dd wants to read/study several of the same books, so I will adapt her plan even more.) Here is a list of the books I would like to combine: Literature: Beowulf Saga of the Volsungs Nibelungenlied Tain?(I'm not sure if I want to add this or not...what do you think?) Mabinogion (We have a study guide by C. Matthews for this and dd has started this book recently) Dream of the Rood? (Should I add this too?) Song of Roland The Song of Taliesin (She has read this and loved it.) Idylls of the King Sir Gawain and the Green Knight History: Geoffrey of Monmouth-The History of the Kings of Britain Alfred the Great-Asser's Life of King Alfred Anglo-Saxon Chronicles Bede's Ecclesiastical History Rule of St. Benedict Life of Charlemagne These are more geography related... On the Trail of Merlin New Light on the Ancient Mystery of Glastonbury We have all of these books already except the two literature books I was wondering if I should add (Tain and Dream of Rood). We also have Bulfinch's Mythology and Mythology by Hamilton. I know I want to include medieval epic, the genre the epic, mythic archetypes, oral storytelling, epic hero, etc. If you were designing a class with these books for me, what might you add that I'm not thinking about? Should I have spine for history or will the individual books work? I do have Churchill's Birth of Britain too. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks! Edited March 24, 2012 by Kfamily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Pearl is another good one. More Christian allegory. I've seen Sir Gawain and Pearl in one binding with Sir Orfeo (translated by Tolkien). 1066: The Year of the Conquest might be a good addition to the history side. It covers the year 1066 in England from the death of Edward the Confessor in January, to the rise of Harold (not the expected heir) to the invasion in the North by Harald Hadratta to the invasion in the south by William of Normandy. We listened to an audio book, that was very well done. Much time is devoted to life at both upper and lower levels during the period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamily Posted March 24, 2012 Author Share Posted March 24, 2012 Thank you! These are both excellent ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 I would also recommend 1066. David Howarth is very readable. The first few chapters give a good view of life at the time. It's also fairly short. I have not read, but one book I've looked at recently is the Exeter book of riddles. Here's an introduction to Old English as well. I'm sure this is enabling, more than helping. :tongue_smilie: I would love to see your syllabus once completed. Could you use SWB's History of the Medieval world as a spine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamily Posted March 24, 2012 Author Share Posted March 24, 2012 Thanks Paula! I forgot about the option to use SWB's History of the Medieval World. I will take a look at this. This is might be just what I need. The Exeter Book looks very interesting...I think dd would love it. Thanks for the Old English link...I haven't seen that one and it looks good. We've just started our Gaelic/Irish and it looks like a long road for me!:willy_nilly: I am so glad we are finally settling down a bit here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candid Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Nothing like other things you are reading but Dante's Divine Comedy is something I would consider. Is it an epic? You could have a debate like that with your student. Is it medieval? I think so but it does sit on the border of the Renaissance, but it feels more medieval to me than Renaissance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamily Posted March 24, 2012 Author Share Posted March 24, 2012 Hmmm, I'll have to consider this...I know we will read Dante's Divine Comedy. I even have the TC dvds for it!:001_smile: I'll have to weigh this one out. Dd will read the Iliad, Odyssey and Aeneid this year, so we may need to.... Are there any literary terms I'm missing? I haven't written everything I have in my notebook so far in this post, but there is a good chance I haven't thought of it. Are there any themes or questions I should keep in mind? I do have The Well-Educated Mind and could use those questions as a guide. I also have the Great Works TC dvd and could rewatch the lectures from it again too. I have the 5 stages for a lesson written in my notebook and I want to consider all of this with these stages in mind. I also want to find any other lectures that will be helpful with this particular study. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamily Posted March 24, 2012 Author Share Posted March 24, 2012 I cannot think of that site with the free great books lectures...it has them divided up into four years and you can buy study guides to go along with. I know it has Great Books in the title, but I can't seem to find it. Does anyone remember it? I was going to recheck which books they covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Is this it? http://www.thegreatbooks.com/ Great Books Academy has a list as well. http://www.greatbooksacademy.org/great-books-program/great-books-readings/ I have no seen any GB lists that go as deep into the English works as you have listed. That doesn't mean it isn't out there, but GB Academy only covers a few of the works you have listed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Here's another link I found, http://www8.georgetown.edu/departments/medieval/labyrinth/labyrinth-home.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamily Posted March 24, 2012 Author Share Posted March 24, 2012 Yes, that's it...The Great Books (com not org). Thank you! But, I see that the lectures don't cover any of these books. They do have some study guides, but I haven't seen them before. I do still have and will use the corresponding books with Questions for the Thinker: Old World Europe by Fran Rutherford. She does cover a few of these books. I really have had a lot of trouble finding resouces for a few of these books. I really have been resigned to putting it together in pieces. (A snippet on one book from this syllabus, a couple of questions for another book, etc.) I have saved a number of sites and I need to go through these more carefully. Thank you for the last link...I didn't have that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald Stoker Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 (edited) nm Edited November 21, 2012 by Honoria Glossop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald Stoker Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-FL Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 (edited) From dd#1 (English major who loves early Medieval): excellent anthology Old and Middle English: An Anthology (Blackwell Anthologies) Dream of the Rood--must do as it's the oldest known Anglo/Saxon Cademan's Hymn--oldest dated (Bede's Ecclesiastical should include this as well as info on tribal/kingdom settlements) Patience, Pearl & Sir Gawain--often available in the same book Exeter Book--much poetry (must have) and includes riddles which are a lot of fun Battle of Maldon--covers much of history Lives of Saints--since much of literature revolves around that Books set in/around time frame--Ivanhoe, King Raven trilogy Music--Wagner's Ring Cycle--7hrs of opera that covers a lot of the Germanic myths Edited March 24, 2012 by K-FL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Alcuin was Charlemagne's math tutor and wrote a number of math/logic riddles. They might make a nice side road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 The other side trip I was thinking of was representations of these epics and legends in artwork. Just as an example you have The Nebelungenlied, which is the basis formthe Wagnerian Ring Cycle, which in turn provided the subject for the artwork inside the Bavarian Castle Neuschwanstein. There are also medieval lays from old Kiev if you wanted to go farther East. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamily Posted March 25, 2012 Author Share Posted March 25, 2012 Wow, you ladies are so wonderful! Thank you so much. I'm so amazed out how many great ideas there are here. Honoria Glossop, Your links are amazing. I will go through each more slowly and carefully over the next week or so. But, I have checked each one and there is so much that will be helpful to me. Thank you. The next to last syllabus you linked is the one that has helped me a lot so far. The last sylllabus I hadn't seen yet, and covers a couple of books on which I haven't found very much yet. K-FL, Thank you (and your dd) for all of those book recommendations. I had been wondering what I could find on Battle of Maldon, and I loved the reminder to cover the saints. I had also planned on beginning an opera study with the girls next term. My plan was to alternate terms we work on this opera study with art. My overall idea was to cover the Wagner operas last...after we had read the Nibelungenlied. I also have a book titled Wagner's Operas that we can read when we get there. Sebastian (a lady), We can add the art into our study for each alternating term. Thanks for those ideas too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1Togo Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 (edited) Since we will be studying this time period as well, I have a few questions. After deciding on the literature pieces and whatever you plan to do with them; i.e. questions, essays, reading, summaries, etc., what will you do with the history portion? Essays? Research papers? Thank you. Edited March 25, 2012 by 1Togo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamily Posted March 25, 2012 Author Share Posted March 25, 2012 Hi 1Togo, I'm still in the very early stages of planning this study, but I do promise to come back to this thread and share anything at all with everyone here. I do know I want to try and incorporate the ideas from the big Classical thread. I do like and agree with SWB's approach toward handling history. When I go through the syllabus first, I will probably follow all of this and The Well-Educated Mind. I also will be keeping my own ideas about CM and narrations at a higher level in mind too. So, it really is a mass of ideas swirling in my head right now. Both girls will also begin their Book of Centuries next week too. I don't think this was very helpful....sorry. I will come back to this after much reading and preparing, if you'd like? We most likely will only include essays at this point. My dd still needs to work on these before I want to introduce a research paper to her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 (edited) Look for Benjamin Bagby's performance of Beowulf in Anglo Saxon. It's wonderful. http://www.bagbybeowulf.com/ As these works were intended for oral performance rather than as written works, I think it's an important facet to include. Edited March 25, 2012 by KarenNC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamily Posted March 25, 2012 Author Share Posted March 25, 2012 I agree, Karen, and thank you for that link.:001_smile: This looks really good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usetoschool Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Old World Europe - Questions for the Thinker by Fran Rutherford It is a book of questions, with suggested answers, about the literature itself, questions for further thought, some vocabulary, suggestions for research projects. They cover The Divine Comedy, Paradise Lost, Beowulf, Rule of St. Benedict, Life of Charlemagne, The Prince, The Song of Roland, The Canterbury Tales, and Don Quixote. They are divided into sections for epic poetry, history, philosophy, poetry and the novel. The different sections don't really attack the books in a different way. They are sold by a Catholic publisher but I don't notice anything particularly Catholic, or even really religious, about them. The teacher's guide is just the student book with the answers filled in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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