Please reduce this literature list for me.

[5LittleMonkeys]

I had a thread in which I was asking for help with my lit list for next year and some posters had suggested some of these to omit, but it's been awhile and now I can't find the thread.

 

Dd, 10th grade, will be studying the first half of Western Civ - Spielvogel. This is the list, in chronological order, that I came up with (based on EIL and some help from those here), but I believe it may end up being too much for her now due to some extra obligations and two 1\2 credits she has ended up committing to taking at our co-op.

 

Epic of Gilgamesh

The Odyssey

Oedipus Rex

Julius Caesar

Beowulf

Canterbury Tales

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Paradise Lost

Divine Comedy:Inferno

The Prince (Machiavelli)

Faust

King Lear

Much Ado About Nothing

Midsummer's Night Dream

 

I know I can remove some of the Shakespeare but can't decide which ones...and for the others - I'm not familiar enough with all of them to make an educated decision on which would be of more benefit than the others.

 

Help?

 

Edited: I'm trying to post from my phone so my list may not be in order anymore.

[swimmermom3]

It's a good list. When I feel like I need to cut works, I tend to look at the influence that they have over other great books. So out of your list I might be inclined to cut Sir Gawain and the Green Knight unless I thought my student would really enjoy the work and be sorry to miss it. With regards to Shakespeare, my choices would be dictated by my student's previous experience with Shakespeare and what my plans are for following years. We do a handful of plays each year and our choices in part, depend on the time period being studied and what our local theater will be performing in the year to come. If this were our one shot at Shakespeare, I would choose Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, and one comedy. If you are selecting Julius Caesar because it is one of your favorites, then by all means run with it, but if you are choosing it because it is set in Rome, I would maybe look at doing the Aeneid or Plutarch instead.

[Julie of KY]

I like Swimmermom's comments above.

 

When all else fails, I ask mY student what appeals the most to him.

[Lori D.]

Since you have 4 Shakespeare plays, I would pick ONE to read, and then WATCH the others (plays are meant to be watched!). Each of the other 3 plays can be done in 2-3 days (read a summary in advance; watch -- preferably a live performance in your area! -- and then do some discussion/cover themes, possibly write a short response). I gave rough time approximations (based on our family's slower pace, just in case you like to take more time, too).

 

Here are two suggestions for how to do most of it. In the first, I cut Julius Caesar, for the reasons SwimmerMom cites:

 

If you are selecting Julius Caesar because it is one of your favorites, then by all means run with it, but if you are choosing it because it is set in Rome, I would maybe look at doing the Aeneid or Plutarch instead.

 

I cut Faust in both, as it is more of a college work than high school, it is less frequentlyand Shakespeare is more widely known and more accessible to high school students. JMO! :) Enjoy your adventures with whichever of The Great Books you decide to go with! Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

 

OPTION 1

 

Semester 1

3-4 weeks = Epic of Gilgamesh

6-8 weeks = The Odyssey

2 weeks = Oedipus Rex

---- skip ---- Julius Caesar ---> (instead, substitute some other ancient work: maybe the other 2 plays of the Oedipus cycle; some Greek myths; some Plato; an abridged retelling of The Aeneid; or...)

4-7 weeks = ?? (choice of other classic ancient works)

 

Semester 2

2 weeks = Beowulf

2-4 weeks = Canterbury Tales ---> (shorten by doing excerpts -- do the Prologue, pick 2-4 tales to cover (along with their matching intros / outros), and finish with Chaucer's Retraction)

2 weeks = Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

4 weeks = Paradise Lost

4 weeks = Divine Comedy:Inferno

---- skip ----The Prince (Machiavelli)

---- skip ---- Faust

2-4 weeks = read a Shakespeare play (choice of King Lear; Much Ado About Nothing; Midsummer's Night Dream; a history (Julius Casear or Henry V) -- and WATCH the others)

 

 

OPTION 2

 

Semester 1

3 weeks = Epic of Gilgamesh

6-8 weeks = The Odyssey

2 weeks = Oedipus Rex

2-5 weeks = ? (choice of other classic ancient works -- see option 1 above for ideas)

3 weeks = Julius Caesar (READ this, and WATCH the other Shakespeare plays of interest)

 

Semester 2

2 weeks = Beowulf

2-4 weeks = Canterbury Tales ---> (shorten by doing excerpts -- do the Prologue, pick 2-4 tales to cover (along with their matching intros / outros), and finish with Chaucer's Retraction)

2 weeks = Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

4 weeks = Paradise Lost

4-6 weeks = Divine Comedy:Inferno

2-4 weeks = The Prince (Machiavelli)

---- skip ---- Faust

---- watch ---- King Lear

---- watch ----Much Ado About Nothing

---- watch ----Midsummer's Night Dream

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

If I were to begin cutting items from this list I would probably start with Gilgamesh, Oedipus Rex, and pick either Much Ado... or Midsummer... but not both. I can't really defend them other than to say that in my mind the other works on your list strike me as more worthy of time spent. Of course I like the list a a whole too. The one work I would definitely cut though is The Prince. There are many wonderful reasons to read Machiavelli (and nearly every prof I had in college across multiple departments agreed) but I wouldn't count literature among the top reasons. Is it a great adjunct to a history or government course? Yes. Worth giving up another one of the literary works you selected? No.

 

All just a matter of personal opinion though. You began with a great list.

[regentrude]

I don't understand how Faust gets into the list and why it would end up chronologically next to Macciavelli: it was written in the early 19th century.

Faust is covered in German high schools, and I remember that it takes a lot of time, especially discussing part 2 (part 1 is rather straightforward, but 2 has deep philosophical issues.)

I'd cut Faust, or at least move it to 2nd half of Western Civ.

[5LittleMonkeys]

Well, Faust probably ended up on the list because I'm trying to figure this out having never had this type of education myself. This is why I appreciate the input of those here. ;)

 

Thank you all for your suggestions. I feel this is more do-able now. Lori, thanks for the recommended times too.

[Candid]

I don't understand how Faust gets into the list and why it would end up chronologically next to Macciavelli: it was written in the early 19th century.

Faust is covered in German high schools, and I remember that it takes a lot of time, especially discussing part 2 (part 1 is rather straightforward, but 2 has deep philosophical issues.)

I'd cut Faust, or at least move it to 2nd half of Western Civ.

 

 

Actually there are two Fausts. One is by Marlowe a contemporary of Shakespeare. The other is Faust, by Goethe a late 18th/early 19th century Romantic. I am not surprised that you knew only of the second; many native English speakers would have the reverse condition.

[Candid]

I had a thread in which I was asking for help with my lit list for next year and some posters had suggested some of these to omit, but it's been awhile and now I can't find the thread.

 

Dd, 10th grade, will be studying the first half of Western Civ - Spielvogel. This is the list, in chronological order, that I came up with (based on EIL and some help from those here), but I believe it may end up being too much for her now due to some extra obligations and two 1\2 credits she has ended up committing to taking at our co-op.

 

Epic of Gilgamesh

The Odyssey

Oedipus Rex

Julius Caesar

Beowulf

Canterbury Tales

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Paradise Lost

Divine Comedy:Inferno

The Prince (Machiavelli)

Faust

King Lear

Much Ado About Nothing

Midsummer's Night Dream

 

I know I can remove some of the Shakespeare but can't decide which ones...and for the others - I'm not familiar enough with all of them to make an educated decision on which would be of more benefit than the others.

 

Help?

 

Edited: I'm trying to post from my phone so my list may not be in order anymore.

 

 

Okay, first if this is all she is doing for lit for one year, then I don't think you need to cut. But if those two half credits from co-op are also lit then you need to cut.

 

I do have some questions about chronology. Julius Caesar did write his own book on the Gaelic war, but the play of that title is by Shakespeare so I'd class it with the Elizabethans. Also, The Prince stands out like a sore thumb in this list because it is a work of nonfiction and the rest are imaginative literature.

 

I agree about the two Shakespeare comedies and I would pick Much Ado over Midsummer. I'd pick Lear over Julius Caesar but I'd pick both over Faust.

 

However, I guess before I did any picking, I'd want to know what works the other two classes at co-op were going to cover. This way I might be able to establish some themes.

[regentrude]

Actually there are two Fausts. One is by Marlowe a contemporary of Shakespeare. The other is Faust, by Goethe a late 18th/early 19th century Romantic. I am not surprised that you knew only of the second; many native English speakers would have the reverse condition.

 

 

I am aware that Marlowe wrote a play on the same subject (my DD read it with renaissance lit), but I have only heard Marlowe's play referred to as Doctor Faustus, and so I assumed the OP was referring to Goethe's work which is always called Faust.

Also, when it comes to its relevance for world literature, I do not believe Marlowe's holds quite the same position of significance.

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

[5LittleMonkeys]

However, I guess before I did any picking, I'd want to know what works the other two classes at co-op were going to cover. This way I might be able to establish some themes.

 

The other two classes aren't literature but will require an additional 4-6 hours of her time each week that we hadn't planned on previously. This child is science\math orientated and taking two math credits this year (her choice and I know she can do it). Her maths along with her science will consume at least 4 hours a day. All of that, along with German, has her working about 6 hours a day, and that is with her out of the house two half days a week. She will still need to do history and English. Anyway, just putting that out there to explain why I was getting concerned about the length of my list.

 

 

 

 

A little more info about my list (not that it matters at this point but might help someone else reading) - I really have no idea what I'm doing so I really appreciate everyone's input. I've only read about 1/4 of the selections, and even then once straight through with no literary analysis or background info. Sometimes I think I'll give up and just go with what's typically done locally for high school English, but then I remember my reasons for home schooling and I press on... I digress...pay no attention to my pity party. ;)

• The history time period is from early civilization up through the 17th century. Chapters 1-16 in Spielvogel's Western Civilization Comprehensive Volume.
  

• I was trying to pull my list together mostly from Excellence in Literature World and British levels, in addition to a few suggestions from various people...that's where Gilgamesh, Oedipus, Julius Caesar, The Prince, and Faust got put into the mix.
  

• I added in the Shakespeare at the end of the year since my other dd will be doing them also, and our co-op drama class will be producing a Shakespeare play during that time as well (not sure which one yet). A Midsummer's Night Dream is being done at our local Shakespeare in the Park so I've got that one covered. So perhaps I could just do King Lear for English.
  

 

So, using the previous suggestions in this thread, this is what I've got.

 

First Semester - 18 weeks

Epic of Gilgamesh

The Odyssey

Oedipus Rex

The Aeneid

 

Second Semester - 18 weeks

Beowulf

Canterbury Tales - Proloque, 2-4 tales, Recitation

Paradise Lost

Divine Comedy:Inferno

King Lear

 

:)

[5LittleMonkeys]

I assumed the OP was referring to Goethe's work which is always called Faust.

 

Your assumption was correct.

[Maura in NY]

Many good comments here. Just tossing one more opinion into the pot.

 

First off, I love pretty much everything on your list, and would be inclined to keep most of it, just vary the depth with which it's covered. This is almost exactly the list my son did last year, actually, but he didn't do hardcore analysis and writing for every book. Some, we would just read and discuss.

 

if I were trying to lighten it, I would drop Paradise Lost, only due to personal preference. I didn't enjoy it in high school myself, and it's more likely to be covered in college. And one of the Shakespeare comedies -- probably would drop Much Ado.

 

When I was in HS, we did Christopher Marlowe's Faustus in AP English -- I recall enjoying it, and actually your mention makes me want to throw it at my high schooler before he goes.

 

I'm a big Shakespeare buff, so take my opinion with a grain of salt -- I'd keep Julius Caesar - read along with the Marlon Brando film. (That is such a pivotal performance, in terms of what acting was before and after. If your student is interested in that kind of stuff. And besides -- "Cry haaavooooccc and let slip the dogs of war!" Gotta have it.) I'd only do one of the others plays in depth, but read, read about, and watch all of them. Maybe watch more than one version, if you're enjoying it. (I think we watched 3 MacBeths and 4 Hamlets this year, so that tells you where I'm coming from...)

 

I'd keep the Gawain, because 1) we love Tolkien, 2) we prefer to have some lighter stuff thrown in with the heavier stuff, and 3) we love anything to do with King Arthur etc. I think we threw in a little T.H. White, as well.

 

Select specific tales from the Chaucer, as recommended above.We like to do a little side-by-side translation of the Prologue in the Middle English (listen to an audio from YouTube, too). For actually reading the tales, I'm partial to the Geraldine McCaughrean retelling.

 

As a surprise to me, ds loved Inferno. Go figure.

 

Oh - and when you do Beowulf, don't miss Seamus Heaney's recording of his translation. You can listen on YouTube if you can't get it from the library. The lilt just makes it so awesome.

 

Robert Fagel's Odyssey is great, and Ian McKellan does the audiobook for this one. (also on YouTube if you can't get it at the library)

 

You know, so much of this stuff is meant to be watched or heard! It can take more time that way, but we at least sample it, to get the feeling.

 

Good stuff. Enjoy!

[Julie in MN]

I like your new list. Before I got down to your last post, I was going to say:

 

If I were to begin cutting items from this list I would probably start with Gilgamesh, Oedipus Rex, and pick either Much Ado... or Midsummer... but not both. I can't really defend them other than to say that in my mind the other works on your list strike me as more worthy of time spent.

 

I actually think Oedipus is an excellent choice, because the whole Freud/Oedipus complex is everywhere in our culture. And it's a short play, so very do-able.

 

I also like to do Gilgamesh, both because it's a rare piece of very early literature and if you study the Bible, it's a nice confirmation of the flood story. HOWEVER, the original has some very suggestive language and you might preview and compare to some retellings.

 

I do have some questions about chronology. Julius Caesar did write his own book on the Gaelic war, but the play of that title is by Shakespeare so I'd class it with the Elizabethans.

 

I've done Julius Caesar during the time Julius lived, rather than the time Shakespeare lived. I did it with my older dd, using BF, and my younger son, using MFW.

 

It makes sense to me to do it then. It gives a great picture of the prominent figures of the time, and it also gives some memorable lines that are well known in our culture today, but associated more with Julius Caesar topics than with Shakespeare topics.

 

 

Anyways, good list now. I can never decide whether King Lear or Macbeth is the best Shakespeare to study. I think Macbeth is more commonly studied around the country, but that doesn't always mean anything.

 

Julie

[5LittleMonkeys]

 

You know, so much of this stuff is meant to be watched or heard! It can take more time that way, but we at least sample it, to get the feeling.

 

 

Excellent advice...thank you so much. I think dd and I would both enjoy listening to some of your recommendations.

 

As an aside - My husband was so influenced by that movie that his gamer tag for x-box live (he's a gamer geek) is Dogs of War. He often plays with a friend who's tag is Cry Havoc. :) I must admit I've never seen it but will definitely make it happen this year.

[Candid]

I am aware that Marlowe wrote a play on the same subject (my DD read it with renaissance lit), but I have only heard Marlowe's play referred to as Doctor Faustus, and so I assumed the OP was referring to Goethe's work which is always called Faust.

Also, when it comes to its relevance for world literature, I do not believe Marlowe's holds quite the same position of significance.

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

 

Don't know if you misunderstood, it's possible I have.

 

I will not comment on Marlowe vs. Goethe. I found Goethe's Faust flat, but he holds a strong position in German lit. I should read Werther (or Werter, I've never known which) but haven't partly because the whole premise has always sounds sappy to me, but then I felt that way about most Romantics.

[Lori D.]

First Semester - 18 weeks

Epic of Gilgamesh

The Odyssey

Oedipus Rex

The Aeneid

 

Second Semester - 18 weeks

Beowulf

Canterbury Tales - Proloque, 2-4 tales, Recitation

Paradise Lost

Divine Comedy:Inferno

King Lear

 

:)

 

Esp. since you have those co-op hours sucked away from your year, it looks like you've worked out a great schedule, and a great selection of works. Enjoy!

 

My husband was so influenced by that movie that his gamer tag for x-box live (he's a gamer geek) is Dogs of War. He often plays with a friend who's tag is Cry Havoc. :) I must admit I've never seen it but will definitely make it happen this year.

 

Movies are easy to work in -- seriously, just rent Julius Caesar some night and watch it as a family movie; don't worry about studying it! :) (On a side note about Shakespeare movies: I'm a big Joss Whedon and Nathan Fillion fan and am looking forward to Much Ado About Nothing, filmed in B&W at Joss's house in 12 days, with a modern setting. Looks yummy!)

 

 

And here are links to the Beowulf read by Seamus Heaney that Maura referred to -- I think it only takes 2 hours to listen to both parts of the whole work:

-

-

 

 

And here are links to excerpts of Benjamin Bagby performing the work the way a minstrel would have done so:

- Beowulf, Opening Lines

- Beowulf, Grendel's Ambush

- Beowulf, Battle

[Maura in NY]

Yes! We love the Bagby Beowulf!

[Candid]

I'm afraid I'm not sure I would reduce it. I think you need some fill in with smaller works, especially poetry.

 

But maybe it would help if I put below how many weeks Tapestry of Grace spends on each of these works:

 

Epic of Gilgamesh 1 week

The Odyssey 3 weeks

Oedipus Rex 1 week (in combo with another Greek tragedy)

Julius Caesar 1 week

Beowulf 1 week

Canterbury Tales 1 or 2 weeks

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 1 week

Paradise Lost 3 weeks

Divine Comedy:Inferno 3 weeks

The Prince (Machiavelli) Not part of the lit curriculum but is covered in the government section for 2 or 3 weeks

Faust Either 1 week in combo or 2 weeks depending on which one

King Lear 1 week

Much Ado About Nothing 1 week

Midsummer's Night Dream Didn't cover but presumably 1 week as all other Shakespeare plays got that long.

 

That gets to 21 weeks on my estimate. And while watching and listening is nice, I personally, don't think you can really do much literary analysis that way. You have to take your time and read the words.

[Julie in MN]

I'm afraid I'm not sure I would reduce it. I think you need some fill in with smaller works, especially poetry.

 

But maybe it would help if I put below how many weeks Tapestry of Grace spends on each of these works:

 

 

 

And while watching and listening is nice, I personally, don't think you can really do much literary analysis that way. You have to take your time and read the words.

My, Candid, can a student really read a Shakespeare and learn something about it or write about it all in one week? Maybe by 11th or 12th, if some Shakespeare is already under the belt (there is a lot of unfamiliar vocab and poetic style to get used to), but even then it seems like little would be retained in my brain alongside all 6 high school subjects being learned.

 

And as for listening/watching, many of these works were created ONLY to be listened to or watched, so I can't think that the words alone would necessarily be better? It would add a dimension but lose a dimension, I think. Of course, being a reader, I usually also read, but my son doesn't gain a whole lot by reading something compared to listening. Either way, a play or an ancient oral tale seems at least equal whether written or watched/listened to? I also liked reading Shakespeare aloud and "making" my kids take some of the parts :)

 

Julie

[Candid]

My, Candid, can a student really read a Shakespeare and learn something about it or write about it all in one week? Maybe by 11th or 12th, if some Shakespeare is already under the belt (there is a lot of unfamiliar vocab and poetic style to get used to), but even then it seems like little would be retained in my brain alongside all 6 high school subjects being learned.

 

And as for listening/watching, many of these works were created ONLY to be listened to or watched, so I can't think that the words alone would necessarily be better? It would add a dimension but lose a dimension, I think. Of course, being a reader, I usually also read, but my son doesn't gain a whole lot by reading something compared to listening. Either way, a play or an ancient oral tale seems at least equal whether written or watched/listened to? I also liked reading Shakespeare aloud and "making" my kids take some of the parts :)

 

Julie

 

Yes, a student in tenth grade can read a Shakespeare play in a week and participate in an in depth discussion with me. A discussion that I know was as in depth as those I had in college survey lit courses that covered Shakespeare and maybe almost as in depth as those I had in the semester long class devoted only to Shakespeare.

 

My general goal for high school is to come pretty darn close to college level expectations. Obviouisly college will eventually get into more depth and have different insights than I might provide, but as close as I can.

 

I think it is easy to sell high school students short in what they can and can't do. One reason I use Tapestry of Grace is because Marcia Summerville does not.

 

I've pointed out in the past that Tapestry uses history books with their upper elementary students that other programs use with  their high school students. While with a work of literature you might get more from an older student, with a work of history the older student is not getting the amount of depth they could be getting by using a lower level book. It is no surprise to find they can't handle more mature works like Shakespeare as rapidly and capably as students trained for more depth. That's why I use Tapestry.

 

As for the idea that Shakespeare wrote only for the stage, we have clear evidence thanks to the publishing industry of his day that he edited his plays as they were staged, changing and refining lines. That's what writers do and to do literary analysis you must have the text and read it. To only watch is to only expose yourself to a work. To learn what is behind the words, in the mind of the author, a text is necessary as is hard work. That's what we do in my home school.

 

I realize the OP has a STEM oriented student, but short changing such a student now doesn't help them in the end. It doesn't enrich their lives. My brother was a brillant such student, went on to become a Chemical Engineer. But in high school he was sold short in history and lit; fortunately for him in college he got a taste of a higher level. He raved over that course more than any of his technical classes. I wonder if most STEM students do get that taste. As home school adminstrators we can make sure our students get that taste.

[Maura in NY]

I’m going to take this discussion in a slightly different direction here. Even beyond our differences as homeschoolers, as teachers we come from different educational backgrounds, with different passions, strengths and weaknesses. And we are guiding students who have varied passions, strengths and weaknesses. Which is just to say that one size does not fit all.

 

What is rigor? What’s setting the bar high enough? Our goal is for our sons to be prepared to attend top tier universities – if they so choose. But we are about the result, not the process. We don’t make any effort to recreate a school experience, or presage a college class.

 

I don’t use Tapestry of Grace, or any other curriculum that lays out a course for literature and writing because these subjects are my passion. By the time they get to high school, my sons have a firm grasp of the vocabulary of literary analysis, so we can skip reading comprehension and “find the alliteration†questions, and jump right into discussion of deeper meaning and intent. My comfort level with the material is such that I don’t usually refer to a list of questions. If we’re tackling something I’m not familiar with, I do my work ahead of them.

 

I don’t think anyone was suggesting that a true study of a work could be done only with audio or movies. But I will say that without these media, I wouldn’t consider any serious study of a work that was originally meant to be heard (Homer, Beowulf), or seen (Shakespeare) to be complete. The fact that there are multiple versions of a Shakespearean play speaks directly to the fact that these are performances. They were staged many times before they were ever published, and as with any script, they were tweaked by the writer and actors on the stage. Hence, multiple versions of the plays. That doesn’t necessitate close reading and dissection to be appreciated. But it does mean you ought to hear the words aloud.

 

When we “do†a Shakespeare play, we might read it first, then watch it live, then re-read parts. We might watch a movie, then read it, then watch another movie. And another. We will most likely read parts of it aloud to each other. All the time discussing. For what it’s worth, we’ve never been able to really get enough from one of Bard’s plays in a just one week. We typically spend two or three.

 

Sometimes we read what literary critics have to day about a work (for instance, Bloom’s Poem Unlimited, with Hamlet). But sometimes, beyond any necessary historical context, we adhere to the Walsh Academy school of literary criticism :), which dictates that the work can stand on its own.

 

When it goes well, the works we read together are not something they’ve studied, but something they own, that enriches them and informs their understanding of the world. When it doesn’t go as planned, the boys have read a book we never get around to discussing. And they learn that literature has intrinsic merit, beyond “schoolâ€.

 

There are as many ways to study literature as there are families who homeschool. I am well aware that what works for me would probably not work for you. So when I throw my opinion out there, I try to remember to include those little “JMHO†or “YMMV†internet smiles. Because even though I come across as a blow-hard and a know-it-all, in the end even I know that it IS just my opinion, and YOUR mileage may vary.

 

My goal with literature? For the boys to love it. To know literature from junk, and to crave the real deal.

[Lori D.]

I'm afraid I'm not sure I would reduce it.... That gets to 21 weeks on my estimate.

 

 

5LittleMonkeys:

 

Candid gives a nice quick schedule for the more accelerated / advanced student. My schedule was for my slower / average students. There's infinite possibilities and opportunities in between the two. :)

 

I'm confident that once you get into your school year, you'll soon find the pace that works best for your family to read /have time to absorb, to discuss, to analyze and to write about the works! Perhaps have a few works on a side list you can keep handy that you can add to your Literature work if you find you are moving more quickly than originally planned, or to go to as a substitute in case you find you absolutely dislike one of your choices. Perhaps have Sir Gawain and the other Shakespeare works on your "back-up list", with what you would use as resources to assist covering those works, in case you find you have more time as your school year progresses?

 

Wishing your family the very BEST in your Great Books adventures next year! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[Brigid in NC]

Coming in late, but I'd like to add that I love your list.  There are so many possibilities, but I can definitely see the order and thinking in your choices.  I wondered about your two Shakespeare comedy choices, but after you explained the family connection, they make sense too. 

 

My 2 cents: If I were shortening the list I would include either Much Ado or Midsummer Night's Dream.  (Btw, the Much Ado movie that just came out is wonderful.)  If Hamlet and Macbeth have already been tackled or are planned for future years, I think Lear is a wonderful choice.  If not, I would want to find a way to get them into the high school years.  Lastly, I'd read some of the Canterbury Tales.  I'm not a fan of abridged books or simply reading excerpts, but IMO reading several of the Tales is plenty for most high school students.

 

I always entered every school year with doubts about the reading schedule and choices--and I always had books on the schedule that I had not yet read, but were on my own personal bucket list.  One of the great things about homeschooling is you can enjoy reading alongside your kids when you want to, and you can make changes on the fly.  Good luck! :001_smile:

[VeritasMama]

I'm confused about Paradise Lost, as it is written in the 17th century and is such a vastly different style than the middle age literature that you have after it. Is it meant as a stark contrast to Dante? I would read Dante first, we spent a huge amount of time on Dante during my World Literature class in college, and a whole semester was spent on Milton during literary analysis. Paradise Lost does not really seem to fit into the time period that the other works do, IMO. It is also so heavily influenced by the Reformation and Protestant theology, that would be chronological period I would study it in, after Shakespeare.