Pretty in Pink Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 I'm planning our 10th grade literature list and want to make sure we didn't miss anything crucial in last year's reading. I've already explained that we didn't have the awesome school year I'd planned for, but my son did tackle some great books. We read and discussed the full text of each of the following: Bible: the Pentateuch, Book of Job, Book of Daniel Epic of Gilgamesh Iliad Odyssey The Republic Aenid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 I assume you are covering medieval writings this year? I would want him to be more familiar with Biblical texts from the New Testament - at the very least, one of the gospels plus the book of Acts. Also, be sure he is familiar with the Oedipus story, although I don't think he has to go back to read the original text. At this point, an online summary to familiarize him with the plot and significance would be fine. He'll be able to take more ancient lit in college, if he wants, and he'll hit some of these again plus the Greek tragedies, Ovid, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 If you got through all of that in 9th grade, please stop thinking of the school year as having been a failure!!! You did better than you think you did. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 Totally agree with Catwoman! That's a fine amount of reading, esp. for those lengthy/tougher ancients. :) The ONLY thing I can think of from ancient classics you might want to touch on: some Greek myths, because they are SO frequently alluded to in the rest of classic literature. But you can do that by watching the four 30-minute Jim Hensen Storyteller episodes and the 1963 Jason and the Argonauts. Seriously -- just make popcorn and have two movie nights next week as a family! :) If you feel you MUST additionally have DS read something, these are the myths I would shoot for familiarity with, as they are still frequently referred to (I linked 1-page summaries, so it doesn't even have to take very long ;)): - King Midas and the golden touch = moral lesson on greed - Pandora's Box = doing that which is tempting but forbidden and which results in great troubles - Tantalus = his crimes resulted in a punishment from which we get the word "tantalize" - Sisyphus = a frustratingly, never-ending task - Perseus and Medusa = frequent allusions to looking at Medusa --> turned to stone - Narcissus = based on his fate, today, self-absorption is still called "narcissism" - The 12 Labors of Hercules = when a job is overwhelming, today we call it one of Hercules' labors If you really want to read longer myths with the older vocabulary/sentence structure, the text of Bullfinch's Mythology is online; I'd just do a few. Wishing you a smooth sophomore year with DS! Warmest regards, Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilly Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 If you got through all of that in 9th grade, please stop thinking of the school year as having been a failure!!! You did better than you think you did. :) :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted August 16, 2013 Author Share Posted August 16, 2013 Thanks for those suggestions, Lori D. I'll look at those videos you mentioned and perhaps let my son choose one of the myths you mentioned to tackle in print before we delve into our lit. list for the coming year. :) You ladies have been a great encouragement to me in my other threads and this one as well. Thank you! I forgot about Don Quixote because it wasn't on our list last year, but ds did read that for no other reason than he just felt like it. He just mentioned it again this morning and said that it's one of his favorite books now, and then he asked me how long before we get to Dante's Inferno because he read somewhere that it was really scary or gory and he couldn't wait to get started. Haha! I never read anything but excerpts from Dante's work and I honestly can't remember what this story is about, but now he's got me curious as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoot Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 Your son is excited about learning something. That's definitely a WIN!!! I forgot about Don Quixote because it wasn't on our list last year, but ds did read that for no other reason than he just felt like it. He just mentioned it again this morning and said that it's one of his favorite books now, and then he asked me how long before we get to Dante's Inferno because he read somewhere that it was really scary or gory and he couldn't wait to get started. Haha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpklehm Posted August 18, 2013 Share Posted August 18, 2013 Totally agree with Catwoman! That's a fine amount of reading, esp. for those lengthy/tougher ancients. :) The ONLY thing I can think of from ancient classics you might want to touch on: some Greek myths, because they are SO frequently alluded to in the rest of classic literature. But you can do that by watching the four 30-minute Jim Hensen Storyteller episodes and the 1963 Jason and the Argonauts. Seriously -- just make popcorn and have two movie nights next week as a family! :) If you feel you MUST additionally have DS read something, these are the myths I would shoot for familiarity with, as they are still frequently referred to (I linked 1-page summaries, so it doesn't even have to take very long ;)): - King Midas and the golden touch = moral lesson on greed - Pandora's Box = doing that which is tempting but forbidden and which results in great troubles - Tantalus = his crimes resulted in a punishment from which we get the word "tantalize" - Sisyphus = a frustratingly, never-ending task - Perseus and Medusa = frequent allusions to looking at Medusa --> turned to stone - Narcissus = based on his fate, today, self-absorption is still called "narcissism" - The 12 Labors of Hercules = when a job is overwhelming, today we call it one of Hercules' labors If you really want to read longer myths with the older vocabulary/sentence structure, the text of Bullfinch's Mythology is online; I'd just do a few. Wishing you a smooth sophomore year with DS! Warmest regards, Lori D. :lurk5: Thanks, Lori D! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicheleinMN Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 The only book my son asked to keep after graduation was his copy of Dante's Divine Comedy. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 Thanks for those suggestions, Lori D. I'll look at those videos you mentioned and perhaps let my son choose one of the myths you mentioned to tackle in print before we delve into our lit. list for the coming year. :) You ladies have been a great encouragement to me in my other threads and this one as well. Thank you! I forgot about Don Quixote because it wasn't on our list last year, but ds did read that for no other reason than he just felt like it. He just mentioned it again this morning and said that it's one of his favorite books now, and then he asked me how long before we get to Dante's Inferno because he read somewhere that it was really scary or gory and he couldn't wait to get started. Haha! I never read anything but excerpts from Dante's work and I honestly can't remember what this story is about, but now he's got me curious as well. I agree with other posters that you and your son had a successful year for literature last year. Congratulations on a job well-done. In my opinion, Bullfinch's Mythology is a fine book, but at this age, I would use primary sources if my student is comfortable with them. You may find Ovid's Metamorphoses to be a good transitional work between the ancient and medieval periods because Ovid is highly influential in inspiring writers such as Dante, Shakespeare, Boccaccio, Chaucer, Milton, and Spenser, as well as famous artists like Titian. You can spread it out over the year so it does not interfere with your current plan. We are continuing to read it in bits and pieces because we started with it last year while listening to The Teaching Company's Classic Mythology lectures with Elizabeth Vandiver. She used Ovid for reference as well as Apollodorus' The Library of Greek Mythology. About Dante, he seems to be quite popular with teen boys, but be careful with your translations. I think SWB recommends Pinsky's translation, but we found Ciardi's translation to be much more enjoyable for The Inferno. If you have a chance to score TTC's lecture series, Dante's Divine Comedy, on sale, do so. It is excellent. Have fun.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicheleinMN Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 I agree with other posters that you and your son had a successful year for literature last year. Congratulations on a job well-done. In my opinion, Bullfinch's Mythology is a fine book, but at this age, I would use primary sources if my student is comfortable with them. You may find Ovid's Metamorphoses to be a good transitional work between the ancient and medieval periods because Ovid is highly influential in inspiring writers such as Dante, Shakespeare, Boccaccio, Chaucer, Milton, and Spenser, as well as famous artists like Titian. You can spread it out over the year so it does not interfere with your current plan. We are continuing to read it in bits and pieces because we started with it last year while listening to The Teaching Company's Classic Mythology lectures with Elizabeth Vandiver. She used Ovid for reference as well as Apollodorus' The Library of Greek Mythology. About Dante, he seems to be quite popular with teen boys, but be careful with your translations. I think SWB recommends Pinsky's translation, but we found Ciardi's translation to be much more enjoyable for The Inferno. If you have a chance to score TTC's lecture series, Dante's Divine Comedy, on sale, do so. It is excellent. Have fun.. We also preferred the Ciardi translation. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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