lewelma Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 My younger son really likes Fantasy literature and I would like to bump it up into an English class. He likes books with beautiful writing, deep thinking, large vocabulary, moving plot, and generally positive outlook. So I know a book like Gormenghast by Mervin Peake would not work because the plot is way too slow, and I also know there are some fantasy books that are dark, which would be a no go (He didn't like Donaldson because the leprosy thing was too depressing). I have just bought him Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss which I understand to be well written and deep. What books would you suggest for this class? Do you have any resources (lectures, list of tropes, sub-genres, literary analysis of fantasy, etc.) that we could work through? It looks like there used to be a coursera course out of University of Michigan but I can no longer find it. sniff. Thanks for any and all ideas! Ruth in NZ ETA: just looked at American Gods by Gaimen (won a bunch of awards), and it appears to be part horror. That is also a no go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 Lord of the Rings would be a must-include. In highschool, DD took a college course on fantasy literature. I'll see if I can find the reading list. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 There is a Modern Scholars lecture series one of my kids listened to. It is by Michael Drout. Good stuff, but very focuses on Tolkien and Lewis (And their influencers). Ds2 liked Drout a lot and sought out his podcasts. I did a course I called Roots of Steampunk Literature in which they read a number of works of classic British and American fiction like Frankenstein, Jekyl and Hyde, and Dracula. I added a Steampunk anthology and Diamond Age to show where the genre had gone. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 Dd did a Coursera class from University of Michigan on Fantasy and Science Fiction several years ago. She enjoyed the reading list so it might help with your planning. https://www.class-central.com/course/coursera-fantasy-and-science-fiction-the-human-mind-our-modern-world-352 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted July 15, 2018 Author Share Posted July 15, 2018 Wonderful! mumto2 you found the course I had heard of! yea! And Sebastian, the lecture series looks great and is in my cart. And Regentrude, I would love to see the book list your dd used if you can find it. Thanks, guys! My plan is to have him continue to listen to classics (he just finished pride and prejudice and *loved* it), watch/discuss Shakespeare movies, and read poetry (which he loves). But for his everyday reading, he just can't seem to get into anything but fantasy, so I think I'll just go with it and make it awesome, complex, and insightful! I asked ds (who just woke up) what he has read. This is what he can remember: Lord of the Rings Enchanted Forest chronicles Novels of Valdemar (Mercedies Lackey) Temeraire series Wheel of Time (Jordan) Belgariad (Eddings) Watership down Last Unicorn Once and Future King Riftwar Saga (Feist) Golden Compass series Eragon series Narnia series Some of these books are literature and some are not. Most are pretty easy/basic. I'd like to move him into more difficult books and a variety of sub-genres. I think I start with his favorite (epic fantasy) build up the complexity and move to expand to other subgenres. So epic fantasy that looks complex and has a positive outlook: The wheel of time (finish) Earthsea cycle (leGuin) The Kingkiller chronicles (Rothfuss) Lyonesse Trilogy (vance) Shadowmarch (williams) The farseer - assassin's apprentice (Hobb) Prince of Nothing (Bakker) Any comments on these books? Off to look for more.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 Other books of fantasy but not necessarily epic. Paula Volsky historically based magical realism (no dragons). Can be read in any order, but Illusion was the first written. It's a take on a French Revolution with magical automatons. The Grand Ellipse is a magical contest similar to Around the World in 80 Days. The Bear and the Nightingale The Night Circus The Golem and the Djinni Sorcery and Cecilia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 I just had a quick chat with my Dd and she said to make sure he reads I, Robot, Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy, and Pratchett (Mort specifically). :). If he develops a love of Pratchett there is a wonderful reading flow chart that dd used to read the books in a somewhat proper order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 There are quite a few other Lackey books besides the Valdemar ones that he may like. My kids just read the Joust series. Barbra Hambly Time of the Dark or Sunwolf/Starhawk Trilogy. Terry Brooks Shannara Trilogies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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