Literature

My family and I may never be able to visit the "Little House" country in person, but this photo-filled book makes us feel as if we were there. This is a picture book in the most literal sense of the word! Each of the full-color, professional photographs has a caption of several sentences describing the photograph and some interesting details about the scenes in them.

The photographer traveled through Wisconsin, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, Missouri, and New York to take these pictures. We can see the footbridge over Plum Creek in the summer time and the sun rising over a wintry Silver Lake. We are taken inside Laura's prairie schoolhouse and into the writing study she used as an adult. We are shown a picture of the Ingalls' family Bible with Ma's beautiful handwriting and another of Pa's fiddle. These photographs truly reinforce the idea that the "Little House" books are telling the story of a real family. This book is a "Must Read" for any fan of the series!

NOTE: A more recent edition of this syllabus was published in 2007 - this review is based on the 2003 edition.

This syllabus outlines a complete year of study in British Literature intended for 12th graders.

Books used in this course:

Required:
The Harp and Laurel Wreath by Laura Berquist
Beowulf
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Primary Works of Literature:

Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
Henry V by William Shakespeare
Midsummer-Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Emma by Jane Austen
Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis
Perelandra by C.S. Lewis
That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis

Alternate Works of Literature (for substitution of any titles in the above list that the student has already read):

Kenilworth by Sir Walter Scott
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Othello by William Shakespeare
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
The Warden by Anthony Trollope
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
The Everlasting Man by G.K. Chesterton
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

This is the author's explanation for the goals of this study:

The goal for this year is for the student to exhibit more subtlety in understanding, more discrimination in interpretation of text, and more attention to language in his papers. The syllabus is designed to help the student in these areas. British Poetry will be studied throughout the year, and great works of literature will also be read and discussed. There will also be 4 required papers.

There are paper topics included at the end of this syllabus. However, students are encouraged to create their own topics for their papers, using the 'General Questions for Works of Literature'. The reason students should be encouraged to create their own paper topics is that the thought that will go into creating a paper topic will help the student organize his thoughts about the work of literature which he has just read. A student in the rhetorical stage should be able to assemble and organize his thoughts, and then should be able to present those thoughts in a well written, well organized paper.

She goes on to explain the "how" and "why" of discussing works of literature with your children

The syllabus contains eight pages of detailed instruction for parents on learning objectives, pointers for improving and grading student papers, and a basic style sheet for student writing.

A detailed lesson plan (11 pages long) provides a year-long schedule of readings, including time allocated for discussions, writing papers and studying works of poetry.

Detailed discussion questions (and answers) are included for Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the "Prologue" to the Canterbury Tales (the text of this Prologue is also included in this syllabus). A detailed "General Questions for Works of Literature" is provided as a help in discussing the other works studied.

Finally, a paper topic is provided for each of the primary and alternate works of literature covered in the syllabus. Some are fairly detailed such as this one for Henry V: "Henry V undergoes a great change in his life. This change is referred to in the opening scene by the Archbishop. Do you think such a change is realistic, and do you think that Henry V is really a good man?" Others are quite simple, such as this one for The Everlasting Man: "Summarize and explain what the author is teaching us through this book."

I've personally read about half the books recommended in this syllabus and they seem quite well-suited to the reading level and area of study. The one thing that surprised me was having G.K. Chesterton's The Everlasting Man recommended as an alternate to a portion of C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy, to be read over the course of three weeks. It's a fantastic book (one of my very favorites!) - but really more of a non-fiction selection (and overview of history), rich in language and symbolism, that I believe would frustrate many students if read through too quickly. G.K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday might be a better option and would certainly provide wonderful material for writing and discussion.

This is a novel about a mouse among mice. There is a community of mice that lives in Redwall Abbey. The newest novice, Matthias, cuts a willing but uninspiring figure. He has an inordinate passion for Martin the warrior mouse whose legend is like that of Arthur - except that it lacks everything but the ability to swing a sword for the right side. There isn't much depth to Martin. But thanks to his efforts the abbey is become a place of peace and goodness to the surrounding forest community of animals. The abbey is an impressive structure and a formidable fortress despite it's peaceful look. But it is not 'deep' either -beyond the fact that it is an abbey and that the inhabitants wear robes God, religion and eternal truth is absent to the players in this story. Cluny the Scourge is a rat. He is a big, ugly, evil rat with only one eye left due to his warlike ways. Cluny has a legion of rats, ferrets and other unsavory characters in his company. And Cluny is on the move. He has been wandering down from the north spreading despair and ruin - killing, destroying and pillaging wherever he felt like stopping. Cluny feels like stopping at Redwall abbey. But, he finds the abbey of the 'peaceloving' little mouse community much more impenetrable than he expected - due in large part to Matthais and company. Matthias turns out to be a genius, a rabbit-tail of good luck, and a guy who everybody seems to love and trust. The book goes on and on with battle, skirmish and raids. Matthias is searching and searching for the sword of the legendary Martin. He has a sixth sense about it's ultimate importance (there is way too much sixth sense and forshadowing in this story for my taste). In fact the Abbey is often without his incredible leadership skills and sixth sense intuition because he keeps taking unnecessary sorties. But by extrordinary good luck (and because he's the hero of the book) he survives them all. I still wonder what the sense of this is in the book. It is poor philosopy and worse morals. Cluny, on the other hand, is conducting war as a leader of a rough hewn horde of this type would. In fact the author gets inside his head on a number of occasions regarding strategy, psycholgy and primitive politics. And from what I can tell he is probably quite accurate! This is an interesting study since the gallic wars and other writings of succesful generals usually view the other kind of army - the good guys. I kept wondering where the people were. There is no explanation. Though I did learn late in the book that the abbey was actually built by the mice in ages past (it is not the mouse occupation of a man made church which one would find so believable!) And more importantly I kept wondering why I should be sympathetic to Matthias. He didn't ever quite earn the right to my sympathy even though I knew he was the good guy. And his novice's habit failed to stir me as it seemed to be little beyond just the type of clothes he happened to wear. This is an OK story. I don't get the fanfare though. There are MUCH better war tales out there.

Five Reasons to Read J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

This multi-volume work begins with a loosely connected prelude work called The Hobbit, followed by a tight trilogy consisting of: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. The trilogy concerns the mission of Frodo Baggins who must destroy a magic ring whose powers are great and attractive, but whose tendency (the ring's tendency) is ultimately obedient to evil. His companions, his travails, and his decisions make a profound tale. I will give away no more of the plot, but only tell you that this is a great read if you like poetry, fantasy, theology, philosophy, or walking.

1. First of all, Tolkien is truly a master of the English language. His sense of the music of English is deftly put to use in a series of characters whose language spans everything from the simple stateliness of Tom Bombadil, (who always speaks in iambic pentameter, not only when the verses are written out so), to the uneducated and plain-spoken Gaffer, Frodo's gardener. In between are all sorts of characters who speak different kinds of prose and poetry, and out on the rim are those with nothing but harshness of heart and language. Tolkien's words are so musical and well-chosen, they are a joy to read and hear.

2. But music is not enough. One wants an author of fiction, even of fantasy, to have a thorough imagination so that his world comes to life. One dislikes any reminder that this world is just a box of paper; one wants the sub-creation to work. And in making the fantasy work, one thing above all cannot change from this world to the fantasy -- the effect of goodness and evil within and among the hearts of persons. Water may flow uphill, and animals may talk, but character development must be true to life. The author must understand human nature, even if he chooses to give it to animals or dwarfs or elves -- or to hobbits! And he must love his characters so that they may live, even as God loves us and gives us life. Tolkien has a thorough imagination and a loving fullness of human wisdom.

3. What of theology? Shortly after reading the Lord of the Rings, I was directed to read Watership Down, a story about a prophetic rabbit who was always falling into a trance before giving his greatest prophecies. But St. Paul tells us that prophets have control over the spirit of prophecy. True prophecy is never in a trance. Tolkien would not have made such a theological error. His good characters always act on their own free will, tempered and developed over time and suffering. They may have unusual gifts, but goodness is always the fruit of generous effort and long patience. In a most astonishing way, Catholic theology comes to life in Tolkien, not in a self-conscious manner, as if he were writing an allegory, but simply and deeply. Catholic readers will not fail to feel the presence of Mary in these volumes (I will not say how, but you will see it). And students of moral theology must marvel at the combination of weakness, wisdom, and mercy-responsive mercy which resolves the plot.

4. Not only a theologian, Tolkien is a master philosopher. In the persons of Gandalf, Strider, and Galadriel especially, but in many other ways, he reflects on the path of wisdom in confronting evil with humility and a sense of service. The folly of attempting to fight evil with evil -- or even with mere magic, a tool ultimately shaped in darkness -- is clearly portrayed.

As long as we are talking about confronting evil, there is a side issue that must be considered. Some have suggested that Tolkien's work is a metaphor on the issues of the Second World War. It needs to be clearly understood that any work of serious value may be read on several levels -- simply as a good story or beyond that, as an allegory of one kind or another. But a truly creative work is not self-consciously allegorical; its allegorical or metaphoric power flows from its creative origin in a heart that lives on many levels -- in the author's own created world and also in the real world of the author. Tolkien clearly stated that his work was not about the War; it is just a story. Still, if you can't see the metaphor for various world events, you must not have studied history. Nor can you have studied the human heart if you cannot see a metaphor for the service of God. But these truths are inside the fullness of the story, which is just a plain good story. No metaphor may be permitted as an intruder in its landscape.

5. So, finally, what's this about Tolkien and walking? Tolkien walked. He walked for hours and hours, in all sorts of weather. And when you read this travel story, you will understand that he really did walk, and knew what it felt like to be tired, exhilarated, more or less lost, tangled, wet, and glad at last for food and song, -- and beer. Not only that, but if you know enough about the stars to keep track of them and let them give you directions, you will quickly learn that so did Tolkien. His constellations are the very constellations that burn in the English sky, season by season, no mere stick-ons in an obligatory, painted sky. They are thoroughly consistent. A walker will recognize this book as written by one from his fellowship.

In The Tolkien Reader, there is a little essay "On Fairy Stories" in which Tolkien explains the theology of creativity as he understands it. No discussion of Christian fiction is complete without this little gem, a flawless discussion of creativity among the sons of the Creator. Tolkien is one of the towering literary figures of the 20th century. We have read his volumes three times, as a family, since our first children were six and seven, and once before that in the first year of our marriage. The story is richer every time. Like a mirror of scripture, it has become a mine of wisdom and imagery for what we do, whom we meet, and how we conduct our lives. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, and twice more wonderful.