Literature

When a Spanish galleon carrying live ponies as cargo to be sold for labor in the mines of Peru is wrecked in a storm off the coast of Assateague Island, Virginia one stallion and fourteen mares swim ashore. There, they adapt to the island's climate and populate its beaches. Over time, the Spanish galleon becomes a remote memory to residents of nearby Chincoteague Island-- almost a legend.

Brother and sister, Paul and Maureen Beebe visit Assateague often-- the island of the wild ponies. They dream of owning a pony of their own, particularly the Phantom-- a wild and free mare marked with a white "map" of the United States on her withers. "Paul boy," Grandpa warns, "mark my words. The Phantom ain't no hoss. She ain't even a lady. She's just a piece of wind and sky."

But Paul and Maureen will not be dissuaded. Can they earn enough money by digging clams and gentling horses to buy the Phantom? And how will Paul capture the Phantom on Pony Penning day when no experienced Round Up man has been able to catch her and this is Paul's first year participating in the annual round up of the island's wild horses?

Newbery Honor Award winning Misty of Chincoteague is a delightful tale told with all the richness of the local dialect and color. In fact, Misty of Chincoteague is based on a true story and dedicated to the real life people its likable characters are based upon.

The wild adventure, the example of hardworking independence, the wise grandfather Beebe and Paul's initiation into the brotherhood of Round Up men clearly indicate that not all pony stories are for girls only. Misty of Chincoteague appeals to the young and old of both genders. It is an unforgettable tale told with exceptional craftsmanship. Lastly, Wesley Dennis' illustrations could not suit the story or its characters more perfectly. We love this book!

Others books by Marguerite Henry we hope to enjoy include...

King of the Wind
Sea Star, Orphan of Chincoteague
Stormy, Misty's Foal
Born to Trot
Justin Morgan Had a Horse

This is an admirable portrayal of one of Shakespeare's great comedies beautifully filmed on location in Italy. It is a love story that also laughs at love and a drama that ends up being "Much Ado About Nothing." It is so refreshing to see that Kenneth Branagh (director, adapter and co-leading man) appreciates Shakespeare as Shakespeare rather than trying to add on modern nonsense to make it more accessible. Instead, Branagh assists in making Shakespeare's timeless story accessible through good acting, beautiful scenery and an amazingly faithful script. I like this film very much, and I think it can be a good place for introducing teens to Shakespeare. However, there are a few short scenes of a sensual nature that parents might want to edit for their children. I recommend that parents preview the movie before watching it with their children, but in a nutshell, here some scenes that parents may wish to edit, particularly the third one:

During the credits, the men and women (who are in separate places) are shown bathing and dressing up while preparing to meet each other after the men had been away at war. While this is done in a fairly innocent manner, there are plenty of naked "backsides" in this scene.

There is a small scene during the costumed party involving a couple who are not behaving themselves very well. It does help establish their characters which play an essential role in the story. Although it is not terribly graphic (and might go unnoticed by small children), it is probably not suitable for younger viewers.

One frustrating thing for one who loves literature is how the term 'good literature' is starting to connote books that have good morals and no offensive content, rather than meaningful, thoughtful books that are well-written. I'm sure this is partly due to the large quantity of vile content found in the entertainment industry. But if we 'fight back' with material that we deem acceptable simply because it's 'clean', we aren't likely to win enthusiasm from those who need good literature and good entertainment the most - including our own children. And sometimes focusing too much on 'clean' simply whitewashes tales - leaving no depth or meaningful conflict between good and evil. (Personally, I'd like to see more of a distinction made between 'offensive' content and 'dangerous' content.)

I was very pleased to read, this week, a book that is a notable exception to this dearth of good literature today. Niamh and the Hermit is a beautifully written, morally sound, thoughtful, compelling and entertaining book. Emily Snyder, a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, has created the world of the "Twelve Kingdoms", shadowed in Celtic mythology, but guided by Christian morals and traditions, in which to novelize one of the world's great fairy tales (it's more interesting to identify the fairy tale on your own than for me to give it away). It is difficult to do justice to this sort of book after only one reading, but I was very impressed with the beautiful writing, rich vocabulary, subtleties of humor and truth and the thoughtful lessons, characters, trials and resolutions that make up the plot.

The evil in the book is every bit as scary and realistic as Screwtape in C.S. Lewis' worthy book. It seems almost a lost art today to create villains who give a true sense of the reality of evil. The evil Count uses some crude language and references (particularly in psychologically tormenting his victims), but this makes him more real and despicable. The publisher offers this title as an alternative to Harry Potter, but I think a comparison with Tolkien's, Lord of the Rings, might be more apt, at least in-so-far as both are linguistically rich works of "sub-creation" and are strongly rooted in the medieval tradition.

I corresponded with the author to get her opinion on reading-level and good books to read before this. She thought it would be best for high-schoolers and adults, fine for 7th grade and up, and possibly manageable for younger "precocious" readers who had already successfully tackled the Lord of the Rings (some of themes would probably go over the heads of these younger readers).

As for comprehension, the author recommends that..."reading Shakespeare would probably be the best 'primer.' Other sources might include Dickens, Tolkien, and Austen. I'd include Oscar Wilde's more serious work, except that ... parents might find Dorian Grey and Salome a bit more mature than required. Hawthorne and Poe also have great language, although they're also rather dark."

Amidst themes of beauty, love and purity, the author includes a handful of rather subtle references to human sexuality that are placed in a proper moral context and are not sensual or descriptive in any way (these might be entirely missed by younger readers). For example (in a story being told by one of the more colorful characters):

"'No!' says I. 'If you crave my mirror, then court the Baronet's son yourself and win one from him! You'll not have mine!'

"'But,' pressed she, 'he cares naught for you and has been seen stealing kisses from Sally Milkmaid.'

"'Has he now?' quoth I. 'Well, let him. It is nothing one way or t'other to me. I have his mirror and have given nothing else away, while like pretty Sal shall give all herself, and get worse for her pains in nine month time!'" Ogrin laughed and rocked merrily in her chair. "She did, too! But I like my mirror better, for it does not constantly reflect my folly." (Chapter 10)

The author also edits the Christian Guide to Fantasy and the Tower of Ivory Literary E-Zine.

Hint: You may want to read over the list of characters (and pronunciations) in the back of the book (starting on page 243) before you begin reading in order to avoid confusion.

A Set of Guides for Four Novels Integrating Composition and Higher Level Thinking

This set of study guides for grades 5-6, written by a Catholic homeschool mother of five, provides a literary guide with in-depth study questions, writing assignments and analyses for four historical novels on Ancient Civilizations: The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw, Tirzah by Lucille Travis, Hittite Warrior by Joanne Williamson and The Children's Homer by Padraic Colum.

This guide and future editions that are in the works are designed to provide a literary and writing component to the upcoming Catholic History program Connecting with History: a Guide to Salvation History, Bible History and Ancient Cultures by Sonya Romens and Andrea Chen (see http://www.rchistory.com for details). Novel Inquiries, however, does not rely upon Connecting with History and could certainly be used independently as well.

Mrs. Davidson, an experienced literature teacher and an alumna of Thomas Aquinas College, provides individual guides for teachers and for students in one volume.

First, the introduction offers helpful and practical advice on ways to use a novel in education, helping students learn to extract themes and meanings from the story, handling the study of vocabulary and "getting through the novel". The teacher section itself offers an in-depth story synopsis which highlights important themes from each novel. A "Directing Student Activities" segment offers tips on helping the student get the most out of the novel, explanations of how the novel fits into the Connecting with History program, basic instructions for getting through the various student components of the guides and ideas for post-reading research and activities. A final page offers ways to reflect on all of the books together after having completed the entire study (which is intended as a year-long undertaking). Having read two of the titles (The Golden Goblet and Hittite Warrior) before reading through these study guides, I'd like to say that I'm impressed with the depth and scope of what Mrs. Davidson is able to draw out of each of these stories. Her synopsis and comments brought out excellent points and themes that I had not recognized when I read the novels myself.

The student portion (all but 28 pages of the book) offers guides that vary slightly in focus from story to story both to suit the nature and difficulty of each book and to offer some variety to the course.

The Golden Goblet study guide begins with some short but helpful assignments to complete before starting to read the story (in recognition of the Ignatian/Classical method of prelection - a sort of previewing of the material before beginning). Some tips for "while reading the story" offer ideas for things to think about while reading the story and suggestions of things to jot down in a reading log as the story progresses. The vocabulary section for this novel is rather extensive (four to eight words for each of the sixteen chapters) and covers words such as "ingratiatingly", "menial", and "citadel". Several thoughtful "questions for reflection" for each chapter invite students to think carefully about and draw conclusions relating to the story and predict what will happen next as well as simply relating portions of the storyline. Five "questions for the end of the story" invite students to reconsider some of their conclusions drawn while reading the story and reflect on overall points and themes of the story. The final section offers three in-depth writing assignments complete with pre-writing assignments and tips for revising and editing each segment. These assignments are both interesting and creative and help students to develop good writing techniques and study habits as well as get more out of the story.

The study guide for Tirzah is a little simpler because the writing style is easier (there are no vocabulary lists for this book). The guide provides "Before reading" and more in-depth Reading Log Instructions that cover larger segments of the book (up to six chapters at a time). These assignments give the students related Bible passages to read and provide other ways of reflecting upon and getting more out of the story. Seven questions for the end of the story help students consider general themes from the story (relating to forgiveness, obedience, prejudice, faithfulness, etc.). The four writing assignments (similar in nature to those assigned for the Golden Goblet), allow students to practice literary techniques, explore the main ideas of the story, consider the virtues possessed by important characters in the story and creative writing ideas.

The Hittite Warrior study guide is similar in nature to the one for the Golden Goblet, providing assignments for before and during reading, vocabulary lists, reflection and discussion questions for nearly every chapter, questions for the end of the chapter and five in-depth writing assignments relating to the story (this guide also offers an "exploring history" report-writing assignment).

The guide for The Children's Homer offers assignments for before and during reading, vocabulary lists, questions for reflection for the end of each section and questions for the end of the story. The writing segment covers the literary device of "flashback", explores characters and themes from the book and provides some creative and artistic extra activities relating to the story

The appendices offers several types of writing samples, charts for mapping theme essays, charts for character analysis and rather detailed teacher/parent guidance for evaluating student writing.

This very impressive guide provides a helpful way of incorporating history, literature, vocabulary and writing. It should also prove to be a wonderful resource for parents who are nervous about guiding their children through the complexities of good writing. Future titles in the works will offer ancient culture volumes for Grades 7-9 (covering the novels Mara Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw, Warrior Scarlet by Rosemary Sutcliff, Phaedo by Plato, and Caesar's Gallic Wars by Olivia Coolidge) and Grades 10-12 (Epic of Gilgamesh edited by John Gardner, Til We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis, Oedipus Rex by Sophocles and Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare).