Classical and Modern Literature Exploring the domain of language through close and comparative readings in classical and modern literature.

In the Elementary and Middle Schools, Classical and Modern Literature is an introduction to the classical and modern motifs, reading mechanics, comprehension, and rudimentary analysis.

In the Elementary School, the students:

• learn to read.
• begin to recall details and comprehend themes.
• analyze plot and character.
• acquire a broad knowledge of the mythology and motifs of our civilization.

In the Middle School, the students:

• continue to read juvenile classics.
• practice recalling details and with comprehension activities.
• expand analysis vocabulary.
• learn to write a formal critical response.

In the Junior High and High School, Classical and Modern Literature is a refinement of literary tastes, practice in analysis and critical response, both oral and written.

In the Junior High, the students:

• begin to read classics.
• develop analysis skills.
• practice structuring formal critical responses.

In the High School, the students:

explore American, British, European, and Classical and Modern World Literature.

engage in close and comparative readings.

compose complete literary analysis.

develop skills in structuring formal critical responses.

Course Description

• Course: American Literature

1 year; 1 credit
Textbooks: Backgrounds of American Literary Thought by Rod W. Horton and Herbert W. Edwards; selections from Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, Edgar Allen Poe, Mark Twain, Upton Sinclair, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jack Vance, and Maya Angelou.
Course Content and Objectives: A concurrent and interdisciplinary study (along with American History) of the social, political, and philosophical influences on American Literature. The objective of this course is to acquaint the student with the major American authors, to understand the underlying cultural and philosophical influences upon literary art in America, and to refine critical responses to the literature. Research in primary, secondary, and tertiary sources. History and social context readings for the period.

• Course: British and Irish Literature

1 year; 1 credit
Textbooks: Oxford Illustrated History of British Literature; selections from Celtic mythology, Beowulf, Canterbury Tales, Henry IV, pt. 1, Henry IV, pt. 2, Henry V, Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It, Richard II, Hamlet, The Tempest, Emma, Pride and Prejudice, Christmas Carol, The Dubliners, selections from English and Irish verse.
Course Content and Objectives: A concurrent and interdisciplinary study (along with British and Irish History) of the social, political, and philosophical influences on British and Irish Literature. The objective of this course is to acquaint the student with the major British and Irish authors, to understand the underlying cultural and philosophical influences upon literary art in Britain, and to refine critical responses to this literature.
Research in primary, secondary, and tertiary sources.

• Course: Classical Literature

1 year; 1 credit
Textbooks: Hero With A Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell; Mythology by Edith Hamilton; Iliad and Odyssey by Homer; Aristotle's Poetics and Rhetoric; The Oxford Book of Classical Verse in Translation; comedies and tragedies of Greek playwrights Sophocles, Aeschylus, Euripides, and Aristophanes; selections from Virgil and Ovid; Roman playwrights Plautus, Terence, and Seneca.
Course Content and Objectives: A concurrent and interdisciplinary study (along with Classical History) of the social, political, and philosophical influences on Classical Literature. The objective of this course is to acquaint the student with the major Classical authors, to understand the underlying cultural and philosophical influences upon literary art in the Classical world, and to refine critical responses to this literature. The students engage in a comparative study of classical mythology, including the influence of ancient cultures on Classical mythology, and similarities to myths from African, Asian, and South American cultures. Research in primary, secondary, and tertiary sources.

• Modern World Literature

1 year; 1 credit
Textbooks: TBA
Course Content and Objectives: A concurrent and interdisciplinary study (along with Modern World History) of the social, political, and philosophical influences on Modern World Literature. The objective of this course is to acquaint the student with the major modern authors, to understand the underlying cultural and philosophical influences upon literary art in the modern world, and to refine critical responses to this literature. Research in primary, secondary, and tertiary sources.

• Course: Independent Study

1 year; 1 credit
Textbooks: TBA
Course Content and Objectives: By agreement with the literature teacher, a junior or senior student may choose to engage in independent study of a selected topic not currently being offered otherwise. The instructor will supply a reading list and appropriate assessment. Regular meetings with the supervising instructor are expected along with satisfactory movement through the assigned material.