Classical Literature

Overview of the Literature

Instructor's Guides

Your 230 Instructor's Guides (IG) weaves all your materials into one exciting and cohesive program. Starting in this upper-level program, each course includes both a Parent Guide and a separate Student Guide. This means you'll get a History and Bible Parent Guide, as well as a History and Bible Student Guide.

Your Parent Guide mirrors the Student Guide, but also includes answers, provides extra notes and allows you to check their progress and discuss their reading. This format allows you to be as engaged or as hands-off as you and your students like.

Classical Literature

The underlying framework of 230 Literature is not obvious at first glance, but it has both a chronological progression and a general emphasis on great works by British authors, plus some of my favorites, too.

It is a stand-alone product and, though it moves in the same progression as 220 History, they are not scheduled to match.

As always, I seek to provide a mix of challenging and easier works, by males and females, in a range of genres.

The range of genres, in this case, is especially rich: historical fiction, legend, short story, lyric poetry, detective stories, ghost story, Gothic horror, science fiction, fantasy, memoir, Gothic romance, adventure, novel, allegory, survival tale, tragedy, epistolary, myth, and comedy.

Looking first at the chronological progression, C.S. Lewis's powerful book Till We Have Faces is a retelling of a Greek myth, with a setting something like ancient Greece.

Then, moving forward in time, students read Pontius Pilate, which introduces current archaeological scholarship to the few details about Pilate given in the Gospels.

Rosemary Sutcliff's historical novel The Shining Company, set in A.D. 500, is based on a battle attempted and lost, a book shimmery in its beauty. (How many beautiful books about the Dark Ages can you think of? A rarity, for sure.)

Next comes, my absolute favorite of all Robin Hood tales, that hero from the time of Richard the Lionheart, who lived in the 12th Century.

One hundred years later, comes The Ramsay Scallop, set in 1299, in which a young man, back from the Crusades, goes on Pilgrimage with his betrothed.

Continuing on, find a tale set in Eyam in 1665, a village in England that, when the Plague arrived, determined to close themselves off from the rest of the world to prevent further outbreak.

And, finally Robinson Crusoe, which Daniel Defoe published in 1719, is credited as beginning the genre of realistic fiction.

In addition to progressing chronologically, this course has an emphasis on classic British Literature, with a few of my favorites thrown in.

Because Shakespeare is important, students get to read my favorite comedy (Twelfth Night) and his most famous tragedy (Romeo and Juliet). Students get to read two books by the incomparable Dickens: Oliver Twist ("Please, sir, I want some more") and his Christmas Carol, a necessary part of cultural literacy. Also, one of the world's most famous allegories, Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress.

There are books that might be considered "boy" books: Treasure Island, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

There are books that might be considered "girl" books: The Annotated Pride and Prejudice, and Jane Eyre.

But that's just silly. These are all just great books. Boys should enjoy them all. Girls should enjoy them all.

I mentioned that 230 Lit includes a few of my favorites. While these wouldn't qualify for the canon (the books widely recognized as being the most important to a particular time), they are worth reading. From the engrossing fantasy The Gammage Cup, to the powerful memoir Going Solo, these shorter, easier works offer some reprieve, while still offering thought-provoking insight and beautiful writing.

It's a great year.

This course is an interesting one to me. When I think of my all-time favorite Sonlight books, few of these come to mind immediately. But when I actually consider these books, it's like they're all sleeper hits. Great reads, all. It's hard to pick favorites because the books are uniformly really solid. When I return to 230, I feel like I'm meeting old friends. When people ask which ones they could cut to make it more manageable, I'm not much help. It's simply a fabulous collection.

Language Arts

Fully integrated with the Literature, this year's Language Arts builds on past years and continues to develop literary analysis, creative writing, research, and essay skills, with weekly writing assignments in a range of lengths and topics.

Know your family

Join the ranks of Sonlighters who know now the story of their Christian family. May you enjoy the fresh conversations and discoveries in store for you. Thank you for being dedicated to your students' academic and spiritual growth!

Estimated daily time for Classic Literature: Student: 45min.

• Literature-Language Arts 230 Parent Guide Sample.pdf | 6.48 MB
• Literature-Language Arts 230 Student Guide Sample.pdf | 6.53 MB