Foundations of Western Literature

Travel Back in Time to Read Classics from Ancient History through the Modern Times.

Are you ready to travel back in time to explore the foundations of Western Literature?

Let’s discover the foundation of Western Literature: Hebrew, Greek, Roman, Frankish, and Anglo-Saxon writings. We’ll have a blast reading, writing, and discussing the classic literature that has stood the test of time from Creation to the Middle Ages.

We'll start with the oldest books we can get our hands on, The Book of Genesis from the HOLY BIBLE and the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Then it's off to Ancient Greece to read and analyze well-loved classics from Homer and Aesop. We stop back in Israel to read The Gospel of Matthew and The Book of Acts from The HOLY Bible. We can't forget the Roman Empire with Virgil and Saint Augustine. The Middle Ages brings us to The Song of Roland, The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, 1001 Arabian Nights, and Fairy Tales.

We'll also learn how to Analyze Literature this year. Each assignment is carefully chosen to build literary analysis skills.

Writing will focus on analysis of characterization, plot, setting, and theme, advancing step-by-step. 

You will read the following books: 

• The Holy Bible: Genesis
• Adam and His Kin by Ruth Beechick
• Gilgamesh the Hero by Geraldine McCaughrean retelling of Epic of Gilgamesh (Mesopotamia 2100 B.C.)
• The Iliad for Boys & Girls by A.J. Church—Amazing retelling of Iliad by Homer (Greek written circa 800 B.C., setting circa 1200 B.C.)
• The Odyssey for Boys & Girls by A.J. Church—Amazing retelling of The Odyssey by Homer
  (Greek written circa 800 B.C., setting circa 1200 B.C.)
• Aesop's Fables (Greek circa 600 B.C.)
• The Art of War by Sun Tzu (Chinese circa 513 B.C.)
• The AEneid for Boys & Girls by A.J. Church—Amazing retelling of The AEneid by Virgil (Latin circa 20 B.C., setting circa 1200 B.C.)
• The Holy Bible: Gospel of Matthew (28 chapters)
• Plutarch’s Lives by Plutarch (Latin circa A.D. 100)
• The Holy Bible: Acts
• City of God by St. Augustine (Latin 426)
• 1001 Arabian Nights (Persian Middle Ages 700-1200)
• The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle (setting circa 1200)
• Grimm’s Fairy Tales by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm (German collected centuries old stories 1812 )
• Collection of Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Anderson (Danish 1838)
• D’Aulaires’ Book of Norse Myths by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire

You will complete the following assignments:

• Genesis, Matthew, and Acts Charts
• Gilgamesh the Hero Plot Evaluation Paper
• My Character in The Odyssey
• David and Goliath in Literature Project
• Aesop’s Fables Theme Analysis Essay
• Rhetoric by Aristotle Commercial Analysis Project
• God’s Love Theme in the Prodigal Son Essay
• Sower and the Seed Imagery and Symbolism Project
• Parallel Lives Biography
• Comparison Essay of Pliny the Younger’s Description of Mt. Vesuvius & Jack London’s and Description of the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906
• Turn Prodigal Son into a Blog Post
• Characterization Analysis on The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
• Paraphrase a Fairy Tale
  
  Write Your Own Fairy Tale

Foundations of Western Literature is a one-credit high school English course. Can be used at home or in a homeschool co-op.

Series: Homeschooling High School to the Glory of God
Author: Meredith Curtis
Publisher: Powerline Productions
Paperback: 344 pages
Age/Grade: High School .