British Literature & Writing: One Credit High School English Course (Homeschooling High School to the Glory of God)

Are you ready for fun and adventure from the land of the English? Welcome to British Literature, a one-credit high school English course you can use at home or with a homeschool co-op. Have a blast reading, writing, and discussing the greatest literature ever written besides the Bible. Starting with Beowulf and Canterbury Tales, we will time travel through British history by reading well-loved classics like Milton, Chesterton, Dickens, Chaucer, Austen, Sayers, and Doyle. This one credit English course for high school students (or advanced middle school students) with an emphasis on reading for enjoyment. There is lots of reading to do, but no twaddle and no “busy work.” Each assignment has an educational purpose. This class will introduce students to the best literature in the world and stir up an appetite for excellence in their reading choices. A brief overview of British History and British Literature is provided, as well as several book lists for further reading. Instead of book reports, books are discussed in a “book club” setting with snacks. Questions are provided as a springboard for lively conversations about these amazing books. Use this class in a book club, family, or co-op setting. Writing assignments are based on the reading material and include Flight to Israel Tales Epic Poem Victorian Poem, Sonnet Allegory, Essays. You will need to purchase or borrow the following books. Beowulf Piers Plowman by William Langland Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan Paradise Lost by John Milton Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (or A Christmas Carol) Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Perelandra by C. S. Lewis (or Screwtape Letters) The Time Machine by H. G. Wells Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie