British and American Literature
The study of literature is the study of the humanities and the human condition. Feast on this rich collection of Western classics.
I’ve loved books all my life, which led me to become a literature major in college, even though the career prospects with such a degree were slim. Yet, as I read some of the Great Books, I concluded that studying literature is actually studying all the humanities.
I learned history, politics, philosophy, and all that encompasses the human condition and the development of an individual’s character. A skilled novelist understands the human psyche and spirit. The poet captures the emotion. The essayist explores the ideas that shape his time and culture.
In November’s post, “Language Arts Resources Part 2: Writing and Literature,” I listed teaching resources for homeschoolers, involved parents, and adults who wish to continue their own education. I also listed my collection of college literature texts.
Now, I will cover titles in my British and American Literature collection. The Library of Congress (LOC) classification letters for this section are PR (British) and PS (American). Under this classification, the LOC lists many popular titles, such as the Harry Potter series, but in my library, I place contemporary literature under the PZ classification and only keep classic works in my British and American literature collections.
British Literature
Middle English Literature
People tend to call Shakespearean or Elizabethan English “Old English” (Shakespeare lived from 1564 to 1616). This term is often applied to the Renaissance language of the King James Bible (1611) as well. Believe it or not, Renaissance English is considered early modern English.
Academically, Old English is Anglo-Saxon (450 AD to 1066 AD) and resembles Old Norse more than modern English. In Middle English (1100 to 1500), the language of Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340s to 1400), the letters now silent in modern English were still pronounced. For instance, the word make was pronounced mah-kah. The silent e was pronounced like it still is in modern German.
Early English Poets (Poets and Prophets)
Medieval poetry.
Middle English Lyrics (Norton anthology)
It uses modern language mechanics to make it easier to read.
Geoffrey Chaucer
The Riverside Chaucer
This college textbook is so heavy that even my professor joked he’d turn it into a doorstop after the 400-level course was over. It contains the original Middle English plus a glossary. At first, I read only five pages an hour and then worked up to ten pages an hour. Woohoo!
The Canterbury Tales (translated into modern English)
A Taste of Chaucer: Selections from the Canterbury Tales (for children)
Renaissance Literature
Poetry and Drama
The Tragedy of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe
Shakespeare
Children’s works
Shakespeare Stories
Twelve plays written in narrative form but retain much of the original language.
Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare for Children
Well-known Victorian children’s author Edith Nesbit did a fantastic job simplifying Shakespeare’s stories without losing their beauty. Not only for children, this volume is a great way to help teens and adults dip their toes into the Renaissance language of Shakespeare before reading the original works.
Teacher’s Guides
Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide to Six Shakespeare Plays
This covers Henry V, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew, and Much Ado about Nothing.
How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare
A helpful guide for homeschoolers.
Original Works
When my son was a high school freshman, we attended several plays performed by the Seattle Shakespeare Company. My husband and I also visited the Oregon Shakespeare Festival twice in the 1990s. Reading from an individual book was much easier than using my college anthology.
William Shakespeare: The Complete Works
This tome served as my college textbook, published by Penguin, not the classic Riverside edition.
Henry VI, Parts I, II, and III
Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story
17th and 18th Centuries (1640-1770)
Poetry
George Herbert (Poets and Prophets)
I’m not a big fan of poetry, but I enjoyed Herbert’s metaphysical poetry. He would sometimes write the words in a shape such as an altar for his poem “The Altar.”
John Milton: Exploring His Pilgrimage of Faith (Poets and Prophets)
Novels
Pilgrim’s Progress
The Pilgrims Progress (vintage)
Pilgrims’ Progress in Today’s English
Dangerous Journey, a children’s picture book
Daniel Defoe
Moll Flanders
This title is considered the first English novel (1721).
Robinson Crusoe and Young Readers edition
Other Novels
19th Century (1770-1900, primarily Victorian)
Poetry and Drama
Robert Browning (Poets and Prophets)
Caesar and Cleopatra, a play
Novels
Jane Austen
Charlotte Brontë
I did my senior project on Charlotte Brontë’s works.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, Charlotte’s sister.
One of my favorite novels.
Charles Dickens
Tale of Two Cities
I read the chapter about the guillotine late one night while babysitting. That wasn’t a good idea.
David Copperfield and The Personal History of David Copperfield
Charles Dickens: Great Expectations, Hard Times, A Christmas Carol, and Tale of Two Cities (unabridged)
A Christmas Carol and the 1914 edition.
We also have A Muppet Christmas Carol video, a family Christmas favorite. Surprisingly, it tracks closely to the original story with some poetic license.
Thomas Hardy
Sir Walter Scott
The Betrothed and The Highland Widow
Other Novels
Frankenstein
Did you know Mary Shelley wrote this in response to a bet with Lord Byron?
20th Century
Drama
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, theater of the absurd.
It’s one of my favorite movies. Watch it several times, and it will grow on you. It might even make some sense.
Novels
Brave New World
This is another dystopian novel that sheds light on our current cultural trends.
George Orwell
Due to current cultural trends, brushing upon Orwell is advised. My son read 1984, and my daughter read both in high school.
1984 and Monarch Notes edition
J.R.R. Tolkien
Epic classics, even if my husband finds the descriptive passages too flowery.
American Literature
Poetry and Drama
The Complete Poems by Elizabeth Bishop
My favorite poet in Contemporary American Poetry class.
The Crucible
About the Salem Witch Trials.
Three Plays: Desire Under the Elms; Strange Interlude; Mourning Becomes Electra
Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story
Pocket Anthology of Robert Frost’s Poems
This was my great grandmother’s book that she gave to me. Frost was her favorite poet.
A Treasury of Poetry for Young People
Sonlight high school curriculum book containing classic works.
Short Stories
Best of Fredric Brown
My husband’s favorite short story sci-fi author.
Nobel Prize Library: Faulkner, O’Neill, and Steinbeck
Ten Great Mysteries by Edgar Allen Poe and Poe’s Masterpieces of Mystery (vintage)
Poe is a master short story writer.
Novels
Fahrenheit 451
Sci-fi, dystopian.
Red Badge of Courage and Selected Stories
Between Heaven and Hell: A Dialog Somewhere Beyond Death with John F. Kennedy, C. S. Lewis, and Aldous Huxley
A fascinating fictional discussion about worldview.
Atlas Shrugged
Yes, Ayn Rand was Russian, but the book was published in America.
The Catcher in the Rye
Language.
John Steinbeck
The Red Pony
I read this in sixth grade and was disappointed that the pony died early in the book.
Mark Twain
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
A dark novel, quite different than the novels about Tom and Huckleberry.
Many of these titles are old friends. What are some of your favorite classic works? Please list them in the comments.
Lorinda’s