Is it cheating to use a Norton Anthology?

[Shari]

I am wondering, does anyone use Norton Anthologies instead of whole books? (gasp!) In looking through my TOG Year 1 Classic, I see the option of reading some selections out of Norton rather than slogging through a whole book. I know that in college, I used Norton Anthologies in several classes. So, if it is good enough for a college survey class, is it good enough for homeschool? If you feel strongly one way or the other, would you mind sharing your thoughts?

[HS mom]

I'm checking the regulation book and I'll get back to you :tongue_smilie:

They'd be useful to teach a certain element of writing or for comparison. I have a couple of old ones from college classes, but we haven't used them.

We like the great books method; read the whole dang thing. But there are more books than time to read them, and then, there are some books with disturbing passages, or passages that might not be fitting for a teen's maturity level. So an anhtology would work there. But I think as an overall method, much would be lost through reading only excerpts.

So it boils down to...depends. :001_smile:

[danielle]

Norton includes many full works--Gilgamesh, Greek plays, if memory serves, Odyssey trans. by Robert Fagles. I bought tons of Norton Anthologies at a library books sale for $1-4 apiece and think they are well worth having. For example, in prep for dd's reading next year, I compared the Norton World Lit with the translations I have in my old Great Books set. Often, the Norton has a much more readable and modern translation.

SWB recommends them in WTM. Especially for an ambitious reading list, you just have to cut somewhere. For us, it will be selected poetry (Ovid selections in Norton rather than the whole Metamorphosis for example).

[Linda in NM]

Not at all cheating; I went to a small (highly regarded) private college in NY; we used Norton for our survey courses. Best collection of medieval lit I know of...

[Kimberly in Sedona]

It is not cheating. :-)

[mcconnellboys]

Nah, LOL, I have a whole bunch of them on my shelves that I use for reference. I was going to use them for high school if my son had stayed home.

[clwcain]

then most college and many graduate level Lit programs are "cheating". :ohmy:

[nestof3]

That's what we used in my college intro level courses!