Eliana - British Lit?

[Karenciavo]

Do you have a British Lit textbook that you recommend?
Also, do you have a blog or web site where you keep your lit recommendations?
Thank you,
Karen

Everyone is welcome to answer.

[Beth in Central TX]

I've been putting together our high school literature studies this year so that I can get a head start on reading through the textbooks. I've put together a list of literature books that I want my boys to read before they leave our homeschool (which we generally discuss at dinnertime), but for our formal literature studies, I've decided to use the same textbooks as Scholars Online. The British lit textbook that they use is England in Literature (Macbeth edition)--ISBN 0-673-29384-X. I found their literature books used on Amazon.com, and I even found the corresponding teacher's edition.

I've been reading through the World Literature textbook first (British lit is next), but what I like about the British & US lit textbooks published by Scott Foresman is the chronological approach to literature. The chapters begin with a timeline and historical background section followed by information on the author for each selection. Each selection (not chapter) has reader's notes; think & discuss questions on understanding, analyzing, and extending; Applying literary terms; composition assignments; and enrichment exercises. Each textbook includes a Handbook of Literary Terms and a Writer's Handbook in the back.

Literature is not my strength, so I feel more comfortable with a textbook, and I've been very impressed with the textbooks I found at Scholar's Online.

HTH!

[Eliana]

Karen,

No, I have a serious aversion to lit study from a textbook. I do have two texts that I use as anthologies, if that makes any sense.

One my mother used when she was in school (and then shared with me and my siblings when we were growing up). Adventures in English Literature [** 1938 edition** I very much dislike the later editions I have seen.] I like the general background information and historical context given for each chapter... and I've enjoyed its selections very much. However, its greatest strengths are in the earlier time periods. (The historical and background info remains strong all the way through.) It has very little fiction and novels are mostly only covered in a chapter giving a short history of the English novel. (Just as well in many ways as I object strongly to just reading excerpts from a novel).

I also own England in Literature (1957 edition). I don't find its background sections to be as satisfying as those in AiEL, nor are its selections as robust, but it does include some nice excerpts from historical fiction set in a given time period, and in the later periods it provides a little broader coverage than AiEL... and the recommended reading lists have different selections that AiEL, and I love having more titles from which to choose.

A third text which I have around for use as an anthology is this one from Textword Press - I dislike the format intensely, btw - it has more essays and short stories than the other two do... I have it out on the shelves for the kids to read from it if the fancy strikes them, but I don't assign anything from it. [I aquired the series when I was doing curriculum development for a new Jewish high school. It does have quality selections in all of its texts... but despite that it is still a very textbooky textbook.] ETA: here's a link (http://www.textword.com/trailblazer.html)

For more detailed background info and some analytical essays, I like the Penguin Guide to English Literature (ed Boris Ford comes in 7 volumes: Age of Chaucer, Age of Shakespeare, From Donne to Marvell, From Dryden to Johnson, Fron Blake to Byron, From Dickens to Hardy, and The Modern Age).

I use topic specific resources as well - Tolkein's essay on Beowulf, a book about Welsh poetry, a biography of Shakespeare, an essay about the influence of Darwin's scientific writings on Victorian literature, etc .... but mostly we concentrate on the (complete) texts themselves.

I'm sorry this is both so late and so unsatisfactory a response, Karen... let me know if you have any other questions and I'll try to be more helpful!

...and no, I don't have a blog. I'd be a very frustrating blogger to follow - 55 posts one week and then nothing for the next 6 months! ...but it is sweet of you to ask. :)

[Beth in SW WA]

I've been reading through the World Literature textbook first !

Beth, I also bought the Holt World Literature text that Scholars Online uses. Its a nice overview -- for a decent price from Amazon.

[Beth S]

Sonlight also offers a Brit Lit year-long program.

It is a high-school, read-the-real-books program . . . which I wish I had time to pursue!

[Anna]

Karen,

I've used-- Prentice Hall and Norton. I found my 3 PH texts for little or nothing from a homeschool used book sale. I have their World Lit, American Lit and British Lit. The study questions and writing assignments in these texts are excellent for high school.

Now if you want the "big guns"---

I received 20% off the B&N reg retail price at our local store for a 6-vol set of Norton World Lit. Very cool set. For study material I had to snail-mail a written request to Norton for the 2-vol te set that went with it. Wonderful, wonderful questions, esp the essay variety.