Austen/Shakespeare

Description: This course introduces the remarkable novels of Jane Austen and a selection of Shakespeare’s writings. It introduces Austen through a careful reading of three of her most beloved novels: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Emma. Next is an in-depth study of one comedy and two tragedies of Shakespeare. His cast of characters is indeed a who’s who of the human stage, and a familiarity with Shakespeare is essential for an understanding of Western literature and culture. Students can expect to spend between 45-60 minutes per day on this course. The grade is based on participation, short writing assignments, essays, quizzes, and a few pieces of memory work to be recited in class. This class is worth 1 high school credit in English, Language Arts, or Literature.

Grade Level: 10-12 (ages 15-18)

Prerequisites: Students should be strong readers, proficient with English grammar, be able to write grammatically complete sentences, and be able to edit their own work.

Required Materials: We will use the Ignatius Critical Edition for: Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice, and the Dover Thrift edition for  Emma during the Austen portion of the year. Following that, in Shakespeare, we will study Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice in the Ignatius Critical Edition series, as well as Midsummer Night’s Dream. Please purchase the Student Guides from Memoria Press for Pride and Prejudice, Hamlet, Merchant of Venice, and Midsummer Night’s Dream. Students may already own copies of these titles, but for the sake of continuity, it is strongly urged that students use the above versions.

Students will also need a USB headset microphone (built-in microphones also work).