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Classical Literature, Writing

Concerning All of Our Literature and Writing Tutorials

Though tutorials differ as to age, grade level and subject matter, the general philosophy of language studies remains the same. In every tutorial, from middle school through senior year, students work almost entirely from primary sources, analyzing the material independently, through in-class discussions, and in the context of tutor questions and lectures. Students are asked to do the difficult thinking rather than letting Spark Notes do their work for them. Also, though the writing genres are essentially the same for a middle school student as for a professional writer, the complexity of and expectations for student writing change over time. Students are growing as writers within these genres over many years. Therefore, they are asked to achieve greater clarity, control and power as they progress. Finally, these courses seek to engage students in the language arts from the perspective of the Christian faith. It is the position of New Hope Tutorials that the humanities are most profoundly understood and appreciated through the life of faith in Jesus Christ.

Course Description

Classical Literature, Writing is a reading and writing course which attempts to develop critical literacy and thoughtful written expression.  These two objectives are always balanced by the overall purpose of the language arts: to hone skills of communication.  Because reading and writing are so closely tied together, students will always work to improve their writing when they are dealing critically with a literary text and, through excellent writing, they will learn to be strong readers.

Classical Literature, Writing deals with the literature of antiquity (predominantly Greek and Roman) and with classic works of European literature.  The first part of the year treats the origins of the great Western literary tradition: works of Homer, Sophocles, Plato, Aristotle, and Virgil.  The second part of the year looks at major works of European literature such as The Confessions of Augustine, The Divine Comedy by Dante, Macbeth by Shakespeare, and The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky.  This class serves to educate students in the area of traditional Western “canonical literature” and to build a foundation upon which to study later specific periods or genres of literature.  Familiarity with classical authors and examples of “classic” literature will benefit students who choose to study American, British, Continental, or World literature in the future. 

A significant stress of the course is to help students to think about these cultures and their literary art with critical minds, seeking to understand the philosophy, religion, social culture and literary style of the various peoples.  The wonderful thing about studying texts written millennia ago, is how easily we relate to the universal human experience despite the very different lives lived by these authors and characters.  Students also have the opportunity to look at some of the early Christian literature.  Again, the continuity of the expression of our love for Christ as believers can be seen across the centuries.  Study of the Fathers can be both challenging and enlightening, and I believe this is a crucial component to any ancient literary survey. 

This course will engage still more complex contexts for the various writing genres.  These pieces cover a wide range of written expression geared toward the students’ specific ability levels:  reflection, exposition, persuasion, apology, literary analysis, narrative, poetry, etc.  As always, writing and oral discourse will serve as the primary vehicles for language acquisition and reading comprehension.

Book List

Please see Mr. Westrate's NEW book lists for all tutorials (PDF file). This book list has been updated for the academic year 2010-2011. (August 2010)