Description

This Live Course will be offered during the 2025-26 academic year.

Modern Literature Live traces literature from the late Middle Ages to the Cold War. Students will read around fourteen books as well as short stories and poems. They will also write essays containing personal opinion and outside criticism.

The class will meet weekly over Zoom on Mondays, from 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM Central Standard Time, according to the schedule below. The format will be lectures and discussion each week.

The format will be discussion-based with short lectures focused on historical context. Diagnosing particular literary elements through plot, character, and point of view is an essential aspect of this class. Students will leave the class with a well rounded view of literature, a solid foundation in writing, and a love of books. The course can be used alongside Dave Raymond’s Modernity course but is also structured to stand alone.

List of Readings

Bold items need to be purchased separately. Any unabridged editions will do for all except Don Quixote.

1. Don Quixote (selections), Miguel de Cervantes [Ideally the Ormsby translation.]
2. Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe
3. The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan
4. The Scarlet Pimpernel, Baroness Orczy
5. Emma, Jane Austen
6. Sherlock Holmes (selections), Arthur Conan Doyle
7. Gladys Aylward: The Little Woman
8. Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson
9. All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque
10. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
11. “In Flanders Field” by John McCrae & “Memorial for 1940” by John Gould Fletcher
12. The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom
13. Animal Farm, George Orwell
14. Cry, the Beloved Country, Alan Paton

Schedule of Class Meetings

All Mondays, all scheduled from 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM Central Standard Time. Exact dates subject to slight change. Runs approximately 39 weeks into May, including holiday breaks.

1. Aug 19 – approximate start date

What if I can’t attend the live Zoom sessions?

All the sessions will be recorded and posted for enrolled families to watch at their convenience. You can use the recordings to review or catch up if you missed a session.

Families who can’t make the schedule above can still participate in the class assignments and group discussions by watching the recordings and communicating in the group on My Compass Classroom.

Do you offer refunds on live classes?

We think you will love this class. If you don’t, you may request a refund but must do so no later than before the second scheduled class after your enrollment (purchase) date. This gives you the chance to experience an entire live class session to make your decision.

Credit: Full Credit in High School Literature/English

Ages: 14+ (This course is taught at the high school level.)

Mary Pierson Purifoy has completed a history degree and was homeschooled until college. An avid reader and writer, she hopes to teach students to love books, writing, and history as well as a solid understanding of these subjects. Film is another passion as is exploring history through film and literature.