Description

There are a few books that have shaped the way the world thinks: The Odyssey, The Confessions, The Divine Comedy, Hamlet, Paradise Lost, Pride and Prejudice. These works are not on a list because they are old but because they are extraordinary.

This upper-level course was designed to prepare students for college-level literature and writing. Every work is analyzed from a historical and literary perspective, with an eye toward the Christian worldview that shaped so much of Western literature. The unifying theme across the entire course is man’s struggle through life to achieve his purpose and destiny — a theme that runs from Homer through Conrad and never grows old.

The goal of the class is not simply to get students through the material. It’s to help them genuinely understand it — to read these works as the living, breathing, carefully designed works that they are. Students who finish this class routinely say it was unlike any literature class they had taken before. Many say it was one of the most valuable classes of their high school years.

“I have learned more about the appreciation of good literature and the fundamentals of writing in the span of a semester than I have learned over the course of three years of writing and literature programs.” — Isaí O.

“This class taught me not only to appreciate the classics, but also how to interpret them. Mr. Purifoy really pushes his students to become better, and I have found that reading and writing comes to me much easier because of his teaching.” — Amelia J.

What Students Learn

Reading great literature is one skill. Understanding it — knowing how to analyze it, engage with it, and write about it seriously — is another. This course teaches students:

• How to analyze and interpret literature — reading actively, understanding structure, character, imagery, and argument
• How to use literary criticism — finding scholarly sources, evaluating them, and incorporating them into original arguments
• How to write a literary paper — six papers over the course of the year, each two pages, each arguing a specific position from the text
• How to revise — working through The Elements of Style alongside the papers, with a dedicated writing instruction series built into the course

How the Class Was Filmed

This course was recorded in 2020 as a live series of lectures with a small classroom of students. The videos are a real class — real discussion, real questions, real students working through difficult material together. Students taking the course on their own benefit from watching how the discussions unfold and, especially, from the paper presentation sessions, where they can hear real student papers and see exactly how feedback works before writing their own.

Papers and Grading

After each major work, students write a two-page paper and read it aloud — either to a parent, who offers questions and feedback, or through our optional grading service, where papers are submitted, reviewed, and returned with instructor feedback and a transcript-ready grade.

Books Covered

The course includes entire works or substantial selections from the following:

• The Odyssey — Homer
• Confessions — Augustine
• The Divine Comedy (Hell, Purgatory, Paradise) — Dante
• Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
• Hamlet — Shakespeare
• Paradise Lost — John Milton
• Pride and Prejudice — Jane Austen
• A Tale of Two Cities — Charles Dickens
• Heart of Darkness — Joseph Conrad
• The Cavalier, Romantic, Victorian, and Modern Poets

Writing resources required: The Elements of Style by Strunk and White.

All books must be purchased separately.

The Student Community

Enrolled students have access to a private group on My Compass Classroom, where Thomas answers questions directly about the reading, the papers, and the course. The group’s Documents library includes additional critical essays for each major work — pieces by C.S. Lewis, A.C. Bradley, Caroline Spurgeon, Dorothy Sayers, and others — for students who want to go deeper. Film and movie recommendations are also included for several of the books.

Age: 16+  |  Credit: 1 Full High School English Credit  |  Lessons: 28  |  Format: Streaming — 18 Months of Access

This course is part of our Lecture Series that was filmed in front of a live classroom. As a result, it includes engagement with students and sometimes references the local situation.

Get Course Facilitation Students actively taking this course can join our dedicated group where facilitators answer student questions, provide Zoom discussion of lesson content, and give assistance with projects, labs, portfolios and more! Check out our groups.

Try sample lessons in our online learning platform.