Literature Connects Disciplines

Why study literature in the context of art, music, history, and worldview?

Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers

Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers

“Developing intelligent comparisons between different works is one of the great tools of criticism, informed discussion, and cultural enrichment. Learning to develop such comparisons will also help to remind us that just because we have finished with one work and are moving on to another, that is no reason for setting the first one aside. As we progress through Liberal Studies, English, and Philosophy courses, we are continuing and enriching a life-long conversation with and about our culture, a process which will include more and more material for comparison and argumentative discussions.”

(From the Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers* by Johnston and Campbell, Section 10.2)

*It’s in the proofreading stage right now, and should be available soon. At 400+/- pages, it includes detailed instructions for writing essays as well as a basic style and usage guide. I think it will be immensely useful for both high school and college.

For a short while, you’ll be able to order a beta version of the e-book. Read more about it on the Handbook for Writers page.

Organize Essays with the Keyhole Method

The Keyhole Essay Organizer appears in many forms across the Web. I haven’t been able to discover who originally created it,* but it can be a very helpful visual reminder of what goes into a basic essay. I hope you enjoy it.
keyhole-essay-visual

Suggestions for essay introduction:

  • Does your title capture your reader’s interest?
  • Does it hint at the direction of your subject matter?

    • Suggestions for essay conclusion:

    Reminders:

    *Because it appears in a Wiki and other places, I believe it is in the public domain. If anyone knows who originally, I’d like to give them credit.

    Learn to Write while Using Excellence in Literature

    I enjoyed talking with homeschool moms at the recent conference in Memphis (one of the Great Homeschool Conventions– if there’s going to be one near you, don’t miss it!). Several questions cropped up more than once, and I’ll try to answer them here over the next few posts.

    Can you use Excellence in Literature if your student hasn’t formally studied essay writing? Read more

    The Power of Copying a Text

    Charlotte Mason recommended copywork as part of the language arts curriculum, and I second that suggestion. Copying a text is a powerful way, not only to practice writing mechanics, but also to absorb the cadence of an author’s prose, the fluidity of each sentence, and most of all, the deep meaning of the passage. If you want your students to commit anything to memory, the first place to begin is by having them copy it.

    I learned the power of copying when I did calligraphy for hire. Writing out a text gave me time to reflect on meaning, prose style, and more. Poetry and verses that I copied have remained with me, even decades later. Copying is a relatively simple activity that can make your student a better writer. I hope you’ll try it!

    The power of a text is different when it is read from when it is copied out.

    Only the copied text thus commands the soul of him who is occupied with it,

    whereas the mere reader never discovers the new aspects of his inner self that are opened by the text,

    that road cut through the interior jungle forever closing behind it:

    because the reader follows the movement of his mind in the free flight of day-dreaming,

    whereas the copier submits it to command.

    Walter Benjamin

    Carnival of Homeschooling- The NaNoWriMo Edition

    Preface

    Don't miss our Thanksgiving Sale!

    Welcome to this hundred-and-umpteenth Carnival of Homeschooling! Because November is National Novel Writing Month (also known as NaNoWriMo or nano), and I’m over 10,000 words into the writing process (and can’t think of anything but writing, writing, and more writing), I thought it would be appropriate to format this Carnival as sections of a book. I even consulted the Chicago Manual of Style for an authoritative list of book parts!

    Introduction

    For me, homeschooling is first and foremost a heart matter. In Mangled Schedules and Grateful Hearts, an article I wrote for Home School Enrichment magazine, you can read how a father’s presence and influence can shape a family school. Enjoy! Read more

    Celebrate National Punctuation Day!

    Okay, students, put on your party hats! It’s time to celebrate the not-so-lowly punctuation mark. We’re a little late to join the baking contest planned as part of the celebration, but there nothing stopping us from using commas, periods, apostrophes, and semi-colons to our hearts content. Choose your favorite punctuation mark and make merry!

    Imagine a worldundefinedwithout punctuation a world in which wed have to guess at meanings and try to read smoothly without the aid of those handy little signals imagine how silly wed sound stumbling through Dickens or trying to skim through Hamlets soliloquy to be or not to be that is the question whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them to die to sleep no more and by a sleep to say we end the heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to making sense of that without punctuation could be quite a nightmare especially for 10th graders if they are allowed to read Shakespeare anymore

    Jeff Rubin, the founder of National Punctuation Day offers tongue-in-cheek suggestions for how to celebrate the holiday, including:

    Rubin has graciously provided a page of horrifyingly funny pictures of errors spotted in public places (and instructions for how you can submit your own photos) . TIP: If you don’t find all the photos on this page hilarious, find a grammatically-correct friend to explain the joke. They’re too funny to miss!

    P.S. The fact that I find these common errors funny doesn’t mean that I don’t occasionally overlook things in my own writing. It also doesn’t mean that I check incoming e-mails for typos. I’m not perfect, and I don’t expect you to be. I’m always writing under deadline, and I expect that you are too, so don’t worry about having your comments or e-mails perfectly proofread. I don’t have the time or inclination. I just like to hear from you–with or without typos!

    Andrew Pudewa’s Video on Excellence In Literature

    I know that many of you still have a lot of questions about Excellence in Literature. Andrew Pudewa of the Institute for Excellence in Writing has just put together a little video (about two minutes long) to give you an overview of the EIL approach.

    If you have enjoyed IEW’s materials, or if you have a teen who loves to read or write, I think you’ll find that Excellence in Literature is an ideal next step for your motivated teens. But I’ll let Andrew tell you all about it!

    IEW co-published the American and British Literature levels with me, but there are three other levels (Introduction to Literature is a available now; Literature and Composition and World Literature will be available by late summer, Lord willing–if all goes as planned). All five levels have the same format and approach, and they don’t have to be used in order. You’ll find more about them at www.ExcellenceInLiterature.com.

    One of our Convention Season Specials is Evaluate Writing the Easy Way for only $5 with the purchase of any level of Excellence in Literature. This offer is good through July 12, so don’t miss it!

    Note: If the video doesn’t show up for you, try playing it at the original site.

    The Discipline of Writing & NaNoWriMo

    I was sitting at a sidewalk table last week, enjoying a cup of coffee, when I overheard a group of twenty-somethings at the next table talking about the writers’ conference that was starting over the weekend. The conversation turned to the art of writing.

    “It just takes so long to get inspired…”

    “I get stuck making the first paragraph perfect, and never get any farther.”

    “I get this great idea, then the phone rings, and it’s my friend, and I end up going out and when I get back the idea is gone, and I don’t have anything to say.”

    “There’s just not enough time. I get home from work, and it’s dinner, catch the news, work out, go out with friends, walk the dog, call my mom, whatever. There’s just not enough time to write.”

    “When I write, I have to get my music going, light candles, make sure everything’s perfect, then I can get in the the mood, and it will all flow.”

    “I can write pages and pages, and I know it’s good, so I don’t even have to go back to read it. Someday, I’m going to sit down and write a whole book.”

    Anytime I hear a conversation about writing, I’m fascinated. Writing is my avocation– something I’ve done steadily since childhood, at one level or another. Although I started with some of the same ideas as the young people I overheard, I’ve since learned a few things. Read more