Literature: The Modern World (St. Therese Wednesdays Session F 2:40-3:25 p.m.) 9th-12th

Year long ($50 enrollment fee)

Students are given the tools to explore classic and influential works of fiction that bring the Modern World to life. Through guided reading and group discussions, they will develop skills in literary analysis, examining both the structure and deeper themes of each text. After thoroughly discussing each book, students will write a 1-2 page, double-spaced response paper. Grades will be based on completed homework, class participation, and written assignments. Therefore this class includes an English grade as well!

Studying modern authors from a global perspective provides insight into the human condition and the nature of life as seen through the eyes of writers who have largely moved away from a Christian worldview. This course will examine these works through a Christian lens, considering the moral and philosophical consequences of a world without God. While many of these books are darker than the classical literature studied in previous years, viewing them through this perspective allows for a meaningful and thought-provoking engagement.

As the sentence structure, vocabulary, and worldview in these works are closer to our own time, students may find them more accessible compared to earlier literature studies.

Note: This course does not include American authors, as they will be studied next year alongside American History.

Required Materials:

Semester #1

The Tempest, Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare

A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas

Semester #2

The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas (You must get the abridged version with 73 chapters. An edition that works is Bantam Classics edited by Lowell Bair isbn # 0-553-21350-4)

Lord Alfred Tennyson

Dracula, Bram Stoker

Pygmalion (Ovid vs. George Bernard Shaw)

The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare, G. K. Chesterton

Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell

Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis

*** Significant discounts are available for full-day enrollment and co-op families. ***
Contact Jenn MacDonald for questions (260) 445-3838.

St. Therese Catholic Church, 2304 Lower Huntington Rd., Fort Wayne, IN

* If a student has special needs, please contact the teacher to discuss any accommodations that might be made.

** All classes require online family registration and enrollment. Year-long classes carry a $50 yearly enrollment fee. This enrolls your student in the class for the entire year. There is no need to re-enroll for 2nd semester. The cost of the class is due no later than the first day of each semester in an envelope labeled with your student's name & the class name with cash or a check made out to the teacher. Registration and Enrollment Fees are non-refundable.