Literature of the Early Modern World

Full-year course. A survey of literature, from the “first novel” through 1800. When taken in combination with History of the Renaissance and Early Modern World, students will receive the integrated Great Books and History coverage recommended in The Well-Trained Mind. 

Please note: We suggest you review the proposed readings so that you are aware of the literature we are teaching and that your student’s level of maturity matches it. 

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Literature of the Early Modern World Information

  • Example Syllabus
  • Class meets once per week for 50-55 minutes.
  • Class cap: 20 students.
  • Designed for grades 10-12.
  • High school students may be awarded 1 Language Arts credit upon completion of this course.

Course Materials

  • Click here to purchase the course texts.
    • Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes
    • The Complete Poetry and Selected Prose of John Donne, John Donne
    • The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan
    • “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding,” John Locke
    • Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift
    • Songs of Innocence and Experience, William Blake
    • Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe
    • Lyrical Ballads, William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge
    • Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
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