High School British Literature (Live and Self-Paced options)

Conventional Track

This broad survey of British Literature begins with an Anglo-Saxon epic, touches on Arthurian legends, spends time with Shakespeare, enjoys Romantic poetry and some gothic literature, and concludes with a dystopian novel -- along with many others in between. This course will be an unforgettable experience for every student. See course book list below.

This class meets on Thursdays at 12 pm, Eastern Standard Time.

Note: Space is limited. Be sure to enroll early to secure your spot.

Student Expectations for Live Classes:

• Attend a one-hour, weekly, live course session
• Complete each week’s assigned reading
• Take a short, online, comprehension quiz
• Answer a weekly, online, discussion question
• Submit two literary analysis papers and one creative project

About Self-Paced Classes:

• Students have access to recorded lectures on each reading assignment.
• Students have access to weekly reading pacing guides and auto-graded quizzes.
• Although we recommend following the syllabus in order, students are free to choose what to read and when.
• Self-Paced classes do not include live class sessions or teacher support. 
• All recordings will be available from September 2 through the end of the following August.             

Book List

There are many options for acquiring these books. You can purchase them from a local or online retailer. You can check them out of the library. For most, you can download electronic versions or access them online and read them on your computer screen.

If a particular edition or translation is listed, it is important to acquire that version. If no specifics are included, any version will work.

Beowulf (Seamus Heaney translation)

The Canterbury Tales, by Chaucer (We will be reading the Prologue and the four tales below. You can find them online, but I recommend purchasing the whole book.)

• The Prologue

• “The Knight’s Tale”

• “The Franklin’s Tale”

• “The Pardoner’s Tale”

• “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale”

“Gawain and the Green Knight” (J.R.R. Tolkien translation, though other translations can work)

Le Morte D’Arthur, by Thomas Malory (No need to buy; exerpts will be provided in digital form.)

Fierce Wars and Faithful Loves: Book I of Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, by Roy Maynard

Hamlet, by William Shakespeare

Henry IV, Part 1, by William Shakespeare

Henry IV, Part 2, by William Shakespeare

Henry V: 1989 Film directed by Kenneth Branagh or Part 4 of The Hollow Crown (You don’t need a print version of this play. Instead of reading this week, students will watch a good film production of the play. Both are available through various streaming services.)

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare

Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley

Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë

David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens

Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad

Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett

1984, by George Orwell