literature

Instructor:  Kristi Robbins

Kristi is a homeschooling Mom of three who has a passion for reading well. After receiving her B.A. in communications for Lander University she felt very uneasy with the psychological interpretations modern professors place on old stories. So she began educating herself along with her kids and became deeply interested in literature (British and American). She has paid for and taken many courses with experts in the field. These are the rare professors who believe that stories should speak for themselves, and that we shouldn't read ideologies into the text. She reads the best professors (most of whom are dead) and is in forums with the top minds in and out of the country who are living. She will help your student recognize when people are using stories as a form of manipulation, which is sadly the plight of higher education (Christian and Secular). She is a Christian who is endeavoring to serve with Lord with the gifts He has given her and wants to give kids a love for learning and literature!

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Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxon World

In the course we will deep-dive into the narrative poem Beowulf while learning how to read well. 

J.R.R Tolkien and C.S Lewis believed that all study of English Literature should begin with Beowulf. If your student loves Lord of the Rings they will love seeing it's early roots in the mind of Tolkien through Beowulf. Beowulf is the oldest surviving story in Old English. It is deep and profound. It gives us a window into a world of the Anglo-Saxon. Living in the ruins of the ancient Roman empire Anglo-Saxons dealt out fierce revenge to their enemies and rewarded loyalty richly. They were a people who sang out their tales in the banqueting halls at night. Before the tale of Beowulf was written it was sung. The story, written down by an unnamed Christian Monk, is a precursor to the message of the Gospel coming these the battle-hardened people.
In this class we will do many things. We will learn how to read beyond the surface of a text without imposing modern assumptions onto it. We will learn about alliterative verse and early forms of English poetry. We will discuss the story in light of God's truth revealed it the Scriptures. We will learn about history and how stories work. Students will learn how to narrate their thoughts back in a cohesive manner and communicate their understanding to the class. It will be a time of growth and fun as we share the a-ha moments that always accompany great literature. We will not dim your student's love for this story with busy work and trick questions. We will let the story speak and hear its message, we will eagerly peer into distant lands full of fascinating peoples. Join us!

Classes 1&2 -Intro to the Anglo Saxons, What is Heroic Elegiac? 

Classes 3&4- Discussion of the first two "Fitts" or sections

Classes 5- Discussion of the 3rd Fitt

Class 6- Midterm project due (to be presented)

Class 7- Discussion of Fitt 4 and 5

Class 8- Discussion of Fitt 6 and 7

Class 9- Review 

Class 10- Readings from the Hobbit and Lord of the rings

Class 11- Our final readings and lecture

Class 12- Final projects/ presentations due

A copy of Burton Raffel's translation of Beowulf 

None! Come as your are. As a bonus some knowledge of The Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit will make this class more interesting. Reading these over the summer would be great.

This is not a grammar class or a writing class. Your students will be writing and turning in narrations every week. This will strengthen their writing muscles based on content in a natural way, but the primary focus of the class will be on content and the story.

Target Levels:  9th - 12th Grades

Class Schedule 2025-2026:

Thursday  10:30 - 11:30 AM

September 11 - December 4, 2025

Tuition:  $325. 00

 **Return to Main Page to Register** 

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Reading from Regency to Romantics

This class will cover the shift in literature during the Enlightenment. We will be reading and discussing Jane Austen, Dickens, and the Bronte Sisters as well as excerpts for poetry from these time periods. 

This will be a 10 week course with two provisional weeks for cancellations and a greater need of time for discussion.

Weeks 1& 2 -Discussion of and definition of the Regency period & Enlightenment

Reading-Jane Austen's Mansfield Park Weeks 1-4
Weeks 3 & 4- Discussion of the person of Austen and Mansfield Park
Read- Short Stories by Charles Dickens
Weeks 5 & 6- Discussion of the Victorian time period & Enlightenment & Stories
Read - The poetry of the Romantics, Bronte sisters in specific, along with a short story
Weeks 7 &8 - Discuss the changes in literature and the reflection in societal changes
Read- Continue with our reading of the Romantics TBD
Weeks 9 & 10- Reflect on the through line of the 1700-1800s to modernity and present projects
Mansfield Park, A Christmas Carol, TBD on the Romantics dependent on time.

No prerequisites , but my returning students will love and excel in this class because of all they have learned in early and medieval Lit! 

Target Levels:  9th - 12th Grades

Class Schedule 2025-2026:

Thursday  12:30 - 1:30 PM

September 11 - December 4, 2025

Tuition:  $325. 00

 **Return to Main Page to Register**