Welcome! You are warmly invited to join me in the joyful pursuit of appreciating great literature. My small, interactive, live online classes offer a rigorous but enjoyable study of English literature, inspiring students to love the written word and to seek to understand it in light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are designed for motivated, homeschooled high school students who enjoy reading and can work independently. In the Fall of 2008 I am offering a year-long overview course on Victorian literature. Please see the course description below. You will find Frequently Asked Questions and Registration information linked from the right-hand sidebar, as well as a short reflection on the importance of studying literature. I hope you will consider joining my class!
Sincerely,
Melodee Mattson
Course Offering for 2008/2009 Victorian Literature
 Queen Victoria reigned from 1837-1901, the longest reign of a British monarch. This time period is called the Victorian Era in her honor, and it produced a diverse body of literature, from the irrepressible Dickens to the passionate Charlotte Brontë to the hilarious Oscar Wilde. This year-long course will cover a variety of works from Victorian authors, including some poetry and drama, but focusing primarily on novels. Students will become familiar with great works of English literature, come to appreciate different styles and methods, gain an understanding of literary criticism, and learn how the gospel applies to literature. This course is designed to provide solid high school-appropriate preparation for college-level literature classes. There will be a significant amount of reading involved, but we will spend approximately three weeks on each novel, depending on its length, so the reading will be broken up into manageable sections. Due to the amount of reading and the nature of class discussion and critical assignments, this course is not recommended for students below sophomore level. All students will be expected to participate in class discussions. Evaluation will be based on their participation as well as other assignments including short response essays, presentations, quizzes, and one formal paper at the end of each semester. The class will meet once a week for two hours. Please see registration details and course fees on the Registration & Fees page. Class Time: Friday 10AM - 12PM Mountain Standard Time. (9-11 Pacific, 11-1 Central, 12-2 Eastern.) Please see the academic calendar for the year's schedule.
Reading List: This will be finalized at least one month prior to the start of class, but will most likely include the following: Hard Times by Charles Dickens, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy, The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (the first English detective story), Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson, fairy tales by George Macdonald, essays by George Eliot, The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, and poetry by major Victorian poets such as Tennyson, Browning, Hopkins, Hardy, Kipling, and Arnold.
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