Honors World Literature
Catholic Homeschool High School Course
The honors course uses the same textbook but also includes additional book analysis assignments.
In addition to the honors status on the transcript, the student in the Honors World Literature course will have an additional 5 points added to his or her grade to a maximum of 100. Thus, an 90 becomes a 95. However, any grade 95 and above becomes a 100.
Additional Quarterly Book Analysis List
One book from each list below is also part of this course. We will automatically send the books in bold unless you choose one of the other titles. Based on our experience, students who read the books in bold do better on their analyses and tend to enjoy the books more.
1st Quarter:
Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne
The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni
The Song of the Cid translated by Burton Raffel
2nd Quarter:
The Song of Bernadette by Franz Werfel
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
The Odyssey by Homer
ENG432 | Credit: 1 | None
Highly Recommended
Included Books
World Literature
Book Analysis Books
One book from each list below is also part of this course. We will automatically send the books in bold unless you choose one of the other titles. Based on our experience, students who read the books in bold do better on their analyses and tend to enjoy the books more.
Quarter 1
Around the World in 80 Days
by Jules Verne
This is a classic story by Jules Verne, a tale of fun and adventure as the hero, Phileas Fogg, on a bet, travels around the globe in eighty days. Mr. Fogg is a fascinating character who baffles all he encounters with his constancy. He is not, however, devoid of emotion, as those who accompany him quickly learn. To make the journey in eighty days, Mr. Fogg must overcome all kinds of obstacles, which include not only his valet, a detective, and an Indian princess, but especially other external circumstances: human nature of those he meets, his own generosity, and, ultimately, the main conflict with time.
(This book is included by default.)
The Betrothed
by Alessandro Manzoni
This is a fast-paced novel which takes place in the Catholic society of early seventeenth century in Italy and revolves around Renzo and Lucia who want to get married. Because of a tyrant who dictates even to the local parish priest, Renzo and Lucia struggle to find someone who will marry them. They face many dangers in their travels, dangers which were typical of the society of that time: riots and famine and plague. They also encounter many kinds of people, the poor and the suffering as well as the powerful and the cruel. They experience difficulties as they try to stay out of trouble in the midst of a chaotic society and face the challenge of simply trying to know the truth when all about them are in confusion.
(38 chapters.)
The Song of the Cid
translated by Burton Raffel
Venture into the heart of Islamic Spain in this vibrant, rollicking new translation of The Song of the Cid, the only surviving epic from medieval Spain. Banished from the court of King Alfonso, the noble warrior Rodrigo Diaz, know as the Cid, sets out from Castile to restore his name. In a series of battles, he earns wealth and honor for his men and his king, as well as fame and admiration for himself. But it is in rescuing his daughters from their ill-suited marriages that the Cid faces the ultimate challenge to the medieval heroic ideal.
Quarter 2
The Song of Bernadette
by Franz Werfel
One of the greatest novels of simple and triumphant religious faith in the 20th century. Franz Werfel relates the story of the life of Bernadette Soubirous, her visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her struggles with the French authorities, and her life of holiness. Since then, millions of pilgrims have visited the small town at the foothills of the Pyrenees where the apparitions took place.
(This book is included by default.)
Cry, the Beloved Country
by Alan Paton
For mature readers. This is the story about a Zulu pastor, Stephen Kumalo, and his son, Absalom. Absalom is involved with the murder of a white man. The story takes place in South Africa in the 1940’s when apartheid (racial separation) was still in force. The land and the people of South Africa come alive with the quiet dignity of a suffering people. The writing is particularly beautiful and moving.
(36 chapters.)
The Odyssey
by Homer
This long narrative poem is required reading in many high schools and colleges, and we highly recommend it. It is the story of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, as he struggles to return home after fighting in the battle of Troy. He has all kinds of adventures, meeting incredible people, Greek mythological gods and goddesses, and monsters. In addition, he must fight the bad weather, high winds, and storms on the sea.
The “characters” Odysseus meets and often fights are part of our western cultural literary heritage: the one-eyed Cyclops, Circe, the Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, and Calypso. The main human characters include Odysseus, his wife Penelope who waits twenty years for his return, and his son Telemachus.
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