English 10: Medieval Literature
English 10 is mostly an exploration of Medieval Literature. Building upon the Classical texts studied in ninth grade, this course shows the transition from the Classical to the Christian sensibility as Western Civilization's dominant worldview. This year's Shakespeare is, suitably, Henry V. The course also features a poetry unit that lays the groundwork for the AP Lit advanced poetry unit in the twelfth grade. Finally, explorations surrounding ideals of femininity (as we meet Beatrice in Purgatorio) find further discussion and debate as we read Austen's Sense and Sensibility.
The Confessions, St. Augustine, trans. Sr. Maria Boulding Beowulf, trans. Seamus Heaney Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, trans. Simon Armitage Excerpts from Morte D'Arthur as well as The Book of the Courtier Henry V, Shakespeare Excerpts from The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer Sound and Sense, Perrine and Arp Purgatorio, Dante, trans. Anthony Esolen Sense and Sensibility, Austen |
Students in English 10 can expect to study formal grammar; to learn vocabulary, including etymology, from context; and to enjoy an extended study of the genre of poetry in addition to regular poetry recitation. Writing experiences allow students to master and begin to push past the Aristotelian five-paragraph essay, and students will also engage with the literary texts we read by writing creatively.