Undercover: Classics and the Author’s Craft
A good book is like a delicious meal—full of spices, secret ingredients, and little magic—all blended together to create something delicious that stays with you long after you’re done. And like a delicious meal, a classic book is one you want to visit over and over again, because it has new life each time you pick it up.
So how does an author do it? And why should you care? What happens when you dissect a story, examine each piece, and discover powerful messages that the author has hidden in plain sight? You become enlightened and inspired … and your soul is well-fed. Join us as we delve deep into the world of the literary classic.
Through lively group discussions and thought-provoking written papers, you will explore setting, theme, character and more. As a group, we will seek to uncover how an author creates a book that stays with you long after you turn the last page. And when we’re done, you’ll never read a book the same way again.
Time | Ages 14 - 18 | Class Blog |
Mentors Co-Mentor Heather Nelson | Level Depth or Breadth? Depth | Tuition $35 Winter Semester $55 |
Prerequisites
Students must be 14 to take this class.
Materials Required
A notebook to take notes in and something to write with.
Homework
You will read one novel-length book each month -- approximately 150 to 200 pages per week -- and come prepared to discuss what you read in class. Because book discussions will be a large portion of the class content, staying caught up with the reading is imperative.
You will also write one response paper per book (2 to 4 pages), which will be due on the last book discussion day. In these papers, you will discuss literary elements, including theme, character, setting, description, etc. Some of these papers (5 to 7 pages) will ask you to explore larger themes and ideas with the content from several books that we have read.
You will also have punctuation, spelling, and grammar homework.
Notes
Books We Will Read (All provided as part of your tuition)
Winter Semester
Of Mice and Men
The Book Thief
Importance of Being Earnest
Fall Semester
Animal Farm
The Scarlet Letter
The Chosen