Studying...

Nathaniel Hawthorne. We read some of Hawthorne's works a year or two ago...Tanglewood Tales, A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys, The Snow Image, The Great Stone Face. But this year, Dd (Pippi Longstocking) and I are tackling some of his short stories, then we'll read The Scarlet Letter together. The first short story: The Birthmark. Such a sad tale that strikes at the heart of the dark side of man's desire for perfection.

"...but seeing her otherwise so perfect, he found this one defect grow more and more intolerable, with every moment of their united lives. It was the fatal flaw of humanity, which Nature, in one shape or another, stamps ineffaceably on all her productions, either to imply that they are temporary and finite, or that their perfection must be wrought by toil and pain."

On my own, I am planning to read Hawthorne's Twice Told Tales, and absorb his thoughts...or perhaps more acurately, the questions he raises, but does not answer--that is for us to wrestle with--about (often the dark side of ) humanity in early America, politics and living.

My hubby has taught this material for about 15 years...now I finally am entering more into his "teaching" world by teaching/reading a lot of the same authors and works that he has studied and grappled with for so long. We are having some thought provoking discussions.

He likes the ideas given (for the most part...) in James Stobaugh's American Lit. Guide.
I'm glad I can bounce ideas around with him, ask questions, and receive experienced input.
The only complaint I have with the program is that it just skims in overview fashion over these major American authors and works. (One week for The Scarlet Letter? No way!) My preference and philosophy is to go more slowly and carefully over our classics and living books in our home school. I realize that means we cover things more deeply...uncover probably a lot more details than one might find in a standard school plan, but there-in lies one of the beauties of the freedoms we have. But... all of my hs readers already knew that.

I'm off to read more Hawthorne...