Recorded HS

Introduction to Poetry (HS X-13)

An introduction to reading and writing poetry, covering such literary devices as rhyme, meter, and figurative language, and the relationship of those elements to the overall meaning of a poem. Students will practice the art of close, critical reading, as well as experimenting with elements of poetry in their own writing. Introduction to Poetry plays a crucial function in the whole scheme of high-school literature, providing the student with a heightened understanding of this most mysterious literary form, as well as sharpening overall writing and critical-reading skills.

Recorded HS

I Hate Poetry!

Is it possible to go from hating poetry to loving poetry? Is it possible to be able to tell a good poem from a bad one? How about the poems we write but are too scared to show anybody else? Are they any good? Can we make them better?

Recorded HS

A Contrast of Kings: Macbeth and Julius Caesar (Catholic Shakespeare Series)

Our course will very briefly review that evidence and then place its focus on examining the two plays most widely read by high school students. Although set in Scotland of the 11th century and Rome of the 1st century BC, both plays comment clearly and powerfully on the sad situation of the Catholic Church, outlawed and persecuted in Shakespeare’s England. Both dramas end with victory for Christ’s Holy Bride that cannot, for long, be suppressed.

Recorded HS

Dante on Dante

Kevin O’Brien, professional actor and host of EWTN’s TV series The Theater of the Word appears as Dante - in person via Zoom! Dante discusses his Vita Nuova, his love for Beatrice and several cantos in The Divine Comedy.

Live HS

Dante on Dante

Kevin O’Brien, professional actor and host of EWTN’s TV series The Theater of the Word appears as Dante - in person via Zoom! Dante discusses his Vita Nuova, his love for Beatrice and several cantos in The Divine Comedy.

Live HS

Dante’s Inferno

Join Dr. Russell and your fellow students to learn why Dante is the greatest author of the greatest book on the greatest subject of any ever written by a man not known by the Church to be directly inspired by God!

Live HS

How to Read Great Literature

Register for the course and Professor Pearce will outline & explain the basic rules for reading. He will also bring understanding of the deepest level of meaning in the great works of civilization, including Homer, Beowulf, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Hopkins, Eliot, Lewis, and Tolkien.

Recorded HS

How to Read Great Literature

Professor Pearce will outline and explain the basic rules for reading and understanding the deepest level of meaning in the great works of civilization, including Homer, Beowulf, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Hopkins, Eliot, Lewis and Tolkien.

Live MS

Introduction to Literature and Writing: How to Read, Interpret, and Write about Literature, Part One

Do you want (need!) to learn how to read literature more easily–and then be able to write about it well? With this course, you’ll be able to give “life” and clearer meaning to literature as you engage with great authors, explore literary genres and devices, and learn critical thinking that helps in reading comprehension! If you want to increase your ability to engage more easily with the written word (and write well), then this course is for you!

Live MS

Introduction to Literature and Writing: How to Read, Interpret, and Write about Literature, Part Two

If you want your student to write confidently about what he or she has read, then this is the course for you! Continue your student’s growth in critical thinking and writing skills as we go further into defining and using literary analysis for better reading and writing skills. Get a deeper view into literature, and become comfortable with writing about literature when you join this course!

Recorded HS

J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit

Professor Pearce unlocks, in two six-week courses, the Catholic meaning of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (see the Lord of the Rings class with Professor Pearce for a follow-up course).

Recorded HS

The Silmarillion

Register today and go deep into the stories behind The Fellowship of the Ring. The Silmarillion is Tolkien’s vast “myth” of the spiritual love of the Father and his mighty creations, the Ainur, who together create the harmonious cosmos. That harmony and love is harmed by a demonic vanity in one of the Ainur, Melkor, so that almost eternal warfare enters creation and is centered upon the earth.

Recorded HS

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1847) (Victorian Classics)

One of the most famous novels of the mid-Victorian period, Jane Eyre exemplifies the Bildungsroman (“coming-of-age”) genre, and, in fact, radically defined that genre in the English literary tradition. Our studies will also address the novel’s biographical and historical context, providing insight into the mid-Victorian Period. In this course, we will come to know Jane Eyre and the remarkable novel that bears her name, studying both over six classes.