Classics and literature paired with education… Hmmmm…
This was a tough one! Random drawings can be fun, can’t they?
Thankfully, as homeschoolers, we’re used to a wide interpretation of what we consider education, but even we had to stretch a bit this month. Our hands-down favorite read was absolutely, positively, undeniably, certainly, without a doubt:
(And if you’ve read the book, you might have spotted the joke tucked away in that last sentence!)
However, in tracking down possible titles – even without trying to adhere to the topic of education – one question kept nagging at me: What is a classic? Searching online I found a list of “classics” that run straight into modern day, which perplexed me. The main thing that bothered me about the books we picked up for this challenge was their youth. I had tossed out a rough definition of classics as books “around a hundred years old” initially, but none of ours reached that far back. I thought some more, and my final definition for us became, “A book written a while back, perhaps in an era somewhat different from our own, that is still relevant, important, or enjoyable today.” Literature, meanwhile, I described as, “A book with substance, not just quick fluff, written with a real intention, not just to sell.”
How would you define these categories? What constitutes a classic or a piece of literature in your eyes? What authors spring to mind?
It should make for a good discussion this month! Find questions such as these and activity ideas, including a fun quiz about some famous authors, in the download below.
Happy reading!
Extraschooling 