CLASS DESCRIPTION Please Note: This course has rotating content so that students may take the class more than once. Learn History through Biography: The Greek biographer Plutarch’s Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans is one of the cornerstones of Charlotte Mason’s educational philosophy. Join Classicist Thomas Banks in his online class dedicated to exploring this classic book, with Alexander the…
CLASS DESCRIPTION A year-long in-depth study of Medieval and Renaissance English literature. Each work will be fully placed in its historical, philosophical, literary, and theological context. CS Lewis said that it's the duty of the reader to read the Great Books like the original audience; otherwise we cannot understand what we are reading. This takes work because we come to…
CLASS DESCRIPTION The literary, intellectual and religious revolutions that took place in the 19th and 20th centuries were events whose echoes remain with us still. The purpose of this course is to guide the student through some of the best literary fiction written in that time period, placing each book within its historical context with background information on the authors’…
CLASS DESCRIPTION After the French Revolution, Europe had been changed permanently in its political, cultural, and spiritual life. The Napoleonic Wars, Industrial Revolution, Victorian Age, followed in the 20th century by the two world wars and growth of totalitarianism, represent one of the most dramatic and most violent periods of recorded history. Students who enroll in this course are encouraged…
CLASS DESCRIPTION This course is the continuation of Latin 1. In this class, students will complete Wheelock’s Latin and practice reading longer and more complex passages from ancient, medieval, and Renaissance authors. The latter half of the course will orient students towards the foundational genres of Roman literature such as epic, history, lyric poetry, epistles, and satire. The aim of Latin 2…
CLASS DESCRIPTION The language of the ancient Roman people is well worth studying for its own sake, but especially for the sheer joy of reading the Romans in their own words. Many important Western texts, such as Virgil’s Aeneid, are best enjoyed in the original language. There are other benefits to studying Latin, of course, but we should always approach…
CLASS DESCRIPTION Over the course of the 16th century, it became more and more obvious that the Medieval era had drawn to a close and given way to new developments in religion and culture. New continents were discovered, the forms and aims of the arts branched out in new directions. The Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation worked enormous changes in…
CLASS DESCRIPTION In this class, we will read the whole of Dante's Comedy, with a particularly focus on how Dante used the "great books" of his own day to construct a deeply spiritual and psychological journey, from despair and loss and divisiveness to a happiness so bright and full the human mind cannot take it all in. We will see…
CLASS DESCRIPTION The understanding of the grand narrative of the Hebrew Bible is the cornerstone of the understanding of story. In this course, students will study the history of the Hebrew people through reading the principal historical narratives of the Old Testament from the Exodus to the end of the Old Testament, illustrated by the laws of Moses, the stories…
CLASS DESCRIPTION In this year-long class, we will learn the foundations of Old English grammar while being introduced to various literary forms in the language. The first term consists of grammar knowledge, poetry reading, and initial translations. The second term includes more advanced grammar and continued poetry and narrative translations. Students will be expected to do in-class readings. Throughout the…
CLASS DESCRIPTION A year-long in-depth study of the literature of the Greeks and the Romans. Each work will be placed in its own historical and philosophical setting. A main purpose of this course is to give the student a richer understanding of the pre-Christian classical world and its religious, literary and intellectual ideals. This class and the ancient history course…
CLASS DESCRIPTION The political, social, religious and intellectual experiences of the Greeks and Romans are set in the very roots of the historical development of Europe and the Americas. It is the aim of this course to introduce students to the life of Greece and Rome, their thinkers, statesmen and soldiers, alongside their philosophies, religions and wars. The period this…
CLASS DESCRIPTION This class is designed both for Adults and High School Students who are looking for a foundational year in how to read before taking my other classes. This class will provide training in the skill and art of reading. With a heavy emphasis on learning how to read metaphorically, students will also learn how stories work, the grammar…
(Note: This is a recording of a previously live webinar. To access the recorded video afterwards, log in to your House of Humane Letters account, click "Dashboard," then "Orders," then click the corresponding order. There will be a link that says "View Recording.") King Alfred of Wessex, the only sovereign in British history on whom the epithet "Great" has been…
This application is an opportunity for us to get to know you so please tell us any relevant information that will help us to understand where you are in your Literary Life. Fill out the following questions as instructed as well as the essay prompt at the bottom. To begin, create a new document with your first and last names…
CLASS DESCRIPTION NOTE: This purchase provides access to the recordings a previously live class. (Note: The login information for this class will be in your Completed Invoice under Notes. Email [email protected] with any login questions.”) “From the time of its publication down to about 1914 [The Faerie Queene] was everyone’s poem—the book in which many and many a boy first…
Dispelling the Myth of Modernity: A Recovery of the Medieval Imagination The myth of modernity is that it has no myth. But, even as we deny its existence, we are being blindly shaped, distorted and even enslaved by the myth of our age. As CS Lewis writes in The Silver Chair, “Of course, the more enchanted you get, the more…
(Note: This is a recording of a previously live webinar. To access the recorded video afterwards, log in to your House of Humane Letters account, click "Dashboard," then "Orders," then click the corresponding order. There will be a link that says "View Recording.") Students and teachers have been asking Angelina for years to develop a mentorship program--a way for…
(Note: This is a recording of a previously live webinar. To access the recorded video afterwards, log in to your House of Humane Letters account, click "Dashboard," then "Orders," then click the corresponding order. There will be a link that says "View Recording.") Few things divide us moderns from our ancient forebears as our different ways of understanding the…
(Note: This is a recording of a previously live webinar. To access the recorded video afterwards, log in to your House of Humane Letters account, click "Dashboard," then "Orders," then click the corresponding order. There will be a link that says "View Recording.") “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” From these words began one of…
(Note: This is a recording of a previously live webinar. To access the recorded video afterwards, log in to your House of Humane Letters account, click "Dashboard," then "Orders," then click the corresponding order. There will be a link that says "View Recording." The Slides and the Chat Box are also in Your Account right under View Recording.) Tolkien &…
(Note: This is a recording of a previously live webinar. To access the recorded video afterwards, log in to your House of Humane Letters account, click "Dashboard," then "Orders," then click the corresponding order. There will be a link that says "View Recording.") This webinar taught by Dr. Jason Baxter will introduce (or reintroduce) readers to Dante's Inferno by focusing…
(Note: This is a recording of a previously live webinar. To access the recorded video afterwards, log in to your House of Humane Letters account, click "Dashboard," then "Orders," then click the corresponding order. There will be a link that says "View Recording.") A Webinar by Thomas Banks and Michael Williams The 20th century was an era in which poetry…
How to Read Beowulf An in-depth week-long class with Angelina Stanford (NOTE: If you have already purchased the old Beowulf class, you can upgrade to the new class for only $20! See your purchase note for the coupon code.) When confronted with a very old work of literature, the modern reader struggles for several reasons. The biggest obstacle is that…
G.K. Chesterton was among the most popular English writers of the early Twentieth Century. As a novelist, poet, biographer, essayist, and Christian apologist he produced a large and grandly diverse body of writing that has in the past century inspired the admiration of George Orwell, Dorothy Sayers, C.S. Lewis, George Bernard Shaw, Franz Kafka, Theodore Roosevelt, Mahatma Gandhi, Agatha Christie, Kingsley…
(Note: This is a recording of a previously live webinar. To access the recorded video afterwards, log in to your House of Humane Letters account, click "Dashboard," then "Orders," then click the corresponding order. There will be a link that says "View Recording.") The modern mind and imagination have been altered and influenced by few characters so profoundly as…
SHAKESPEARE: The Bard for All and For All Time Join us April 12th-15th! The genius and lasting influence of William Shakespeare is undisputed. However, many of us seeking to redeem our educations sometime struggle to jump in. We need help knowing how to read and understand Shakespeare and how to articulate why we should be reading him and why we…
The Chronicles of Narnia have been enjoyed by adults and children alike since they were first published in the 1950s. But our understanding of how stories work, as well as our expectations of what’s appropriate in a series written by a Christian for children, have changed in the decades since then, and this poses a problem for many adult readers.…
(Note: This is a recording of a previously live webinar. To access the recorded video afterwards, log in to your House of Humane Letters account, click "Dashboard," then "Orders," then click the corresponding order. There will be a link that says "View Recording.") King Henry the Eighth, the second monarch of the Tudor dynasty, has been credited both by admirers…
(Note: This is a recording of a previously live class. The login information for this class will be in your Completed Invoice under Notes. Email [email protected] with any login questions.") The Taming of the Shrew may be Shakespeare’s most misunderstood play! Angelina Stanford will lead you through Elizabethan Cosmology, the form of the play, the tradition of the taming…
Note: This is a video of a previously live webinar. To access the recorded video, log in to your House of Humane Letters account, click "Dashboard," then "Orders," then click the corresponding order. There will be a link that says "View Recording." Evelyn Waugh was one of the comic masters of 20th century English literature. He was also a veteran of…
Note: This is a recording of a previously Live Webinar. To access the recorded video afterwards, log in to your House of Humane Letters account, click "Dashboard," then "Orders," then click the corresponding order. There will be a link that says "View Recording." Napoleon Bonaparte, whose ambitions, victories, and final defeat at Waterloo changed Europe permanently in the wake…
The writings of the great 19th century Russian masters are among the richest in the literature of the world. The personal and political dramas, the skepticisms and struggles, beliefs and fanaticisms that gave life to the Russian world of that era are all richly presented in the works of Dostoevsky, Turgenev, Gogol and their peers. This course will begin with…
(NOTE: This is a recording of a previously live webinar.) Storms and time. The sea and the soul. Dreams and imagination. Shakespeare's last play is one of only two with a plot that's original to him. In this webinar we will explore the author's inspiration, discuss the original audience's expectations, and find the harmony in this tale of vengeance and love.…
This is a recording of a previously live webinar. To view the recordings after the LIVE session, log in to your account on www.houseofhumaneletters.com, click on My Account and then Orders to view the recording Jonathan Swift was the last great defender of the Ancients in what was known as The Battle of the Ancients versus the Moderns. He was…
THE BATTLE OVER CHILDREN'S LITERATURE What books should children read, is a question that parents, teachers, and even clergymen have wrestled with for centuries. But this is a question that cannot be answered apart from larger questions about the nature of children and the purpose of stories. How do children learn? How is virtue cultivated? What is the moral imagination…
Looking for the perfect gift for a friend or loved one for Christmas? Try a House of Humane Letters online gift certificate! Give the gift of a webinar, summer class, mini-class, or conference for any special occasion. Send it by email to the recipient or email it to yourself and print it out to give as a physical gift! Recipients…
Looking for the perfect gift for a friend or loved one for Christmas? Try a House of Humane Letters online gift certificate! Give the gift of a webinar, summer class, mini-class, or conference for any special occasion. Send it by email to the recipient or email it to yourself and print it out to give as a physical gift! Recipients…
Note: The class will be conducted using Canvas as our virtual classroom, which includes a discussion forum. Before class begins, you will receive a link to enroll in Canvas. Click the link to login to the virtual classroom, which will have everything you need for the course. C.S. Lewis says it is “worth while to spend some labour on ‘putting…
This purchase is for streaming access to the video of a previously live webinar. To access this video after purchase, (make sure you are logged in on a computer) click Dashboard, then Orders, click the order you want to view and then click the link that says View the Recording. America does not have any story form comparable to the…
This purchase is for streaming access to the video of a previously live webinar. To access this video after purchase, (make sure you are logged in on a computer) click Dashboard, then Orders, click the order you want to view and then click the link that says View the Recording. "The French Revolution", an English historian once wrote, "was…
This is the recording of a previously Live Webinar. How do I view the recording? Log in to your account on www.houseofhumaneletters.com, click on My Account and then Orders to view the recording. Questions? [email protected] In 1944, when Allied troops were jumping behind enemy lines and disembarking under heavy fire on Normandy’s beaches, a film unit from the British Ministry of…
Note: This purchase gives you lifetime access to the streaming video of a previously live webinar. To view the webinar, login to your account, click Orders, then View. The greatest result of the First World War was, unquestionably, the deaths of twenty million human beings. Other tragedies bred by that conflict included the disruptions of politics, religion, and society…
NOTE: This purchase provides access to the recordings a previously live class. Almost 20 hours of instruction. *****(Note: The login information for this class will be in your Completed Invoice under Notes. Email [email protected] with any login questions.")****** Fairy tales are universal. We find them in every time and in every culture. For as long as there have been words,…
NOTE: This purchase provides access to the recordings a previously live class. Our customer service coordinator will email you the login info and instructions for the course. The subject of Latin has in recent years come to occupy a prominent place in the education of many homeschool students. Latin is not an “easy” language (are there any easy languages?), and…
Note: These are the streaming videos for a conference held in April 2021. To View the Videos after purchase, log in, click Orders, then View, then Click Here to View the Videos, and you will be taken to the video player and playlist. On the eve of the outbreak of World War Two, Christian writers, intellectuals, poets, and academics began to gather…
Streaming Video of Webinar. To View the Videos after purchase, log in, click Orders, then View, then Click Here to View the Videos, and you will be taken to the video player and playlist. King Lear is one of the darkest and most violent of Shakespeare’s tragedies, but just as the lightning flashes through the storm on the heath, there are moments…
NOTE: This purchase provides access to the recordings a previously live class. Almost 20 hours of instruction. Our customer service coordinator will email you the login info and instructions for the course. C.S. Lewis says it is “worth while to spend some labour on ‘putting ourselves back’ into the universe which our ancestors believed themselves to inhabit. What their work…
Everything you need for Advent Read-Alouds This Advent Bundle Includes Recordings of these previous classes: An in-depth mini-class on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol taught by Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks. With the approach of Advent, it’s the perfect time to explore Charles Dickens’ classic tale of selfishness and redemption and the Christmas spirit. Drawing on her expertise…
Shakespeare’s three great Roman tragedies remain definitive representations of political power, tyranny, anarchy, unrestrained passion, and the corruptibility of men. Join classicist Thomas Banks this October for his three-session short class on Shakespeare’s Romans; enjoy the supreme excellence of Shakespeare’s dramatic verse; discover the historical basis of the three plays in the writings of Plutarch; and enter into the world…
Note: This is a streaming video of a previously LIVE webinar. See below for instructions on viewing the recording. In 1667, Paradise Lost, the greatest narrative poem in the English language, appeared in print. John Milton, the author, was a blind, gout-afflicted scholar and retired civil servant living in obscurity as he approached his 60th birthday. He had not published…
Note: This class is completed, but you may work through the course at your own pace. After you purchase the class, you will receive a link to the virtual classroom. Instructor: Kelly Cumbee C.S. Lewis says it is “worth while to spend some labour on ‘putting ourselves back’ into the universe which our ancestors believed themselves to inhabit. What their…
Note: This is the streaming video for a previously live webinar. People have written stories about animals for nearly as long as we have written stories about ourselves. From the fables of Aesop to the folk tales of Joel Chandler Harris, tales of four-footed tricksters and furry fools have found a permanent place in the literature of several civilizations. Join…
Note: This is the streaming video of a previously live webinar. How do I view the recording? Log in to your account on www.houseofhumaneletters.com, click on My Account and then Orders to view the recording. You cannot access the recording from your receipt. You must log in first. C.S. Lewis says that reading old literature is a lot like visiting…
Note: This purchase gives access to the streaming video of this webinar. George Orwell did more to shape the imagination and political obsessions of the last century than almost any other writer of his generation. Both his fiction and nonfiction writings have begotten many imitators, and their language and characters have entered the common vocabulary of the English-speaking world. Join…
This is the recording of a LIVE webinar taught by Angelina Stanford (over 90 minutes). To view the recording, login to your account, click Dashboard, then Orders, then View. Learn what a fairy tale is, how to read one, and how to find the Gospel in every story. Price: $15
THE 2019 LITERARY LIFE CONFERENCE To View the Videos after purchase, log in, click Orders, then View, then Click Here to View the Videos, and you will be taken to the video player and playlist. For over three decades, Angelina Stanford and Cindy Rollins have been passionate advocates for the centrality of stories and books for, not only, education--but for all…
To View the Video after purchase, log in, click Orders, then View, then Click Here to View the Video, and you will be taken to the video player. Poetry is finer and more philosophical than history; for poetry expresses the universal, and history only the particular. -Aristotle- Want to love poetry, but you just don’t know how to? Already love poetry but…
Poetry and Classical Myth: The Influence of Greek and Roman Myth on English Poetry Join classicist and poet Thomas Banks for a webinar on the influence of classical mythology on English poetry. The influence of Greek and Roman mythology on English poetry has been immense. The imagery, recurring themes and narratives of the great works of the English language owe…
Join Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks for a 3-day IN-DEPTH look at Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol--- just in time for Christmas! With the approach of Advent, it’s the perfect time to explore Charles Dickens’ classic tale of selfishness and redemption and the Christmas spirit. Drawing on her expertise in Victorian literature, folklore, and mythology, Angelina Stanford will reveal the…
In the days leading up to Christmas, it is good to appreciate the poetry of the sacred season, of which the poets of England and America have offered so much. On December 4th, Thomas Banks will read and discuss several classic Christmas poems by George Herbert, Christina Rossetti, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and others with commentary on their historical background. He…
Note: This purchase allows you to stream the recordings of the conference. We live in disrupted and disenchanted times. So, for that matter, have many in the past few centuries. How ought to we form our minds and hearts to meet with grace and magnanimity the confusion of the age in which we live? To these questions few modern authors…
Note: This is the recording of a LIVE 5-day class taught by Angelina Stanford (over 8 hours of instruction!) Also note that this course was recorded many years ago when I was associated with another company. I no longer have any association with them and do not endorse them. Learn how to read this medieval romance like the original audience!…
Note: This class is completed, but you may work through the course at your own pace. After you purchase the class, you will receive a link to the virtual classroom. Instructor: Thomas Banks The plays of the ancient Greeks are the first great examples of dramatic literature known to us, and the reading of them is a lasting pleasure and…
This is a self-paced course with recordings of a previous Live Class. You will receive the link to the virtual classroom after purchase. Instructor: Angelina Stanford, MA Intimidated by Flannery O’Connor? She’s weird, violent, and grotesque. Many readers are left wondering, what did I just read? Her stories present a world of Dark Grace headed for a collision with…