LITERATURE
ON LITERATURE
At Heritage Classical Academy, literature is more than reading. We view each story, fable, or fairy tale that our students encounter as an opportunity to engage the imagination, evoke wonder, encourage virtue, and provide joy and delight. Thus, when observing a literature class, one would overhear conversations about storylines and heroes directly alongside lively discussion of responsibility, wisdom, and justice. Literature is a subject in which each of our students becomes a participant in the ‘great conversation’, directly engaging with the voices of authors of stories which are enduring, beautiful, and engaging.
CLASSICAL
CURRICULUM
Our Literature curriculum hinges on classics. These must be books which have stood the test of time. We avoid books from popular culture not because they are inherently bad, but because, like many books before them, they could become simply passing fads or artifacts of a particular time period. In contrast, books which stand the test of time do so because they tell us something about our shared human experience, and do so in a way which is unique, beautiful, imaginative, and eloquent. These are the books which our students encounter in Literature, and which play an integral role in shaping each heart and mind in our care.
“Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed."
- G.K. Chesterton
