Reading with Children

Course reading list for 12th grade students at private Catholic high school?

I'm preparing to create my own syllabus for teaching senior-level English at a private Catholic high school. These kids are already well-read, so please do not suggest the most obvious standards, such as Shakespeare or Chaucer. Rather, I'm looking for a wide variety of both past and modern day texts, ranging from novels to poetry to drama, that you feel would be beneficial to their whole education. (NOTE: Don't be afraid to suggest something because it is not specifically religious or even anti-Catholic; the board is very open-minded when it comes to literary value). I would love to hear from some teachers on this one, and would also be thrilled to hear any student input (what are you guys interested in reading?).

Public Comments

1. When it comes to Catholicism in literature, I always turn to Graham Greene. He has a massive body of work but four of his novels are identified as Catholic novels. In fact, Greene drew a lot of criticism from the Catholic church because his novels often play on Catholic stereotypes. He was up for a Nobel Prize in the 1970s but he was turned down likely because of his antagonistic position with the Catholic church. At any rate, the four novels in question are: The Heart of the Matter The Power and the Glory Brighton Rock The End of the Affair Look over each one and decide if they fit into your curriculum. My personal favorite is The Heart of the Matter but all of them are equally brilliant. In terms of poetry, I have always enjoyed T.S. Eliot. His poetry is complex and very thought provoking. "Four Quartets" is one of my favorite Eliot poems. It is the type of poem one could easily spend three or four weeks discussing. I suspect your students will find him just as enjoyable as I have. If your students are well-read, perhaps Wallace Stevens is appropriate. Stevens was fascinated by the Imagist movement in art. Poems like "Man Carrying Thing" and "Not Ideas about the Thing But the Thing Itself" are brilliant in my opinion. Essentially, the whole idea of "The Thing" is a fascinating subject in and of itself. It is often a great topic for class discussion. I hope you find this information helpful Good luck with your class Happy reading!!!