Overall Theme: The Evolution of the Hero: Honor & Discernment
Yearlong Question: “The Measure of a Man: How does literature teach us to think, judge, and act with honor?”
- Quarter 1: Iron and Ink (Medieval Foundations)
- Theme: Physical Strength to Moral Testing
- Quarter 2: The Globe’s Stage (Order & Chaos)
- Theme: Internal Conflict and Providence
- Quarter 3: Manners and Monsters (Virtue & Society)
- Theme: Character and Integrity
- Quarter 4: Shadows and Solutions (Truth & Justice)
- Theme: Intellect, Logic, and Discernment
Spirit: Tracing honor and morality from the mead hall to the Victorian parlor.
Core Reading: Beowulf, Sir Gawain, Shakespeare, Austen, Dickens, Sherlock Holmes.
Key Icon: The Gauntlet (Honor & The Covenant).
Description: Tracing the evolution of the “gentleman,” this course follows the British hero from the mead hall to the modern detective’s study. Students navigate the code of chivalry in the Middle Ages, the internal conflicts of the Shakespearean stage, and the Victorian focus on integrity and character. This is a rigorous study of discernment, training students to analyze motives and social structures with a logical mind.
Key Writing: Students will develop high-level Deductive Reasoning Reports (The Sleuth’s Log) and a formal Literary Argumentative Essay on virtue.
The A.S.K.:
- A – Archetypes & Symbols: Trace the “Gauntlet” of chivalry and the “Masks” of social propriety.
- S – Search for the Transcendent: Find the True, the Good, and the Beautiful in the pursuit of logic, honor, and justice.
- K – Knightly Character: Apply the virtue of Justice to act with honor and discernment in all social spheres.
