The main purpose of this course is to introduce students to the canonical literary works of British literature. How is this literature unique? How did it come about? How did certain works become recognized as being “great?” Are these works still relevant today? -- These are some of our concerns when looking at the story of British literature.

We have other aims as well. We will endeavor to expand our knowledge of the English language as well as our ability to express ourselves well in writing. We should all attempt to express ourselves in different types of writing: academic writing, poetry--and even short stories--and the personal writing that one does in a journal or letter. X-rays can take a photo of your skull and a CAT scan can create an image of your brain. Your writing shows your mind.

Students will read literature from the major periods of British literature by major writers in the British canon. These authors include William Shakespeare, William Blake, Mary Shelley, Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, Samuel Coleridge and Aldous Huxley. In this class, we will also watch films relevant to our studies (such as a film version of Shaw’s Pygmalion) and write about them. I recommend that you get hold of a good dictionary. A highly recommended dictionary is Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary 10th Edition.

If you have any questions, you can always send an e-mail to garretsokoloff@gmail.com

Course Overview: This is your planet as much as anyone else’s. Let us invite one another to discover the world through the word-art (literature) that has been made in many countries and languages. We will read texts that come from a multitude of cultures. You are asked to think deeply about these works and then create your own word-art in response to what you have read. This year, your written responses will be in different modes: academic essays, personal reflections and creative expression. In this fall semester, students will especially work on their college application essay, write a research paper, and produce comparative literary essays. We want to make sure you are ready to face the world: ready to do the writing needed for the work place, for the university and for participating in a democracy.

Texts (subject to change): Beauty and Sadness by Yasunari Kawabata ・Doll’ s House by Henrik Ibsen ・ Metamorphosis and other writings by Franz Kafka   ・ The Stranger by Albert Camus ・ “The Theory and Play of the Duende” by Féderico Garcia Lorca・ King Lear by William Shakespeare ・ Selected poems of Pablo Neruda, Paul Celan and others.

I recommend that you get hold of a good dictionary. A highly recommended dictionary is Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary 10^th Edition. 

If you have any questions, you can always send an e-mail to garretsokoloff@gmail.com

Fiorello H. LaGuardia HS of Music & Art and Performing Arts
Garret Sokoloff