The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had [Englisch] [Gebundene Ausgabe]

Adult/High School-Written in a straightforward style accessible to most students, this readable book provides solid, step-by-step advice on how to read some of the world's great books with discipline and comprehension. The first four chapters explain the author's well-thought-out three-step program, how and why it works, and how to prepare to use it. The remainder of the volume devotes a chapter each to analysis of novels, autobiography/memoirs, history, drama, and poetry. The system involves reading each book three times: once for the facts, once for analysis, and once for an informed evaluation of the author's ideas. Readers are encouraged during this process to mark up their books with comments and questions in the margins (or use Post-Its), and to keep a journal of quotes, summaries, questions, and ruminations. The genre chapters include some history, a discussion of important terms used, questions about the books that readers will want to ask themselves, a thoughtful pr‚cis of 25 or so important titles presented chronologically (with discussion of the changes in the genre over the centuries), and recommendations for the best and cheapest editions of each title. Works range from the Greeks to Francis Fukuyama, from Cervantes to Don Delillo, from Homer to Rita Dove. Some Web sites are also mentioned as sources for understanding. While few teens will want or have time to read a book three times, most will find much of value in helping them to understand their reading assignments.
Judy McAloon, Potomac Library, Prince William County, VA
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This book is a wonderful resource for anyone wishing to explore and develop the mind's capacity to read and comprehend the greatest works in fiction, autobiography, history, poetry, and drama. It offers brief, entertaining histories of the five literary genres, accompanied by detailed instructions on how to read each type.

This book is a wonderful resource for anyone wishing to explore and develop the mind's capacity to read and comprehend the greatest works in fiction, autobiography, history, poetry, and drama. It offers brief, entertaining histories of the five literary genres, accompanied by detailed instructions on how to read each type.

Susan Wise Bauer is co-author with her mother, Jessie Wise, of The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, a book which has become an educational standard. Susan teaches literature and writing at The College of William and Mary in Virginia.