Stacy Esch Resources
Many thanks to Stacy Esch for providing these resources for Dante’s Divine Comedy, as well as a Tolkien essay (below) and sharing them with Excellence in Literature. Stacy Esch teaches composition and literature at West...
Tagged: eil
The Pumpkin by John Greenleaf Whittier
The Pumpkin by John Greenleaf Whittier Oh, greenly and fair in the lands of the sun, The vines of the gourd and the rich melon run, And the rock and the tree and the...
Don Quixote 2000 film clip
I have not seen any of the many Don Quixote movies available, but I have heard that the 2000 Hallmark version with John Lithgow in the title role is a good choice—unfortunately, it is...
Approaching the Divine Comedy by Stacy Esch
Approaching the Divine Comedy by Stacy Esch The Divine Comedy is an architectural masterpiece-the representative work of the middle ages, the masterpiece of medieval aesthetics, cosmology, politics, theology, psychology, philosophy, and even science, with...
On Fairy Stories: An Essay by Tolkien
Reading Fairy Stories with J. R. Tolkien In “On Fairy Stories,” J. R. R. Tolkien explores the realm of Faerie, and considers “What are fairy-stories? What is their origin? What is the use of them?”...
The Red Angel by G. K. Chesterton
Many writers have risen to the defense of classic fairy tales, but few so eloquently as Gilbert Keith Chesterton. This essay was originally published in 1909 in his essay collection, Tremendous Trifles, which you will...
Antigone Video Introduction
How can Antigone be presented as a contemporary drama? Here’s one answer from the British National Theatre. This video clip offers a brief introduction to Aristotle’s theory of tragedy from Edith Hall, before introducing...
“Let the Bright Seraphim” by Handel from Samson opera
Many musical works are inspired by or based upon John Milton’s writing, including the three-act oratorio Samson by George Frederic Handel. Samson is a three-act oratorio by George Frideric Handel, considered one of his finest dramatic...
Thomas Tallis Medieval Music
Thomas Tallis (c. 1505 – 1585) is an English Renaissance composer of choral music. He is considered one of England’s greatest composers, and served at court as a composer, organist, and performer for several monarchs...
King Lear video excerpt
When studying a play, you should always watch it rather than just reading the text. Better still, watch more than one version, then try acting out a few scenes with your family or class....
King Lear Video of Stage Performance
This King Lear stage clip includes the first 15 minutes of Trinity Theatre Company’s production of “King Lear”, directed by Francesca Gilpin and starring Michael Elliot in the title role. You can follow along...
Hemingway Letters Video
Ernest Hemingway’s personal letters were quite different from his published writings. Cambridge University Press presents collections of Hemingway’s letters and interviews with his son Patrick Hemingway, as well as Hemingway scholars. Want to learn...
The Mount: Home of Edith Wharton
Learn more about The Mount, Edith Wharton’s home in Massachusetts. This home, which she designed herself was inspired by a 17th century home in England, with a few influences from Italian and French architecture. Now...
Longfellow Evangeline State Historic Site in Louisiana
Louisiana Public Broadcasting presents this video about the Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site in St. Martinville–a place to learn about the Acadian/Creole way of life. This may help you to put Longfellow’s poem Evangeline in...
Willa Cather Letters
You may learn about Willa Cather’s letters in this video from the University of Nebraska. If you prefer to read the letters, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has an online collection of over 1400 letters....
The Grasshopper and the Ants: A Fable
The Ant and the Grasshopper From Aesop’s Fables In a field one summer’s day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart’s content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great...
Shadowlands trailer
The story of C. S. Lewis and Joy Davidman Gresham is told in Shadowlands, a 1993 movie with Anthony Hopkins as Lewis. You may read a brief review on the Decent Films Guide website,...
Count of Monte Cristo Trailer and Music
Here is the trailer for the 2002 film of The Count of Monte Cristo. I haven’t seen this film but here is a link to a very positive review about it, and a link...
Treasure Island Adaptations
Treasure Island, the beloved adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, was originally serialized in the children’s magazine Young Folks in 1881 – 1882 under the title Treasure Island, or the mutiny of...
Jane Eyre Trailers
Jane Eyre Adaptations Jane Eyre, the classic 1847 novel by English writer Charlotte Brontë, has been a beloved favorite of generations of readers. It is no surprise, then, that it has been adapted a...
Mark Twain House Video
Where did Mark Twain live? The Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, was the home of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain) and his family from 1874 to 1891. Designed by Edward Tuckerman...
Opera Eugene Onegin Scene sung by Netrebko at Metropolitan Opera
The opera Eugene Onegin is based on Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin’s famous novel in verse, with a musical score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. You may watch the Russian soprano Anna Netrebko perform a scene from...
Historical Fiction: A List of Favorites
Reading historical fiction and biographies is one of the best ways to immerse in a time period and learn in a memorable way. Some of the best fiction I’ve ever read was written for...
To Ireland Sea Shanty sung by Bounding Main
The musical re-enactment group Bounding Main sings the sea shanty, “To Ireland.” A sea shanty, also spelled chantey, or chanty, is a type of rhythmic work song. These songs were once sung to synchronize...
Cathy Duffy Review of Excellence in Literature
Cathy Duffy Review of Excellence in Literature Cathy Duffy has posted a thoughtful review of Excellence in Literature on her website. In case you are not familiar with Duffy, she is the author of...
Cooper and Berlioz Overture “Le Corsaire Rouge”
Berlioz commemorates the death of James Fenimore Cooper Composer Hector Berlioz was a great admirer of James Fenimore Cooper and commemorated Cooper’s death by renaming one of his overtures Le corsaire rouge, translated from...
Victor Hugo Poem Read Aloud
Listen to one of Victor Hugo’s poems in French (Demain dès l’aube), read aloud by Lorenzo Diprossimo. If you want to read the English translation, it scrolls along the bottom–this is easiest to view...
Videos Referenced in Excellence in Literature
Here are lists of the videos referenced in the EIL curriculum, organized by level. Introduction to Literature videos Literature and Composition videos American Literature videos British Literature videos World Literature videos
Tchaikovsky’s Tempest Overture
Tchaikovsky and Shakespeare One of the most influential composers of the 19th century and the first Russian composer to achieve lasting international fame, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is best known today for his ballets Swan...
My Fair Lady (1964) Movie Trailer
My Fair Lady is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story presents Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl...
