William Butler Yeats Poetry
William Butler Yeats (1865 – 1939) was an Irish Symbolist poet, as well as a two-term Irish Senator. He was a master of traditional poetry forms, and is widely considered one of the most...
Tagged: index
The Courtship of Miles Standish by Longfellow
The Courtship of Miles Standish by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow This narrative poem written in 1858 by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow tells a charming tale of a courtship during the early days of Plymouth...
James Fenimore Cooper Resources
James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) Cooper is considered the first fully American novelist – someone who achieved literary success writing about American issues, characters, and settings. He was influenced in his writing by the adventure novels...
Nathaniel Hawthorne Biography
Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) was an American author, best known for The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables. Hawthorne resources for EIL 3.4.
Faerie Queene Introductory Materials
This introduction to The Faerie Queene will help you to understand the time period when it was written, meet the author Edmund Spenser, and interpret the text’s allegory and verse structure. By Dr. George...
George Orwell Resources
Would you like to learn more about George Orwell, the author of Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four? George Orwell (1903-1950) was the pseudonym of Eric Arthur Blair, an English novelist whose work is known for...
Mark Twain Resources Index
Resources for Mark Twain (1835-1910) Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835 – 1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. His best-known novels include The Adventures...
Steven Kreis History Guide Index
Lectures on Early Modern European History If you enjoy history, The History Guide site is well worth exploring. It is an outstanding site full of interesting articles, all written by a homeschool-friendly college professor,...
Edgar Allan Poe Resources
Edgar Allan Poe Resources Many writers in the American canon have written both poetry and prose; few, however, are equally known for both. Edgar Allan Poe was one such writer. Indeed, it is almost...
Dr. Mahfood Dante Videos Index
Dr. Sebastian Mahfood has kindly shared these Dante videos with us: he has made a short video reflection on each canto of Dante’s Inferno. We hope you find these helpful in your studies. If...
Brontë Resources Index
The Brontë sisters read widely, wrote passionately, and created enduring works drawn from their surroundings and imagination. Explore their writings and their world through the resources below. Charlotte Brontë Emily Brontë Brontë Sisters Context...
Edward Lear Resources
Edward Lear Resources John Cousin tells us that Edward Lear (1812-1888) was an “artist and miscellaneous author [who was born] in London and settled in Rome as a landscape painter. He was an indefatigable...
Jonathan Swift Resources
Jonathan Swift Resources Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) wrote some of the most brilliant prose in the English language and is often regarded as its foremost satirist. While best known for his masterpiece Gulliver’s Travels and,...
George Bernard Shaw Resources
George Bernard Shaw Resources George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) was a prolific writer who worked as an art, music, and theater critic. Irish-born and largely self-educated, he found his calling writing popular plays, including Pygmalion...
Ancient Greek Literature Resources Index
Ancient Greek resources currently available on our site include: “Why Study the Pagans?” by Cheryl Lowe “Why We Read the Odyssey” by Deborah Stokol Introduction to Greek Tragedy Introduction to Classical Greek Literature by...
Virginia Woolf Resources
Virginia Woolf Resources Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) was a Modernist writer who used the stream-of-consciousness technique, as seen in her novel To the Lighthouse. Here are a selection of resources you may find helpful in...
G. K. Chesterton Resources Index
Chesterton, that “Colossal Genius” Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874 – 1936), popularly known as G. K. Chesterton, was a prolific British writer, lay theologian, poet, dramatist, journalist, orator, literary and art critic, biographer, and Christian apologist. His published writings also include...
A Fable for Critics by James Russell Lowell
James Russell Lowell’s “A Fable for Critics” (1848) is a funny introduction to many of the nineteenth-century poets and writers. Since the entire poem is very long — it’s really a whole book —...
Anne Bradstreet Poetry
Anne Bradstreet poetry Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672) was one of the first American poets, and her life and work evoke a vivid picture of Colonial America and reflect her Puritan faith and love for her family....
Herman Melville Resources
Herman Melville (1819–1891) led a remarkably interesting life and his stories of the sea are colored by his personal experiences. He is most famous for his masterpiece, Moby Dick. Herman Melville biography You may...
Benjamin Franklin Resources
Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) was one of America’s most interesting historical figures. Like Leonardo da Vinci, Franklin pursued many subjects including writing, politics, invention, music, and more. He is known for pithy quotations as well...
Oscar Wilde Resources
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was an immensely gifted writer who produced a large variety of work ranging from humorous to tragic. He had the capacity to be ridiculous (The Importance of Being Earnest) as well...
Victor Hugo Resources
Victor Hugo (1802-1885) was a beloved and enduring French novelist, playwright, and poet. His classic book Les Misérables inspired the stage musical of the same name. Learn more about Victor Hugo and his work...
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...
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
Sara Selby Resources
Sara Selby has kindly shared the following resources with Excellence in Literature: Emily Brontë: A Biographical Sketch Wuthering Heights Family Trees Versification [Verse Structure Patterns] A Micro-History of the English Language *** These materials...
Idylls of the King by Tennyson
Idylls of the King Index by Alfred, Lord Tennyson Flos Regum Arthurus (Joseph of Exeter) EIL Editor’s Note: Idylls of the King is a cycle of twelve narrative poems by the English poet Alfred,...
World Literature Videos
Videos referenced in World Literature (E5) Study Guide: World Literature (Excellence in Literature, English 5) Module 1 Ancient Greek Music – Macedonia Module 2 Antigone on stage Module 3 Roman Water Wheel, London Museum Roman Weapons...
British Literature Videos
Each module has a page with links from the British Literature study guide, and those pages will have the most complete listings of all the helpful resources you’ll use for that module. However, I...
American Literature Videos
Videos referenced in American Literature (E3): Module 1 William Zeitler plays the glass armonica (an instrument invented by Benjamin Franklin) Module 2 Poe’s poem “The Raven” read aloud by Christopher Walken, combined with Gustave...
