Welcome to English 3! In this course, you’ll find a mix of older literature and authors you may have heard of before, and we’ll be introducing you to some newer literature and authors. It’s important to remember that literature tells stories, both directly and obviously in the writing, but also overall about the world around you. As historical events fall upon a timeline, so too does literature! You’ll see when different authors lived, what they wrote about, and how that all fits into historical events, called historical context. Wait, isn’t this a Literature course? Yes, it is, but much like other subjects, you’ll notice the topics connect with other aspects of your learning. Those connections will help you to better understand not only Literature, but how it fits into everything else you learn about—and will learn about. The historical figures, authors, and poets that you will explore within the Learning Guide and the reading materials make up the timeline of America. The readings won’t necessarily be in order on a timeline, but instead will be grouped by topic for you. We will learn about the historical context of those topics, so you will be able to fit them onto a timeline on your own. From the very beginning of American Literature through present day, you will experience the American thoughts through different time periods from both men and women. What makes up America is written from the thoughts of the country’s founding fathers to the fictional works of Poe to the poetry of Angelou, Hughes, and Dickinson. These anthologies encompass such a wide variety of types of writing that there is something for everyone to enjoy.
