Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592), one of the most consequential writers of all time, was born into the French aristocracy and educated in the Latin and Greek classics at home by his father.
Albert Camus (1913–1960) was a French Algerian writer perhaps best known for novels such as The Stranger, The Plague, and The Fall. As a thinker he was linked to the intellectual movements called existentialism and absurdism, although Camus himself detested both of these labels (and labels in general).
Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855) was a nineteenth-century Danish philosopher. He is often called the “father of existentialism” for his exploration of anxiety and absurdity.
It is perhaps no surprise that Fyodor Dostoevsky is known as one of the greatest psychological writers of all time, given his own dramatic history of suffering.
Sarah Orne Jewett (1849–1909) was an American writer who hailed from South Berwick, Maine. Born into a well-established New England family, she enjoyed a comfortable childhood in the countryside, which would later contribute to her capacity as a “local color” writer.
Download each section of the lecture by clicking on the part subtitle so that you can mark it up as you read. We recommend that you read the lecture twice.
This short video contains excerpts from David Walker's famous "Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World," a very significant document in American history. It is a call to freedom and to rising up and fighting against slavery with violence, if necessary, although that was not Walker's first choice.
Adapted from the What So Proudly We Hail curriculum, provides background materials and discussion questions to enhance your reading and understanding of Willa Cather’s short story “The Namesake.”
Emily Dickinson, now widely recognized (alongside Walt Whitman) as among the first American poetic voices, published only a handful of poems in her lifetime. In fact, much of Dickinson’s reclusive life remains an enigma to scholars, who piece together what they know from her poems and letters. In the following, you will learn about Dickinson’s life, her poetry, and the influence of gardening on both.
Adapted from www.WhatSoProudlyWeHail.org, this article provides background materials and discussion questions to enhance your understanding and stimulate conversation about “A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell. With discussion videos and multimedia resources, this lesson allows students to discuss this text in detail.
