TIME AND PLACE: Saturdays, 10 - 11 a.m., meeting room, The Marion E. Wade Center, corner of Washington and Lincoln, Wheaton, IL.
TEXTS: G. K. Chesterton. The Man Who Was Thursday. Penguin
______________. Orthodoxy. Moody Classics
George MacDonald. Phantastes. Paternoster
DESCRIPTION: George MacDonald’s Phantastes is the literary myth that Lewis states “baptized his imagination” and was singularly important in bringing him to Christian conversion. Written early in his career, it demonstrate the unique ability of Christian fantasy to explore the essential mysteries of the authentic spiritual life.
The writings of the prolific British author G. K. Chesterton were also among those that influenced C.S. Lewis’s conversion. In Orthodoxy Chesterton presents his own provocative defense for his Christian faith, affirming its indispensable relation to Fairyland, which, he asserts “is nothing but the sunny country of common sense.” The Man Who Was Thursday, his enduring Christian fantasy that offers a fresh and compelling vision of the presence of God and His working in the world, nicely illustrates his point.
READINGS:
September 12: Introduction and Overview
19: Phantastes, Chapters 1 - 4
26: Phantastes, Chapters 5 - 10
October 3: Phantastes, Chapters 11 - 13.
10: Phantastes, Chapters 14 - 19.
17: Phantastes, Chapters 20 - end.
24: Orthodoxy, Chapters 1 - 4
31: Orthodoxy, Chapters 5 - 7
November 7: Orthodoxy, Chapters 8, 9.
14: The Man Who Was Thursday, Chapters 1 - 8
21: The Man Who Was Thursday, Chapters 9 - end.
Thursday, August 20, 2015
CLASSICS FOR CHRISTIANS: SYLLABUS, FALL 2015
TIME: Wednesdays 2:00 - 3:00 p.m., from September 9 - November 18.
LOCATION: The Learning Center, Windsor Park, Carol Stream. For those coming from off-campus, the main entrance is on North Avenue, the first stoplight west of Gary Street. The Learning Center is directly across the Centrum Lounge from the main entrance.
TEXT: Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov. Dover Thrift Edition. Constance Garnett, trans.
DESCRIPTION: The Brothers Karamazov is Dostoevsky’s masterpiece and the quintessential Christian novel. It is the story of three brothers, Alyosha, Dimitri, and Ivan, sons of a sensual buffoon, who in their various experiences and crises face some of the most basic questions and issues of life, and who consider the Christian responses to them.
A master story-teller and keen-thinking Christian, Dostoevsky imaginatively poses the most devastating objections to Christian thought and offers responses embodied in human experience. To be conversant with his thought is to have one’s Christian life deepened and strengthened.
READING SCHEDULE:
Sept. 9: Introduction
16: Books I, II, p. 79
23: Book III. 1 - 11, p. 143
30: Book IV.1 - 4, p. 223
Oct. 7: Book IV.5 - VI.3, p. 296
14: Book VII - VIII.3, p. 359
21: Book VIII.4 - IX.3, p.429
28: Book IX.4 - X.4, p. 499
Nov. 4: Book X.5 - XI.6, p. 568
11: Book XI.7 -XII.5, 644
18: XII.6 - end.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Readings Syllabus: Winter 2015
SYLLABUS
LOCATION: Saturdays, 10:00 a.m., at the Lecture Room at the Wade Center, corner of Washington and Lincoln Streets, Wheaton, Il.
TEXTS: C. S. Lewis: Reflections on the Psalms. Fontana Books
George MacDonald. Weighed and Wanting.
DESCRIPTION: In his “Reflections on the Psalms,” C. S. Lewis addresses the difficult issues that inevitably present themselves to a thoughtful reader who peruses these ancient poems in the heart of the Bible. In his characteristically disarming way, Lewis not only explains the difficulties but also poignantly emphasizes the relevance of the psalms to contemporary life.
George MacDonald’s novel Weighed and Wanting, published in 1882, has engaging autobiographical significance. With a large family of several grown daughters, MacDonald imaginatively explores the issues of courtship and the problem of an impending unsuitable marriage. Interwoven in the novel are some of his most penetrating remarks on character.
READINGS:
January17: Reflections on the Psalms, Chapters 1 - 3
24: Chapters 4 -6
31: Chapters 7 - 9
February 7: Chapters 10 - 12
21: Weighed and Wanting, Chapters 1 - 6
28: 7 - 16
March 7: 17 - 28
14: 29 - 38
21: 39 - 48
28: 49 - end
LOCATION: Saturdays, 10:00 a.m., at the Lecture Room at the Wade Center, corner of Washington and Lincoln Streets, Wheaton, Il.
TEXTS: C. S. Lewis: Reflections on the Psalms. Fontana Books
George MacDonald. Weighed and Wanting.
DESCRIPTION: In his “Reflections on the Psalms,” C. S. Lewis addresses the difficult issues that inevitably present themselves to a thoughtful reader who peruses these ancient poems in the heart of the Bible. In his characteristically disarming way, Lewis not only explains the difficulties but also poignantly emphasizes the relevance of the psalms to contemporary life.
George MacDonald’s novel Weighed and Wanting, published in 1882, has engaging autobiographical significance. With a large family of several grown daughters, MacDonald imaginatively explores the issues of courtship and the problem of an impending unsuitable marriage. Interwoven in the novel are some of his most penetrating remarks on character.
READINGS:
January17: Reflections on the Psalms, Chapters 1 - 3
24: Chapters 4 -6
31: Chapters 7 - 9
February 7: Chapters 10 - 12
21: Weighed and Wanting, Chapters 1 - 6
28: 7 - 16
March 7: 17 - 28
14: 29 - 38
21: 39 - 48
28: 49 - end
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