TUAR Book Spotlight #2: The Early Middle Ages

This week I read:  

Early Middle Ages, Volume 2

This is part of a 5 Volume series called Leading Events in the History of the Church.    The link takes you to Heritage History where you can find the series online OR purchase ereader copies for a very moderate price.

You can also find the first three volumes at Internet Archive.   This is free, but the kindle downloads are quite badly corrupted.  I don't know about the Epub version, and the PDF is probably just fine since it's just scanned pages.

Copyright:

1907 (Public Domain)


Authors:

Sisters of Notre Dame

Overview of the Book:

This volume tells of the period of history known as the Dark Ages, but the book names it the Iron Age, because it was an age of battles and swordplay.     It starts after the fall of the Roman Empire and tells the story of the conversion of Europe and the British Isles.   The pattern seems to have been for missionaries to come to a new territory, and then if the king was willing to convert, the rest of the population generally followed.   Some territories took to Christianity naturally -- Ireland and Anglo-England -- while others were way more resistant, like parts of northern Europe.  And of course, when a king or chieftain converted along with his people, it did not necessarily mean that they started acting like saints.

The book is a kind of survey from a Catholic religious perspective of broader trends and movements and pivotal events in the history of Christendom.    The style is literate, vigorous  and sweeping.



Setting:  Time and Place:

500-1000 AD, mostly focused on France and England, with spotlights on Spain, Eastern Europe, Constantinople, Italy, Ireland, and Scandinavia.

Features:

The book has many nice black and white illustrations.
There is a chronological outline and a further reading appendix at the end of the book.  

Series Overview:

You can go to Heritage History for a very nice overview of the series.    A quote:

This five book series, written for secondary schools, tells the story of the Catholic Church from its founding by the Apostles to the opening years of the 20th century. It provides a fascinating insight into the institutional church and provides a Catholic perspective on many historical incidents that are typically presented to school children from a Protestant perspective.

The books assumes a pre-existing knowledge of the major events of European history, and focuses mainly on issues specifically related to the church, and the lives of the great saints and martyrs.

Reading Level:

The reading level is probably middle school, but since the book assumes some familiarity with the major events of history, it might be better for highschoolers unless the younger reader is fairly knowledgeable about history already.

A Vintage Resource: Mary's Grammar

It is February, and I still haven't pulled together Paddy's Plan for Grade 4 yet, but it doesn't seem to matter too much since we are buzzing along pretty well anyway.    Perhaps this is basically how I DO plan, simply collect a bunch of books during the summer and then grab a new one here and there when the old one runs out.

Anyway, I thought I would mention a resource I found that Paddy is enjoying very much, so much that he does one of those mythical homeschool-child things and says, "Can we do Grammar now?"

It is called: 

Mary's Grammar, interspersed with stories, and intended for the use of children, by Mrs Marcet.

Doesn't that sound promising already?  I found it when I was browsing through Google Books with the search term "pictorial grammar".

It starts with a little girl crying over her grammar lesson, and her mother helping her out by making the terminology easier and related to real life.    It covers all the parts of speech, in Part I on an overview level, and then a little deeper in part II.     We have just finished reading about Articles.

It is definitely old-fashioned in style, and I wasn't sure if Paddy would be interested in an 8 year old girl as a protagonist, but it doesn't seem to bother him, as he gets into the questions and conversation.  

While I am on the subject I wanted to mention that there are some free worksheets available for Grammar-Land. This is a resource used by some Charlotte Mason type homeschoolers, though Mary's Grammar seems to suit Paddy and me better right now.    We like to shut the book (rather, shut my ereader) and then follow up with our own oral lesson in the same style as the book. 

HT Jimmie at The Notebooking Fairy, and check out her post, Top Ten Books to Notebook

As for searching for "pictorial grammar"?   I found these two resources:

Steill's Pictorial Grammar for Children
The Pictorial Grammar by Alfred Crowquill

They both have those Cruikshank type illustrations, sort of Victorian- humorous.

 I also found this geography book, by a different author apparently, but meant to be a companion to Mary's Grammar.   

Mary's Geography
Questions on Mary's Geography

Finally, another "Mary" book by the author of Mary's Geography.

Mary's everyday book of useful and miscellaneous knowledge
Questions on Mary's everyday book

This book is basically about all the things that were around a 19th century child, explanations of where they are from, how they are made, etc.

'Felting is a property possessed by all soft and thick wool, and causes it,when thoroughly wet and tightly pressed, to stick firmly together. It is thus that hats are made: the wool being felted and pressed into a mould. Cloth, too, is first spun and woven, and then felted, the felting causing it to contract and become thick and strong. All cloths and flannels are woven of a pure white, and then dyed the required colour.

I doubt if we will read this one, because everyday things two centuries ago aren't the same as everyday things now, but it looks fun to browse through.  

TUAR Tea Room

Well, it's coffee today, not tea, and solitary musings, not tea time chat : (.    Chari is having a very busy month, with visitors literally every day in July, she tells me, so blogging is up to me for the time being.

Since I haven't blogged for a while, I thought I would try to get back my momentum by just listing a few of the things going on in our lives at the moment.

I.  Comings and Goings

We have two kids home that aren't usually home, and one kid gone that is usually gone, and one kid gone that is usually home.   To translate -- Brendan and Sean, who spent last year up in Oregon, are now here, and Clare, who is usually away at college, is now away again visiting friends, and Kieron, who is usually home, is now up in Oregon visiting his oldest brother Liam.     Confused?  So am I. 

II.  Morning Time with Mole, Ratty and a Nine Year Old

Since Kieron isn't here, we haven't been having our regular Morning Time.    I wanted to keep up the habit, though, and I badly wanted to read The Wind in the Willows this summer, so I decided to make that the focal point of our Morning Time during this week.    Kieron has already read the book, though he probably could have stood to hear it again.  Maybe I will bring it up to Oregon with me. 

"There is nothing--absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."

III.   Morning Time and the Liturgical year

We are also reading Saints and Feast Days.   I saw this book at Chari's house and since used copies are not very expensive, I ordered a copy which arrived after we got back home.    It struck me as ideal for our Morning Time because it is arranged by date and each entry has something about the life of the saint, with a list of suggested discussion topics and activities which are simple enough even for me.     The entries are written at a middle school level, I would say, which makes it comprehensible for Paddy without being too youthful for Kieron.   So I think this will be a useful resource for the year.

IV.     Boys of Summer

Paddy really regretted missing this baseball season (we were in Alaska during the sign-up period and first practices).  So he has been trying to work on his skills and has been following various family members around trying to get them to pitch or throw to him.

Sean and Aidan

Aidan is still on a car photo-coloring spree and has about 40 pictures of his favorite types of cars that he has colored.   He finds his favorites by typing the makes and brands into Google and when he finds one he likes, he asks me to "Make it into a coloring page!"   Now that Picnik is gone, I use this Photo Pencil Sketch to convert the photos into coloring pages.   He spent several happy minutes quizzing Sean on types of cars, feeling smug that he knew all the answers and Sean didn't.

IV.   Designing a Work Folder for a Highschooler Away from Home

In order to continue the momentum of our light summer term, and give Kieron something to work on in Oregon while his brother is at work, I made a folder for him to take with him.   I like getting those 3-prong folders you can find at Back to School sales, and putting a few page protectors in them.  That way I can easily slip papers in and out of the folders.  It makes a sort of self-designed flexible workbook.

The folder -- I usually color-code so I can easily match folder to student -- Kieron is green.

First Page -- checklist where he can check off subjects as he does them. 

I assigned him a chapter of chemistry on measurements and converting, a chapter of World History on medieval Asia, Fulton Sheen's Victory over Vice (it has an odd title, but it's about the Seven Capital Sins correlated with Jesus's last words on the cross), and a couple of Kindle books on Asian history (Historical Tales: Japan and China, and Japan: Peeps at History). 

Inside -- assignment list for each subject, one subject per page, enough for 4 days

 some pages of World History

V   Children's Literature is for Every One.

One of my favorite classes ever, taken in junior high school, was about Children's Literature.  I am reminded of that while reading a really good book called Mysteries of Life in Children's Literature by Mitchell Kalpakgian.  (sample chapter here)    Maybe I will write about it some other time, but right now I just wanted to share pictures of the pretty interior of the book. 
 

I am also revisiting childhood by listening to audios at Circe Institute. Especially, the one by James Taylor is on a similar topic as Mysteries of Life, but the others are really fun to listen to, and reaffirm at least some of what I'm trying to do here in our corner of the Sierra highlands.   I am so glad that classical homeschooling theory has been developing towards these more "poetic" lines recently, as it accords with my own intuitions so much.

What I'm Reading for Lent

Chari is going to post about what she's reading for Lent, but when I found this topic in our drafts file I decided that I have some things to write about that, and that she (Chari) would like to hear what I'm reading (a favorite topic of conversation between us!) and that our readers are probably interested in that type of thing, too.  If you have a book or books you are reading for Lent, please mention in the comments!

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The first book I started reading before Lent even started is called The Rosary of Our Lady by Romano Guardini.   I found a really interesting review of this little book at New Oxford Review.  It begins with this piece of information:

 In a letter dated December 26, 1954, Flannery O’Connor wrote to Sally Fitzgerald, “I am reading everything I can of Romano Guardini’s. Have you become acquainted with his work? A book called The Lord of his is very fine.” By the next summer, O’Connor may have been reading Guardini’s The Rosary of Our Lady, first published in English in 1955

I have read several books about the Rosary, but this is probably my favorite so far.  It is meditative and perceptive.  The spirit of it reminds me of the description of Mary in the Gospels: 

But Marytreasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.

 You can find out more about Father Romano Guardini and read excerpts from his writing here.

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Another book I am reading is called Your Neighbor and You: Our Dealings with Those About Us by Edward Francis Garesche SJ.    It is from 1919 and in public domain!  That link takes you to the Google bookshelf, or if you have a Nook or a Nook app, you can download the book from Barnes and Noble too.
 
If Garesche's name sounds familiar it is probably because he also wrote The Catholic Book of Character and Success, reprinted by Sophia Institute.    I usually have my young teens read this book in late middle school or early high school.   Garesche has a way of writing directly and kindly but honestly to the ordinary person.    I started reading Your Neighbor and You last Lent and want to read some more this Lent -- lots of tips about how to live as a Catholic layperson, very practical and sympathetic.  Fair warning, I may be quoting some of it on here!

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Also, I have been trying to read some of John Cardinal Newman's sermons at The Newman Reader, which is online and contains a meticulously arranged collection of many if not all of Newman's writings organized in several different ways.   I am reading his Lenten sermons.

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And last but not least, I am still plodding through the Bible.   You remember, I was going to try my daughter's Bible in a Year Plan.  My modified version involved starting with the Gospels and working through the New Testament before going back to Genesis.  I have just started the First Epistle to the Corinthians.

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In past years I have not restricted reading during Lent but this year I have picked up a mystery habit so I'm cutting back on fictional reading.

Vintage Tale: The Abbot's Ghost, a Christmas Story

Before Louisa May Alcott became known for Little Women and other works of the kind, she wrote several Gothic novellas under the pseudonym AM Barnard.  This long short story, or short novel, is one of those.  If you are looking for something light and fast-paced and somewhat seasonal to read, this might be a good pick.

The story centers around Maurice Traherne, a young man badly injured in a tragic accident, who was mysteriously disinherited by his uncle just before the latter died.   No one knows why, and everyone pities him for his fall from rich eligible bachelor to poverty-stricken cripple.

In a Christmas gathering at his aunt's house, several key people come together, both from his past and present, and the story goes from there with several revelations and interesting events, and in the style of romance, resolves fortuitously in the end.

This is basically a romance with some elements of gothic mystery (the ghost from the title, and a lady with a mysterious and not entirely savory past) and was a fun read.   If ancient curses and unquiet spirits and hints of disreputable pasts aren't a problem, the story might be enjoyable for a teenager.   The main characters are properly noble, and the people with shadier backgrounds end up properly repentant.  It probably wouldn't be too interesting to boys or younger children since the plot mostly concerns romance and mysteries of past days.

There is a mild religious flavor -- and as previously mentioned, virtue and sacrifice triumph over selfishness and temptation in the end.  

The Abbot's Ghost (free on Amazon for Kindle)
The Abbot's Ghost (Librivox -- links to audio version and other versions)

An excerpt from the story:  

"You know it was supposed that old Sir Jasper, being a bachelor, would leave his fortune to his two nephews. But he was an oddity, and as the title must go to young Jasper by right, the old man said Maurice should have the money. He was poor, young Jasper rich, and it seemed but just, though Madame Mère was very angry when she learned how the will was made."

"But Maurice didn't get the fortune. How was that?"

"There was some mystery there which I shall discover in time. All went smoothly till that unlucky yachting trip, when the cousins were wrecked. Maurice saved Jasper's life, and almost lost his own in so doing. I fancy he wishes he had, rather than remain the poor cripple he is. Exposure, exertion, and neglect afterward brought on paralysis of the lower limbs, and there he is—a fine, talented, spirited fellow tied to that cursed chair like a decrepit old man."

 ...

"The old man must have been demented. What in heaven's name did he mean by leaving Maurice helpless and penniless after all his devotion to Jasper? Had he done anything to offend the old party?"

"No one knows; Maurice hasn't the least idea of the cause of this sudden whim, and the old man would give no reason for it. He died soon after, and the instant Jasper came to the title and estate he brought his cousin home, and treats him like a brother. Jasper is a noble fellow, with all his faults, and this act of justice increases my respect for him," said the major heartily.

Vintage Tales: The Rectory Children

When I got a Kindle last January, suddenly it was easy for me to find and read good books from the 19th century.   It doesn't hurt that many, many of these books are free in the public domain! 


In these last ten months, I've found so many good books that I had never heard of before.   When I read one that is freely available on the internet and might possibly be of interest to Catholic homeschooling children and/or moms, I will try to mention it on this blog under the category Vintage Books.

Here's one I read a couple of weeks ago --. 

The Rectory Children by Mrs Molesworth (free Amazon Kindle version)
Also available in EPUB format on Google Books and at Gutenberg. 



Mary Louisa Molesworth was a British author, contemporary to Charlotte Mason. A quote describing her work: 

"Mary Louisa Molesworth typified late Victorian writing for girls. Aimed at girls too old for fairies and princesses but too young for Austen and the Brontës, books by Molesworth had their share of amusement, but they also had a good deal of moral instruction. The girls reading Molesworth would grow up to be mothers; thus, the books emphasized Victorian notions of duty and self-sacrifice."

 I could definitely see this in the book.  It combined a real interest in a child's psychology with a kind of moral cautionary tale. 

Bridget is the youngest of three children who come to live in a seaside Rectory so that their father can recover from illness.    She has just turned eight.  She is short, sturdy,  "roundabout", doesn't much like to run and often gets into scrapes, tearing her dress and making tactless remarks, getting discouraged about her seeming inability to "be good", and things like that.   Her older sister Rosalys is 13, very pretty, and her mother depends on her because she is conscientious and careful.

Here you might be thinking that Rosalys will turn out to be the villain of the piece, and sympathizing with poor young Biddy, who is like an early prototype of Ramona Quimby, but it turns out that Rosalys often defends Biddy when her mother frets over her or thinks her very unfeeling, and is quite a kind sister.   And Biddy, though a sympathetic character, can sometimes be irritating too, so you see why her mother has trouble understanding her.   This seems very realistic when you reflect there is often a "difficult" child in many families that one of the parents has trouble with.   I guess that isn't just a modern thing. 

At a bazaar, the Rectory children meet a little girl, Celestina, who is the only daughter of a bookseller, but brought up very carefully.  Though she is little older than Biddy, she is very quiet and sedate.   She loves to play with her little dolls.  

The two girls, Celestina and Bridget, are both lonely in different ways, and they become friends.    Since Biddy and Rosalys' governess is temporarily away, Biddy and Celestina end up doing lessons together.     They like each other, but Biddy is sometimes resentful of Celestina's carefulness and conscientiousness, and this ultimately leads to a dangerous situation and a cautionary lesson.  

This story seems to be of interest to the 9-13 year old age group, especially for good readers who are somewhat used to old-fashioned language, and is definitely a girl's story.

Personally, this mom (Willa)  felt that the descriptions of the thoughts, feelings and actions of the young children were stronger at the beginning and middle of the book.  Later on, the story seemed to take more of a conventional "moral lesson" form where Celestina is held up as a contrast to young Biddy.    I find myself wondering if reading stories like this in childhood led to the less moralistic portrayals of non-ideal but still lovable youngsters like Anne of Green Gables and Mary Lennox.   

I found this interesting reading from a mother's point of view, because of the strong Victorian interest in the details of education (often homebased) and in character formation.   Biddy's mother is shown to be rather unsure of how to deal with Biddy, but willing to learn, and Celestina's mother (who is of a lower class than Biddy's, but gently educated) gives her some helpful advice which reminds me very much of some things Charlotte Mason writes in her books.  Sorry, this quote is long, but I thought it gave a good taste of the tone of the book:

'Mamma,' she said very gently, 'I'm sorry for being so cross.'

'I am glad to hear you say so, Bride,' said her mother. She spoke very gravely, and at first Bridget felt a little disappointed. But after a moment's—less than a moment's—hesitation, the fat little hand felt itself clasped and pressed with a kindly affection that, truth to tell, Biddy was scarcely accustomed to. For there is no denying that she was a very trying and tiresome little girl. And Mrs. Vane was quick and sensitive, and of late she had had much anxiety and strain, and she was not of a nature to take things calmly. Rosalys was of a much more even and cheery temperament: she 'took after' her father, as the country-people say.

It was not without putting some slight force on herself that Biddy's mother pressed the little hand; and that she did so was in great part owing to a sudden remembrance of some words which Mrs. Fairchild had said during their few minutes' conversation, which, as I told you, had been principally about Bridget.


'Yes,' Celestina's mother had replied in answer to a remark of the rector's wife, 'I can see that she must be a child who needs careful management. Firmness of course—but also the greatest, the very greatest gentleness, so as never to crush or repress any deeper feeling whenever it comes.'

And the words had stayed in Biddy's mother's mind. Ah, children, how much we may do for good, and, alas, for bad, by our simplest words sometimes!

So in spite of still feeling irritated and sore against cross-grained Biddy, her mother crushed down her own vexation and met the child's better mind more than half-way.

A queer feeling came over the little girl; a sort of choke in her throat, which she had never felt before.

'If mamma was always like that how good I would be,' thought Biddy, as she walked on quietly, her hand still on her mother's arm.

If you've read a good "vintage" book recently, you are welcome to mention it in the comments.  Chari and I are always looking for good books to read!

Literarily yours,

Willa