Introduction to Literature Texts
In Introduction to Literature, students will study eight full-length works of fiction and six short stories. Students who choose the Honors option will read sixteen full-length works of fiction and twelve short stories. A brief chapter in the study guide provides instructions for the additional writing that will round out the honors grade.
Each of the Introduction to Literature texts below is linked to the edition I prefer at Amazon. These are affiliate links, of course — that means I get a few cents from each book purchase, but it doesn't change your cost at all. You can read more about how I choose editions to recommend at "Focus Texts for Excellence in Literature." You may go to the Excellence in Literature curriculum home page for more information about the entire curriculum.
Introduction to Literature, English 1: Focus and Honors Texts
Module 1: Short Stories
Note: Most of these short stories are available at the Excellence in Literature site as linked below.- Sarah Orne Jewett: A White Heron
- Edgar Allen Poe: The Purloined Letter (This Poe story is not scary, if you're concerned about that.)
- Guy de Maupassant: The Diamond Necklace
- O. Henry: The Ransom of Red Chief
- Eudora Welty: A Worn Path
- James Thurber: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
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Module 2: Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
Honors: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
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Module 3: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court OR Joan of Arc by Mark Twain
Honors: The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
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Module 4: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Honors: Shirley OR
Villette by Charlotte Brontë
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Module 5: Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
Honors: Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot
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Module 6: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Honors: Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
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Module 7: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Honors: 1984 by George Orwell OR
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
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Module 8: The Tempest by William Shakespeare
Honors: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
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Module 9: Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
Honors: The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
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Additional Suggested Resources
Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers
The Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers is a reference book that includes instructions on how to construct logical arguments (theses), write essays, and work with grammar, punctuation, and style. 420 pages, paperback.