In this Academy students will engage in a careful reading of important works of American and English literature. The great texts for this Academy will include works like Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, and others. Students will see how these authors aim to teach us important things about love, friendship, and politics. We will discuss the effect the political regime has on love and friendship in democratic and aristocratic societies, in particular. This Academy will ask questions such as: What is love? What does it mean to be a true friend? Is it better to love in a republic than in an aristocracy?

This Academy is a great choice for any student considering a major in literature or creative writing in college, but it’s a good choice for anyone who enjoys reading fiction.