Now that the school year is over, are you looking for a book list for the summer? Do you want to walk in someone else’s shoes and explore philosophical thoughts alongside men like St. Augustine, C.S. Lewis, and Geoffrey Chaucer?
Patrick Henry College has a reading list that all students will complete through the 63 core credits. Through the intersection of ideas and a platform of discussion, PHC students are exposed to different worldviews and wrestle with them. Do you want to join them?
Here are five highlights from the PHC Core Reading:
1. Homer's The Odyssey
Homer’s epic work tells the story of Odysseus as he fights to return home following the Trojan War. The poem features various facets of Greek culture, such as hospitality, family, and honor.
2.Dante's Inferno
In this first part of the Divine Comedy, Dante the Pilgrim descends into Hell, guided by the poet Virgil. Each of the inner rings represent different sins, beginning with Limbo and righteous pagans and ending with those who committed treachery. The book highlights the concept of poetic justice, how the punishment fits the sin.
3. Milton's Paradise Lost
Milton’s epic poem creatively expounds upon the Genesis account of the Fall. The book gives the perspective of God, the Son, Adam and Eve, and Satan. Beginning with the banishment of Satan and the fallen angels and ending with God banishing Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, the poem paints a picture of what life could have been like in the Garden.
4. Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment
Dostoyevsky’s work intertwines self-reflection and narrative in the story of Rodion Raskolnikov, a young student who kills an old woman for the betterment of society. The book tackles the question of justice and punishment, and whether the end does indeed justifies the means.
5. Goethe's Faust (part 1)
Goethe’s play centers around a professor named Faust. While he has succeeded in the academic world, he does not feel satisfied. The devil Mephistopheles constructs a bet with Faust that he will be able to satisfy his desire for experiencing all of life – the joys and sorrows.
Click below to see the entire core reading list:
