A Close Reading of Classical Literary Works
In summers past, our classic literature close reading courses flowed like cool springs—refreshing young minds and earning praise from students and parents alike. In this fertile literary soil, children absorbed rich nourishment while sharpening their analytical lens, laying solid groundwork for the rigorous demands of DP-level literary study.
This summer, we embark anew. Our journey turns to where China's vast territories meet the wider world. We begin with Shen Congwen's Border Town and Random Sketches of Travels in Hunan—lyrical portraits of western Hunan's river towns. We travel north to Li Juan's The Remote Corner of Altay and Winter Pasture, intimate chronicles of Kazakh herders on the northern frontier. From Chi Zijian comes The Right Bank of the Argun River, an epic of the Evenki people and their disappearing way of life. We roam with San Mao through Stories of the Sahara and Traveling Far and Wide, then follow Huang Yongyu's artistic pilgrimage Along the Seine to Florence. Finally, we arrive at Orhan Pamuk's Istanbul: Memories of a City—nine masterworks of Chinese and world literature, flowing together with nonfiction texts like tributaries forming one great river of discovery.
In our inquiry-driven classroom, we cultivate close reading skills and the discipline of reading entire books—deepening students' sensitivity to life's textures while exploring how "life is at once extraordinarily grand and utterly ordinary." Through examining connections across landscapes, cultures, and narrative perspectives, students discover how the epic and the everyday intertwine. They internalize the essence of language and literature, developing fluency in interpretation, analysis, and evaluation within the IB Language and Literature framework—letting literature's light illuminate their path forward.
When is the program?
July 6 to July 24, Monday to Friday, 8:30AM-3:20PM
Whom does the program serve?
Current G6-8