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This episode of Margin Notes takes on Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky. It is the strange, bitter confession of a man who lives entirely in his own head, convinced he is smarter than everyone and unable to stop ruining his own life. We talk through why the narrator feels so modern, how reason fails him, and what Dostoevsky understood about desire, pride, and the human soul.   Margin Notes is a book club from Memoria Press. Margin Notes is a book club podcast from the team behind Classical Et Cetera, where host Paul Schaeffer sits down with three classically educated undergraduates to discuss one great book per episode.

A bilingual mother in Canada wants to pass her French heritage on to her two-year-old, but worries there isn’t time for both Latin and a modern language. In this Classical Et Cetera we discuss why it isn’t an either or choice, how studying Latin first gives you the grammatical foundation that makes French and the other Romance languages far easier, and how one of us went from no French to living his whole day in it in a single semester, thanks to Latin.   *What We're Reading* from This Episode:  "Bleak House" Charles Dickens (Martin) "The Classical Heritage of the Middle Ages" Henry Carey Baird (Martin) "Philosophies of Education" G. Max Wingo (Martin) Ronald Knox Murder Mystery (Tanya) "The Magician's Nephew" C.S. Lewis (Paul)

Some books stay with you long after the last page. In this episode of Margin Notes, the team talks through Harper Lee's _To Kill a Mockingbird_ - Is it a story about human dignity, about compassion, about what separates class from character? We follow Scout through Maycomb, weigh the mystery of Boo Radley, and wrestle with a verdict everyone senses is wrong and what it has to do with a mockingbird.   Check out our complete set for _To Kill a Mockingbird_ - https://www.memoriapress.com/curriculum/literature-and-poetry/ninth/to-kill-a-mockingbird-set/   Margin Notes is a book club podcast from the team behind Classical Et Cetera, where host Paul Schaeffer sits down with three classically educated undergraduates to discuss one great book per episode.

What makes a picture book worth keeping, and how do you spot the difference between a great one and a forgettable one? In this _Classical Et Cetera_ we discuss the picture books that have earned a permanent place on the shelf, from _Ferdinand_ to _Blueberries for Sal_. We talk about what separates a book with “the magic” from one that isn’t worth your time, why these stories still reach grown readers, and how good picture books gently open the door to a lifetime of reading.   See our Read-Aloud Collection here: https://www.memoriapress.com/read-aloud-programs/241   *What We're Reading* from This Episode:  "The Trumpet of the Swan" E. B. White (Paul) "The Magician's Nephew" C.S. Lewis (Paul) Robin Hobb Series (Ian)

Margin Notes is back, and this episode the group tackles Flannery O'Connor's short story "Good Country People." A PhD-wielding atheist, a pious-but-hollow Southern mother, and a "Bible salesman" walk into a barn. What follows is a very strange short story with a lot more going on beneath the surface than it first appears.   Margin Notes is a book club podcast from the team behind Classical Et Cetera, where host Paul Schaefer sits down with three classically educated undergraduates to discuss one great book per episode.

Is classical education "light" on STEM? A listener asked, so we answered! The short answer is "no." Classical schools run math and science straight through calculus and physics. The deeper answer: if school is just job training, you're preparing kids for an economy that won't exist when they graduate. We're after something higher. We discuss what an education is really for, why the most durable skills come from Latin and math, and why the best preparation for STEM isn't STEM.   *What We're Reading* from This Episode:  "The Feast" Margaret Kennedy (Tanya) "The Merchant of Venice" William Shakespeare (Mandy)

Margin Notes is back, and this episode the group tackles Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Our conversation covers the duality of man, the addictive nature of sin, and the question at the heart of the story—if Hyde is pure evil, how does he end up destroying himself?   Margin Notes is a book club podcast from the team behind Classical Et Cetera, where host Paul Schaeffer sits down with three classically educated undergraduates to discuss one great book per episode.

Classical Et Cetera continues our best-books-by-century series, this time spanning 1500 to 1799 — from Gutenberg's press to the eve of the Romantics. Returning guest Kyle Janke joins Jessica, Paul, and Tanya to build a reading list from Don Quixote, Shakespeare, Paradise Lost, and more. Along the way: is Dracula secretly a Christian classic, why this era gave us more thinkers than storytellers, and how to read difficult old books without giving up.    Don Quixote – Cervantes Robinson Crusoe – Daniel Defoe Moll Flanders – Daniel Defoe The Vicar of Wakefield – Oliver Goldsmith Tom Jones – Henry Fielding Paradise Lost – John Milton Pilgrim's Progress – John Bunyan Gulliver's Travels – Jonathan Swift Candide – Voltaire The Faerie Queene – Edmund Spenser Lyrical Ballads – Wordsworth & Coleridge Shakespeare John Donne George Herbert Samuel Johnson The King James Bible Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire – Edward Gibbon Descartes, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, Adam Smith, Machiavelli, Thomas More Newton, Galileo, Copernicus Common Sense – Thomas Paine The U.S. Constitution The Federalist Papers Benjamin Franklin's autobiography Jonathan Edwards, Cotton Mather   *Best Books by Era* Greece: https://youtu.be/dijEqf0kcAM?si=9kVIpElDUhPlexqW Rome: https://youtu.be/gMcuWkz6XQ4?si=HzXnHEfm6wQBlzhz Middle Ages: https://youtu.be/rDB05FAPP0U?si=YuKH062Kr6uBrRak

Can your child sound out a word, or just guess from the picture? On this episode of _Classical Et Cetera_ , Jessica, Martin, and Paul are joined by returning guest Michelle Tefertiller to talk about teaching a child to read! We cover how to know if your child is reading-ready, what mastery actually looks like, where to start, and why a step-by-step phonics approach works when guessing doesn't. Whether you're just beginning to teach reading or wondering if you're on the right track, this one's for you.   Learn more about our program here: Phonics & Spelling | Memoria Press: Classical Education   What We're Reading from This Episode:  "Wisdom and Innocence" Joseph Pearce (Martin) "The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales" The Brothers' Grimm (Paul) "Between Shades of Gray" Ruta Sepetys (Jessica) "The Iliad" Homer (Michelle)

Why do we spend so much time on William Shakespeare, and is he still worth it? This _Classical Et Cetera_ talks about why Shakespeare remains everywhere, even in a culture that rarely reads him. From his mastery of human nature to Harold Bloom's idea that Shakespeare "invented the human," this conversation makes the case for reading him well. Start where it works for you, and remember that reading just one play is a real accomplishment!   Browse our Shakespeare Collection: https://www.memoriapress.com/shakespeare/?utm_source=PodBean&utm_medium=CETC&utm_campaign=237   *What We're Reading* from This Episode:  "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" Alexander McCall Smith (Martin) "Wisdom and Innocence" Joseph Pearce (Martin) "Christy" Catherine Marshall (Tanya) "But For The Grace" Peter Grainger (Tanya) "Girl With a Pearl Earring" Tracy Chevalier (Tanya) "Growth of the Soil" Knut Hamsun (Paul) "The Trumpet of the Swan" E. B. White (Paul) "Winnie-the-Pooh" A. A. Milne (Jeremy) "The Abolition of Man" C. S. Lewis (Jeremy)

Every child needs support in their educational upbringing, and grandparents are often the ones who provide it! In this Classical Et Cetera Michelle Tefertiller joins Paul, Tanya, and Martin to talk about the role grandparents can play in education, whether at home or in a classical school. From reading aloud and celebrating small victories to filling gaps and simply being there on the hard days, grandparents offer something that no curriculum can. Their support may be what children remember most! *What We're Reading* from This Episode:  "The Iliad" Homer (Michelle) "Growth of the Soil" Knut Hamsun (Paul) "The Kid from Tomkinsville" John R. Tunis (Martin) "The Innocence of G.K. Chesterton" Gerald Bullett (Martin) "Christy" Catherine Marshall (Tanya)

Why teach handwriting when everyone types? This Classical Et Cetera makes the case for penmanship in a classical education—and the reasons run deeper than nostalgia. Veteran first-grade teacher Julia Lasoi joins us to explain what handwriting forms in a child that a keyboard never will: from the Norwegian brain research on writing by hand, to the discipline and beauty of forming each letter, to the surprising return of mandated cursive in America.   Browse our penmanship curriculum right here! https://www.memoriapress.com/penmanship/?utm_source=PodBean&utm_medium=CETC&utm_campaign=235   *What We're Reading* from This Episode:  "Between Shades of Gray" Ruta Sepetys (Tanya) "A Natural History of Dragons" Marie Brennan (Tanya) "The Glassmaker" Tracy Chevalier (Tanya) "A History of Philosophy: Volume I" Frederick Copleston (Martin) "The Screwtape Letters" C.S. Lewis (Julia) "Battling Unbelief" John Piper (Julia)

The core four are back for another mailbag episode! We're answering questions like: When should you teach your child to read? How do you use Memoria Press with non-native English speakers and families overseas? How do you teach the Reformation without taking sides? Plus more! Thanks to everyone who wrote in. Keep the questions coming by emailing us as [email protected]! *What We're Reading* from This Episode:  "Silas Marner" George Eliot (Paul) "After Humanity" Michael Ward (Tanya) "The Abolition of Man" C.S. Lewis (Tanya) "An Accidental Death" Peter Grainger (Tanya) "Politics" Aristotle (Martin) "A History of Philosophy: Volume I" Frederick Copleston (Martin)

How do you teach music from a classical perspective? In this episode of Classical Et Cetera, Carol Reynolds joins us to make the case that music and the arts were never meant to be a "Friday elective." Whether you're a new teacher, a homeschool parent, or someone who never learned to read a note, this conversation offers real footing: why the pedagogy already exists, why folk songs and hymns are the foundation, and how short, familiar works can do more than grand masterpieces. Practical, encouraging, and full of reassurance for teaching music at any level.   *What We're Reading* from This Episode:  "The Odyssey" Homer (Martin) "Against the Grain" Peter Lovesey (Tanya) "The Abolition of Man" C.S. Lewis (Tanya) "The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris" David McCullough (Carol) "The Romance of Orthodoxy" Fr. Homer F. Rogers (Carol) "Land" Maggie O'Farrell (Jessica)

Margin Notes is back! This week, the gang tackles J.R.R. Tolkien's short story, _Farmer Giles of Ham_ . A humble farmer accidentally scares off a giant, earns a legendary sword, and ends up face to face with a dragon—all while the king and his knights argue about their hats. The conversation covers greed, good and bad pride, government incompetence, and what Tolkien is really saying about the common man as hero.   Margin Notes is a book club podcast from the team behind Classical Et Cetera, where host Paul Schaefer sits down with three classically educated undergraduates to discuss one great book per episode.   Get your copy of _Farmer Giles of Ham_ right here: https://www.memoriapress.com/curriculum/read-alouds/farmer-giles-of-ham/