Well Educated Mind: Guide To The Classical Education by Susan Wise Bauer
The Well-Educated Mind is a guide to classical education for adult readers who want both enjoyment and self-improvement from their reading. The book offers brief, entertaining histories of five literary genres―fiction, autobiography, history, drama, and poetry―accompanied by detailed instructions on how to read each type.
Bauer takes the same elements and techniques used in classical education and adapts them to the use of adult readers. She champions the trivium approach to reading, which includes memorization and familiarization, critical thinking and analysis, and forming and expressing personal opinions about the accumulated facts.
The book introduces readers to five different literary forms and how to read them: novels, memoirs, history and politics, drama, and poetry. Each medium gets its own chapter and includes an annotated reading list, amounting to a (very) long to-read list of books from the Western tradition, in chronological order.
Useful takeaways:
- The trivium approach to reading: memorization and familiarization, critical thinking and analysis, and forming and expressing personal opinions about the accumulated facts.
- Introduction to five different literary forms and how to read them: novels, memoirs, history and politics, drama, and poetry.
- Annotated reading list of books from the Western tradition, in chronological order.
- Encouragement to take notes throughout the reading process to incorporate facts into your mental framework.
- Reading and engaging with books can shape the person you become.
What I Liked
Excellent educational resource for any parent looking to lead or supplement their kids’ education.
What I Did Not Like
Not a whole lot – excellent resource.
