I had a conversation with my eldest son this week in which he mentioned that he did not enjoy Shakespeare. “Why?” I asked him. “Because you taught us to analyse it as children,” he said bluntly! I was puzzled. I could understand his feelings but I could not remember ever having done what he accused me of. I could remember reading lots of Shakespeare with them using the materials that are on the Mothers' Companion but never analysing it. In fact, I always thought I was mostly against “studying” literature instead of reading and enjoying it. Later in the week I mentioned the conversation to my daughter. “Ah!” she said, “don't you remember Brightest Heaven of Invention? We were not small children when we did it, when we were small we read As You Like It. ” It took me a while to recall the book. “It was a Christian guide to half a dozen Shakespeare plays,” she prompted, “we didn't do them all. I enjoyed it but he hated it. I remember you making him write an essay on Macbeth.” It all flooded back to me and later I went and found the book still on our shelves: Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide to Six Shakespeare Plays by Peter J Leithart. I flicked through it. Yes, I could understand why he had not enjoyed it. Why didn't I just drop it at the time? I suppose it was fear. If he didn't revel in this wonderful book hot off the American Home Education press might he be missing out in his literary development and be stunted for life? I now know I need not have worried. Of all of us scribbling Eastwoods he is the only one who has ever earned serious money from writing – but of course I did not know that then. What is the moral of this tale? Don't force unwilling youngsters to do detailed study of Shakespeare? Perhaps. Don't assume every latest fad from the USA will suit all your children? Maybe. The Lord overrules our mistakes and shortcomings and we should trust Him more? Absolutely.
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