I've been plodding along reading the six volume series by Charlotte Mason for the past 15 years. My husband thought it was a good investment for me to read Charlotte Mason herself when we first began our homeschooling journey. I found the books difficult to wade though initially. The language was archaic to me. I didn't understand her references to French phrases or know the educational philosophers she referenced. I valued her understanding of the person and how well rounded her suggestions for homeschooling were. I wanted to read, I really did. But I needed some support.
Enter a reading group. A group that was in real life. One that would read the volumes with me. There was some trepedation on their part too...so we first read books by other people who gave their opinion about Mason. And it was a great introduction into the first layer of understanding.
About 8 years ago we began reading the volumes as a group. We read Volume 1 and then Volume 6. And four years ago we began in earnest going through the six volumes-one a year. This year we are reading through Volume 4-Ourselves.
I made up a list of the references she mentions. Sometimes Mason used just a character in a book as a reference without naming the book. Sometimes she mentions a title. Sometimes just a line or phrase from a poem. For those of us who had a basic education, we might have never read poetry on a regular basis. We might have a very slim history of British literature from before 1897. That is me for sure! So I found it took me a lot of time to read alongside a dictionary. (There was not always google translate in the early 2000's!) Many times I was unable to find the characters or books she was referencing. But today! We have access to so much. You can find many google books available.
I read the six volumes with an online group for the first time in a quick two years starting in 2016. This trip through all six volumes gave me a much better overview. During this time I began making notes and lists of the books she referenced. I completed many of these lists when I did a second read through of all six books completed in 2019. I am currently in a third read through of all six books with an online group. I am still learning and gleaning!
In 2017, I visited the Lake District and Ambleside for the first time to see for myself what she had experienced when she was writing and lecturing. It was so fascinating! I hope you can visit one day too!
Here I am checking out the lichen that grows on Charlotte Masons grave.
Here is the list of books referenced in Volume 4 Ourselves book 2. Enjoy! I hope you add some of these to your current reading list!