The Scholemaster

Ascham, Roger, 1515-1568Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 299K words
Chapters: 30

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Scholemaster by Roger AschamAuthor: Ascham, Roger, 1515-1568,Language: English, Class: PA: Language and Literatures: Classical Languages and Literature, Release Date: Aug 1, 1999

Editor's review

The Scholemaster is the posthumous work of the sixteenth-century English humanist educator Roger Ascham, discussing children's education and classical language teaching in dialogue form. Its core lies not in listing teaching steps but in weighing the merits and defects of "strict corporal punishment" against "gentle guidance," advocating that Latin learning be driven by understanding and interest and emphasizing the teacher's character as an influence on students. The prose is early modern English, with convoluted syntax and archaic diction, making for a demanding read, yet it preserves the tone and argumentative rhythm of the educational setting of its time. For readers interested in the history of education, the history of the English language, or the classical humanist educational tradition, it is a small volume offering direct access to primary material; for general readers, it is better suited to selective reading alongside an introduction or annotated edition. The electronic edition facilitates keyword searches, making it convenient for browsing by theme when comparing educational ideas or writing papers.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars studying the history of English education and the humanist teaching tradition
Students of English literature reading early modern English texts
Teachers interested in the evolution of classical language pedagogy
Writers of papers needing to cite primary sources in educational history

Not a good fit for

Teachers seeking a practical guide to modern classroom teaching
General readers accustomed to modern vernacular or popular works
Readers whose English proficiency is insufficient for early modern English

Reading tips

Begin with the preface and the opening dialogue to grasp the author's basic position on corporal punishment and gentle teaching
Excerpt key terms and sentences by theme, such as "love," "fear," and "learning," then compare the arguments across sections
Read alongside an introduction to educational history or an annotated edition to reduce the obstacles posed by archaic English syntax
There is no need to read the whole book; select dialogue chapters relevant to the teacher's role or language pedagogy

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable for readers without a background in educational history?

Not very. The discussion relies on the sixteenth-century humanist educational context and is written in early modern English, so a lack of background knowledge makes for difficult reading. If merely curious, start with relevant introductions in educational history, then read selected dialogue passages.

Does the book mainly discuss teaching techniques or educational philosophy?

The focus is on educational philosophy and the teacher-student relationship. Through dialogue, Ascham weighs the pros and cons of strict corporal punishment versus gentle guidance, emphasizing interest, understanding, and the teacher's character; specific teaching steps are not the book's main thread.

What are the advantages of reading the electronic edition?

The electronic edition allows full-text searches for figures, keywords, and thematic passages, making it suitable for browsing by threads such as "corporal punishment," "Latin teaching," and "teachers' duties," and convenient for excerpting quotations for paper writing.

Comments

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About the author

Ascham, Roger, 1515-1568 Author · English · 1515–1568

Roger Ascham (1515–1568) was an English humanist scholar who served as a tutor to Elizabeth I and was known for his command of Latin and Greek and for his ideas on education. His best-known work, The Scholemaster, discusses the education of children and the training of language, arguing for gentle guidance rather than corporal punishment and stressing imitation and gradual practice in reading and writing. Published after his death, the book is clear in style and plain in argument, and is regarded as an important work of English Renaissance educational prose, with some influence on later English teaching and humanist ideas of education. Public information about the details of his life is limited, and only one of his works is held here, so this introduction focuses on the subject matter, style, and influence of his work.