Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition

by Karen Glass

The practical application appeals to many. The idea of reading many great books is a wonderful one, but Charlotte Mason warns us that reading the books alone, without understanding and implementing the philosophy behind the method, will not yield the same result. I feel strongly that to attempt to work this method without a firm adherence to the few principles laid down would be not only idle but disastrous. “Oh, we could do anything with books like those,” said a master; he tried the books and failed conspicuously because he ignored the principles. (Philosophy of Education, p. 270) I might venture to say that the same is true of implementing the trivium and quadrivium. Tackling that classical course of study without an understanding of the classical ideals which informed it will not yield the desired result.