Skip to content
Free shipping and returns
  • Home
    • Who We Are
    • The Voices of Homeschooling Today
    • Blog
    • Print Subscription
    • Digital Subscription
    • Gift Subscription
    • Special Offer
  • Shop
    • Magazine
      • Print
      • Digital
      • Individual Issues
      • Gift Subscription
    • Activity Guides
    • Apparel
    • Home Decor
      • Canvas
      • Posters
      • Flags
      • Accessories
    Limited Time Offer
    Free Back Issues
    Our Gift to You
    Nearly 100 pages of content!
  • Podcast
  • Log in
  • instagram Instagram
  • Facebook
  • twitter Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • The Voices of Homeschooling Today
    • Blog
  • Subscribe
    • Print Subscription
    • Digital Subscription
    • Gift Subscription
    • Special Offer
  • Shop
    Magazine
    Print Digital Individual Issues Gift Subscription
    Activity Guides
    Apparel
    Home Decor
    Canvas Posters Flags Accessories
    Limited Time Offer
    Free Back Issues
    Our Gift to You
    Nearly 100 pages of content!
  • Podcast
account Log in icon-search Search icon-bag-minimalCart

Get Your Freebie!

Sign up for encouragement in your inbox and get our 80 page 2022 Activity Guide Sampler, FREE!

  • instagram Instagram
  • Facebook
  • twitter Twitter
  • Pinterest
Freebie?
Access Denied
IMPORTANT! If you’re a store owner, please make sure you have Customer accounts enabled in your Store Admin, as you have customer based locks set up with EasyLockdown app. Enable Customer Accounts
Home / Blog / A Review of Brightest Heaven of Invention
May 07, 2012

A Review of Brightest Heaven of Invention

by

A Key to Understanding

Are you looking for books that analyze literature from a Christian perspective? There are a slew of them but, unfortunately, most are of poor artistic or scholarly quality. Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide to Six Shakespeare Plays by Peter Leithart (Canon Press, 1996) is a refreshing change. His writing is a pleasure to read and his ideas are insightful and well developed. Content Leithart presents an overview of six Shakespearean plays from a Christian perspective. However, this book is far from a typical Christian literary analysis. Leithart opens the book with a thoughtful discussion of literary study. His approach to literature is intelligent, convicting, and gracious. Only after fully explaining his views on literary study does he examine the plays. Leithart then carefully analyzes the form, artistry, and messages of six Shakespearean plays. He provides wonderful insights, helpful contextual information, questions, and resources. His writing is meaty, and he leads his readers through the plays slowly, pointing out biblical themes and images in the playwright’s work. Structure Leithart’s book is well structured. In the introduction, he provides a basis for his analyses and includes suggestions for incorporating his book into a literature curriculum. Brightest Heaven of Invention consists of three main sections. In the first section, Leithart introduces Shakespeare’s history plays and walks readers through Henry V and Julius Caesar. The second section covers two of Shakespeare’s tragedies, Hamlet and Macbeth. The third section covers two of the most popular Shakespearean comedies, The Taming of the Shrew and Much Ado about Nothing. The author patterns the three sections similarly. He opens each by laying a foundation for the genre, whether history, tragedy, or comedy. He then provides a general introduction, summary, and background information for a single play. Leithart breaks down the play into a few major sections and walks his readers section by section through each play. Each lesson concludes with “Review and Thought” questions. At the end of each play’s analysis, Leithart lists a variety of films based on Shakespeare’s plays as well as some suggestions for papers. Audiences Leithart targets his book toward high-school students. Homeschool students in the upper grades could easily use it. However, adults would benefit from and enjoy his thoughtful analyses. Leithart, through contextual information, historical background, and careful explanation, shows his readers how to read and understand Shakespeare. This book provides readers with a launching pad to analyzing and appreciating Shakespeare in a new way. I found Brightest Heaven of Invention inspiring and one of a kind. I especially enjoyed Leithart’s analysis of The Taming of the Shrew. He clearly shows how Shakespeare used the play to uphold a biblical marriage structure. Comedy is powerful, and through it, Shakespeare skillfully presented his audience with truth. Leithart’s analysis of this comedy helped me appreciate the artistry, depth, and lessons it contained. The thoughtfully presented ideas, the eloquent wording, and the well-contextualized analyses make this book a wonderful addition to any family’s reading list. It is available at http://www.leithart.com. By Emily Adams Emily Adams has a B.A. in English from Belhaven College and enjoys reading, writing about, and teaching literature in Fort Wayne, Indiana. —Originally published in the "God's Word Does Not Return Void" issue (May/June 2009) of Homeschooling Today magazine
Share Share on Facebook twitter Tweet Tweet on Twitter Pin it Pin on Pinterest

icon-left-arrow Back to Blog

You may also like View all

CTCMath: Flexible, Customizable, and Affordable Online Math
Aug 28, 2023
CTCMath: Flexible, Customizable, and Affordable Online Math
Lexercise: An Online Program for Struggling Readers
Jul 17, 2023
Lexercise: An Online Program for Struggling Readers
Discipleship for Kids: Keeping it Easy
Apr 03, 2023
Discipleship for Kids: Keeping it Easy
Invalid password
Enter

1 Thessalonians 5:24

"The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it." – NIV

Inbox me!

Get encouragement & practical help delivered right to your inbox!

Customer Support

  • SUBSCRIBER LOGIN
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • CONTACT US
  • FAQ
  • ORDER STATUS
  • ADVERTISE WITH US
  • instagram Instagram
  • Facebook
  • twitter Twitter
  • Pinterest
© 2023 Homeschooling Today | Paradigm Press, LLC | All Rights Reserved Powered by Shopify
A Review of Brightest Heaven of Invention