L is for Living Books
This topic could be the most iconic part of a Charlotte Mason education. As such, many people have written about it: what living books are, distinguishing features, and comparative samples. Some of those are linked below. As I sit down to write this piece, I know that as an icon, Living Books can also deter some people. So, rather than say much of what has been said well by others – with this opening space, I want to focus on why. Why books? Why are people still so excited about books in such a modern age?
Now that you mention it, there does seem to be a bit of a book fetish associated with this method, and for some reason, the older, the better? But what if you are not particularly giddy about books? What if you want to educate your kids without joining some old-book cult? Is a method of education that has christened its genre of book (Living Books) a good fit for “regular” people?
At first glance, it may seem that “books” are the cornerstone of Charlotte Mason’s approach – but upon closer inspection, you will see that “ideas” are the pivot. “The power of the vitalizing idea.” Vitalizing ideas come in many ways: books - yes, but also conversations, experiences, observations, and even lectures by the right people. Her conception of a living education was not one of kids sitting around with their noses in books all day – but rather a vibrant life fed by ideas from many sources.
Interest in books goes hand in hand with the broadness a good education should give. While an experience and a conversation can teem with living ideas, how many opportunities, day in and day out, can you provide? Honestly.
A teacher must not limit her students’ education to her own areas of expertise. Neither is it feasible to expect every teacher to be an enthusiastic master of every subject. This is where books come in. The best ideas of the greatest minds have all been written down. While a conversation with Feynman would be ideal, the next best conveyance of his ideas is to read his own words. What would come through is not only the facts he gleaned but also his passion and personality.
Ideas are passed mind to mind, and idea gives birth to idea. We have all felt it in memorable conversations; if you think about it, you have also felt it in memorable books. Something of the vitality of an idea comes through the medium of ink and pages when a person who is knowledgeable and passionate about their subject takes time to convey their thoughts to another mind. In this model, we are no longer limited in space to a particular teacher and a single understanding but loosened from the confines of time itself.
I can’t sit down with Feynman, Churchill, or Hawking – but I can sit down with their books. My mind can converse with the ideas that still sizzle with the vitality of the day they wrote them. And so, we begin to see that books are immensely practical. Once upon a time education centered on finding a teacher to follow and be mentored by (think Socrates or Jesus), but books expanded it to anyone who could read… and afford the books. This brings up a good point: books were expensive!
When people began to be aware that it was beneficial to educate all classes of people, not just a select few, it became apparent that these “Living Books” were impractical due to cost and availability. For a time, the lecture was used in the classroom as a coping mechanism for the impracticality of putting a Living Book in the hands of each student. But again, what teacher could be enough for every subject for every student? Hence, we associate the word lecture with the word boring.
Compulsory public education gave rise to public funding, giving birth not to a resurgent of whole and complete “Living” books but rather to “textbooks.” Suddenly, there was a lot of money to be made in these consolidated tidbits and facts put together by a committee. The living and coherent ideas were snipped from the books they were originally written in to be compressed, compiled, and sanitized to be efficient fodder for education.
One compromise led to another, and soon, we came around to each student having a book in hand—but it was something so bland and dry that no one wanted to read it. Quizzes and tests were added to ensure the content was covered, and it didn’t take long before education was a long way from its ancient and exciting roots. Far from conveying the ideas that compelled people to follow and ponder, this form of education gave rise to mandates and truancy.
Enter Charlotte Mason. Grasping the same classical ideal, she wanted to put mind into direct contact with mind. She wanted education to be compelled not by force but by desire, to be—not something we do—but live. She wanted to bring back the vitalizing ideas that birthed great thoughts. She brought “Living Books.”
This greatly relieved overburdened teachers and was a boon for burned-out students. No longer did every teacher need to master every subject to lecture or act as an enforcer with bribes and punishments – but rather, merely learn the art of facilitating connection with living ideas via books.
What does all of this mean for us today? It means we can educate our children! You don’t have to be “qualified.” The greatest ideas in the world have been written down with their vitality and vigor preserved in original words and phrasings – our job is to equip and facilitate. Ms. Mason has handed us the same gift that she handed teachers 100 years ago; she has given us our heritage of thought and permission to hand it to our children.
So, what is the big deal about books? They are practical. That is just it. Charlotte Mason educators get excited about books because they make our job easier. We get excited about books because we see children get excited about them and look forward to them. Why the older ones? Why specific authors? Because all books are not created equal. The same reason you don’t want to be in conversation with certain people is the same reason we don’t want to be in conversation with certain books - you get nothing from them. But there is also a great big, exciting conversation that has been going on since the dawn of time – and if we can get in that flow, if we can get our students into that conversation, education is self-sustaining. So, is Charlotte Mason a good fit for “regular,” non-bookish people? I would say the regular people need the books the most. As a former “non-bookish” person, I would say that books are less of a hobby than a tool. If education is about conveying ideas - do you feel fit for the task alone? Do you feel capable of possessing and communicating all knowledge to your children? It is here that books become practical. We have a goal in mind, a lofty and ambitious goal, and books have become our tools to accomplish it.
Might a craftsman learn to love and cherish the tools he uses daily? Might you become a little “bookish” in the end? It’s likely! But heading into this thing, know that this broad and living education is not for a specific type or temperament—it is for all, via Living Books.
Sara Timothy 2024
For Further Reading in the Volumes:
Topical CM Series (amblesideonline.org) - Living Books
For Further Learning:
Toward a Definition of a Living Book - AmblesideOnline - Charlotte Mason Curriculum
The Parents' Review: Schoolbooks and How They Make for Education
Modern Miss Mason: What Is A Living Book Anyway? - With Leah Boden on Apple Podcasts
Episode 7: How to Recognize ‘Living Books’ – A Delectable Education Podcast
B is for Balance: Masterly Inactivity and Living Books
Resources for Finding Living Book Lists:
Free, diverse living book lists for Charlotte Mason homeschoolers — Stories of Color
Charlotte Mason Educational Center (CMEC)
Simply Charlotte Mason Bookfinder