I just finished The Didascalicon of Hugh of St. Victor, reading along with a book discussion led by my friend Dawn and hosted on the Scholé Sisters discussion forum. I did question a few of Hugh’s ideas and found some places a bit tedious (but necessary information for the beginning students he was writing to), but he also had much helpful and often pithy wisdom to share. He often uses the metaphor of a journey in his instruction about right and wrong ways to learn. Here are a few of my favorite quotes:
Do not strike into a lot of by-ways until you know the main roads: you will go along securely when you are not under the fear of going astray.
Think, then, where you are, and you will easily recognize what you ought to do. [Good advice for every area of life!]
…the man who moves along step by step is the one who moves along best, not like some who fall head over heels when they wish to make a great leap ahead.
And this is a much-needed reminder for me and all who love books:
There are those who wish to read everything. Don’t vie with them. Leave well enough alone. It is nothing to you whether you read all the books there are or not. The number of books is infinite; don’t pursue infinity! Where no end is in sight, there can be no rest. Where there is no rest, there is no peace. Where there is no peace, God cannot dwell.
Also read/listened to recently:
- Hubby: finally finished the second part of The Gulag Archipelago.
- Me: Reading for the Love of God by Jessica Hooten Wilson – many connections to The Didascalicon!
- Mr. D: listening to The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes with his dad for the men’s book discussion group at church.
- Mr. E: finishing up Book 2 of The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spencer – I think I’ll have him do another book or two next school year.
- Mr. L: finished In Search of a Homeland: The Story of the Aeneid by Penelope Lively this week, along with several other school reads. He’ll be on summer break next week!
- Mr. R: still working on several school reads, including George Washington’s World – so far he hasn’t taken my advice to read a bit more than the minimum required, so he’ll probably be at it a few weeks longer…
