THIS IS A TWO-SEMESTER COURSE.

Offered exclusively through Royal Fireworks Online Learning is Michael Clay Thompson’s Level 9, which is a full-year, college-style course. It will be a weekly seminar, with a major MLA paper due each semester.

The first-semester readings will include the following novels, listed by date of publication: Pride and Prejudice, 1813; Frankenstein, 1818; Oliver Twist, 1838; and Wuthering Heights, 1847. The second semester will include Jane Eyre, 1847; Great Expectations, 1861; and Middlemarch, 1872. The students will read these titles together as a class.

Prerequisites: MCT Level 8 or permission of the instructor

Class Meetings: Mondays, 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Fall Semester: August 18 – December 15, 2025
Spring Semester: January 12 – May 11, 2026

Student Expectations: There will be no weekly assignments, but students will be required to contribute to all class discussions. They will also write an MLA research paper at the end of each semester. In addition, students are expected to attend the live class meetings with their cameras turned on. Students who attend class regularly but who miss a live class meeting will be able to access a recording of the class.

Student Support: Michael is available via email.

Materials: Students will need Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist, Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations, and George Eliot’s Middlemarch.