The Trivium
The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric
by Sister Miriam Joseph, C.S.C., Ph.D.
Reviewed by Martha Robinson
Purchase details: The Trivium, The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric, Understanding the Nature and Function of Language by Sister Miriam Joseph, C.S.C., Ph.D. Reprinted by Paul Dry Books, Inc. Edited by Marguerite McGlinn. List price $16.95. Support HomeschoolChristian.com by using our Amazon link to buy this book.
Have you read all the books on classical education and still find yourself longing for more? The republication of The Trivium, written in the 1930s, offers a wealth of technical details that are sure to provide plenty of fuel for the inquisitive mind.
Sister Miriam Joseph, the author, wrote the book from a strong academic perspective. Holding degrees from Saint Mary's College in Indiana, University of Notre Dame, and Columbia University, Sister spent her life supporting her belief that women could be fine journalists and that more quality writers with a Christian and Catholic faith would help to address the ills of society. When she began teaching as an English professor at Saint Mary's in 1931, she was assigned the courses on rhetoric, grammar, and composition. In 1935 after hearing Mortimer Adler speak, Sister Miriam Joseph was asked to "revive the united Trivium again in the freshman class." After studying closely with Mortimer Adler for several months, Sister returned to Saint Mary's to begin putting together the text, The Trivium in College Composition and Reading, to be used in her class, a required course for all freshmen. The republished book has been reformatted with extensive notes, references, and biographical information.
The Trivium offers a more theoretical approach to the study of the liberal arts than the "how to" books that are popular among homeschoolers currently. The author defines the Trivium as including "those aspects of the liberal arts that pertain to the mind" while the quadrivium focuses on "those aspects of the liberal arts that pertain to matter." "Logic is the art of thinking; grammar, the art of inventing symbols and combining them to express thought; and rhetoric, the art of communicating thought from one mind to another, the adaptation of language to circumstance." Working with these definitions, Sister Miriam Joseph defines and expounds on each term.
In Sister Miriam Joseph's world, grammar, in particular, takes a completely different direction than the classical homeschooling books of today. While the "General Grammar" chapter discusses verb tenses, agreement of subject and verb, and other familiar concepts, Sister goes into a depth not normally seen currently in the chapter entitled "The Nature and Function of Language." She defines imitation (use of an artificial likeness like a picture) in communication and then, using classical poetry, frequently by Shakespeare, does an in-depth analysis of communication by symbols.
Throughout the rest of the book, Sister Miriam Joseph relates each of the components of the Trivium to one another. She gives plenty of meaty information on logic with chapters on syllogism, propositions, fallacies, and induction. The one chapter on rhetoric, "Composition and Reading," touches briefly on the short story, the essay, and composition, but mostly focuses on poetic elements.
Recommendation: The Trivium is a book to read after you have finished all of the books currently in print on the topic of classical education. It will give you a much better understanding of what the Trivium really is. This is NOT a "how-to" book, but offers a tremendous amount of in-depth information that defines and relates terms that are not well known today. Sister Miriam Joseph explains these difficult concepts well and uses many examples; however, this book will require much time, thought, and study on the part of the homeschooling parent. The return on your investment will be the expansion of your own mind as well as a greater ability to teach your children. If you are serious about classical education, The Trivium deserves a place on your bookshelf.
Other HomeschoolChristian resources related to this review:
HomeschoolChristian.com's Classical Homeschooling Section with resources, links, and ideas for implementing the Christian Trivium
Review of A Thomas Jefferson Education, Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-First Century
Review of A Thomas Jefferson Education: Supplemental Materials
Review of Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum
Review of Introduction to Classical Studies
Review of Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning and Classical Education and the Home School
Review of Teaching the Trivium
Review of The Latin Centered Curriculum
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