So what does eclectic mean anyway? Why are the McGuffey readers called eclectic readers?
The title word Eclectic means that the stories and rhymes were culled from a wide range of literature. Thus the selections in the McGuffey readers include poetry and prose selections about history, philosophy, and science. This is why the books are titled MGuffey Eclectic Readers. William Holmes McGuffey (September 23, 1800 – May 4, 1873) was not the author (actually writing literature) of the eclectic readers but compiled great literature works to create the eclectic readers. This is important to understand as there are different versions of the McGuffey Eclectic Readers.
Why is this important to understand? Since I am a Christian I want my children to use the editions he personally put together. He was a man of God and a minister in the Presbyterian Church. I will talk more about him as a man of God in another post but his love for the Lord comes through in the literature and poems he choose to include in the eclectic readers. Being an educated man and a professor he also choose great works of literature with rich vocabulary encouraging the students heart to Christ and character. When you study who he was as a man you will notice this shine through in his work that he personally put together the McGuffey Readers.
I will also post more in the future about the different editions looking at why and who changed McGuffey's literature choices. Sadly, some of the later editions were to remove God from these great collections and the thought continues today in our education system. This is the reason we continue to homeschool and why I have chosen certain MGuffey editions to use in our homeschool verses others.
Below I have gathered some definitions and explanations by others concerning what eclectic means.
ec·lec·tic
iˈklektik/
adjective
- 1.deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources."her musical tastes are eclectic"
synonyms: wide-ranging, broad-based, extensive,comprehensive, encyclopedic; More
- 2.PHILOSOPHYof, denoting, or belonging to a class of ancient philosophers who did not belong to or found any recognized school of thought but selected such doctrines as they wished from various schools.
noun
- 1.a person who derives ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of source
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Eclectic means choosing what seems to be best or most useful from several different sets of ideas or beliefs, rather than following one complete set of ideas or beliefs only. Example - Tagore's philosophy drew upon an eclectic mixture of both Western and Asian thought.
Other Answers (8)
Relevance- From dictionary.com:
1. selecting or choosing from various sources.
2. made up of what is selected from different sources.
3. not following any one system, as of philosophy, medicine, etc., but selecting and using what are considered the best elements of all systems.
4. noting or pertaining to works of architecture, decoration, landscaping, etc., produced by a certain person or during a certain period, that derive from a wide range of historic styles, the style in each instance often being chosen for its fancied appropriateness to local tradition, local geography, the purpose to be served, or the cultural background of the client.
It's used in this kind of sentence - "She used eclectic taste in decorating her home" meaning that she picked from various styles and color schemes rather than following one. - Main Entry: 1eclec·tic
Pronunciation: e-'klek-tik, i-
Function: adjective
Etymology: Greek eklektikos, from eklegein to select, from ex- out + legein to gather -- more at LEGEND
1 : selecting what appears to be best in various doctrines, methods, or styles
2 : composed of elements drawn from various sources; also : HETEROGENEOUS
