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5th out of 121 books
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83 voters
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Beowulf on the Beach: What to Love and What to Skip in Literature's 50 Greatest Hits
by
Jack Murnighan (Goodreads Author)
Feel bad about not reading or not enjoying the so-called great books? Don’t sweat it, it’s not your fault. Did anyone tell you that Anna Karenina is a beach read, that Dickens is hilarious, that the Iliad’s battle scenes rival Hollywood’s for gore, or that Joyce is at his best when he’s talking about booze, sex, or organ meats?
Writer and professor Jack Murnighan says it’s...more
Writer and professor Jack Murnighan says it’s...more
Paperback, 384 pages
Published
May 19th 2009
by Three Rivers Press
(first published 2009)
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It's perhaps inevitable that I wouldn't get on with this book, for three reasons. One, I'm an academic type. Two, Beowulf genuinely is my idea of a beach read. Three, in his words, I sit down to pee.
No, no. I don't mean that in a derogatory, 'women always argue' way. I mean that Jack Murnighan keeps going on about 'Man Lit', and how amaaaazing it is that he managed to find anything worth reading in Pride and Prejudice, and how all women are going to be all starry-eyed over Darcy, and...more
No, no. I don't mean that in a derogatory, 'women always argue' way. I mean that Jack Murnighan keeps going on about 'Man Lit', and how amaaaazing it is that he managed to find anything worth reading in Pride and Prejudice, and how all women are going to be all starry-eyed over Darcy, and...more
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Alternately engaging and infuriating; I talked back to this book a lot while reading it. Murnighan has an unfortunate tendency to reduce works to male and female literature. (Men won't like Pride and Prejudice, especially the last third of the book; women won't like Beowulf. [Okay, to be fair, he doesn't actually come out and say the second bit, but here is what he says: "If there's such a thing as Man Lit, this is it: a plot-driven, action-brimming, hero-of-heroes story line, man vs. monst...more
"Let's give literature another look, but this time we'll enjoy ourselves. And I don't just mean above the ears; I want you to feel these books in your heart, in your soul, and maybe even below your waist. I myself am a recovering academic (it's a tough twelve-step program), but since the day I took off my tweed, I've been on a mission to appreciate the classics for their deep humanity and wonder. And trust me, if you read any or all of the books I'm championing here, you'll be shocked at wh...more
Lisa
is currently reading it
OMG...I don't know if it is my teaching background or love of classics, but it doesn't matter. This book is making me giggle madly. I am cornering my children and reading sections aloud to them. I'm only a little ways into it, but I have a total crush on this book. Each section is about a classic summarized, broken down, digested and spit back out in a way you've never heard before. For instance, on The Old Testament under Quirky Fact:
The Old Testament is probably the greatest c...more
The Old Testament is probably the greatest c...more
I read Beowulf on the Beach for a couple of reasons - because I liked the title, I like books about books/reading, I wanted to hear what the author thought about some of MY favorite books, and I wanted to add to my TBR list. In no specific order, here are my thoughts, and then (be forewarned) I'm going to make some lists.
-A lot of other reviewers complained about the author's macho dude perspective, particularly in referring to Beowulf as man-lit (I think it was Beowulf, might have ...more
-A lot of other reviewers complained about the author's macho dude perspective, particularly in referring to Beowulf as man-lit (I think it was Beowulf, might have ...more
The author's voice made me miserable. He is fond of perpetuating gender stereotypes and does so throughout the book. For example, and I'm paraphrasing here, "Woman like Pride and Prejudice and dudes totally don't!" I guess I'm pretty embarrassed that I read this. I feel like I debased myself in some way. The author also repeatedly referred to how arduous the writing of the book was, which to me seems sort of inexplicable. No entry is very in-depth, and it's rare to read something in it...more
Well this certainly was a very interesting novel. I learned a little bit about several of the "50 Greatest Pieces of Literature" but it was really only his opinion on things. It gave an adequate description of the novels and made even some of them sound interesting, but all in all I was thoroughly bored. The book was easy to read but I felt like I was just reading it page by page just to get through it. The bible review did intrigue me a bit. His fascination of the Songs of Solomon rea...more
This book was not quite what I had expected. It did serve two purposes for me-- a review of lit. that I don't actually intend to re-read, and some teasers that encourage me to read some that I hadn't read yet. Otherwise, I found myself irritated a lot of the time. The author doesn't seem to have a grasp of his audience really. He includes a "What's Sexy" category in each review, and honestly, he uses that section to reveal when and if there is sex happening in the work. I submit to you...more
One of the most common assumptions people make about my choice of career is that I am as well-read as my job description implies, and because of that, I have a reason to be - even an obligation to be - snooty about my reading choices, and make equally snooty declarations regarding any literary work I come across. These people look at me and titter, and say that I must have read the Russian novelists and enjoyed them, or that I must find Joyce and Woolf exceedingly enlightening reads.
Bu...more
Bu...more
[Printed in the Sacramento Book Review: http://sacramentobookreview.com/books_ab... ]
I was skeptical about this book, presuming it to be yet another list of the “greatest” novels, what they’re about, why you should or shouldn’t read them, etc. And Beowulf on the Beach really is just that, but Murnigham pulls off the over-done “book on books” concept with a flair that you might not find anywhere else.
Firstly, everything is described and allocated its value through a liberal dousing of common (but...more
I was skeptical about this book, presuming it to be yet another list of the “greatest” novels, what they’re about, why you should or shouldn’t read them, etc. And Beowulf on the Beach really is just that, but Murnigham pulls off the over-done “book on books” concept with a flair that you might not find anywhere else.
Firstly, everything is described and allocated its value through a liberal dousing of common (but...more
Until I've read more of the novels mentioned in this book I think I'll have to stick with 3 stars. It seems to me, with not a lot of insider knowledge, that the author doesn't credit his audience with much intelligence. To me reading is very subjective. While the author of a particular novel might have had something specific in mind when writing I, as the reader, apply my own meaning. I might enjoy knowing what the writer meant, but in the end I'm usually going to stick with what I thought and f...more
I heard about this book on NPR and was intrigued. Jack Murnighan picked the 50 best books in classic literature and gave reasons for why they are so often overlooked and why they should be given another shot. I thought I’d get it and thumb through it, but I actually read the whole thing. It’s really funny and interesting. He tells you what’s sexy about each book and gives you permission to skip the boring parts (and even provides chapters and page numbers that can be skipped without remorse or g...more
Although he sometimes becomes rather too enamored of his own vocabulary, Murnighan pretty much hits the nail on the head with most of the books he reviews. And he's funny and easy to read. I was rather relieved to hear a PhD in Medieval and Renaissance Literature say that there are parts to the "great" novels that aren't so great; especially when he called the main character in James Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, a "simmpering dork". I'd always thought of hi...more
I do not think there could be a person on earth (1) who obviously loves reading as much as I do, yet (2) who has completely and totally opposite reading tastes.
Let me make one thing clear: Jack is a GUY. He is looking for action in books. Plot. Fighting. Killing. Plunder. You know. That sort of stuff.
I could care less about plot. I want to get inside people’s heads. I want to understand people. A group of intriguing people, sitting around in chairs, talking? Excellent book for...more
Let me make one thing clear: Jack is a GUY. He is looking for action in books. Plot. Fighting. Killing. Plunder. You know. That sort of stuff.
I could care less about plot. I want to get inside people’s heads. I want to understand people. A group of intriguing people, sitting around in chairs, talking? Excellent book for...more
Beowulf on the Beach is a fun, quick little read. Murnighan uses his background in medieval and renaissance literature to give readers his opinions of some of the best classic books or pieces of literature. He does quick little synopses of the stories, plot lines, best lines, and the things that you should skip in the books (and you won't miss anything by skipping those parts of the books). I enjoyed seeing another opinion on some books I really loved and getting a good idea of what other books ...more
I was really excited about this book. I thought it would make ME more excited about classic literature. Unfortunately, like most of the classics listed in this guide, I found it too cerebral, dry and much too long. I would also quarrel with his choice of the 50 GREATEST... what no DUMAS?? No Count of Monte Cristo or Three Musketeers?? but you pick "Beloved"!! (which I just panned in my last review as basically unreadable! Mr. Murnighan might just have, maybe, almost persuaded me...more
Bernadette
marked it as interested-in
This is a really fun book. The author, a writer and professor, sets out to tell us why the books we read in high school or college, are so much better read as adults. Murnighan chooses 50 books from The Iliad to Toni Morrison's Beloved, with 48 classics in between.
With a wicked sense of humor, Murnighan gives us a challenge, "let's give literature another look, but this time we'll enjoy ourselves." He writes of Moby Dick that it is one of the funniest books of all time, an...more
With a wicked sense of humor, Murnighan gives us a challenge, "let's give literature another look, but this time we'll enjoy ourselves." He writes of Moby Dick that it is one of the funniest books of all time, an...more
Far more interesting then I thought it would be. I enjoyed his humor and I am actually considering reading or re-reading several of the books he reviews. However I felt that he is too fond of over-complicated writing styles (for example: "the way to find yourself loving Shakespeare...is to meticulously unfold his origami sentences" Does that sound like fun to you?) and the book can get kind of boring when he reviews books you haven't read or heard of. Also I felt that the "Best Li...more
Funny and helpful, both. And a good base for argument. There are some I think should've been included but weren't and some I thought "What?" but most are ones you've read and loved, or read at gunpoint because you had a summer reading list, or were studying it in English class.
Here's where the book's strength is, in persuading you to take a second look at those you detested because you were forced to read them too young.
Henry James should NOT have been inc...more
Here's where the book's strength is, in persuading you to take a second look at those you detested because you were forced to read them too young.
Henry James should NOT have been inc...more
This is a book about 50 other, greater books. No short stories are these: The Old & New Testament, The Iliad, Don Quixote, Ulysses, Moby Dick, and on and on. There are more than a few books in this list that I've never even heard of. Each book is thoroughly analyzed over the course of a chapter, and the author includes the best lines, the sexiest bits, and even what parts of the book can be skipped. This book reads like a good lecture from your favorite English professor; as it should be, th...more
Murnighan's writing and passion for the classics is so infectious, he almost made me want to read Remembrance of Things Past and The Man Without Qualities!
almost.
But, seriously, there are a few classics here I never thought I'd touch, that I plan to read this summer!
almost.
But, seriously, there are a few classics here I never thought I'd touch, that I plan to read this summer!
I first heard about this book on the podcast Books on the Nightstand. They talked about how it will movitivate you to rethink the classics. They even made a summer reading challenge around reading 4 classics during the summer. I didn't hear the podcast in time to be a part of the challenge, but I did find it interesting enough to pick up and read in about a week. I enjoyed the discussion topics and how Murnighan layed each book by the buzz, what's sexy, best line, what you don't know but sho...more
I really, really wanted to like this book. As a reader, and a reader of the classics, I thought that it would be fun and interesting to read about which books the author deemed worthy and to read why he thought others were unworthy. A mistake I made, and it was my mistake, was to misread the title. I thought the author would tell me which novels as a whole to skip from his list of 50. Not so, instead he tells you which parts within the works to skip. I cannot even begin to say how offensive...more
Balzac - Pere Goirot (through the end of part 2)
Flaubert -- Madame Bovary. Begin at part II, section XII.
Dostoevsky -- Crime and Punishment.Skim Vi,ii and v.
Dostoevsky -- Brothers Karamazov. book X.
Tolstoy -- War and Peace. Skip the second epilogue if you like Skip or skim the long disquisitions on military tactics unless you're interested and, after reading one, skip the remaining and repetitive lectures on the nature of history.
Tolstoy -- Anna Karenina
Proust -...more
Flaubert -- Madame Bovary. Begin at part II, section XII.
Dostoevsky -- Crime and Punishment.Skim Vi,ii and v.
Dostoevsky -- Brothers Karamazov. book X.
Tolstoy -- War and Peace. Skip the second epilogue if you like Skip or skim the long disquisitions on military tactics unless you're interested and, after reading one, skip the remaining and repetitive lectures on the nature of history.
Tolstoy -- Anna Karenina
Proust -...more
Rating: A-
Summary: Dr. Smarty Pants (aka, the down-to-earth Jack Murnighan) gives you a low-down on 50 of the world's greatest books. He tells you what's sexy, what's skip-able, and why this book will rock your world if you'll just give it a chance. He aims to bring the lofty and esoteric of literature down to the huddled masses of the world so we can enjoy it too.
Review: I do admit that I have a fondness (and maybe a little bit of a crush) on this author. I mean it, let'...more
Summary: Dr. Smarty Pants (aka, the down-to-earth Jack Murnighan) gives you a low-down on 50 of the world's greatest books. He tells you what's sexy, what's skip-able, and why this book will rock your world if you'll just give it a chance. He aims to bring the lofty and esoteric of literature down to the huddled masses of the world so we can enjoy it too.
Review: I do admit that I have a fondness (and maybe a little bit of a crush) on this author. I mean it, let'...more
As you can see from the subtitle here, this is a book about books. It did quite a good job of making me interested in some books I had dismissed as uninteresting or too difficult to read without a professor to guide me. He really does take a friendly view toward even giving things like Ulysses a try, which gives the book a pleasant tone.
I will absolutely be picking up One Hundred Years of Solitude because of this book.
Karen, it's headed your way via media mail.
I will absolutely be picking up One Hundred Years of Solitude because of this book.
Karen, it's headed your way via media mail.
Amy
rated it
I really enjoyed this book ... I loved that I was able to dip in and out over time as I was able to read a bit. I liked to read what Jack Murnighan thought about each of these classics. His perspective on these novels is interesting. I didn't always agree with him but it was nice to see what he thought of the books that I love (and hate). There are a number of books on his list that I will probably never read so it was nice to get a taste of them through this book. Although they may not be what ...more
Well I simply loved the idea of this book, having been the high school English student that he often describes: a slacker, more or less. I just didn't appreciate much of what we were given to read. I don't know if it was more my mind-set at the time, or the delivery of the information, but little-to-nothing stayed with me. Admittedly, however, I did not finish this book. I don't think that I will, until I have read everything that he discusses. I just get frustrated that I don't really understan...more
I didn't give this book five stars only because the rating thing says five stars means "it was amazing!" and it wasn't that awesome. Still, an easy to read and understand guide to classics that puts the thought out there that it's okay to skip (sometimes large) sections of classics for various reasons. I had new appreciation for some of the works listed and my fondness for others was supported. Great read.
Skimming through rather than reading-this is much more flip than I expected it to be, and the author focuses too much on random sex scenes in each book and his own opinions rather than a lot of deeper info that I was looking for. I had high hopes for this and am a little disappointed.
I ended up skimming through most of this. I almost gave it 2 stars, but he did well on summarizing each novel and why you might want to read it, even if some if the reasons seemed frivolous to me.
I ended up skimming through most of this. I almost gave it 2 stars, but he did well on summarizing each novel and why you might want to read it, even if some if the reasons seemed frivolous to me.
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Smalltown Hoosier by birth, central-Illinoisan till college, then some semiotics at Brown, an Orwellian stint in Paris, a Ph.D. in Medieval Lit from Duke, and finally New York's Chinatown. And now that i've hauled all my books to my 6th-floor walk-up, i'm staying put.
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