Classics and the Western Canon discussion
Introductions
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Please introduce yourself~
Erin wrote: "Hello fellow classic literature lovers! I am an Air Force officer and pilot. I am currently deployed, so it is difficult to keep up with the reading schedule at times, but I am with the discussio..."Welcome! My son was in the Air Force, though not nearly as elevated as you; he was in the security forces.
We understand that you can't be quite as regular in your participation as some others, but welcome whatever contributions you are able to make.
Hello everyone. I am 28 years and live in Texas. My mom is a retired elementary school teacher and taught me the value of reading. In my high school and college classes I read greek mythology, political philosophy, and other classic works. I take great interest in classic literature and look forward to jumping in with Metamorphoses.
Roman wrote: "Hello everyone. I am 28 years and live in Texas. My mom is a retired elementary school teacher and taught me the value of reading. In my high school and college classes I read greek mythology, p..."Welcome. Glad to have you with us. The Metamorphoses should be a great discussion. We'll be happy to have you join us for it.
Poingu wrote: "Everyman wrote: "Welcome to all."Hi, Everyman (and everybody). I have always loved reading but I only discovered lately that all the books that seemed so daunting when I was younger are actually ..."
Indeed they are! And not only gripping page turners, but with a wealth of wisdom embedded within them.
I'm glad you mentioned War and Peace. Are you aware that we will be reading that this fall? Hope you'll be able to be part of the discussion.
Hi everyone! We've got a new series of Westerns coming out online, that we thought you might enjoy. Our newest one is 'Hired Gun' and it can be downloaded here: http://amzn.to/14GireG. Let us know what you think of the book and send/post a review for it. We've also got a book group called Endeavour Press book group, join and keep up to date with our weekly offers!
I'd read that other Goodreads groups sometimes have been bombarded by book sellers and authors. (Well before Amazon investment, so doesn't seem to be connected to that.) @806 is the first one I have noticed on this board. My thought is, go away, please, unless you at least come and participate in the discussions here.
Zeke wrote: "Well said Lily!"Thank you, Zeke.
Hello everyone, My name is Holly and at the moment I am a stay at home mom to a toddler and another on the way. Grew up in Alaska but now am living (much to my chagrin) in San Diego. I have a degree in History, worked as a librarian/museum assistant for years, and have always been a voracious reader, mostly of classics, sci-fi/fantasy and history (fic and non). I'm looking for ways to reconnect with my academic side, because as fun as it is to chase babies all day it's also nice to have an adult conversation once in a while. I see you have Metamorphosis and War and Peace on the menu, both of which I am very interested in reading. I read War and Peace on my own in high school and have been wanting to reread it for years, and Meta. has been on my to-read list for ages. Hopefully I will be able to keep up with you guys and participate in the discussions!
Endeavour wrote: "Hi everyone! We've got a new series of Westerns coming out online ..."Sorry, folks. I have reported this poster to the moderators as a spammer, and deleted her/it/them from the group membership.
The only reason I haven't yet deleted the post is so that the GR moderators can see it. I don't know whether they can check it out if I delete it.
Holly wrote: "Hello everyone, My name is Holly and at the moment I am a stay at home mom to a toddler and another on the way. Grew up in Alaska but now am living (much to my chagrin) in San Diego. I have a degre..."Welcome, Holly. It's great that both of our next reads are ones you've been wanting to read (or re-read). We look forward to your participation!
Greeting to all. My name is Elizabeth. I joined this group about a month ago and, in addition to familiarizing myself with goodreads.com in general, I have been reading the section discussions on "The Magic Mountain". I now own the book and will enjoy reading it and referring to the discussion comments to enrich my solo reading.Two days ago I downloaded "War and Peace" to my kindle (I can't find the name of the translator, but hope if will work out okay). I also downloaded Ovid's "Metamorphoses translated by Charles Martin, which I read in the groups comments was a good choice. I also ordered a hard copy of Harold Bloom's "The Western Canon" as I wanted to know which books were considered part of the western canon.
I have limited college education - an AA in real estate, which served me well during my working years, but during junior college I took an English Lit course and remember how rewarding an experience reading "On The Road", "Crying of Lot 49", "Ironweed", "Mother Night" and others was because I was able to discuss the books with others and hear their perspective.
I am sooo looking forward to participating, although the truth is that I expect I will receive far more than I'm able to give. Still, being able to participate, whatever my location is very exciting for me.
A little bit about myself: I'm 66 years young. Retired at 55 and moved from California to Colorado, lost my beloved husband in a solo flight accident in 2003 and have spent my time since then grieving and fixing up two homes, one in CO and one in CA, so I've become a fairly decent do-it-yourselfer. I spent my working life in CA, but was born in Scotland and raised in England where I read many of the classics, although I didn't realize they were classics at the time.
Again, I'm delighted to have discovered goodreads.com and especially this group.
Welcome Elizabeth, I'm delighted to read you have such a young spirit! I'm sure you'll feel right at home in this group. Also, I wanted to comment on Bloom's book that, even though it's a must-read book, its concept of "what the Western Canon is" is probably more encompassing than what this group (and most academics) would consider it to be. He includes Borges, Neruda and Beckett as an integral part of the canon while others would find that debatable at least. However, the book does not present a list per se but a way of understanding the canon and I'm sure you will enjoy it very much. If part, or even all, of what I say is unclear keep in mind that english is not really my first language and I've never really been anywhere where english was the official language, so it's rather difficult to give proper shape to my thoughts (sometimes to the point that I feel part of Derrida's Monolingualism of the Other, Or, The Prosthesis of Origin). Once again, welcome!
Elizabeth wrote: "Greeting to all. My name is Elizabeth. I joined this group about a month ago and, in addition to familiarizing myself with goodreads.com in general, I have been reading the section discussions on..."Welcome. You're going to fit in here just great!
As to thinking that you will receive more than you're able to give, I never like to hear people saying that, because it is so very seldom true, and it makes me worry that people will be hesitant to participate actively. The strength of this group is that we have a very wide range of experiences and perspectives, and all of them are valuable and enrich the understanding of all of us. Often a bold newcomer will be ask a question which many other readers have but have been too hesitant to ask, and it will lead to some of our best discussions. So I very much hope that you (and all our other lurkers and semi-lurkers) will feel not only free but encouraged to strengthen the discussion with your comments and questions, even (sometimes especially) if they don't come from years of reading and thinking about these books.
Yes, the Martin translation of Ovid is fine.
I agree with Lucas's comments on Bloom. I love Bloom's introductory essay (the Elegy), and agree with many, though not all, of his discussions of works, but I very much regret that the totally ignores the contributions and influence of pre-Dante authors, which means you can read his book and have no idea of the vital importance of the classical Greek and Roman authors. They are certainly central to any reasonable definition of the Western Canon, and Bloom's omission of them is a shame. I also think that he is too enamored of Shakespeare; S is certainly an important author in the Canon, but to call him, as Bloom does, the Center of the Canon is, in my opinion, very much overstating the case. And, as Lucas says, there are authors he includes who I think are not widely accepted, at least not yet, as canonical.
So definitely read him, but don't necessarily buy into everything he says; use your own judgment, and feel free to discuss here any questions he raises in your mind.
In my own opinion, better understandings of what books should be considered canonical come from two sets (your library probably has one or both); the Great Books of the Western World series, and the Harvard Five Foot Shelf of Books. In addition, Clifton Fadiman's "Lifetime Reading Plan" (I prefer the original version, which is available from used book sources such as Alibris and ABEbooks to the New version co-authored by John Major) is an excellent list of works and has succinct but useful comments on them all.
The contents of these, and of other selections of important books in Western thought, can be found in this nice website:
http://www.interleaves.org/~rteeter/g...
If your library has the Britannica Great Books of the Western World series, I definitely recommend getting the introductory volume, titled "The Great Conversation." Personally, I think it's by a wide margin the best introduction to and justification for reading the Great Books.
(And if you think I'm as opinionated about the Canon and what belongs in it as Bloom is, I wouldn't argue with you!)
Anyhow, welcome, and glad to have you with us.
Since we have had a few recent introductions from some people with interesting though not academic backgrounds, I would like to echo Everyman's words.
In my experience here, each book seems to bring out certain categories of participant. First, we are fortunate to have a cadre of people who are very familiar with--and have spent years engaged with-- the canon. From them, with Everyman providing structure, we are guided gently along the path to understanding.
Then, each book we read seems to bring out individuals with a deep understanding of the period or author in question. One of the great virtues of the group is its international membership.
Another virtue is its intergenerational cast. Some of my favorite posts have been written by high school students conveying the excitement they feel at discovering a great piece of literature.
I suspect the bulk of the membership are people like me: fairly well read (compared to those who set their sights no higher than reality TV!), interested, but not passionate about every book. Personally, I enjoy asking questions that may prompt discussion among those more experienced (or opinionated) than I.
It's been said that the only dumb question is the one you don't ask. And in my opinion, there is no such thing as a "wrong" reaction or response to something one has read. So feel free to share impressions.
I also have just enough knowledge in certain areas to be dangerous. In my experience, when I have said something half-baked, I have frequently been corrected or further informed. But, unlike many places on the internet, generally with civility and generosity. And, if not, Everyman is always there to reinforce the group's norms.
As it happens one of my reading passions is Shakespeare. Periodically, and not infrequently, I learn about programs in prisons or nursing homes or with school dropouts (to say nothing of business executives) where Shakespeare's plays resonate with populations one wouldn't expect. I think this is true of all great literature; its ability to connect with lots of different people across time is why it is great literature.
Ralph Waldo Emerson --another favorite of mine-- was scornful of readers whose engagement with writers and thinkers was limited to academic propriety and convention. "Bring yourself to your reading," is my paraphrase of what he exhorted.
Frequently, when I read an introduction, I think to myself, "I can't wait to learn more about this person and their ideas." One of Everyman's virtues as a leader is that he offers a personal welcome to each new member. He means it!
In my experience here, each book seems to bring out certain categories of participant. First, we are fortunate to have a cadre of people who are very familiar with--and have spent years engaged with-- the canon. From them, with Everyman providing structure, we are guided gently along the path to understanding.
Then, each book we read seems to bring out individuals with a deep understanding of the period or author in question. One of the great virtues of the group is its international membership.
Another virtue is its intergenerational cast. Some of my favorite posts have been written by high school students conveying the excitement they feel at discovering a great piece of literature.
I suspect the bulk of the membership are people like me: fairly well read (compared to those who set their sights no higher than reality TV!), interested, but not passionate about every book. Personally, I enjoy asking questions that may prompt discussion among those more experienced (or opinionated) than I.
It's been said that the only dumb question is the one you don't ask. And in my opinion, there is no such thing as a "wrong" reaction or response to something one has read. So feel free to share impressions.
I also have just enough knowledge in certain areas to be dangerous. In my experience, when I have said something half-baked, I have frequently been corrected or further informed. But, unlike many places on the internet, generally with civility and generosity. And, if not, Everyman is always there to reinforce the group's norms.
As it happens one of my reading passions is Shakespeare. Periodically, and not infrequently, I learn about programs in prisons or nursing homes or with school dropouts (to say nothing of business executives) where Shakespeare's plays resonate with populations one wouldn't expect. I think this is true of all great literature; its ability to connect with lots of different people across time is why it is great literature.
Ralph Waldo Emerson --another favorite of mine-- was scornful of readers whose engagement with writers and thinkers was limited to academic propriety and convention. "Bring yourself to your reading," is my paraphrase of what he exhorted.
Frequently, when I read an introduction, I think to myself, "I can't wait to learn more about this person and their ideas." One of Everyman's virtues as a leader is that he offers a personal welcome to each new member. He means it!
Thank you for the welcome :) I just wished I had found you guys earlier! You've read a couple of my favorites in the past couple of years (Moby Dick, Les Mis) and I've tried Swann's Way a couple of times but haven't been able to get through it. Reading the entire Remembrance of Things Past is on my bucket list (for no other reason than most people don't). Looking forward to getting involved with the new books!
Holly wrote: "Thank you for the welcome :) I just wished I had found you guys earlier! "Now that you've found us, if you have friends who also should have found us earlier but haven't yet, invite them on over. (That goes not just for Holly, but for everybody here!)
Lucas wrote: "Welcome Elizabeth, I'm delighted to read you have such a young spirit! I'm sure you'll feel right at home in this group. Also, I wanted to comment on Bloom's book that, even though it's a must-read..."Thank you so much for your comments. I really did think I was buying a book of the official list of the Western Canon, but as you said it will be interesting to read anyway. By the way, I thought you expressed yourself very well; I didn't have any problem understanding your meaning.
Everyman wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "Greeting to all. My name is Elizabeth. I joined this group about a month ago and, in addition to familiarizing myself with goodreads.com in general, I have been reading the sect..."Thank you so very much for the detail incorporated into your message. I'll definitely check out your sources at some time in the future. Right now, I'd like to finish "The Magic Mountain" so that I can begin Ovid's Metamorphoses with the group.
Elizabeth wrote: "Everyman wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "Greeting to all. My name is Elizabeth. I joined this group about a month ago and, in addition to familiarizing myself with goodreads.com in general, I have been..."
I think you just might do it.
I think you just might do it.
Hi, I was invited to this classic group by Everyman, and I am very excited to meet many of you and participate in the discussions. I am addicted to the classics and can't get off the high! I've just finished Moby Dick, War & Peace (re-read), re-reading David Copperfield. Started reading Jane Austen this year and love her writing.I have been reading classics out of my Dad's unsophisticated, small library cabinet in our little living room since I was about 10 years old. Now, at 56 yrs. old my boys are 18 & 17 - not in need of me much more, so now I can go back to my favorite hobby- reading!! It is funny, I have been doing much re-reading because it's been too long to remember all the details of the novels I read way back when. What I DO remember is how much I loved them: Exodus, David Copperfield, Grapes of Wrath, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Heart of Darkness, Oliver Twist, The Jungle, Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn--loved them all. Excellent authors -- all of them! Like I said, I can't get enough of classics and I've only scratched the surface, so for the next 20 years of my life (I'm expecting to live at least to 76) I will be picking up many more classics like "Metamorphoses" to read (and it has been on my to-read list for a few months).
Hello everyone, I'm Pippa and I live in San Sebastian, Spain, with my partner and Woody the cat. I'm feeling rather overwhelmed to be here in the hallowed halls of the Classics and the Western Canon. It was a relief to find such a cosy tearoom in the annexe!I was brought up with books as my father was firstly a sales rep for OUP and brought us lots of freebies home, and after that an independent bookshop owner, so no holds barred!!
I've been reading a lot of modern literature over the last few years and have recently been delving into the Classics again, partly thanks to being the proud owner of a Kindle and wallowing in all the freebies (that's the second time I've mentioned freebies - I'm not actually the skinflint I might appear to be!)
I had been intending to start the Metamorphoses along with you all, but my currently reading list is getting full and I think I will leave it until I can really spend time mulling it over properly. I've started reading your comments anyway, and finding those alone very interesting.
Hopefully I'll be ready to join you in August for (for me) a reread of War and Peace.
Anyway, lovely to meet you all and looking forward to broadening my literary horizons with you!
Martha wrote: "Hi, I was invited to this classic group by Everyman, and I am very excited to meet many of you and participate in the discussions. I am addicted to the classics and can't get off the high! I've j..."Welcome! Great to have you aboard.
You will find very soon that many of us here are avid re-readers (and re-re-readers, and so on -- I don't know how many times Laurel, who will be leading our War and Peace discussion has read the work, but it's at least several, and others will certainly be re-reading it too).
Partly, as you say, because the memory fades after time (though at a mere 56 you're still a relative young'un to some of us!), but also, at least to me, because if the books is truly a great book, it offers different meanings at different stages of life. I will be interested to see whether you have this same experience, too.
But be assured that while there are people in the world (amazingly) who think re-reading is a waste of time, here you are in excellent company as you revisit these wonderful books.
Pip wrote: "Hello everyone, I'm Pippa and I live in San Sebastian, Spain, with my partner and Woody the cat. I'm feeling rather overwhelmed to be here in the hallowed halls of the Classics and the Western Cano..."Hallowed halls? That's very kind. Though indeed there are some posters here who definitely deserve that accolade; you will soon recognize them, and as soon, I'm sure, join them.
An OUP salesman AND an independent bookstore owner. I drool!
Many of us here are also Kindle freebie addicts. (I have two myself, an original Kindle which sits on my bedside table and a later model in the living room by my reading chair. Laurel, whom you will meet soon enough, certainly in the W&P discussion if not before, is actually the one who got me into Kindling, for which I "rewarded" her by dragooning her into being a moderator here.)
Gutenberg is such a wonderful resource; I have over 500 Gutenberg texts on one Kindle or the other (or, in some cases, both).
I'm glad you enjoy the tearoom; I'm rather pleased with the redecorating job we did a bit ago.
Patrice wrote: "Welcome. I assume you are British? My daughter lives in Madrid and I hear there are a lot of Brits in Spain."Hi Patrice,
Firstly, thank you for the welcome! Yes, I'm British, though I've been living in different parts of Spain since 1993, so going home to the UK now feels very exotic to me! What does your daughter do in Madrid? I started out in Spain teaching ENglish as a Foreign Language with the idea of travelling the world, but never got further than my first stop. No complaints though - in education the long holidays mean I get to see the world in my free time instead :-)
There are lots of Brits here, though not so many up North which, though rainy, is consequently very green. Or front garden is the Cantabrian Sea and our back garden is the foothills of the Pyrenees. There seem to be lots of US tourists here this year for some reason - among them Bruce Springsteen, who comes back with his family year after year to relax!
Everyman wrote: "Pip wrote: "Hello everyone, I'm Pippa and I live in San Sebastian, Spain, with my partner and Woody the cat. I'm feeling rather overwhelmed to be here in the hallowed halls of the Classics and the ..."Gutenberg is wonderful, and I've only recently discovered you can download texts to the Kindle. I usually get the Amazon free versions of the classics, but my main complaint with them is frequent lack of a TOC and Americanized spellings of British works (WHY do they do that????) so i expect I'll be using Gutenberg more often.
I especially like the new upholstery in the tearoom - did you choose the fabric yourself?
Hello Pip, I'd offer you a welcome, but feel it's a little presumptuous since I'm a new member myself; vocal for about a month or so, and a lurker for about a month before that. This group has provided amazing resources and great conversation, I'm totally hooked and look forward to reading your posts.
Thank you so much for your not-at-all presumptuous welcome, Elizabeth! It's lovely to have been invited to and welcomed into such a warm group with a really personal, human touch - despite the potentially weighty subject matter! Looking forward to sharing views with you too.
Pip wrote: "Hello everyone, I'm Pippa and I live in San Sebastian, Spain, with my partner and Woody the cat. I'm feeling rather overwhelmed to be here in the hallowed halls of the Classics and the Western Cano..."Pip -- welcome. My kids have just been visiting your adopted country, first in Madrid and then in Barcelona. Tonight they are in Avignon, headed for Paris. I'm looking forward to full accounts of their stories.
Look forward to your insights here! Laughed at your comments about American English!
Lily wrote: "Pip wrote: "Hello everyone, I'm Pippa and I live in San Sebastian, Spain, with my partner and Woody the cat. I'm feeling rather overwhelmed to be here in the hallowed halls of the Classics and the ..."Thank you Lily! We've already met elsewhere, either in Vanity Fair or in the company of Rebecca, I think. I used to be HederaHelix, but decided to start using my real name as that's what the norm seems to be here. I hope your kids had a great time in Spain and France. Both Madrid and Barcelona are wonderful cities, though very different, and Avignon is - wow - breathtaking.
Patrice wrote: "Pip wrote: "Patrice wrote: "Welcome. I assume you are British? My daughter lives in Madrid and I hear there are a lot of Brits in Spain."Hi Patrice,
Firstly, thank you for the welcome! Yes, I'..."
Alicante is a great place to be. The light of the Mediterranean is something special. Part of the Cantabrian Sea is the Bay of Biscay, which might sound more familiar. We're tucked into the little corner of it just next to the French border.
There are lots of us ESL teachers about! I think it's one of those professions that you either do for a few years then move on to a "proper job" or get totally hooked like me! Teaching people to communicate is a wonderful thing to do for a living.
Hello all, I'm Finlay (call me Finn), and I'm a 19 year old student from Down Under. Currently hacking my way through Karamazov, but Metamorphosis is on my list so it'll be good to give that one a go as well.Lovely to meet you all.
Hello everyone, I'm Arnab, and 23year old student from kolkata, India. I'm looking forward to go through Metamorphosis.
Finlay wrote: "Hello all, I'm Finlay (call me Finn), and I'm a 19 year old student from Down Under. Currently hacking my way through Karamazov, but Metamorphosis is on my list so it'll be good to give that one a ..."Welcome, Finn. Look forward to your comments as your time allows!
Finlay wrote: "Hello all, I'm Finlay (call me Finn), and I'm a 19 year old student from Down Under. Currently hacking my way through Karamazov, but Metamorphosis is on my list so it'll be good to give that one a ..."Welcome, Finn. Where in Australia are you? I have family in Perth, and a few scattered elsewhere around the continent.
Arnab wrote: "Hello everyone, I'm Arnab, and 23year old student from kolkata, India. I'm looking forward to go through Metamorphosis."Delighted to have you with us. I'll be particularly interested in hearing whether any of the myths or stories in the Metamorphoses have counterparts in Indian mythology (assuming that you know Indian mythology).
Hello all--I'm a librarian living in Charleston, SC, USA. I miss the intense discussions I used to have in college and grad school about books, especially the classics. My first semester of college was spent studying the Greek plays and epics, Greek philosophy, and ancient Chinese philosophy, and while I certainly didn't grasp it all, those class discussions are some of my happiest intellectual memories. I'm hoping to find some of what I miss here in this group.
My current reading is a mix of contemporary fiction, classics, non-fiction (especially religious studies) and cookbooks/books on the history of cookery. I tend to have several books going on at any one time. I have a Nook, but I still prefer paper books--I try to buy hardbacks of my favorites, in the hope of keeping the one big bookstore in my town alive.
The books I constantly return to are Lolita, Pale Fire, The Secret History, Smilla's Sense of Snow, One Hundred Years of Solitude, The Tin Drum, Consider the Lobster, and more.
-Michelle
Michelle wrote: "Hello all--I'm a librarian living in Charleston, SC, USA. I miss the intense discussions I used to have in college and grad school about books, especially the classics. My first semester of colle..."
I think many here believe that the best three jobs in the world would be bookstore owner, librarian, or professor. And you've got one of them!
You've certainly come to the right place for intense (but very friendly) discussions about the classics. I hope you also jump in -- the more the better!
Claire wrote: "Hi, everyone. I'm Claire. Since I'm not really sure about the best way to introduce myself, I'll just share a few facts about me.- I'll be twenty-seven this month.
- I just celebrated my eighth w..."
Welcome to the group Claire. Here we don't measure people from the chin down, but from the chin up. :)
Claire wrote: "Hi, everyone. I'm Claire. Since I'm not really sure about the best way to introduce myself, I'll just share a few facts about me.- I'll be twenty-seven this month.
- I just celebrated my eighth w..."
Delighted to have you with us. Two sets of twins in your family, eh? Your parents must have had an adventurous life! I had one set of twins (identical girls) and an older brother, so I have some understanding of what they experienced, both the joys and the challenges of twin parenting. But double doubles -- that's something really special!
BTW, shyness in real life should not translate into shyness here -- I hope you'll be an active participant here sharing your thoughts with us.
Claire wrote: "Thank you for the warm welcome, Nemo and Everyman. I'm looking forward to the group read of War and Peace. That's been on my to-read list for a long time. I think it'll help me overcome my shyness ..."I think you'll really enjoy that discussion. It's being led by an excellent leader, Laurel, who is has read War and Peace a number of times, and does a wonderful job of leading discussions. We take these books at a fairly slow pace to give plenty of time to develop the discussion.
Hi everyone. My name is Tom, I'm 24 and a lawyer living in Surrey in England, but I'm just about to re-train as a male nurse. I've made a concerted effort to cover the cannon of western literature over the last few years, and just now I'm trying to get into the second volume of Proust's In Search of Lost Time. Finishing the lot has to be my biggest literary ambition, but I do think its a book which gives more the more often you re-read it.
Looking forward to having some like minded people to discuss things with; I'm tired of lending my friends books in the full knowledge they'll never read them!
Hi Claire. I recently came across a new term: webtrovert. This refers to a person who is shy in public but outgoing online. Hopefully, we will be beneficiaries of your webtroversion!
And welcome Tom. For my money, that's an admirable career change. As Shakespeare's character says: "First of all let's kill all the lawyers."
And welcome Tom. For my money, that's an admirable career change. As Shakespeare's character says: "First of all let's kill all the lawyers."
Tom wrote: "Hi everyone. My name is Tom, I'm 24 and a lawyer living in Surrey in England, but I'm just about to re-train as a male nurse. I've made a concerted effort to cover the cannon of western literature..."
Welcome. Glad you found us.
That's quite a switch -- lawyer to male nurse. Were you a solicitor or a barrister, or hadn't you gotten to that point yet? (I'm a retired lawyer, mostly trial work which would be barrister in your system).
We read the first volume of Proust here a while back, but decided not to go for the full series. But there are some groups on Goodreads that do, from time to time, read the whole sequence. If you're interested, check them out (as long as it doesn't take away from your time here with us!!)
Everyman wrote: "Welcome. Glad you found us.That's quite a switch -- lawyer to male nurse. Were you a solicitor or a barrister, or hadn't you gotten to that point yet? (I'm a retired lawyer, mostly trial work which would be barrister in your system)."
Thanks for the welcome. I'm a solicitor, so I do some fairly low level litigation, but I doubt it has given me too many transferable skills! Its certainly a big change.
I'll have a look for any of the Proustian groups on here. My grandfather left me four different translations including the original french, so I do feel obliged to get through at least one of them.
Tom wrote: "My grandfather left me four different translations including the original french, so I do feel obliged to get through at least one of them. "The burden of inheritance. [g]
Actually, I'm quite grateful for the small and somewhat eclectic but quite excellent library my father left me.
Hi everyone. I'm a bit of an anomaly as I'm a cold, calculating computer science student with a soft spot for the humanities. ;) I used to read a lot back in high school when I had more time on my hands with a lot of focus on the classics. I used to get pretty obsessed once I get hooked on a specific genre. I had a phase when I read just books about war like The Red Badge of Courage, All Quiet on the Western Front, War and Peace, Things They Carried, etc. I thought it was a neat way of looking at how war is portrayed throughout history.
That was all in high school however, and when I came to college, I stopped. I just didn't have time to read.
I just got my Bachelor's and I'm in school for one more year to get my Master's. I also have more time now, and I've recently decided to make reading an important part of my life again. I just recently joined Goodreads and now I'm part of this group! I'm excited to read the classics again and to discuss the books with everyone here!
I'm in another phase right now and I'm currently devouring dystopian lit books. I just re-read 1984 and Brave New World, and I have 1Q84, We, and the Iron Heel on deck right now. These dystopian books can get too depressing so I'm reading Game of Thrones books in between.
Thanks everyone and let's get reading!
KG wrote: "Hi everyone. I'm a bit of an anomaly as I'm a cold, calculating computer science student with a soft spot for the humanities. ;) I used to read a lot back in high school when I had more time on m..."
KG, welcome! Hope you will join us for the discussion of War and Peace. We will have a terrific moderator. My first read of W&P was with her guidance several years ago now.
PS-- hope you enjoy Murakami's 1Q84, if "enjoy" is ever quite the right word to use about his writings. I just did 1Q84 along with something between a read and a reread of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle -- I hadn't totally finished it during a period when I read a couple of still others of his books.
Thanks Lily! It's always intimidating reading a whopper like War and Peace but I'm sure it'll be fun. I can't wait to meet and discuss the book with this well-esteemed moderator as well.1Q84 will be my first Murakami read but I've always heard good things about him. I'll be sure to check out his other books as well.
I did a study abroad program in Japan last year and nabbed a Japanese version of 1Q84 as well. I was hoping to get my Japanese skills to a good enough level that I can read the book in its natural form... I'm still hoping.
Classics and the Western Canon
Books mentioned in this topic
Metamorphoses (other topics)Gilgamesh: A New Translation of the Ancient Epic (other topics)
The Portrait of a Lady (other topics)
Ficciones (other topics)
Dracula (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Søren Kierkegaard (other topics)Dorothy L. Sayers (other topics)
John Ciardi (other topics)
Alexis de Tocqueville (other topics)
Dani Shapiro (other topics)
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Welcome, Erin! Thank you for your service.
I spent a summer in Rapid City back in the days when I was a college student. Enjoy the area while you are there. Although Borglum supposedly designed Mount Rushmore for the shadows to be most effective about 10 am, it can be a beautiful sight in the early morning sunlight with no crowds to hide the sounds of the birds singing. Likewise, Custer State Park at dusk with an old buffalo wandering off by himself from his herd, probably on his last trek, still traces a forlorn memory.