Classics and the Western Canon discussion
Introductions
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Please introduce yourself~
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. ;) ."Welcome! Nothing wrong with combining computer science and humanities. After all, back in my younger days I used to teach both mathematics and English as a private college prep high school, and even had a class in computer programming, though it was in the very early days of computers, working in APL on teletype-type green bar paper terminals communicating with actual phone receivers laid in modem cradles over ordinary phone lines. The Tandy TRS-80 was state of the art personal computer, using cassette tapes for storage until, wonder of wonders, we actually got 8" floppy disks (which were indeed floppy, and which in their original format could hold a whopping, to us, 64K of program file or data, later expanded to 128K.) Each program had to fit on a single floppy disk; can you imagine writing an entire word processing program in only 64K? Or a spreadsheet program?
Ah, those were the days!
All of which nostalgia just goes to say that you aren't the first person here to combine computer science and humanities.
But anyhow, welcome, glad to have you here, and hope to see your comments here, possibly as we get near the end of Ovid, but certainly I hope for War and Peace.
I started programming in COBOL using physical decks of punched Hollerith cards. Men were men then, much greater than the pale weak men of today.
Everyman wrote: Welcome! Nothing wrong with combining computer scien..."Thanks for the warm welcome Everyman! I think I'll skip Ovid for now, but I'll definitely be there for War and Peace.
Roger wrote: "I started programming in COBOL using physical decks of punched Hollerith cards. Men were men then, much greater than the pale weak men of today."Us pale weak men do appreciate those who came before, but what about the paler, weaker men who come after?
KG wrote: "Roger wrote: "I started programming in COBOL using physical decks of punched Hollerith cards. Men were men then, much greater than the pale weak men of today."Us pale weak men do appreciate thos..."
LOL!!
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..."
Haha! That intro could've been written by me! I'm also a computer science graduate student, but I started out as a history major. Welcome to the group. :)
Hi everyone! I'm a public health researcher (mostly maternal and child health, but my portfolio is pretty broad). I have a wide range of reading interests, including mysteries, history and policy, science (particularly biology and physics) and the classics.Over the past couple of years, I've been focusing on reading or re-reading many classics. I love being able to talk with people about the books, so I'm hoping to join in on the discussions. I have War and Peace on my reading challenge list for this year, so am excited that this group will be reading it!
I've been on GR for quite a while and am in a few other groups, but am happy to have found this one. I look forward to interesting conversations.
Susan wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm a public health researcher (mostly maternal and child health, but my portfolio is pretty broad). I have a wide range of reading interests, including mysteries, history and policy, ..."Welcome! Glad you found us at last. Obviously, with W&P on your reading list for this year, it was fate (which the Greeks, among others, strongly believed in!) that brought you to us right before we start reading it.
Hello everyone! My name is Tiberius and I live in California. Thanks for letting me join!
Tiberius wrote: "Hello everyone! My name is Tiberius and I live in California. Thanks for letting me join!"Welcome, Tiberius. That's certainly a noble name! Are you or your parents from Italy?
If you are willing, we would love to hear a bit about your reading interests and what brought you to this group. But it's certainly not obligatory.
Everyman wrote: "Tiberius wrote: "Hello everyone! My name is Tiberius and I live in California. Thanks for letting me join!"Welcome, Tiberius. That's certainly a noble name! Are you or your parents from Italy?..."
Although I have only taken one Literature course, my transcript does not reflect my love of the classics. I believe that classic literature touches a part of our soul that mere entertainment fails to grasp. I also believe that it is important to read the classics of philosophy, because they are the basis of so much thought and writing to this day.
I am excited to be in this group because I feel like a pariah in normal suburban America. I get along with others, but I can't really talk about what is important to me because nobody else bothers to read like I do.
Thank you very much for admitting me into the group, and I will try my best to add thoughtful comments along the way!
Hi everyone, my name is Johanna and I'm studying to become a teacher of foreign/second languages(English and French)in Swedish upper secondary school. Through my education I've read many classics, both English and French. I love reading and I enjoy reading a lot of different genres (not only classics). I saw that the next book to be read is War and Peace which has been on my reading list for a long time, so I look forward to join you on the discussion of this book.
Johanna wrote: "Hi everyone, my name is Johanna and I'm studying to become a teacher of foreign/second languages(English and French)in Swedish upper secondary school. Through my education I've read many classics, ..."Welcome! Wow. Not one, not two, but three languages to be exert in -- Swedish, English, and French -- and maybe others you haven't mentioned yet. I am one of those who has tried to learn several foreign languages (Latin, Greek, and French) but can't read or write with any fluency at in any of them. I just don't get along with foreign languages, I fear. Which makes me highly impressed with those who do.
We'll be delighted to have you with us for the War and Peace discussion.
Hi Everyone,I'm currently a stay-at-home dad. Former educator and grant writer until my wife and i switched places. I have enjoyed reading the classics my entire life and regard Dumus and Dickens as my favorites. I also enjoy reading Greek and Roman history.
I had a difficult time finding a reading group where I live as its a smaller community. I'm thankful there are online groups like this one which can bring people who love reading. I'm looking forward to enjoying and learning about these books! Thank you
Daren
Hi Everybody! I'm Laurel, I'm from North-East England and am currently working in a call centre/sales jobs which is slowly but surely killing all my brain cells. I did an MA in Medieval Studies a few years ago and love the classics (although I need to read more!) so I am definitely liking the look of your group reads. Gutted I missed Ovid but am planning to join you for War and Peace, and I'm looking forward to the discussions.
Laurel wrote: "Hi Everybody! I'm Laurel, I'm from North-East England and am currently working in a call centre/sales jobs which is slowly but surely killing all my brain cells. I did an MA in Medieval Studies a f..."Welcome! This can help make retirement and perhaps a call center/sales job tolerable.
Daren wrote: "Hi Everyone,I'm currently a stay-at-home dad. Former educator and grant writer until my wife and i switched places. I have enjoyed reading the classics my entire life and regard Dumus and Dickens..."
We're pleased that you found us! I understand the "smaller community" very well, since I live ten miles outside town, and a small town at that (latest census about 2,o00 people). Hard to find a group interested in reading and discussing these books! Plus the fact that a one and half or two our discussion of a group of people and then go home and on to the next book really isn't, in my view, the way to do justice to these books
Laurel wrote: "Hi Everybody! I'm Laurel, I'm from North-East England and am currently working in a call centre/sales jobs which is slowly but surely killing all my brain cells. I did an MA in Medieval Studies a f..."Stick with us and we'll certainly wake up those brain cells!
Are you anywhere near the Darlington area? That's where a big chunk of my family hails from, though mostly a century or two ago. If you're from that area you probably are aware of the Stockton and Darlington railroad and George Stephenson -- one of my more illustrious ancestors.
Hi Everyman - I am from Durham which is very close to Darlington! That's cool that some of your family comes from this neck of the woods originally - it is a lovely place to live with a lot of interesting history!
Hi, I'm from Cincinnati Ohio. I'm looking forward joining you for some discussions about the classics. I've always wanted to read more of the classics but lacked motivation so I'm happy I found some people to join.
Everyman wrote: "Welcome to all. I'm an almost-retired former many things -- teacher, business executive, attorney, cabinet maker -- living with my wife and two cats, and next door to my twin daughters, their hu..."
Hi, my name is Ariana and I'm new to this group. I'm actually a music student attending the university of Houston, but I was considering transferring next year to attend St. John's. I have been able to minor in the classics here in Houston and I was wondering if St. John's has a good classics program I could be a part of. I've visited the university but once, as my father works in St. John's, and it seems like a great place to live and a fine school.
Any info would be much appreciated, even if it it's a bit outdated. Thanks
Holly wrote: "Hi, I'm from Cincinnati Ohio. I'm looking forward joining you for some discussions about the classics. I've always wanted to read more of the classics but lacked motivation so I'm happy I found som..."Welcome. Delighted you found us. This is certainly the place for discussing classics. If we can't motivate you to get involved, nobody can! [g]
Ariana wrote: "Hi, my name is Ariana and I'm new to this group. I'm actually a music student attending the university of Houston, but I was considering transferring next year to attend St. John's. I have been able to minor in the classics here in Houston and I was wondering if St. John's has a good classics program I could be a part of. I've visited the university but once, as my father works in St. John's, and it seems like a great place to live and a fine school."Glad to have you joining us! If you're interested in music and the classics, you should be looking into Pythagoras.
Are you talking the same St. John's? You said you visited the university; are you referring to the university in New York? If so, I can't help you there.
If you're talking St. John's college, either the campus in Annapolis or that in Santa Fe, both Thomas and I here attended it, Thomas more recently than I. It is certainly the place for the classics, but it has no majors or minors, so you can't minor in music specifically.
There's also a St. John's group, mostly inactive but probably ready to spring into action when called to, here on Goodreads. You could post there if you want to see whether anybody in the group was there more recently than the early 60s.
Everyman wrote: "Ariana wrote: "Hi, my name is Ariana and I'm new to this group. I'm actually a music student attending the university of Houston, but I was considering transferring next year to attend St. John's. ..."Haha whoops, we were not talking about the same St. John's. I was referring to the St. John's in St. John Newfoundland. Thanks all the same.
Ariana wrote: "Haha whoops, we were not talking about the same St. John's. I was referring to the St. John's in St. John Newfoundland. Thanks all the same. "And my father went to St. John's college in Cambridge, England. Too many St. John's!
Hi my name is Travis and seeing as you are about to dive into War and Peace it seems like the perfect time to join in.
Travis of NNY wrote: "Hi my name is Travis and seeing as you are about to dive into War and Peace it seems like the perfect time to join in."Welcome, Travis! Indeed, this is the perfect time to dive in, particularly since I notice that you posted in the Audiobooks forum that you had become quite interested in Russian classics. You'll see a discussion in the W&P thread about various audiobook renditions of Tolstoy which might be of interest to you.
Thanks Everyman I will check those out.
I do not believe I have had the opportunity to introduce myself, I am a 33 year old aspiring autodidact. I have always loved literature, and as of late has been drawn to classical literature and have contemplated taking on the Great Books of the Western World Series along with the Harvard Five Foot shelf. I have limited college education, as I tend to get bored in the coursework as it was not challenging enough. I will participate in the group reads. I'm currently reading along War and Peace, but I am probably not as well educated as all of you to feel comfortable enough to participate in the group discussions. It is very nice to meet all of you. Have a good evening/day.
Dorian wrote: "I do not believe I have had the opportunity to introduce myself, I am a 33 year old aspiring autodidact. I have always loved literature, and as of late has been drawn to classical literature and h..."Welcome! Glad you discovered us.
I enjoy my Great Books of the Western world series, but am glad I bought it on a very good sale and at a time before the surge over the past few decades in publications of the classics. If I had to buy it today for full price, or close to it, I probably wouldn't, especially if I could find used copies of the Syntopicon.
Why? Three basic reasons. One, it contains a lot of works which I will never read, particularly older scientific works (Galen, Huygens, Kepler, etc.) One is paying for a lot of books one isn't likely to read.
Second, it contains just the texts with no notes, introductions, or other supporting materials. I understand the reasons for that -- that the books should speak for themselves -- but sometimes, especially if one isn't reading in strict chronological order, putting books into perspective can be valuable, and many of the recent editions of these works have excellent materials which make them, for me at least, more enjoyable to read.
Third, and most important, there has been a great upsurge in translations of the classics and of new editions of the English classics in recent decades. The translations in the GBWW are mostly (except for some of the material added in the 2nd edition) pre-1952, and some of them show their age and don't take advantage of the developments in scholarship over the past 60 years. I think with careful buying one could amass a library of all the books in the series which are of interest in good translations with good introductions and notes for considerably less money than the $20.00+ per volume that the GBWW set goes for.
And fourth, most libraries have the set, so one can consult the reading plan and Syntopicon when needed.
That said, it's a convenient way to own a considerable number of classic texts, and the Syntopicon is a great resource. In its day it was a particularly useful set since many of these texts weren't available conveniently, if at all, in good editions. But things have changed since 1952.
Just my own opinions, of course, and I'm sure others will have different views of the set.
Dorian wrote: "...I'm currently reading along War and Peace, but I am probably not as well educated as all of you to feel comfortable enough to participate in the group discussions..."I neglected to address this part of your introduction. I strongly disagree that one's level of education should affect in any way the decision whether to participate in this group. One of our strengths, I believe, is the wide variety of readers and commentators here. Yes, we do have some people who have strong academic backgrounds, but we also have participants with limited, if any, advanced education who offer enormously valuable comments and perspectives. So please don't hod back on your comments, observations, and questions. Otherwise you will be depriving the group of part of the diversity which makes it so interesting.
I'm fairly new to Goodreads - and still finding my way around. But I have a weakness for the classics; I tend to feel that those books that have stood the test of time have usually done so for a reason. I'm currently working through Moby Dick - I've tried it a couple of times, and always gotten bogged down in the Cetology section. But I'm hopeful that I'll soldier through to the second half on this attempt.
John wrote: "I'm fairly new to Goodreads - and still finding my way around. But I have a weakness for the classics; I tend to feel that those books that have stood the test of time have usually done so for a re..."Glad you found us, John. You're right, the books we read here have definitely stood the test of time, and for very good reasons.
We read Moby Dick not that long ago, so if you're interested you could check out the comments there (go to the Discussions link and scroll down to find the Moby Dick folder). The discussions stay open indefinitely, so if you wanted to you could make a few comments in those forums and see whether anybody picks up on them. No guarantees that anybody will, but it won't hurt to try. (Those who use the "unread" option will see any new posts you make there.)
And there's still time to catch up with the War and Peace readings and join in the current discussion. Hope to see you there!
Hi. My name is David. I have never been in a reading group before, but I really enjoy reading, and when I discovered your group I had to join. A lot of the books that have been covered here are ones that I have always wanted to read. I actually started War and Peace a couple of months ago, but I got busy and abandoned it. Finding your group has inspired me to charge on! I am excited to get further into the book with you guys.
Dcorter wrote: "Hi. My name is David. I have never been in a reading group before, but I really enjoy reading, and when I discovered your group I had to join. A lot of the books that have been covered here are one..."Welcome! This is a great first reading group -- wonderful books and a great and supportive group to read them with. I fully understand the "I started W&P but ..." since I did that more than once myself. But with this group and Laurel leading us, this is a time to read and learn to appreciate the whole book.
So pull that copy back off the shelf and join in the fun!
John wrote: "I'm currently working through Moby Dick - I've tried it a couple of times, and always gotten bogged down in the Cetology section. But I'm hopeful that I'll soldier through to the second half on this attempt."
I really hope you make it through Moby Dick, John. Personally, I, too, had to struggle through the Cetology section, but MD as a whole was one of my favorite book reads. I got a lot out of it.
I really hope you make it through Moby Dick, John. Personally, I, too, had to struggle through the Cetology section, but MD as a whole was one of my favorite book reads. I got a lot out of it.
Dorian, I absolutely agree with Everyman on 886.
Yes, I know that some of the posters here have academic backgrounds, and what I learn from them enriches my reading experience.
But I have found that I get more out of the reading experience if I ask questions and post comments. It helps me develop my own thoughts on the characters.
If you are at all tempted to jump in....jump in. I think you'll find it to be fun.
Yes, I know that some of the posters here have academic backgrounds, and what I learn from them enriches my reading experience.
But I have found that I get more out of the reading experience if I ask questions and post comments. It helps me develop my own thoughts on the characters.
If you are at all tempted to jump in....jump in. I think you'll find it to be fun.
Hi there folksMy name is Theresa, I am a middle aged woman living in northern Canada. I don't have the kind of academic background as some folks here but I do have a wide range of interests and hobbies. I joined a few weeks ago and have now caught up with the reading schedule. I am quite enjoying reading the discussions so far. Hope to contribute some useful insights.
Welcome, Theresa. Life trumps academics any day. Look for forward to your participation.
Theresa wrote: "Hi there folksMy name is Theresa, I am a middle aged woman living in northern Canada. I don't have the kind of academic background as some folks here but I do have a wide range of interests and ..."
Welcome. Glad to have you with us!
Hmmm. Northern Canada, winter coming on. I hope you have a good fire and a reading chair and cat beside it -- those long, cold Northern nights should give you plenty of time for reading!
I think you'll find that the lack of an academic background puts you squarely in the majority here. Yes, there are some with very strong academic backgrounds, and I greatly appreciate their insights, but equally there are many wonderful posts from people who write from the perspective of an ordinary reader who just loves good books. It's the wide range of experiences with these books that makes the discussions so rich. So don't feel at all shy about joining in -- the more the merrier!
Everyman wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Hi there folksMy name is Theresa, I am a middle aged woman living in northern Canada. I don't have the kind of academic background as some folks here but I do have a wide range o..."
Lily wrote: "Welcome, Theresa. Life trumps academics any day. Look for forward to your participation."
Thanks for welcome message!
Joshua wrote: "Hi all. I live in Western Massachusetts near Smith College. RIght now the weather is glorious. The leaves are starting to change and the light has a sort of light honey color to it in the afternoon..."Welcome! I wish we had your glorious weather; we're in the middle of two storms, the first significant, the second, coming on tonight, major. People don't think of the Pacific Northwest as storm territory, but we get some pretty significant storms up here; tonight the projection is for winds up to 70 mph. And unlike Florida or Southern areas, which are mostly populated by palm trees which aren't a major danger in windstorms, we have all these huge fir trees which, when they go down, can do really serious damage, splitting homes in half or crushing cars.
It's going to be along night; I hope it's not a repeat of the storm two years ago that brought a tree down on the side of our house and another on our henhouse.
Our local weather guru, Cliff Mass of the University of Washington, calls our trees "storm multipliers" because they significantly multiply the impact of our windstorms.
So if Laurel or I disappear, it's probably because we're lost power to the wind.
But enough of us up here. I'm delighted that you found us, and look forward to hearing your thoughts on Tolstoy!
Everyman wrote: "...It's going to be a long night; I hope it's not a repeat of the storm two years ago that brought a tree down on the side of our house and another on our henhouse. ..."Good luck! Hope no major problems.
I guess I am going to have to do more roof recovery from Hurricane Sandy before winter sets in here.
Lily wrote: "Everyman wrote: "...It's going to be a long night; I hope it's not a repeat of the storm two years ago that brought a tree down on the side of our house and another on our henhouse. ..."Good luck..."
Thanks for the good wishes.
We have some wind and rain here on the mainland, but nothing big.
Everyman wrote: "Lily wrote: "Everyman wrote: "...It's going to be a long night;....."Do let us know how you fared?
Wind gusts got up to 59 mph, but the power stayed on. We lost one tree, but it was off in the woods and didn't hurt anything. A ton of rain -- over two days our rain gauge registered 4.45 inches. But we're on a little rise, so no flooding. So in the end, all went well.The storm did drop a tornado in Pierce County, South of Seattle, which did a bit of damage -- very rare for our area. And snow in the mountains -- 22 inches at the Crystal Mountain ski resort, which opened for a few intrepid early skiers.
All in all, a pretty good storm, though not as bad as it could have been. The low tracked a bit further North than they thought it might, so we were spared the 75 mph winds that were possible.
Everyman wrote: "Wind gusts got up to 59 mph, but the power stayed on. We lost one tree, but it was off in the woods and didn't hurt anything. A ton of rain -- over two days our rain gauge registered 4.45 inches...."Thanks for the update. Hope it doesn't get all the way East.
Classics and the Western Canon
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As you may have heard, the English version of IQ84 is reportedly very different than the Japanese version, to the point that questions are being raised as to what will be the "definitive text" if the book survives to the days of being a classic undergoing such scrutiny. (Sort of like Dreiser's Sister Carrie.) I believe three volumes were consolidated into one for the translation published in the U.S. So hope you will include comments on the differences in your review when you get to that point. Be prepared for a roller coast ride, for which there may be some climbs that may seem a bit long or repetitious before the descent.