Classics and the Western Canon discussion
Introductions
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Please introduce yourself~
Ivan wrote: "Hello! My name is Ivan Godspeed.I joined because of my love for ancient literature, whether epics, poetry, plays, exegeses, or polemic articles on philosophy. Can't wait to read the next one by P..."
Welcome! I assume you've seen that we're starting Plato in about five weeks.
But meanwhile, I hope you'll join us for the Frankenstein discussion. There are issues of philosophy, ethics, the pursuit of knowledge, what it means to be human, in this book every bit as much as in Plato. The reading goes fairly rapidly, so you shouldn't have much trouble catching up.
Ivan wrote: "Hello! My name is Ivan Godspeed.I joined because of my love for ancient literature, whether epics, poetry, plays, exegeses, or polemic articles on philosophy. Can't wait to read the next one by P..."
Welcome, Ivan! Glad to have you. We try to go easy on the polemics here, but we're looking forward to your help with Plato.
Hi, I'm Kathryn currently living in rural Illinois. Lately, I've been re-reading classics to find what is there for me now that was different then. (Hope that made sense!) When I first read Frankenstein, I was pleasantly surprised---like so many---given the various interpretations I was exposed to in various media. Glad to be in this group.
Kathryn wrote: "Hi, I'm Kathryn currently living in rural Illinois. Lately, I've been re-reading classics to find what is there for me now that was different then. (Hope that made sense!) When I first read Frank..."That made perfect sense. In fact, it's what many of our members are here for -- to re-read the classics they may have read many years ago (up to 50 years ago for some of us!) to see how differently they read as we age, and to see things in them that we overlooked on the first (or second) read because, perhaps, we were focused more on getting the plot and characters straight than on the more subtle issues underlying the work.
So you're in exactly the right place. And since Frankenstein is a fairly short read, and were less than half-way through the discussion period, there's plenty of time for you to join in and share your insights.
Hay everyone! I've been a member for quite some time, but haven't really posted on here just yet. I only thought it would be appropriate if I did so first.
My name is Suzan, I'm 22 years old and I'm from the Netherlands. I'm a student of English language and culture hoping to graduate this year. I'm also hoping to be doing a master's degree in English literature.
I'm very excited to be reading and discussing books with you guys :)
Suzan wrote: "Hay everyone! I've been a member for quite some time, but haven't really posted on here just yet. I only thought it would be appropriate if I did so first.
My name is Suzan, I'm 22 years old and..."
Great to have you with us! Nice to see the younger generation coming forward here.
Hello- I have, over the last year or two, acquired a deep passion of reading, especially those works that have had the most impact on thought over the centuries. I'm currently studying English and Italian at Camosun in Victoria, B.C, while working full time at a family run grocer.
I was fortunate enough to acquire a set of the Britannica Great Works set; I admire authors that range from Philip K. Dick to Proust, From Ovid to McCarthy.
I've always found group study, drawing from the text, and not outside scholars, leads to a cohesion between the many thinkers in a given discussion. I'm looking forward to the shared insight.
John wrote: "Hello- I have, over the last year or two, acquired a deep passion of reading, especially those works that have had the most impact on thought over the centuries. I'm currently studying English an..."
Welcome, John. Group study is indeed what we're about here, so you'll fit right in. Geographically, you'll fit right in, too; we have another member in Victoria (I'll let him introduce himself to you if he so chooses), and I'm right across the water from you on the west side of San Juan Island.
You're just in time to start with us a reading of three Platonic dialogues -- Meno, Phaedo, and Theaetetus.
Luke wrote: "Hi, everyone..."Hi Luke. Welcome to the group! There isn't a reading schedule per se, but you can see what the group has read by going to the group bookshelf. Maybe this link will work: https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...
Most of the time a poll is conducted to determine what will be read next. A set of six or seven titles are selected randomly from the bookshelf and the group members vote. The next "major" read starts this week, so you're just in time for three dialogues of Plato: Meno, Phaedo, and Theaetetus.
The Meno discussion starts on Wednesday. Hope to see you there!
Luke wrote: "Hi, everyone,My name is Luke. I teach composition and ESOL, primarily at the tertiary level. I'm looking forward to being part of an online community dedicated to reading and discussing the canon..."
Ah, another Northwesterner. Great to have you joining us.
As Thomas said, our past reads can be found on our Bookshelf (link in upper right corner of home page) and then click on the "Read" shelf on the left. The dates for our next set of works, the Platonic dialogues Thomas mentioned, are listed on the home page (only the starting date is given on the home page, but if you click on "view" you'll get both the starting and ending dates).
The next book we'll read after Plato hasn't been chosen yet, but the selection will start in a couple of weeks. Keep an eye on the General tab for where information about the selections will be posted, and then a poll will be held for members to vote.
Not sure if I ever did a intro but here I am. My name is Whitney Chakara and I have been in this group for 2 or 3 years but I don't think I've ever participated. I just look at the discussions every now and then. I hope to change that and get into some discussions this year. I guess I can tell you all a little about myself, I am a Screenwritig major at Southern New Hampshire University. Almost done :).
Chakara wrote: "Not sure if I ever did a intro but here I am. My name is Whitney Chakara and I have been in this group for 2 or 3 years but I don't think I've ever participated. I just look at the discussions ever..."Thanks for taking the time to introduce yourself. I hope you don't have to go another 2 or 3 years before you find the time and interest to participate more actively.
Everyman wrote: "Chakara wrote: "Not sure if I ever did a intro but here I am. My name is Whitney Chakara and I have been in this group for 2 or 3 years but I don't think I've ever participated. I just look at the ..."I feel horrible for not participating but school keeps me busy and I am an English and Creative Writing student which means any reading I do on my own is verrrrrrry slow.
Chakara wrote: "I feel horrible for not participating but school keeps me busy and I am an English and Creative Writing student which means any reading I do on my own is verrrrrrry slow. "Understood. We've all been there.
When the time comes that you do have the time for participating, we'll be here waiting.
Hello All,My name is Holly, and I live in Northern Nevada. I was a homeschool mom for 13 years. I am a violinist and violist. I am currently working on a masters in literature. I am also a swim mom and I have gigantic amounts of time to read at the pool.
My professional literary interest is the long 18th century. I especially like early gothic. Literature I enjoy for fun is usually from the science fiction genre. I especially like Vernor Vinge and Alastair Reynolds.
This summer my goal is to read as widely as possible. I want to get out of the 18th century for awhile. I am very much looking forward to Bleak House and The Golden Ass. It is always more fun to read in a group so I'm looking forward to the discussions of these great works!
Holly
Hollyinnnv wrote: "Hello All,My name is Holly, and I live in Northern Nevada. I was a homeschool mom for 13 years. I am a violinist and violist. I am currently working on a masters in literature. I am also a swim mo..."
Welcome, Holly! Sounds like you will enjoy the resources of Goodreads. I know a number of other homeschool moms and lit majors are here, too. Although I went to a one-room school for eight years and my mother had been a teacher herself, the thought of home schooling still overwhelms me. And I have a least one cousin who has done it.
Hello Everyone.I am a new member (joined in the middle of the current reads) and am looking forward to participating in earnest when Bleak House gets underway. Although I am a bit intimidated by the erudite and articulate minds here, I fully intend to work past my shyness and actively join in.
I am a former professional opera singer (7 years) who, because I like to eat regularly and pay my bills on time, took my career in another direction. Currently, I am an accounting & finance director for a mid-size Federal government IT contractor just outside of Washington D.C.
Reading is an overarching passion. It stimulates my intellect(Dickens, DFW), soothes my soul (Proust, Trollope), awakens me to beauty (Eng, Proust again), teaches me (always)and provides pure, unabashed entertainment (Stout, Christie, Sanderson). I would read the back of a cereal box if nothing else was available. My reading interests run the gamut.
I am so glad to have found this group and appreciate all those who have worked so hard and contributed so eloquently.
Hi Lily,Thanks for the welcome! Looking forward to Bleak House.
Holly
Hollyinnnv wrote: "Hello All,My name is Holly, and I live in Northern Nevada. I was a homeschool mom for 13 years. I am a violinist and violist. I am currently working on a masters in literature. I am also a swim mo..."
Delighted to have you with us, and to give you some nice long books to fill those swim mom hours!
If you like early Gothic, I'm sure you know the Mysteries of Udolpho, which was my first true Gothic when I read it for another book group. May I also assume that you know Austen's Northanger Abbey? If by some chance not, you should!
And a violinist and violist. Wow. My sister played the cello for many years (I never mastered any string instruments, but was a brass player -- French Horn mostly, but also Baritone, trombone, and Flugelhorn.)
Delighted to have you with us, and look forward to your comments on Bleak House and the Golden Ass.
Hi Everyman,Thanks for the welcome.
Yes, I enjoyed both Udolpho and Northanger. For Radcliffe, I also read The Italian, and I thought it was a little more controlled and balanced. Have you read Peacock's Nightmare Abbey? It's a hoot!
When I tell people I like 18th c gothic, I always mention The Monk by Gregory Lewis and Melmoth the Wanderer by Maturin. Those are my favorites. Have you read them?
And you are a brass player. I love the brass-especially when Mahler, Shostakovitch and Richard Strauss writes for them! What a fabulous family of instruments. We are all string players in my household- 3 violists and a harpist. I recently got to accompany my harpist daughter playing the Debussy Danses and it was a highlight of my life!
Holly
Paula wrote: "Hello Everyone.I am a new member (joined in the middle of the current reads) and am looking forward to participating in earnest when Bleak House gets underway. Although I am a bit intimidated by ..."
I said a brief Hi to your comment in the poll thread, but am happy to offer a fuller welcome here. We now have two new musicians -- we're getting close to being able to try an online Renaissance ensemble!
Good to see another Trollope and Stout lover -- two of my (many, I fear!) favorite authors for more relaxing reading to mix in with the heavier hitters. Which Sanderson are you referring to, btw?
Everyman wrote: "Paula wrote: "Hello Everyone.I am a new member (joined in the middle of the current reads) and am looking forward to participating in earnest when Bleak House gets underway. Although I am a bit i..."
Sanderson - Brandon Sanderson. If I want fantasy, I go to him. Although...it's a genre I have been visiting less and less over the past couple of years.
Trollope - he is my chicken soup, the ultimate comfort food. And Rex Stout - my mother introduced me to his novels when I was a young teen. I have read and reread the Nero Wolfe novels for decades - I never get tired of them. Ok, and now I have to go upstairs to my bookcases and retrieve a stack of them :).
With both Trollope and Stout, when I enter their worlds, I am completely immersed.
Paula wrote: Trollope - he is my chicken soup, the ultimate comfort food. And Rex Stout - my mother introduced me to his novels when I was a young teen. I have read and reread the Nero Wolfe novels for decades - I never get tired of them. Ok, and now I have to go upstairs to my bookcases and retrieve a stack of them :)."I read a long time ago that Trollope was the perfect bedside book. Interesting enough to be delightful to read, but not so immersive that it's impossible to put him down when it's time to turn out the light, and not so terrifying to make it a challenge to get to sleep. There are still a few of his I haven't read, but Phineas Finn is my current bedside book, and I'll probably keep going through the Palliser series, though I don't enjoy them as much as the Barsetshire (but they're not due for yet another re-reading quite yet.)
Stout, I agree totally. My father introduced me to him over fifty years ago, and I've read every one of his Wolfe books multiple times. Hmmm. I wonder whether a Nero Wolfe group on Goodreads would garner any interest -- reading through the whole canon in order?
Everyman wrote: "Paula wrote: Trollope - he is my chicken soup, the ultimate comfort food. And Rex Stout - my mother introduced me to his novels when I was a young teen. I have read and reread the Nero Wolfe novels..."Regarding The incomparable Nero Wolfe...you read my mind. After I posted about him, I found myself looking for a Group exploring the novels. We can't be the only two who love those books.
And yes, Trollope's books are the perfect bedside companions.
Paula wrote: "Everyman wrote: "Paula wrote: Trollope - he is my chicken soup, the ultimate comfort food. And Rex Stout - my mother introduced me to his novels when I was a young teen. I have read and reread the ..."No, you are not the only two who enjoy his books. They are wonderful reading.
Paula wrote: "I am a former professional opera singer (7 years) who, because I like to eat regularly and pay my bills on time, took my career in another direction."You must have some fascinating stories! I am an opera enthusiast. I am not a very knowledgezble one, but an enthusiast just the same. :-) As a piano performance major in college, I had to attend certain concerts. At one of these concerts, I heard "Vissi d'arte" performed and have been hooked ever since. Opera is a fascinating genre to me and I am jealous that you have gotten to experience that world behind the scenes!
Genni wrote: "Paula wrote: "I am a former professional opera singer (7 years) who, because I like to eat regularly and pay my bills on time, took my career in another direction."You must have some fascinating ..."
It is a magical art form :)
I've been an interested lurker now for quite a while, and thought it was time I introduced myself.I am Jenny, freelance contemporary dancer and therefore constant traveller, mostly either to be found in Germany where I am from and still have my base or Northern Ireland where I often work. Imagine English with a German AND a Northern Irish lilt, I was told it's quite amusing.
I think my comfort zone with literature has always been literary fiction, a lot of it from 20th and 21st century and poetry. It is contemporary poetry, namely Anne Carson, a great poet, translator and professor of the classics who might have the biggest share in sparking my interest for the Ancient Greeks. Another holder of shares there is certainly my interest in philosophy.
I won't be the most active of members I imagine, but I will try and join in with some of the great reading choices this group offers.
For the rest: I am deeply appreciating the opportunity to lurk, and I blame you all already for having spent a Saturday morning reading my way through your Plato discussions when in fact I should have been busy filling in a tax report.
Jenny wrote: "I've been an interested lurker now for quite a while, and thought it was time I introduced myself."And we're glad you came out of the cornfield onto the literary field of dreams.
A dancer, eh? We're getting very artistic here with recent introductions by musicians, singers, et. al.
I do encourage you to join in the discussions -- it makes things more interesting for everybody the more people who share their thoughts.
As to causing you to spend a Saturday morning with Plato rather than with taxes, I consider that a basis not for blame but for rejoicing!
Alice wrote: "Hello everyone, My name is Alice and I'm a French student at university (in History and English). I'm really interested in Classics and I've been introduced to them a few times already but I feel..."
Welcome! Too bad we didn't have you with us when we read Les Miserables -- we could have used your French expertise -- but your interest in classics has brought you to the right place. We're just wrapping up ten weeks with Plato, so you're here just in time to start Bleak House with us -- a true classics of the Western Canon. First we'll have a two week intellectual palate cleanser in a short Interim Read, then right into what many, if not most, think is Dickens's greatest work, and a candidate for the best English novel ever written.
Glad to have you with us for the journey!
Alice wrote: " I can't wait to start Bleak House (even though I've never heard of it...shame on me!). "No shame on you. But maybe a bit of shame on your teachers to let you get this far in your education without hearing of it! :)
I've been lurking in this group for awhile, and just realized I never introduced myself. I'm Rebecca, and I've always loved reading. I read Pride and Prejudice when I was in third or fourth grade, but other than that I didn't read classics until the last year or two. My Kindle has really helped with that, since most of the are free. I love the Victorian novels, especially Trollope. I read the Palliser and Barsetshire series last year, and loved them.
I too think it is time to stop being a "lurker" and begin participating. I'm a married father of two (18 months and one month old) who usually only finds time to read on lunch breaks at work because life is so hectic with young children. I served in the Air Force for ten years before using the GI Bill to return to school. I earned a B.A. and M.A. in English from the University of Texas at San Antonio. After I graduated I moved from the vibrant atmosphere and energy of San Antonio to rural Ohio to work for the government. I didn't find many people here who enjoyed reading, so I began to explore book clubs online. That's how I found this group. Graduate school showed me how much I still have to learn about literature. I look forward to gaining new insights and being prompted to read books I might not choose to read on my own.
Rebecca wrote: "I've been lurking in this group for awhile, and just realized I never introduced myself. I'm Rebecca, and I've always loved reading. I read Pride and Prejudice when I was in third or fourth grade..."Glad you decided to emerge from the just in time to enter Dickens's fog. (Okay, that was a stretch, but...)
I agree totally about Trollope, and I think he's starting to come back into favor. One thing I appreciate about him is his scope -- the ability to write about both the clerical life and the political life and do both well. And his other novels also show his scope as an author, from his Irish novels to his great The Way We Live Now.
You didn't mention Dickens, but I hope you're going to enjoy Bleak House!
Jeremy wrote: "I too think it is time to stop being a "lurker" and begin participating. I'm a married father of two (18 months and one month old) who usually only finds time to read on lunch breaks at work becau..."I love when lurkers become participants. Bleak House is a great book to unlurk with, because it's a delightful read but also has an incredible amount of variety and depth to discuss.
Ah, two young ones at home -- they do take a lot of time, don't they? But they're delightful, as I know both from my own three and now from four grandchildren I see every day.
Glad to have you joining the active ranks.
Everyman wrote: "Rebecca wrote: "I've been lurking in this group for awhile, and just realized I never introduced myself. I'm Rebecca, and I've always loved reading. I read Pride and Prejudice when I was in third..."I read A Tale of Two Cities a few weeks ago, and finished Great Expectations the other day. I loved the first one, but didn't like Great Expectations as much, but it was still good. I'm planning to read Bleak House with the group. I usually read books in a day or less, but maybe reading at a slower pace will help me with Dickens.
Rebecca wrote: "I usually read books in a day or less, but maybe reading at a slower pace will help me with Dickens. "It will also give you a chance to read more the way Dickens intended, not all at once but gradually, the book developing slowly for you at the same time as your life goes on. I realize that ten weeks is much shorter than twenty months (nearly two years), but it's closer to the original than reading it in a few days.
Hi folks. I have been reading along with the group now for a few years on and off. I think the last book I followed along with was Swann's way. I don't have a lot to add, however I appreciate all of the insight everyone brings to the group. I am following along with Bleak House. Thanks for allowing us lurkers to follow along.
Robert wrote: " Thanks for allowing us lurkers to follow along. "We're pleased to have you enjoying the discussion, and if you are more comfortable being shy that's okay, but would also love to have you add to it. There's so much in this book that everybody can add their different insights that will add to the reading pleasure.
I am a retired high school mathematics teacher. I am trying to get more classics or different genres into my reading. I like the varied look of your bookshelf here and thought this group might be a good fit for me.
Kathy wrote: "I am a retired high school mathematics teacher. I am trying to get more classics or different genres into my reading. I like the varied look of your bookshelf here and thought this group might be a..."Glad you found us! Yes, if you want to get more classics into your reading, we're the right place to come to. We don't read as many books in a year as some other groups, but we dig into them in greater depth and, I believe, with a high quality of comments.
We're about halfway through Bleak House, so it may be a bit of a challenge to catch up, but if you give it a go we'd be delighted to have you join the discussion. Or you could wait for the next major book, The Golden Ass by Apuleius, the only complete extant Roman novel.
Hello!I just noticed this topic, so I thought I'd say hi. =] I'm just a few short months away from graduating my local university with a degree in secondary English education. I was briefly part of an in-person book club, which I loved, but had to leave because of scheduling conflicts. I'm also finished with all of my lit classes (for now, at least!) Very simply, I missed the discussions and thought I might try an online group. When I'm not working on school, I'm either reading, writing, or messing around on the violin. I've also been known to knit a little and lose at chess.
I'm afraid this is the first time in several years I've been part of an online community, so I'm still getting the hang of keeping up with topics and html and all that wonderful stuff. This looks like a great community, though, and I like looking through all the discussions. =]
See you around the forums!
Hope wrote: "Hello!I just noticed this topic, so I thought I'd say hi. =] I'm just a few short months away from graduating my local university with a degree in secondary English education. I was briefly part ..."
Welcome! You'll figure it out soon enough.
We're about at the end of Bleak House -- the last segment will be posted for discussion on Wednesday-- but if you know the book, feel free to jump in with comments. Otherwise, the week after (October 1st) I'll post an Interim Read, which is a short "palate cleanser" and break before we start our next major work, Apuleius's The Golden Ass. (The Interim Read break also means that one doesn't have to start the next book until the discussion of the current selection is finished. I dislike groups where one book follows right on another, because if I start the new book early I lose focus on the end of the discussion of the current one, but if I keep focus on the current one then I'm already behind when the new one starts. If that makes sense!)
Anyhow: October 1-14 - Interim Read (they are never announced in advance, but they're always available online and can be read in an hour or two at most).
Then on October 15 we start Apuleius. Hope you can join us for these journeys.
Everyman wrote: "Welcome! ... Thanks so much for the welcome! I really like the idea of the mini-read and I look forward to what's coming. Does this group ever stray into any other genres like poetry or nonfiction, or does it typically hold to novels?
Hope wrote: "Everyman wrote: "Welcome! ... Thanks so much for the welcome! I really like the idea of the mini-read and I look forward to what's coming. Does this group ever stray into any other genres like poetry or nonfiction, or does it typically hold to novels? "
If you look at the past selections we've read (either by cruising the discussions, or more quickly by checking out the Read bookshelf) you'll see that indeed we do other genres.
I'm not sure we've done actual history yet, although we've nominated Tacitus, Herodotus, Thucydides, among others, but they haven't won yet. But we've done plenty of poetry -- the Iliad and Odyssey, the Divine Comedy, Paradise Lost, The Canterbury Tales, and shorter poetic works for Interim Reads including Wordsworth's Tintern Abbey and The Old Cumberland Beggar. We've done drama -- Antigone, Medea, Oedipus Rex, the Orestia. We've done philosophy: Plato's Republic and several other dialogues, the Consolation of Philosophy. We've done essays. We've done historical documents -- the Declaration of Independence, King's Letter from Birmingham City Jail.
So yes, we do a LOT more than just novels!
Good MorningI found this while looking through some likely groups. I've embarked on the 1001 project and I'm thinking that some reading groups with mini projects will help keep me motivated through the years...
I was a real book reader when I was younger but I've let it drop off a lot over the last few years due in part to the lure of the computer so it's nice to feel that the computer is playing a huge part is getting me reading 'good books' again :-)
Nicola wrote: "Good MorningI found this while looking through some likely groups. I've embarked on the 1001 project and I'm thinking that some reading groups with mini projects will help keep me motivated thro..."
Welcome.
I'm not sure what you're looking for in mini-projects -- most of our reads here are major works which we discuss at length -- but you're welcome to come look around and see whether we fit with your needs at this time.
Thanks, by mini projects I mean different ways of reading books, this one is obviously a much slower project, one major book at a time. I've always like dissecting text; once I've read a good book I often look in Shmoop or other online sources to look for deeper meanings that I might have missed.
I had one question regarding the group read. When should I start reading the next book? It says it will start on the 15th of October but for other group reads this is often the point where discussion starts and the book is expected to have been read by then by quite a few people. Spoilers are mostly avoided but it's not a cast iron gurantee.
Is this similar? I don't know where else to ask this question. You seem to only read in sections (which is going to be difficult for me as I tend to devour books once I get involved in them - if I am going to have to only read a chunk at a time I think I'll find that torturous. )
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)
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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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I joined because of my love for ancient literature, whether epics, poetry, plays, exegeses, or polemic articles on philosophy. Can't wait to read the next one by Plato. :)