Classics and the Western Canon discussion
Introductions
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Please introduce yourself~
Patrice wrote: "tamara, wouldn't you say that the students are exploited as well? seems the quality of instruction has declined."I agree. When I first started teaching, I was shocked to learn from my students that they read very little literature in high school. They told me that instead of requiring them to read a novel, for example, their teachers would show them the movie based on the novel.
Hello, I just posted on the planning for our next read thread, and realized I hadn't introduced myself.This is a great group, but I became active on GR only last month, and missed the discussion of Plato's Republic.
Picked up THE BLITHEDALE ROMANCE and hope to catch up on that soon.
Hi, Christopher. Welcome to the group. You can still post comments on the Plato discussion.
Christopher wrote: "Hello, I just posted on the planning for our next read thread, and realized I hadn't introduced myself.This is a great group, but I became active on GR only last month, and missed the discussion ..."
Welcome. Not a problem posting on any thread before introduction, but am glad you did come and say hello.
Any information you feel comfortable sharing about your self and your background in reading (not looking for anything too personal, but things like what country you're from, how long you've been reading the classics, your special interests, that sort of thing) would be of interest as we get to know you here. But if you prefer to be more private, no problem there, either.
Cphe wrote: "Morning all,Just joined - I'm intending to read Ulysses commencing June 16th.
In my GR's travels this group and the discussion on Ulysses was mentioned.
Looking forward to reading those discuss..."
Welcome! I think you'll find the Ulysses discussion posts, which you can find by going to the discussions link and scrolling down, helpful as you read it. And if you decide to post there yourself, even though the discussion has officially ended, the threads remain open and available and you're likely to get a response.
Hi I'm Nate Lombardo. A chemistry pre-med at Creighton with an uncanny interest in literature, at least that's how my colleagues and professors put it, but I got really excited when I saw the discussion boards because I have read almost all and moreover they are some of my favorites. It's hard to find friends to talk to about reading and literature. Apparently chemistry majors don't take much interest in literature, and I pity them. Anyways, great to be here. Look forward to some interesting discussions in the future.
Nate wrote: "Hi I'm Nate Lombardo. A chemistry pre-med at Creighton with an uncanny interest in literature, at least that's how my colleagues ..."Welcome to the group. An uncanny interest in literature makes you totally normal in this group.
It's hard to find friends to talk to about reading and literature.
I assume you mean in the outside world. I this little world here, it's hard NOT to find friends to talk to about reading and literature!
Hi all! I'm a copy editing assistant/English student finishing my degree and looking for some stimulating literature discussions on the side!I read about 10-12 books a month, usually varying between classics, philosophy, poetry, humor and modern lit. Favorite authors include Graham Greene, Henry James, Carson McCullers and Charles Dickens.
Hi, Junnelle. Welcome to the group.
Nell wrote: "Hi all! I'm a copy editing assistant/English student finishing my degree and looking for some stimulating literature discussions on the side!."Welcome. If you're looking for stimulating literature discussions, you've come to the right place.
Speaking of place, is that landscape you're using as your avatar where you live? It looks beautiful. Or are you stuck in a city somewhere and that's just your dream escape? Any way, it looks like the perfect place to lean back on a hillock and read for hours.
Thanks!It's a photo I took of St. Margaret's Loch in Edinburgh. Just over the crest of the hill you can glimpse the old chapel ruins.
I know that place well, Nell. My parents live not too far away, in Portobello. One of the things I love most about Edinburgh is Holyrood Park in the midst of the city. It's amazing to have such an open space.
Hello all--I'm Bryan, an engineer for a towboat pushing barges up and down the Mississippi. The Canon came up in another forum I spend a lot of time in, and I came over to GR to see if there was a group dedicated to it. Frankly, I get intimidated by the classics of antiquity, although what I've found so far is that, for the most part, they are easier digested than I feared. Not having any background in literature other than what I've picked up over the years, I don't know how much I'll comment, but I'll probably be listening in. I did start De Officiis, and plan to keep up with the schedule--very happy for the nudge.
Bryan wrote: "Hello all--I'm Bryan, an engineer for a towboat pushing barges up and down the Mississippi. The Canon came up in another forum I spend a lot of time in, and I came over to GR to see if there was a ..."Welcome, Bryan! Hope we do hear your voice. I believe the range of the lives we live makes for the depth of our conversations here.
Hi, Bryan! I have to say, that sounds like a perfect job to go in tow with Twain's Life on the Mississippi.
Thanks for the welcome, Lilly and Nell!As far as Twain--well, let's just say a fellow can get enough of the Mississippi after working on it for a couple decades. ;-)
Hi, I'm Catalin and I live in Italy. I study Greek and Latin and I really like classics, now we are translating Cicero and Cornelius Nepos, my classmates and I even translated one or two paragraphs from De Officiis.
Welcome, Catailin. In which part of Italy do you live?
Benvenuta, Ionut!I know, it as a lame of a joke, but this kind of joke is my speciality.
Bryan wrote: "Hello all--I'm Bryan, an engineer for a towboat pushing barges up and down the Mississippi. The Canon came up in another forum I spend a lot of time in, and I came over to GR to see if there was a ..."Glad you found us. I imagine that engineering for a towboat might allow for some downtime for reading -- what else is there to do on a towboat when you're off duty?-- but I'm sure there's a lot more to it than I imagine.
Where I live, on the west side of San Juan Island (Washington State), I see towboats towing barges up and down the Haro Strait all the time. It's seldom that there isn't either a freighter or a barge, or both, in view -- it's the main channel for access to Vancouver, B.C., and Bellingham, Washington as well as the refineries in Anacortes, Washington.
Yes, the classics are for the most part very accessible once you get past the intimidation factor. They were, after all, written for ordinary people, not for scholars. In the 19th century there were literature reading and discussion groups in most communities, and lecturers like Emerson, Thoreau, Dickens, Twain, and many others would travel around giving lectures and readings from their works -- very popular when the options for entertainment didn't include radio or TV (and of course no Internet, DVDs, etc.!) I like to think that we are keeping that tradition alive here.
The one thing I would ask of you is that you don't feel intimidated by us and hold back from the discussions. We really are a friendly crew and welcome any and all opinions, whether from folks who have bee reading these books for most of their lives or those who are coming to them more freshly.
Ionut wrote: "Hi, I'm Catalin and I live in Italy. I study Greek and Latin and I really like classics, now we are translating Cicero and Cornelius Nepos, my classmates and I even translated one or two paragraphs..."Welcome, Catalin! Do share your Cicero translations with us! Are you translating into Italian, into English, or into some other language?
Living there in the homeland of Cicero, even though separated by a few years [g], you might have special insights for us, especially as I expect you know the history of the Roman empire much better than most of us -- certainly much better than I know it.
We translate into Italian, and to say the truth I never tried so translate into English because I'm not that good in English, I'm not even that good in Latin but with a vocabulary and patience I can make it. We translated paragraph 122 and 123, so I'll try to translate it in English.
Good afternoon y'all, my name is Joe. I work at a tobacco shop in Alabama, and I enjoy the classics especially dramas and the Victorians. Look forward to learning more.
Hello, Joe. Welcome to the group.
Joe wrote: "Good afternoon y'all, my name is Joe. I work at a tobacco shop in Alabama, and I enjoy the classics especially dramas and the Victorians. Look forward to learning more."Welcome, Joe. What are some of your favorite classic works?
Afternoon Everyman, Austin(s), Sir Conan Doyle, Matthew Lewis, Radcliffe, Dickens. The usual list of suspects from the Victorian era. Oh, just thought of Hopkins too.
Joe wrote: "Afternoon Everyman, Austin(s), Sir Conan Doyle, Matthew Lewis, Radcliffe, Dickens. The usual list of suspects from the Victorian era. Oh, just thought of Hopkins too."Good list, except what happened to Hardy and Trollope? [g]
Matthew Lewis, eh? I don't know him. Will have to look him up.
Lewis wrote The Monk. A unique take on the Gothic themes. Little more of the decline into madness and corruption than the 'enemy' from the outset like Stoker in my opinion.
Oh yes, two other greats. Hard to think of everyone.
Oh yes, two other greats. Hard to think of everyone.
Ah, The Monk. I know the book, but I never focused on the author. My bad.
The Monk was published before Lewis turned twenty. It is a gothic novel with everything!
It really is a fine example of the genre. The understanding of both the form of genre and the observations on humanity are just worth reading.
Hi all! I'm a college student in LA, interested in literature, theater, and film. I'm more attracted to imaginative literature than to philosophy, but looking to broaden my reading list, and this seems like a good place to read a bit of both. I'm currently halfway through Bleak House, and my favorite books are King Lear, The Sound and the Fury, Wuthering Heights, Dubliners, and the Aeneid.
Maxwell wrote: "Hi all! I'm a college student in LA, interested in literature, theater, and film. I'm more attracted to imaginative literature than to philosophy, but looking to broaden my reading list, and this s..."Welcome. This is indeed a good place to read both literature and philosophy, and equally important to discuss them. Glad to have you with us.
Hi all, I just realized that there was this introduction thread. I have already been commenting elsewhere and so far it has been a
great pleasure to be in this fantastic group. From the comments above, I can recognize wonderful Rosemarie and great Rafael from another Goodreads group :-)
I enjoy reading classics, and I highly appreciate that this group reads classic non-fictions, a category not easily found elsewhere.
Hi, Ying Ying, nice to see you here. Welcome.
Ying Ying wrote: "Hi all, I just realized that there was this introduction thread. I have already been commenting elsewhere and so far it has been a
great pleasure to be in this fantastic group. From the comments..."
Welcome! Glad you found us, and that you found friends already waiting here to greet you. Though I know it won't be long before you make plenty of new friends -- anybody who loves reading the classics is an instant friend.
Yes, we do read a good mix of classic fiction and non-fiction. Which, as you noted, is unusual for Goodreads, so it's great that you discovered us.
Hi, Ying Ying. It's great to found you here too. I guess that you will enjoy this group, too.
Everyman wrote: "Ying Ying wrote: "Hi all, I just realized that there was this introduction thread. I have already been commenting elsewhere and so far it has been a
great pleasure to be in this fantastic group...."
Thank you, Everyman! That is a very friendly and positive message of yours. I am more excited than ever to be here with you all :-)
Rafael wrote: "Hi, Ying Ying. It's great to found you here too. I guess that you will enjoy this group, too."Thank you, Rafael! :-)
Hi everyone!Here I am (thanks for the invite, Everyman)! I'm a physician (nephrologist, to be precise) and literature afficionado currently living in California. Being an English major in college I am more familiar with stuff from that island (esp 19th and early 20th century English lit) but I love the Russians and French too.
This group is particularly exciting as it seems to cover a lot of the Greco-Roman classics. I have made some headway into classical Greek literature (Homer, a handful of tragedies) but have not read a single book originally written in Latin, so I really look forward to correcting that here! Also am excited about the philosophical works.
Shelley wrote: "Hi everyone!Here I am (thanks for the invite, Everyman)! I'm a physician (nephrologist, to be precise) and literature afficionado currently living in California. Being an English major in college..."
Glad to have you join us! As far as I'm aware, you're the first nephrologist I've ever met. Which in one way, I suppose, is fortunate, but I'm happy to meet one nonprofessionally!
We have read most of the major Greek works, except Aristotle, but since we have gained members over the years we're starting to recycle back to some of those works we read in our earlier years, on the sound principle that these books deserve rereading, so you may get a crack at them here yet. But meanwhile, I think we have plenty of great reading in store yet.
Hi everyone, I'm RC in London. I'm a lecturer in Renaissance literature but my 'off-duty' reading is more eclectic. Looking forward to discussing lots of books outside of my own area. I guess I'll skip Cicero and join in on the next group read!
Classics and the Western Canon
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I'm envious that you have that resource available. I have been thinking of learning Latin (again -- I did two years in high school and presumably passed, but remember almost nothing from it), but trying to do it on one's own is a challenge I'm not up to yet.