The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion
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Extending Group Timeline
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I think it might be good to extend it by a few years, but not too far. And any date is going to cut some writers' careers in half... but how about 1920? This would allow us to include (for instance) The Good Soldier, The Age of Innocence, and much of DH Lawrence and Willa Cather, but would end before what I tend to think of as the modern era (ie Ulysses in 1922). Or 1918 might make more sense as an historical divide.
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This would allow us to include (for instan..."
Sounds good.
What was the initial rationale behind the 1910 cutoff date, just out of interest?
Pip wrote: "What was the initial rationale behind the 1910 cutoff date, just out of interest?"Christopher would be able to answer that better than me as we was one of the groups original founders. I came into moderating a bit farther down the line.
Sorry my iPod did post without me using the "done" button... :-(That is a difficult question. As Emma said it would be nice to extend the period a little, but difficult to decide what should fall into it and where the cutoff should be. E.g. Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time series might be interesting to do as a Group Read as well, but it ends I think in 1927.
Options might be a prolongation by 8, 10 or 15-20 years. The golden twenties might be interesting in that respect, too, which would include works like the Great Gatsby.
I always figured that 1910 was end of the Edwardian. And Lots of Victorians spill over. Also, Not yet WWI or pre-WWI in theme.
Honestly, what drew me to the group was it nineteenth century focus. So many great writers. I'm not gonna ditch if the timeline is extended, but maybe the extension needs to be decided by case. For example, Edith Wharton published House of Mirth before 1910, but Age of Innocence after. I would think a case could be made for reading AoI without necessarily "extending the timeline."
Another possibility is to do a once-a year option (say October) that would go perhaps through WWI. I know other groups that use a technique like that to add flexibility to otherwise firm guidelines. I have no strong preferences, but I do agree that Ulysses and perhaps some of Lawrence spills over into what is usually called "modern literature." If the span is increased, either beginning or end of WWI would seem reasonable possibilities. Personally, I don't think Proust fits in the traditional scope of this board any more than does Joyce, but not sure I can articulate the reasoning behind that viewpoint, especially since I suspect discussing either with these members could be fruitful.
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Frances wrote: "I'm going to contradict myself and agree with Renee here-I do want to keep the focus on 19tth century lit and would agree on a case by case extension. While no one questions the value of literature..."Do you have a suggestion on how to make "case-by-case" manageable for the moderators, or for whomever will have to make the decisions?
A brief discussion in the nomination thread. Or, if the mods feel that would be a distraction, a separate thread for the discussion of nominations. Something like "I'm nominating The Forsyte Saga, published between 1906-1921. It follows a family from Victorians into Turn of Century. Any objections?" Or "if you have objections, vote for something else."
Renee wrote: "A brief discussion in the nomination thread. Or, if the mods feel that would be a distraction, a separate thread for the discussion of nominations..."That sounds like a good idea.
I would like to see an extension through the WWI era...until 1918. And if a author's work goes beyond that timeframe, we have the option to read then novel even if it was published after 1918. If that makes sense...
Lynnm wrote: " And if a author's work goes beyond that timeframe, we have the option to read then novel even if it was published after 1918. If that makes sense... "Lynnm -- please try saying that an additional way. As it stands, I have given it at least two interpretations.
I agree with Lynn that extending to the WW1 era would be good, perhaps to the 'roaring 20s' to show the war's aftermath, especially as it affected women.
Lily - for example, we did a Conan Doyle "Sherlock" read here; most of the stories were published before 1910, but some were published after 1910. But I didn't bother to break them down by date. I just used the ones that were most interesting, regardless of the date published. So, if we have an author whose body of works stretch before and after 1918, we should be able to read one of the novels published after 1918 as well as those published before 1918.
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-2866...A fun statement on Toulouse-Lautrec's poster art from Paris in the late 1800's, terminating with his death in 1901. (Watch the video.)
I see that Kate Chopin's novel of 2002 about the 1890s, A Pair of Silk Stockings, is the next read. Has the timeline gone altogether and are we to be reading anything written ABOUT the period??!!
Madge wrote: "I see that Kate Chopin's novel of 2002 about the 1890s, A Pair of Silk Stockings, is the next read. Has the timeline gone altogether and are we to be reading anything written ABOUT the period??!!"You must be referring to the publication date of your book. Kate Chopin, born Katherine O'Flaherty (February 8, 1850 — August 22, 1904) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Chopin
Pip wrote: "What was the initial rationale behind the 1910 cutoff date, just out of interest?"There was a discussion of that early in the history of the group. I don't recall the reason, but it's in the archives and presumably still available.
The more the timeline is extended, the less concentrated focus the group has and the more it just echos many other groups here on Goodreads. I think it's not coincidental that the 1910 timeline reflects the end of the Edwardian period. If we move forward from that period, at least in English literature (which tends to dominate the group) there's no next natural break until 1936.
It also reflects stopping approximately a century before the creation of the group.
Have we exhausted all the literature worth reading in the 1800-1910 time period yet? If so, it makes sense to consider a change. If not, why not do that before moving further on?
When Christopher and I first discussed setting up RR we decided that the classics of the Victorian and Edwardian eras were the ones which interested us the most and those we canvassed to join us agreed. 1910 was the year of Edward VII's death. More recently the group discussed taking in the First World War (1914-1918) because in many ways that really concluded the Edwardian era and ushered in a more modern one. 'Modernist' literature is perhaps less likely to suit the majority of readers here and there are more suitable GR groups to join but a vote can be taken if sufficient people want one. (I had also suggested above that we might include the 'Roaring 20s' which were the aftermath of WWI.)
Madge wrote: "When Christopher and I first discussed setting up RR we decided that the classics of the Victorian and Edwardian eras were the ones which interested us the most and those we canvassed to join us ag..."Yes, I remember those early days when Christopher and I were discussing what he could learn from the successful group I had created, and how he could create a group which would complement it and benefit from the lessons already learned.
In September 2010, just after the group was founded, Christopher wrote this about the timeline in the Introduction thread:'.....I formed the group a couple of weeks ago just to fill a need. I think I have always liked the idea of a group that spans a period of time that includes some of the very best literature written, i.e., late-18th century to the early-20th century. I was always very interested in opening it up to literature from other cultures in that time period, and especially ensuring that we included a strong emphasis on poetry....'
Chris and I had experienced problems in another group which did not like us using quotes and background information so we both wanted a group which would encourage that because we think it enriches the reading experience.
Jan our resident Poetess (who I had the great pleasure of meeting in Hardy country in 2012) did a lot to keep the poetry sections going, as Chris wanted, but they seem to have fallen by the wayside recently:(
If folks do want to change the timeline I think Chris should be consulted.
In our American Authors thread Chris along with others brought up the idea of an extension of the group timeline which is what lead to me creating this thread.
Thanks Silver. Did he give any indication of when he thought we should extend it to?
He suggested the possibility of 1930, but also left it somewhat vague and open. To be exact:
Christopher wrote: Or, why didn't we go to 1930, or something... ."
Up until 1930 would take in the Roaring Twenties which are thought of as the aftermath of WWI. Feminism also began to take hold then with the Flappers, the raising of hemlines etc.
Madge wrote: "Up until 1930 would take in the Roaring Twenties which are thought of as the aftermath of WWII. Feminism also began to take hold then with the Flappers, the raising of hemlines etc."I assume you meant WWI?
Sorry, yes, have changed.
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I wanted to get input and feedback from fellow members about what you think of the idea of extending our group timeline and what do you think would be a good cut off date for the group?