Group Read Book Suggestions

[Captain Sir Roddy, R.N. (Ret.), Founder]

I am starting this folder to give us a place to leave "notes" or "suggestions" for the group to consider as we move forward. Please use this folder as a 'chalkboard' to capture your passing thoughts about books that you think might be suitable books for the group to read and discuss. Cheers!

[Captain Sir Roddy, R.N. (Ret.), Founder]

I would like to offer that I would love to read and discuss with all of you the following novels--



Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Villette
The Way We Live Now
The Mill on the Floss

[Everyman]

Christopher wrote: "I am starting this folder to give us a place to leave "notes" or "suggestions" for the group to consider as we move forward. Please use this folder as a 'chalkboard' to capture your passing though..."

Three initial thoughts.

1: I would like to see us work in some lesser known works, ones that were very popular or important in their day, but have mostly fallen out of the classic canon. I think,for example, of Blackmore's Lorna Doone, which was very widely read in its day, but is not much read today. Then there is George Gissing, a widely read realist with a number of novels to his credit; Charles Kingsley (I read his Westward Ho fifty years ago, but would be glad to revisit it; he also had other works worth reading such as Hereward the Wake and his classic The Water Babies); George MacDonald, who was admired by, among others, Tolkein, Chesterton, and L'Engle and was a significant influence in getting Alice in Wonderland published (there is a photograph extant showing him with Tennyson, Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Trollope, Ruskin, Lewes, and Thackeray) -- perhaps his best known novels are The Princess and the Goblin and At the Back of the North Wind; Thackeray's Barry Lyndon; Frances Trollope, perhaps Jonathan Jefferson Whitlaw, which was an anti-slavery novel preceding and to some extent inspiring Uncle Tom's Cabin; and many others who were in their day well read and respected but are temporarily out of favor (which is not necessarily a comment on their quality; thee was period when Shakespeare was out of favor and virtually forgotten). There are even some now little known works of Hardy and Trollope which are still worth reading.

2. What about some nonfiction? Wealthier Victorians were world class travelers, and there was some superb travel writing during this period, for just one instance -- not only lighter works like Stevenson's Travels with a Donkey, but many more traditional travel works -- Twain's Innocents Abroad, Roughing it, and Following the Equator; Melville's Typee and Omoo, Slocum's Sailing Alone around the World (hard to believe it's over 100 years old), Mary Kingsley's wonderful Travels in West Africa, Frances Trollope's Domestic Manners of the Americans, Halliburton's The Road to Adventure and Seven League Boots, Belloc's The Path to Rome, to name just a few. Then still in the nonfiction genre but beyond the travel genre there was a great deal of political and philosophical writing, along with such seminal works as Dickens's Origin of Species.

3. Humor was a significant aspect of Victorian writing. There is humor in most Victorian novels (less in Hardy than in others!), but there are also many pure comic novels. One of the best known is Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat, but there is much more -- Twain was writing during our period, Ambrose Bierce, and many others.

So far, we've read mostly major or well known works, and the four that you mention are very much in that same mode. I'm suggesting that we mix in some that are not as well known and not as widely read but are still very much worth reading and discussing.

[Hesper]

Speaking of the less traveled path, why not wander away from the English-speaking world for a bit?

Dead Souls
One of the essential novels of Russian literature. Its plot involves one man's clever ploy of increasing his social status by buying "dead souls" (that is, dead serfs, considered legally taxable property and extant on landowner registries until the next census). It has some fabulous language, rich use of metaphor and plenty of grim humor.

Kokoro
Written by Natsume Soseki, Japan's premier Meiji novelist, it explores Japan's transition to modernity in the early 20th century through the unfolding relationship of a student and his Sensei. I think the first review here on GR pretty much sums up what could be expected from it.

Effi Briest
Sometimes referred to as the German Madame Bovary, which is somewhat of a generalization. The adulterous married woman was actually quite the obsession for mid 19th century male writers, though only three, Briest, Bovary and Karenina, are considered classics.

Against Nature
This one is an odd egg. Not much happens, but it does contain probably the funniest funeral scene in 19th century literature. The description of the book here on GR sums up what there is of a plot better than I could.

The Home and the World
Its author, Rabindranath Tagore, a Bengali author, painter and musician, was the first non-European to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. The novel, published in 1916, explores the tension between traditional Indian values and encroaching Western ideas in the early 20th century. If that sounds less than exciting, keep in mind I haven't read it. I have, however, read some of his poetry and short stories, and I can say his use of language is elegant and beautiful.

Mist: A TRAGICOMIC NOVEL
This one was an impulse suggestion based on some scribblings in an old reading journal. I don't know it beyond that; the GR blurb is more extensive than my notes. Probably not very doable because it seems to be hard to find.

[Everyman]

Hesper wrote: "Speaking of the less traveled path, why not wander away from the English-speaking world for a bit? "

That's a good idea, as long as translations are readily available and, one hopes, available preferably on the Internet or if not that, at least on Kindle. I, for one, can at this time not read most paperbacks, which tend to have smaller print, without magnification.

[Lily]

Hesper wrote: "Speaking of the less traveled path, why not wander away from the English-speaking world for a bit?..."

Hesper -- if you were to advocate one of those you suggest, which one would it be and why? (That is probably partially my way of saying I don't know these and am being too lazy, at least tonight, to find out more, even though you have been kind enough to provide us the links.)

[Hesper]

Everyman, I don't know what's available for Kindle, but both Penguin and Oxford Classics have excellent translations of most major works of world literature.

Lily, I'll be editing my post above to add some brief details on each of those suggestions.

[Ellen]

Lily wrote: "Hesper wrote: "Speaking of the less traveled path, why not wander away from the English-speaking world for a bit?..."

Hesper -- if you were to advocate one of those you suggest, which one would it..."

If we were to chose one of these, I'd lean toward "Dead Souls" or "Against Nature", both of which seem easy enough to find. These two seem the most interesting to me. Thanks!

[Leonard]

Hesper wrote: "Speaking of the less traveled path, why not wander away from the English-speaking world for a bit?

Dead Souls
One of the essential novels of Russian literature. Its plot involves ..."

Great idea. Dead Souls is a good choice but because it has no ending and pieces of the manuscript are missing toward the end, it could be frustrating reading it.

I would love to read Kokoro. I'm not familiar with the others but would be interested in reading them.

[MadgeUK]

Hesper wrote: Speaking of the less traveled path, why not wander away from the English-speaking world for a bit?

I would like to wander too Hesper and like the idea of reading something Eastern and as different as Tagore's The Home and the World. It is online BTW, where there is some non-spoiler introductory material:-

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=7E...

[MadgeUK]

Remember folks that we have had problems with people suggesting out-of-the-way or long novels and then not turning up or sticking with the discussion. So if you nominate anything, please be prepared to enter the discussion in May, or even to lead it.

I would like to read something humorous after the 'bleakness' of Jude but can't think of anything at the mo. Perhaps Mary Kingsley's amusing account of her Travels in West Africa? Or I wonder if we could now laugh at Fanny Trollope's disdainful depiction of Domestic Manners of the Americans (1832)? Dea Birkett's Off the Beaten Tack : Three Centuries of Women Travellers might also fit the bill:-

http://www.deabirkett.com/pages/books...

[Captain Sir Roddy, R.N. (Ret.), Founder]

MadgeUK wrote: "Remember folks that we have had problems with people suggesting out-of-the-way or long novels and then not turning up or sticking with the discussion. So if you nominate anything, please be prepare..."

Thanks for the gentle reminder, Madge. And I wouldn't mind something a bit more 'frolicky' [is that even a word?] too. ;-)

[Georgie]

I'd like to suggest The Island of Doctor Moreau as a group read. I read it last year for the first time and found it frightening, surprisingly modern and just a really good read. It has to be up there as one of my favourite books - and it's quite short so easy for everyone to get through. Sorry to say that there aren't many frolicky bits in this one though.

[Rosemary]

I'd very much like to read The Picture of Dorian Gray.

[Captain Sir Roddy, R.N. (Ret.), Founder]

I'd very much like to read "Villette" sometime with all of you. It was a novel that knocked my socks off!

And I still think that we need to do a Trollope soon too. Any takers for "The Way We Live Now" or "The Eustace Diamonds"?

[Everyman]

Christopher wrote: "And I still think that we need to do a Trollope soon too. Any takers for "The Way We Live Now" or "The Eustace Diamonds"? "

Of those, I would prefer The Eustace Diamonds, just because I have read The Way We Live Now several times, but ED only once long ago.

[Kristen]

I vote for The Mill on the Floss per Christopher, a George MacDonald per Everyman, or Kokoro per Hesper. I've read Villette already, so I'd be more interested in reading something new.

[Everyman]

Kristen wrote: "I vote for The Mill on the Floss per Christopher, a George MacDonald per Everyman, or Kokoro per Hesper. I've read Villette already, so I'd be more interested in reading something new."

I just finished re-reading The Mill on the Floss a few weeks ago, so would prefer something else, if it matters.

[Deborah, Moderator]

I'm open to any of them. I've read Mill on the Floss but a while ago. Never read Villette. Love Trollope and haven't read either one of those titles. I believe I have both of them but they are boxed somewhere. Would love Dorian Gray or Dr. Moreau. So I'm basically okay with whatever is chosen.

[Rosemary]

I'd be happy to read anything Russian (I was bummed that I didn't keep up on the Brothers K) or some Trollope. I don't really want to read Villette right after JE. I really DON'T want to re-read Tess (still can't stand Hardy, and we just did Jude, which I tried to re-read but couldn't), but I would try if it was picked by the group. I've never read Elizabeth Gaskell so that would be nice. I'm happy with anything Eliot, although since we did Adam Bede fairly recently, I'd rather give other authors a crack before coming back to her. What about Henry James- Daisy Miller, Washington Square, A Portrait of a Lady? We haven't read any James yet. Or E.M. Forster?

Of course, I'll still campaign for Dorian Gray, but I don't have many other people behind me so I can be a gracious loser. ;-)

[Captain Sir Roddy, R.N. (Ret.), Founder]

We're not really campaigning here, or even nominating. This is a just a place to 'jot down' your ideas about what we might do with future group reads.

I'd have to say that I agree with S. Rosemary that we certainly wouldn't be looking to do a group read of a Hardy or Bronte novel in the near-term.

I do keep a list of books that all of you mention that you'd like to read as I encounter them in our various discussion folders.

[Lily]

Hesper wrote: "...Lily, I'll be editing my post above to add some brief details on each of those suggestions. ..."

Hesper -- thanks for your added notes. In asking for your single choice, I certainly wasn't asking for the elaboration of ALL of them! But, you have tickled my TBR list again -- several of those with which I was unfamiliar sound enticing! Right now, I'd be hard pressed to prefer a particular one! (I don't think I have been reading this thread, at least closely, for awhile. I apologize for taking so long to say "thanks." I realize all the work you did!)

[Captain Sir Roddy, R.N. (Ret.), Founder]

Okay, everyone, I'd like you to start putting your 'thinking cap' on about choosing our next group read to follow on the heels of our "Jane Eyre" group read.

I am going to create a new thread for you to go ahead and post your suggestions. You can pull them from what has been suggested here, or from your own personal 'wish-list' too.

[MadgeUK]

Time to vote for our new book folks, when the poll is set up.

[Ellen]

Caravaggio wrote: "I suggest some of George MacDonald's novels, he's an excellent writer... I am not sure if he's well-known or anything but he did inspire both Tolkien and Lewis as well as other fantasy writers.

Al..."

I would be delighted to read one of MacDonald's novels, Caravaggio. I was introduced to his work when Ballantine Books issued a series of fantasy novels and included a couple of his in the series. Great writing! I would also be behind you in reading Lord Alfred Douglas' poetry; the guy is always assigned full blame for the tragedy of Oscar Wilde's downfall, but it took two to tango, right? ;o)

[MadgeUK]

I am not sure if anyone would take these into consideration XD but I just thought I'd mention them in case anyone is interested.

There are a couple of poetry threads here where you could post some poetry for discussion.