One of the most brilliant books ever written. I've read it three times, and each time glean new information. It is the kind of book that grips you from start to finish. Part murder mystery, part philosophy text, there is so much to gain from each reading. Father Zossima is one of my favorite characters of all time. My most frequently used quote comes from his words:
"Hell is not being able to love."
Notice he didn't say "Hell is not BEING loved." "Hell is not being ABLE to love." Think about everybody that has ever hurt you or driven you crazy with frustration. Isn't it always about how you have withdrawn your love from them, and you are waiting for something from them before you will reinstate them in your regard? That is why forgiveness is so powerful. It redeems you from hell. It doesn't matter if the other person accepts, or even knows about your forgiveness. It frees your heart to love again, so that you can leave off torturing your own soul. Such wisdom. Such a book.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Reflections on the Revolution in France, by Edmund Burke
Burke published this book before Napoleon took power, before the bloodbath of the purges, before the French had beheaded their king. Yet, he predicted that all of that would happen. At first blush, I thought that the man must be a prophet. He fortold it all, in the exact order it would occur, and understood exactly why it would happen. Since that first reading, I have read quite a bit of history, and have learned how Burke did it. He was a genius for certain, but his extraordinary insight came from his extensive study of history. Similar events have occured more than once, under similar circumstances. As Santayana said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Burke remembered a broad span of the past.
His genius extends to more than just prediction. His breadth of understanding of political forces is astounding. He was a British Whig, which was the liberal party of the time, yet he has been claimed by Conservatives as their founding father! He understood the full breadth of political philosophy, and explained it all with crystal clerity. Here is a sample from either end:
From the liberal side--"The world on the whole will gain by liberty, without which virtue cannot exist."
From the conservative side--"The effect of liberty to individuals is, that they may do what they please. We ought to see what it will please them to do, before we risk congratulations, which may be soon turned into complaints."
How true that last quote proved, as the British (and Americans) went from fawning admiration of the French Revolution, to appalled repugnance, within very few years. Read him. It doesn't get any better than this.
His genius extends to more than just prediction. His breadth of understanding of political forces is astounding. He was a British Whig, which was the liberal party of the time, yet he has been claimed by Conservatives as their founding father! He understood the full breadth of political philosophy, and explained it all with crystal clerity. Here is a sample from either end:
From the liberal side--"The world on the whole will gain by liberty, without which virtue cannot exist."
From the conservative side--"The effect of liberty to individuals is, that they may do what they please. We ought to see what it will please them to do, before we risk congratulations, which may be soon turned into complaints."
How true that last quote proved, as the British (and Americans) went from fawning admiration of the French Revolution, to appalled repugnance, within very few years. Read him. It doesn't get any better than this.
Middlemarch, by George Eliot
There are few novels with a theme of self-sacrifice and redemption. Most of the great ones seem to fit in this category. Eliot gives us not one, not two, but three redemption stories in one tender novel. Eliot believed that art should serve a purpose. She said: "If art does not enlarge men's sympathies it does nothing morally. I have had heart-cutting experience that opinions are a poor cement between human souls, and the only effect I ardently long to produce by my writings, is that those who read them should be better able to imagine and to feel the pains and the joys of those who differ from themselves in everything but the broad fact of being struggling, erring human creatures." She achieves this by letting us into the heart and soul of each of her characters. We sympathize fully with both saints and sinners, feeling their exaltation and their grief. Few books have moved me as this one has.
The Jeeves Collection, by P. G. Wodehouse
Most of my favorite books are serious in nature, a learning experience. This is one delightful exception. This book is one of the few that have ever made me laugh out loud while reading it alone. It is hysterically funny. It is "humour" with an "u", that is, British style. Jeeves is the character who started all of those stereotyped butlers who are smarter than their employers. You would think that, since we are so familiar with this kind of character now, we would know what to expect, but Jeeves is a constant surprise. He was the first, and he is still the best. As the title of one of Wodehouses novels has it, he is "the Inimitable Jeeves."
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Excellent Women, by Barbara Pym
Warm, witty and wonderful. Pym gives us glimpses of human nature with all its flaws, but with such sympathy that we cannot help but love her characters. The best novels help us to develop our empathy, or what Eliot called "fellow-feeling," toward mankind. Such books teach us to be as forgiving of the flaws of the characters as we are of our own flaws, and so learn empathy toward real people. This is one of those rare books. It give us glimpses of humanity so close to us that we will smile in recognition of the face in the mirror. I have read this book several times, and find that it never gets old. Pym gives us romance with all of its false starts, hesitancies and doubts still intact, yet leaves us feeling happy in the end that all works out for the best. Literature really doesn't get any better than this.
Discourses, by Epictetus
The ideals of Stoicism are not very popular today. Only the military truly appreciates what they have to offer, and for some that alone is enough to turn them away. Yet, there is no wisdom the world needs more than what Epictetus offers. His insights are so startlingly right, his presentation so witty, his life so exemplary that we would be fools to ignore him. He teaches us, not just to be Men (as the military interprets stoicism), but to be fully Human in the best sense. Here is just a taste:
He denounces the claims of so many that we cannot agree on what to value, or call good, in men. He expounds upon how men choose a good horse, and concludes that soundness reveals itself through a horses endurance while running. "Is there nothing in a man such as running in a horse by which it will be known which is superior and inferior? Is there not modesty, fidelity, justice? Show yourself superior in these, that you may be superior as a man."
"Take care then to do nothing like a wild beast; but if you do, you have lost the character of a man; you have not fulfilled your promise."
"What do you think that Hercules would have been if there had not been such a lion, and hydra, and stag, and bear, and certain unjust and bestial men, whom Hercules used to drive away and clear out? And what would he have been doing if there had been nothing of the kind? Is it not plain that he would have wrapped himself up and have slept? In the first place, then, he would not have been a Hercules, when he was dreaming away all his life in such luxery and ease, and even if he had been one what would have been the use of him? And what the use of his arms, and of the strength of the other parts of his body, and his endurance and noble spirit, if such circumstances and occasions had not roused and exercised him?"
And where would we be without Epictetus?
He denounces the claims of so many that we cannot agree on what to value, or call good, in men. He expounds upon how men choose a good horse, and concludes that soundness reveals itself through a horses endurance while running. "Is there nothing in a man such as running in a horse by which it will be known which is superior and inferior? Is there not modesty, fidelity, justice? Show yourself superior in these, that you may be superior as a man."
"Take care then to do nothing like a wild beast; but if you do, you have lost the character of a man; you have not fulfilled your promise."
"What do you think that Hercules would have been if there had not been such a lion, and hydra, and stag, and bear, and certain unjust and bestial men, whom Hercules used to drive away and clear out? And what would he have been doing if there had been nothing of the kind? Is it not plain that he would have wrapped himself up and have slept? In the first place, then, he would not have been a Hercules, when he was dreaming away all his life in such luxery and ease, and even if he had been one what would have been the use of him? And what the use of his arms, and of the strength of the other parts of his body, and his endurance and noble spirit, if such circumstances and occasions had not roused and exercised him?"
And where would we be without Epictetus?
Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens
The primary factor that places a book among my favorites is that it inspires me to be a better person. This is just such a book. Dickens gives us human greed, human envy and human cruelty in full measure, but also human sympathy, human generosity and human charity in full measure too. This is a coming of age story in which the protagonist opens our eyes to what it means to be a great man. The Great Expectations of the title ultimately deal with the yearning in our own heart to live up to the best that is in us.
The Federalist Papers, by Alexander Hamilton
I spent some part of the day yesterday reviewing my marked up copy of the Federalist Papers. Hamilton's eloquence makes the dry facts of political theory not only palatable, but delicious. Here is a sampling: "It will be forgotten, on the one hand, that jealousy is the usual concomitant of love, and that the noble enthusiasm of liberty is apt to be infected with a spirit of narrow and illiberal distrust. On the other hand, it will be equally forgotten that the vigour of government is essential to the security of liberty...." These noble words of caution are as essential in our day as they were in the precarious dawn of our government. Reading these papers reminds us of the debt we owe to the brilliant men who fashioned our constitution, not out of their own invention, but through dedicated effort at studying every form of government that had ever existed, and gleaning from the lessons of history those principles that would create the very best government imaginable. These essays provide glimpses into the minds of those responsible for that creation. Offered here are the pure principles themselves. Hamilton (and occasionally Jay as well) explains the reasoning behind every nuanced phrase in the constitution. It leaves one feeling grateful for their efforts on our behalf, and better informed about the strength of what has been given us.
A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson
I read it, because so many reviewers talked about how funny it was. I needed a good cheery read, after a series of tragedies (both literary and personal). It was indeed funny in parts, particularly when he talks about the threat of bear attacks. Yes, I know that doesn't sound like a terribly funny subject, but believe me his treatment of it is hysterical. I would put a sampling here, but it would ruin the book for those who might want to read it, by destroying some of the choicer reading experiences herein, rather like one of those movie trailers that end up being funnier than the movie. The reason I say this is that the book is not primarily comedy. The primary intent of the author is to stir in the reader a sense of the value of wilderness, and a desire to preserve it. I'm a sucker for this sentiment already. I thoroughly enjoyed his frequent divergence from the story line to teach us about the history and ecology of the Appalacian Trail. It is an easy, and pleasant read, at most times. I must warn my friends, who are sensitive to such things, that there is some very crude language used occasionally by Bryson's companion along the trail. If you cannot stomach filthy language, steer clear. Otherwise, it is a worthwhile read, giving a sense of the majesty and mystery that is the American wilderness.
Surprised By Joy, by C. S. Lewis
I believe that of all the C. S. Lewis books I've read--and I've read most--this is my favorite. I love his candor. I love his evolving sense of the divine. I love his passion for the literature and natural splendors that shaped his faith. Every conversion is idiosyncratic, and so particular to the individual that it cannot be shared in the broad sense. Yet, the path itself has characteristics that are recognizable by all who have tread it. We have all known the darkness of doubt. We have all suffered the humiliation of being different. We have all had glimpses of joy. Lewis' path is at once engagingly personal, and universally familiar.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Jane Eyre and the Perils of Feminist Deconstruction
It has become popular in recent times to read Jane Eyre from a feminist perspective, and to blame Rochester for the death of Bertha, his first wife. Ever since Derrida encouraged the literary world to look askance at authors' conscious intent, people have been second guessing the classics, and Jane Eyre has been more abused than most. A reinterpretation of Jane Eyre was the foundation of a nuanced, scholarly tomb titled The Madwoman in the Attic by Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar. In it they speculated that Charlotte Bronte was projecting her own resentment toward men on the figure of Rochester's first wife. This deconstructionist/feminist version blames patriarchal society for causing female writers of the nineteenth century to repress their rebellious, demanding, questioning natures. This then, according to their theory, came out in their writing as a dichotomy of female images: the saintly, prim and proper wifely types (like Jane), and the aggressive, hostile, irrepressible madwomen (like Bertha).
Then Jean Rhys' The Wide Sargasso Sea told the story of Rochester's first marriage from Bertha’s point of view. The assumption in this text is that men resent women who are deeply passionate, so much so that they consider them freaks and lunatics. In this text the problem isn't the women at all, but the men who feel threatened by strong women. Rhys' interpretation of the story might be summed up by saying that men's repressed castration anxiety causes them to project this fear onto assertive women, and then they cause hysterical and aggressive responses from a woman as they seek to control her (in this case by locking her up). In essence, she's saying that the first Mrs. Rochester is every oppressed woman.
The latest version that I’ve heard was that Rochester actually set his house on fire himself (instead of Bertha starting the fire, as suggested by the original text), in order to rid himself of that pesky woman. This is very much in line with the tradition of feminist readings of Jane Eyre. These radical interpretations make sense, if you see Rochester as a despicable husband who can't wait to rid himself of his hated burden. With no witnesses to accuse him, and all of the power of patriarchy behind him, why not do the expedient thing?
However, I believe that those who adore Jane Eyre would find this reading reprehensible. The mysterious, commanding, melancholy image of Rochester that we see speaks to us of his self-repression. The fire at Thornfield was not his first chance of ridding himself of that insane woman. He could have conveniently nudged her over the edge of the ship's deck on their voyage to England. He could have poisoned her, or denied her food and the warmth of a fire, or simply neglected her more subtly until she sickened and died, instead of providing her with a gentle keeper to care for her. Such things were certainly done in the Gothic novels of Bronte's time (see, for example, The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe).
The fact that Rochester kept his wife, and merely brooded about his ill fortune, brands him as the quintessential gentleman. Every woman craves a man who is strong enough to slay dragons for her, but that is tender and morally strong enough to deny himself for her sake. Rochester represents this dream. Take that away, and Jane Eyre loses all appeal except to a few feminist critics.
Then Jean Rhys' The Wide Sargasso Sea told the story of Rochester's first marriage from Bertha’s point of view. The assumption in this text is that men resent women who are deeply passionate, so much so that they consider them freaks and lunatics. In this text the problem isn't the women at all, but the men who feel threatened by strong women. Rhys' interpretation of the story might be summed up by saying that men's repressed castration anxiety causes them to project this fear onto assertive women, and then they cause hysterical and aggressive responses from a woman as they seek to control her (in this case by locking her up). In essence, she's saying that the first Mrs. Rochester is every oppressed woman.
The latest version that I’ve heard was that Rochester actually set his house on fire himself (instead of Bertha starting the fire, as suggested by the original text), in order to rid himself of that pesky woman. This is very much in line with the tradition of feminist readings of Jane Eyre. These radical interpretations make sense, if you see Rochester as a despicable husband who can't wait to rid himself of his hated burden. With no witnesses to accuse him, and all of the power of patriarchy behind him, why not do the expedient thing?
However, I believe that those who adore Jane Eyre would find this reading reprehensible. The mysterious, commanding, melancholy image of Rochester that we see speaks to us of his self-repression. The fire at Thornfield was not his first chance of ridding himself of that insane woman. He could have conveniently nudged her over the edge of the ship's deck on their voyage to England. He could have poisoned her, or denied her food and the warmth of a fire, or simply neglected her more subtly until she sickened and died, instead of providing her with a gentle keeper to care for her. Such things were certainly done in the Gothic novels of Bronte's time (see, for example, The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe).
The fact that Rochester kept his wife, and merely brooded about his ill fortune, brands him as the quintessential gentleman. Every woman craves a man who is strong enough to slay dragons for her, but that is tender and morally strong enough to deny himself for her sake. Rochester represents this dream. Take that away, and Jane Eyre loses all appeal except to a few feminist critics.
Austen on Masterpiece Classic
I've read all of Austen's books multiple times, and adore her. I enjoyed the BBC/A&E version of Pride and Prejudice. It was very well done, as well (I think) as a book adaptation can be done. So, of course, I watched the Masterpiece Classic series when they produced movie versions of her more famous novels. However, I must admit that I have mixed feelings about the series. On the one hand, the films have been romantically stirring. I cry when boy gets girl every time. I also have no problem identifying with the characters, and feeling with them through all of their highs and lows. Yet, I find that there has been so much modernization of the sensibilities of the characters that I can't help but feel that Austen herself would be appalled at some of what they've done with her work.
Persuasion in particular seemed to have reversed what Austen was trying to say with her text. The scene in which Louisa falls was handled as an accident that did no more than make Captain Wentworth aware that he had shown her too much attention and had made it seem to all concerned parties that he wanted to marry her. In the text, it is this, but so much more. Captain Wentworth has been thinking that Anne was too persuadable, and should have had a stronger will. He felt that her passion for him should have overridden any other consideration. He has been holding up Louisa as closer to his ideal of strong-willed womanhood. When Louisa falls, it is due entirely to her willful nature, her unwillingness to be persuaded by more rational minds. Captain Wentworth learns from this to value Anne's ability to subjugate her will to rational decision. Anne's ability to rein in her passions, weigh the opinions of others, and make a decision based on which is more rationally persuasive is indeed a noble virtue.
In this movie version, they make it seem that Anne is the one who has to change. She admits in the end to having been too persuadable, and insists that she will never be so open to persuasion again. All of the lovely romance seems slightly tainted for me at this point. Because, for me, as I believe for Austen, the whole point of Persuasion is that Captain Wentworth has to come to truly value what he's getting in Anne! Anne is perfection itself, and it is he who needs to change, grow, learn (be subject to rational Persuasion) in order to be worthy of her. I understand why modern screenwriters make the change. They believe that the feminist imperative demands strong-willed female characters, and they don't see Anne as strong-willed. I see it otherwise, and believe that Austen did too. Her novel substantiates the stance that it takes a stronger will to resist one's own passions and act on rational decision, than it does to follow your passions bullheadedly.
Soooo, I protest, because I wish that the movies were more perfect, BUT...I have now watched the movie several times. Let's face it, even in a flawed form, Austen's stories are superior to anything else out there!
Persuasion in particular seemed to have reversed what Austen was trying to say with her text. The scene in which Louisa falls was handled as an accident that did no more than make Captain Wentworth aware that he had shown her too much attention and had made it seem to all concerned parties that he wanted to marry her. In the text, it is this, but so much more. Captain Wentworth has been thinking that Anne was too persuadable, and should have had a stronger will. He felt that her passion for him should have overridden any other consideration. He has been holding up Louisa as closer to his ideal of strong-willed womanhood. When Louisa falls, it is due entirely to her willful nature, her unwillingness to be persuaded by more rational minds. Captain Wentworth learns from this to value Anne's ability to subjugate her will to rational decision. Anne's ability to rein in her passions, weigh the opinions of others, and make a decision based on which is more rationally persuasive is indeed a noble virtue.
In this movie version, they make it seem that Anne is the one who has to change. She admits in the end to having been too persuadable, and insists that she will never be so open to persuasion again. All of the lovely romance seems slightly tainted for me at this point. Because, for me, as I believe for Austen, the whole point of Persuasion is that Captain Wentworth has to come to truly value what he's getting in Anne! Anne is perfection itself, and it is he who needs to change, grow, learn (be subject to rational Persuasion) in order to be worthy of her. I understand why modern screenwriters make the change. They believe that the feminist imperative demands strong-willed female characters, and they don't see Anne as strong-willed. I see it otherwise, and believe that Austen did too. Her novel substantiates the stance that it takes a stronger will to resist one's own passions and act on rational decision, than it does to follow your passions bullheadedly.
Soooo, I protest, because I wish that the movies were more perfect, BUT...I have now watched the movie several times. Let's face it, even in a flawed form, Austen's stories are superior to anything else out there!
The Mayflowers by Annie Dillard
Annie Dillard is one of the most brilliant writers of our day. Her style verges on perfection, poetically evocative and emotionally honest. I was first introduced to her writing by a French woman, who was taking English as a second language. Her teacher had recommended Annie Dillard's essays as an example of the very best writing to be found in the English language (specifically Teaching a Stone to Talk). I read the essays that my foreign friend recommended, and agreed with her teacher. Her essays are exquisite.
That being said, I must say that this was not an enjoyable read for me. In her essays, that I love so much, Dillard comes to a point. She expresses her reaction to a given situation, and we go away understanding what it felt like to have lived in her shoes for that moment of time. Somehow, that just doesn't come across in this novel. There are plenty of lovely passages evoking emotion, but often I was left pondering upon what exactly had caused that emotion in the character. There seemed no connection between characters and events. It struck me as one long prose poem without rhyme or reason. Beauty without meaning does not appeal to me. By the time I got to the end, when an enormous act of sacrifice is made, I no longer cared enough about any of the characters to feel the sacrifice.
In a nutshell, if you loved the English Patient, then you may love this book. Otherwise, try reading Dillards brilliant essays. You won't be disappointed.
That being said, I must say that this was not an enjoyable read for me. In her essays, that I love so much, Dillard comes to a point. She expresses her reaction to a given situation, and we go away understanding what it felt like to have lived in her shoes for that moment of time. Somehow, that just doesn't come across in this novel. There are plenty of lovely passages evoking emotion, but often I was left pondering upon what exactly had caused that emotion in the character. There seemed no connection between characters and events. It struck me as one long prose poem without rhyme or reason. Beauty without meaning does not appeal to me. By the time I got to the end, when an enormous act of sacrifice is made, I no longer cared enough about any of the characters to feel the sacrifice.
In a nutshell, if you loved the English Patient, then you may love this book. Otherwise, try reading Dillards brilliant essays. You won't be disappointed.
Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers
If you, like me, don't generally enjoy genre fiction, you will be pleasantly surprised. This is Literature.
This is the third in the series of Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane novels, but this is the best of the best. I found this book in an odd way. I collect book lists, that is lists of books that are recommended as "must read"s. Oh, not just any list, mind you. These must be from committees of literature professors, famous authors that I admire, that sort of thing. Anyway, I came across a list that was made by, not just authors, but contemporary philosophers, the deep thinkers of our time. They were asked to list the ten books that influenced them the most. The lists were your typical collection of great works, full of classic philosophy and the occassional classic novel. But there in the midst of these familiar classics was this one odd book, a Mystery novel, "Gaudy Night." The author/Philosopher who listed it gave good reason for her choice. She said that it was not just a mystery, but explored the philosophical theme of the price we pay for ideals. This, of course, peaked my interest, and I bought the book.
After reading the philosopher's review, I knew I was to expect insightful analysis of scholarly ideals. What I did not expect was the deceptively simple, yet elegant style, the keen glimpses into human nature, and the warm tone of the whole. Dorothy Sayers has the tenderness toward humanity of George Eliot, a true godly mercy that embraces the whole human race. It was a novel full of surprises for me. Only after I had read this did I discover that it was actually third in a series of books. This is the best of them, which is why it was the one recommended, but is not the only one worth reading.
This is the third in the series of Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane novels, but this is the best of the best. I found this book in an odd way. I collect book lists, that is lists of books that are recommended as "must read"s. Oh, not just any list, mind you. These must be from committees of literature professors, famous authors that I admire, that sort of thing. Anyway, I came across a list that was made by, not just authors, but contemporary philosophers, the deep thinkers of our time. They were asked to list the ten books that influenced them the most. The lists were your typical collection of great works, full of classic philosophy and the occassional classic novel. But there in the midst of these familiar classics was this one odd book, a Mystery novel, "Gaudy Night." The author/Philosopher who listed it gave good reason for her choice. She said that it was not just a mystery, but explored the philosophical theme of the price we pay for ideals. This, of course, peaked my interest, and I bought the book.
After reading the philosopher's review, I knew I was to expect insightful analysis of scholarly ideals. What I did not expect was the deceptively simple, yet elegant style, the keen glimpses into human nature, and the warm tone of the whole. Dorothy Sayers has the tenderness toward humanity of George Eliot, a true godly mercy that embraces the whole human race. It was a novel full of surprises for me. Only after I had read this did I discover that it was actually third in a series of books. This is the best of them, which is why it was the one recommended, but is not the only one worth reading.
Twilight by Stephanie Meyers
I had to see what all the hype was about. Why was this novel becoming such a huge phenomenon? Well, now I know. I must say that I agree with Stephen King on this issue. He was asked what he felt about two of the best-selling authors of our time, J. K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer. In answer, he simply said, "[J.K.:] Rowling is a terrific writer and Stephenie Meyer can’t write worth a darn. She’s not very good." Of course, one might point out that King himself is not among the premier writers of our time (gross sales do not equate to writing skill). However, he seems to recognize the difference between hack writing and literary artistry.
The appeal of the book seems to be in its juvenile approach to sexuality. The greatest challenge to modern romance writers is in how to keep the couple apart long enough to build up sexual tension, because in today's world there is nothing to keep them from hoping straight into the sack at the first provocation. Once a relationship has been consumated, the reader can no longer feel the anxious desire that is the key to romance. Meyers solution is to have a romantic hero whose primary desires are not sexual, but gastric in nature. By deflecting the threat of sexuality, she is able to keep her readers in a semi-constant state of arousal. It is very much like the juvenile response to holding hands for the first time, the excitement of touch drawn out for as long as possible. Her books are foreplay. I know this will offend many people, who find her books a safe alternative to the all too blatant sexuality that is part of so much of the romance genre, but I cannot help that. Let's call a spade a spade, and be done with it. So much for why they are popular, there is really nothing there beyond this to appeal to the reader. Her characters are weakly drawn. I grew bored with how often her protagonist went from normal routine to furious rage over minor provocations. This seemed to be the character's normal response to...well, everything. I even found myself laughing at the ludicrous descriptions at times, so generic, so cliched. When the two main characters take their Tarzan-esque journey into the wilderness, I could only shake my head. Meyers has obviously never been to the Pacific Northwest, least of all to the wilderness around Forks. The underbrush there is as tall as the trees in the rest of the nation, and as dense as your average bush. Try running at lightening speed through a thicket of blackberry bushes, and I don't think you'd come away merely breathless, lifeless is more like it.
Enough said about this waste of shelf space.
The appeal of the book seems to be in its juvenile approach to sexuality. The greatest challenge to modern romance writers is in how to keep the couple apart long enough to build up sexual tension, because in today's world there is nothing to keep them from hoping straight into the sack at the first provocation. Once a relationship has been consumated, the reader can no longer feel the anxious desire that is the key to romance. Meyers solution is to have a romantic hero whose primary desires are not sexual, but gastric in nature. By deflecting the threat of sexuality, she is able to keep her readers in a semi-constant state of arousal. It is very much like the juvenile response to holding hands for the first time, the excitement of touch drawn out for as long as possible. Her books are foreplay. I know this will offend many people, who find her books a safe alternative to the all too blatant sexuality that is part of so much of the romance genre, but I cannot help that. Let's call a spade a spade, and be done with it. So much for why they are popular, there is really nothing there beyond this to appeal to the reader. Her characters are weakly drawn. I grew bored with how often her protagonist went from normal routine to furious rage over minor provocations. This seemed to be the character's normal response to...well, everything. I even found myself laughing at the ludicrous descriptions at times, so generic, so cliched. When the two main characters take their Tarzan-esque journey into the wilderness, I could only shake my head. Meyers has obviously never been to the Pacific Northwest, least of all to the wilderness around Forks. The underbrush there is as tall as the trees in the rest of the nation, and as dense as your average bush. Try running at lightening speed through a thicket of blackberry bushes, and I don't think you'd come away merely breathless, lifeless is more like it.
Enough said about this waste of shelf space.
The Reading List That Started My Collection
What to Read(From How to Prepare for College, by Abraham H. Lass)
Freshman YearBulfinch, Thomas--The Age of Fables
Clemens, Samuel Langhorne (Mark Twain)--The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Prince and the Pauper
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor--“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”
Conrad, Joseph--Typhoon
Cooper, James Fenimore--The Last of the Mohicans
Day, Clarence--Life with Father
Defoe, Daniel--Robinson Crusoe
Dickens, Charles--Nicholas Nickleby, A Christmas Carol
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan--The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Dumas, Alexander--The Three Muskateers
Heyerdahl, Thor--Kon-tiki
Hilton, James--Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Keller, Helen--The Story of My Life
Kipling, Rudyard--Captains Courageous
de Kruif, Paul--Microbe Hunters
London, Jack--The Call of the Wild, The Sea Wolf
Nordhoff and Hall--Mutiny on the Bounty
O’Hara, Mary--My Friend Flicka
Poe, Edgar Allan--Poems, Tales
Porter, W. S. (O’Henry)--Short Stories
Sandburg, Carl--Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years
Scott, Sir Walter--Ivanhoe
Shakespeare, William--Julius Caesar, As You Like It, Midsummer Night’s Dream
Steinbeck, John--The Red Pony and other stories
Stevenson, Robert Louis--Treasure Island, Kidnapped
Swift, Jonathan--Gulliver’s Travels
Tarkington, Booth--Penrod, Penrod and Sam
Van Loon, Henderick William--The Story of Mankind
Verne, Jules--Around the World in Eighty Days, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Washington, Booker T.--Up from Slavery
Wells, H. G.--The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds
Clemens, Samuel Langhorne (Mark Twain)--The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Prince and the Pauper
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor--“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”
Conrad, Joseph--Typhoon
Cooper, James Fenimore--The Last of the Mohicans
Day, Clarence--Life with Father
Defoe, Daniel--Robinson Crusoe
Dickens, Charles--Nicholas Nickleby, A Christmas Carol
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan--The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Dumas, Alexander--The Three Muskateers
Heyerdahl, Thor--Kon-tiki
Hilton, James--Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Keller, Helen--The Story of My Life
Kipling, Rudyard--Captains Courageous
de Kruif, Paul--Microbe Hunters
London, Jack--The Call of the Wild, The Sea Wolf
Nordhoff and Hall--Mutiny on the Bounty
O’Hara, Mary--My Friend Flicka
Poe, Edgar Allan--Poems, Tales
Porter, W. S. (O’Henry)--Short Stories
Sandburg, Carl--Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years
Scott, Sir Walter--Ivanhoe
Shakespeare, William--Julius Caesar, As You Like It, Midsummer Night’s Dream
Steinbeck, John--The Red Pony and other stories
Stevenson, Robert Louis--Treasure Island, Kidnapped
Swift, Jonathan--Gulliver’s Travels
Tarkington, Booth--Penrod, Penrod and Sam
Van Loon, Henderick William--The Story of Mankind
Verne, Jules--Around the World in Eighty Days, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Washington, Booker T.--Up from Slavery
Wells, H. G.--The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds
Sophomore Year
Beebe, William--Jungle Peace
Bronte, Charlotte--Jane Eyre
Buck, Pearl S.--The Good Earth
Carroll, Lewis--Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass
Clemens, Samuel Langhorne (Mark Twain)--The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin, Life on the Mississippi, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
Crane, Stephen--The Red Badge of Courage
Dickens, Charles--Great Expectations, David Copperfield, Tale of Two Cities
Dumas, Alexander--The Count of Monte Cristo
Mary Ann Evans (Eliot, George)--Silas Marner
Fabre, Jean-Henri--Social Life in the Insect World
Grahame, Kenneth--The Wind in the Willows
Homer--The Odyssey
Hudson, W.H.--Green Mansions
Hugo, Victor--Les Miserables, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Irving, Washingto-- The Sketch Book
Leacock, Stephen--The Best of Stephen Leacock
De Maupassant, Guy--Short Stories
Morley, Victory--The Haunted Bookshop, Parnassus on Wheels, Verse
Nash, Ogden--Poems
Remarque, Eric M.--All Quiet on the Western Front
Shakespeare, William--The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night
Shaw, George Bernard--Pygmalion
Junior YearAusten, Jane--Pride and Prejudice
Balzac, Honore de--Pere Goriot
Bellamy, Edward--Looking Backward
Benet, Stephen Vincent--John Brown’s Body
Bronte, Emily--Wuthering Heights
Bunyan, John--Pilgrim’s Progress
Burke, Edmund--Reflections on the Revolution in France
Carson, Rachel--The Sea Around Us
Cather, Willa--My Antonia
Death Comes for the Archbishop
Cervantes, Miguel de--Don Quixote
Conrad, Joseph--Lord Jim
Curie, Eve--Madame Curie
Franklin, Benjamin--Autobiography
Galsworthy, John--The Forsyth Saga
Goldsmith, Oliver--She Stoops to Conquer
Hawthorne, Nathaniel--The House of Seven Gables, The Scarlet Letter
Hershey, John--Hiroshima
Housman, A.E.--A Shropshire Lad
Kipling, Rudyard--Poems
Lamb, Charles--The Essays of Elia
Lewis, Sinclair--Babbit, Arrowsmith
Ludwig, Emil--Napoleon
Maeterlinck, Maurice--The Life of the Bee
Masters, Edgar Lee--Spoon River Anthology
Munro, H. H.--Short Stories of “Saki”
O’Neill, Eugene--Ah, Wilderness, The Emperor Jones
Orwell, George--Animal Farm, 1984
Paine, Thomas--The Rights of Man
Palgrave, Francis--The Golden Treasury
Plutarch--The Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans
Robinson, James--The Mind in the Making
Rolviag, O.E.--Giants in the Earth
Rostand, Edmond--Cyrano de Bergerac
Saint-Exupery, Antoine de--Wind, Sand and Stars
Sandberg, Carl--The People, Yes
Shakespeare, William--Romeo and Juliet, MacBeth, Othello, Richard III
Shaw, George Bernard--Arms and the Man
Sheridan, Richard B.--The Rivals
Steffens, Lincoln--Autobiography
Strachey, Lytton--Eminent Victorians
Thurber, James--A Thurber Carnival
Untermeyer, Louis, Editor--Modern American Poetry, Modern British Poetry
Wharton, Edith--Ethan Frome
Wilde, Oscar--The Picture of Dorian Grey, The Importance of Being Earnest
Wilder, Thornton--Our Town, The Bridge of San Luis Rey
Senior YearAeschylus--Plays
Bennett, Arnold--The Old Wives’ Tale
Butler, Samuel--Erewhon, The Way of All Flesh
Chekov, Anton--The Cherry Orchard, Short Stories
Dickens, Charles--The Pickwick Papers
Dostoyevski, Fyodor--Crime and Punishment
Durant, Will--The Story of Philosophy
Emerson, Ralph Waldo--Essays
Euripides--Plays
Flaubert, Gustave--Madame Bovary
Hamilton, Edith--Mythology
Hardy, Thomas--The Return of the Native, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Jude the Obscure
Homer--The Illiad
Ibsen, Henrik--A Doll’s House, An Enemy of the People
James, Henry--The Turn of the Screw, Portrait of a Lady
Khayam, Omar--The Rubiyat
Lewis, Sinclair--Main Street
Mann, Thomas--Buddenbrooks
Marquand, John P.--The Late George Appley
Maugham, Somerset--Of Human Bondage, The Moon and Sixpence
Miller, Arthur--The Death of a Salesman
Melville, Herman--Moby Dick
Plato--The Dialogues
Rolland, Romain--Jean-Christophe
Shakespeare, Willam--Hamlet, Henry IV (Parts 1 and 2), The Sonnets
Shaw, George Bernard--Caesar and Cleopatra, Man and Superman
Sophocles--Plays
Synge, J. M.--Playboy of the Western World
Thackeray, Willam M.--Vanity Fair
Thoreau, Henry David--Walden
Tolstoy, Leo--Anna Karenina, War and Peace
Turgenev, Ivan--Fathers and Sons
Whitman, Walt--Leaves of Grass
Wolfe, Thomas--Look Homeward, Angel
Balzac, Honore de—The Human Comedy
Barrie, James--The Admirable Crichton, What Every Woman KnowsBeebe, William--Jungle Peace
Bronte, Charlotte--Jane Eyre
Buck, Pearl S.--The Good Earth
Carroll, Lewis--Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass
Clemens, Samuel Langhorne (Mark Twain)--The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin, Life on the Mississippi, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
Crane, Stephen--The Red Badge of Courage
Dickens, Charles--Great Expectations, David Copperfield, Tale of Two Cities
Dumas, Alexander--The Count of Monte Cristo
Mary Ann Evans (Eliot, George)--Silas Marner
Fabre, Jean-Henri--Social Life in the Insect World
Frank, Ann—The Diary of a Young Girl
Goldsmith, Oliver—The Vicar of WakefieldGrahame, Kenneth--The Wind in the Willows
Homer--The Odyssey
Hudson, W.H.--Green Mansions
Hugo, Victor--Les Miserables, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Irving, Washingto-- The Sketch Book
Leacock, Stephen--The Best of Stephen Leacock
De Maupassant, Guy--Short Stories
Morley, Victory--The Haunted Bookshop, Parnassus on Wheels, Verse
Nash, Ogden--Poems
Remarque, Eric M.--All Quiet on the Western Front
Shakespeare, William--The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night
Shaw, George Bernard--Pygmalion
Junior YearAusten, Jane--Pride and Prejudice
Balzac, Honore de--Pere Goriot
Bellamy, Edward--Looking Backward
Benet, Stephen Vincent--John Brown’s Body
Bronte, Emily--Wuthering Heights
Bunyan, John--Pilgrim’s Progress
Burke, Edmund--Reflections on the Revolution in France
Carson, Rachel--The Sea Around Us
Cather, Willa--My Antonia
Death Comes for the Archbishop
Cervantes, Miguel de--Don Quixote
Conrad, Joseph--Lord Jim
Curie, Eve--Madame Curie
Franklin, Benjamin--Autobiography
Galsworthy, John--The Forsyth Saga
Goldsmith, Oliver--She Stoops to Conquer
Hawthorne, Nathaniel--The House of Seven Gables, The Scarlet Letter
Hershey, John--Hiroshima
Housman, A.E.--A Shropshire Lad
Kipling, Rudyard--Poems
Lamb, Charles--The Essays of Elia
Lewis, Sinclair--Babbit, Arrowsmith
Ludwig, Emil--Napoleon
Maeterlinck, Maurice--The Life of the Bee
Masters, Edgar Lee--Spoon River Anthology
Munro, H. H.--Short Stories of “Saki”
O’Neill, Eugene--Ah, Wilderness, The Emperor Jones
Orwell, George--Animal Farm, 1984
Paine, Thomas--The Rights of Man
Palgrave, Francis--The Golden Treasury
Plutarch--The Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans
Robinson, James--The Mind in the Making
Rolviag, O.E.--Giants in the Earth
Rostand, Edmond--Cyrano de Bergerac
Saint-Exupery, Antoine de--Wind, Sand and Stars
Sandberg, Carl--The People, Yes
Shakespeare, William--Romeo and Juliet, MacBeth, Othello, Richard III
Shaw, George Bernard--Arms and the Man
Sheridan, Richard B.--The Rivals
Steffens, Lincoln--Autobiography
Strachey, Lytton--Eminent Victorians
Thurber, James--A Thurber Carnival
Untermeyer, Louis, Editor--Modern American Poetry, Modern British Poetry
Wharton, Edith--Ethan Frome
Wilde, Oscar--The Picture of Dorian Grey, The Importance of Being Earnest
Wilder, Thornton--Our Town, The Bridge of San Luis Rey
Senior YearAeschylus--Plays
Bennett, Arnold--The Old Wives’ Tale
Butler, Samuel--Erewhon, The Way of All Flesh
Chekov, Anton--The Cherry Orchard, Short Stories
Dickens, Charles--The Pickwick Papers
Dostoyevski, Fyodor--Crime and Punishment
Durant, Will--The Story of Philosophy
Emerson, Ralph Waldo--Essays
Euripides--Plays
Flaubert, Gustave--Madame Bovary
Hamilton, Edith--Mythology
Hardy, Thomas--The Return of the Native, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Jude the Obscure
Homer--The Illiad
Ibsen, Henrik--A Doll’s House, An Enemy of the People
James, Henry--The Turn of the Screw, Portrait of a Lady
Khayam, Omar--The Rubiyat
Lewis, Sinclair--Main Street
Mann, Thomas--Buddenbrooks
Marquand, John P.--The Late George Appley
Maugham, Somerset--Of Human Bondage, The Moon and Sixpence
Miller, Arthur--The Death of a Salesman
Melville, Herman--Moby Dick
Plato--The Dialogues
Rolland, Romain--Jean-Christophe
Shakespeare, Willam--Hamlet, Henry IV (Parts 1 and 2), The Sonnets
Shaw, George Bernard--Caesar and Cleopatra, Man and Superman
Sophocles--Plays
Synge, J. M.--Playboy of the Western World
Thackeray, Willam M.--Vanity Fair
Thoreau, Henry David--Walden
Tolstoy, Leo--Anna Karenina, War and Peace
Turgenev, Ivan--Fathers and Sons
Whitman, Walt--Leaves of Grass
Wolfe, Thomas--Look Homeward, Angel
Harvard Classics Book List
The Harvard Classics
VOL. I.
His Autobiography, by Benjamin Franklin
Journal, by John Woolman
Fruits of Solitude, by William Penn
II.
The Apology, Phædo and Crito of Plato
The Golden Sayings of Epictetus
The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius
III.
Essays, Civil and Moral & The New Atlantis, by Francis Bacon
Areopagitica & Tractate on Education, by John Milton
Religio Medici, by Sir Thomas Browne
IV.
Complete Poems Written in English, by John Milton
V.
Essays and English Traits, by Ralph Waldo Emerson
VI.
Poems and Songs, by Robert Burns
VII.
The Confessions of Saint Augustine
The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas à Kempis
VIII.
Agamemnon, The Libation-Bearers, The Furies & Prometheus Bound of Aeschylus
Oedipus the King & Antigone of Sophocles
Hippolytus & The Bacchæ of Euripides
The Frogs of Aristophanes
IX.
On Friendship, On Old Age & Letters, by Cicero
Letters, by Pliny the Younger
X.
Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith
XI.
The Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin
XII.
Lives, by Plutarch
XIII.
Æneid, by Vergil
XIV.
Don Quixote, Part 1, by Cervantes
XV.
The Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan
The Lives of Donne and Herbert, by Izaak Walton
XVI.
Stories from the Thousand and One Nights
XVII.
Fables, by Æsop Household Tales, by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Tales, by Hans Christian Andersen
XVIII.
All for Love, by John Dryden
The School for Scandal, by Richard Brinsley Sheridan
She Stoops to Conquer, by Oliver Goldsmith
The Cenci, by Percy Bysshe Shelley
A Blot in the ’Scutcheon, by Robert Browning
Manfred, by Lord Byron
XIX.
Faust, Part I, Egmont & Hermann and Dorothea, by J.W. von Goethe
Dr. Faustus, by Christopher Marlowe
XX.
The Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri
XXI.
I Promessi Sposi, by Alessandro Manzoni
XXII.
The Odyssey of Homer
XXIII.
Two Years before the Mast, by Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
XXIV.
On Taste, On the Sublime and Beautiful, Reflections on the French Revolution & A Letter to a Noble Lord, by Edmund Burke
XXV.
Autobiography & On Liberty, by John Stuart Mill
Characteristics, Inaugural Address at Edinburgh & Sir Walter Scott, by Thomas Carlyle
XXVI.
Life Is a Dream, by Pedro Calderón de la Barca
Polyeucte, by Pierre Corneille
Phædra, by Jean Racine
Tartuffe, by Molière
Minna von Barnhelm, by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
Wilhelm Tell, by Friedrich von Schiller
XXVII.
English Essays: Sidney to Macaulay
XXVIII.
Essays: English and American
XXIX.
The Voyage of the Beagle, by Charles Darwin
XXX.
Scientific Papers
XXXI.
The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini
XXXII.
Literary and Philosophical Essays
XXXIII.
Voyages and Travels: Ancient and Modern
XXXIV.
Discourse on Method, by René Descartes
Letters on the English, by Voltaire
On the Inequality among Mankind & Profession of Faith of a Savoyard Vicar, by Jean Jacques Rousseau
Of Man, Being the First Part of Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes
XXXV.
The Chronicles of Jean Froissart
The Holy Grail, by Sir Thomas Malory
A Description of Elizabethan England, by William Harrison
XXXVI.
The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli
The Life of Sir Thomas More, by William Roper
Utopia, by Sir Thomas More
The Ninety-Five Thesis, Address to the Christian Nobility & Concerning Christian Liberty, by Martin Luther
XXXVII.
Some Thoughts Concerning Education, by John Locke
Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous in Opposition to Sceptics and Atheists, by George Berkeley
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, by David Hume
XXXVIII.
The Oath of Hippocrates
Journeys in Diverse Places, by Ambroise Paré
On the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals, by William Harvey
The Three Original Publications on Vaccination Against Smallpox, by Edward Jenner
The Contagiousness of Puerperal Fever, by Oliver Wendell Holmes
On the Antiseptic Principle of the Practice of Surgery, by Joseph Lister
Scientific Papers, by Louis Pasteur Scientific Papers, by Charles Lyell
XXXIX.
Prefaces and Prologues
XL.
English Poetry I: Chaucer to Gray
XLI.
English Poetry II: Collins to Fitzgerald
XLII.
English Poetry III: Tennyson to Whitman
XLIII.
American Historical Documents: 1000–1904
XLIV.
Confucian: The Sayings of Confucius
Hebrew: Job, Psalms & Ecclesiastes
Christian I: Luke & Acts
XLV.
Christian II: Corinthians I & II & Hymns
Buddhist: Writings
Hindu: The Bhagavad-Gita
Mohammedan: Chapters from the Koran
XLVI.
Edward the Second, by Christopher Marlowe
Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth & The Tempest, by William Shakespeare
XLVII.
The Shoemaker’s Holiday, by Thomas Dekker
The Alchemist, by Ben Jonson
Philaster, by Beaumont and Fletcher
The Duchess of Malfi, by John Webster
A New Way to Pay Old Debts, by Philip Massinger
XLVIII.
Thoughts, Letters & Minor Works, by Blaise Pascal
XLIX.
Epic & Saga: Beowulf, The Song of Roland, The Destruction of Dá Derga’s Hostel & The Story of the Volsungs and Niblungs
LI.
Lectures on the Harvard Classics
VOL. I.
His Autobiography, by Benjamin Franklin
Journal, by John Woolman
Fruits of Solitude, by William Penn
II.
The Apology, Phædo and Crito of Plato
The Golden Sayings of Epictetus
The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius
III.
Essays, Civil and Moral & The New Atlantis, by Francis Bacon
Areopagitica & Tractate on Education, by John Milton
Religio Medici, by Sir Thomas Browne
IV.
Complete Poems Written in English, by John Milton
V.
Essays and English Traits, by Ralph Waldo Emerson
VI.
Poems and Songs, by Robert Burns
VII.
The Confessions of Saint Augustine
The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas à Kempis
VIII.
Agamemnon, The Libation-Bearers, The Furies & Prometheus Bound of Aeschylus
Oedipus the King & Antigone of Sophocles
Hippolytus & The Bacchæ of Euripides
The Frogs of Aristophanes
IX.
On Friendship, On Old Age & Letters, by Cicero
Letters, by Pliny the Younger
X.
Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith
XI.
The Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin
XII.
Lives, by Plutarch
XIII.
Æneid, by Vergil
XIV.
Don Quixote, Part 1, by Cervantes
XV.
The Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan
The Lives of Donne and Herbert, by Izaak Walton
XVI.
Stories from the Thousand and One Nights
XVII.
Fables, by Æsop Household Tales, by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Tales, by Hans Christian Andersen
XVIII.
All for Love, by John Dryden
The School for Scandal, by Richard Brinsley Sheridan
She Stoops to Conquer, by Oliver Goldsmith
The Cenci, by Percy Bysshe Shelley
A Blot in the ’Scutcheon, by Robert Browning
Manfred, by Lord Byron
XIX.
Faust, Part I, Egmont & Hermann and Dorothea, by J.W. von Goethe
Dr. Faustus, by Christopher Marlowe
XX.
The Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri
XXI.
I Promessi Sposi, by Alessandro Manzoni
XXII.
The Odyssey of Homer
XXIII.
Two Years before the Mast, by Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
XXIV.
On Taste, On the Sublime and Beautiful, Reflections on the French Revolution & A Letter to a Noble Lord, by Edmund Burke
XXV.
Autobiography & On Liberty, by John Stuart Mill
Characteristics, Inaugural Address at Edinburgh & Sir Walter Scott, by Thomas Carlyle
XXVI.
Life Is a Dream, by Pedro Calderón de la Barca
Polyeucte, by Pierre Corneille
Phædra, by Jean Racine
Tartuffe, by Molière
Minna von Barnhelm, by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
Wilhelm Tell, by Friedrich von Schiller
XXVII.
English Essays: Sidney to Macaulay
XXVIII.
Essays: English and American
XXIX.
The Voyage of the Beagle, by Charles Darwin
XXX.
Scientific Papers
XXXI.
The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini
XXXII.
Literary and Philosophical Essays
XXXIII.
Voyages and Travels: Ancient and Modern
XXXIV.
Discourse on Method, by René Descartes
Letters on the English, by Voltaire
On the Inequality among Mankind & Profession of Faith of a Savoyard Vicar, by Jean Jacques Rousseau
Of Man, Being the First Part of Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes
XXXV.
The Chronicles of Jean Froissart
The Holy Grail, by Sir Thomas Malory
A Description of Elizabethan England, by William Harrison
XXXVI.
The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli
The Life of Sir Thomas More, by William Roper
Utopia, by Sir Thomas More
The Ninety-Five Thesis, Address to the Christian Nobility & Concerning Christian Liberty, by Martin Luther
XXXVII.
Some Thoughts Concerning Education, by John Locke
Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous in Opposition to Sceptics and Atheists, by George Berkeley
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, by David Hume
XXXVIII.
The Oath of Hippocrates
Journeys in Diverse Places, by Ambroise Paré
On the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals, by William Harvey
The Three Original Publications on Vaccination Against Smallpox, by Edward Jenner
The Contagiousness of Puerperal Fever, by Oliver Wendell Holmes
On the Antiseptic Principle of the Practice of Surgery, by Joseph Lister
Scientific Papers, by Louis Pasteur Scientific Papers, by Charles Lyell
XXXIX.
Prefaces and Prologues
XL.
English Poetry I: Chaucer to Gray
XLI.
English Poetry II: Collins to Fitzgerald
XLII.
English Poetry III: Tennyson to Whitman
XLIII.
American Historical Documents: 1000–1904
XLIV.
Confucian: The Sayings of Confucius
Hebrew: Job, Psalms & Ecclesiastes
Christian I: Luke & Acts
XLV.
Christian II: Corinthians I & II & Hymns
Buddhist: Writings
Hindu: The Bhagavad-Gita
Mohammedan: Chapters from the Koran
XLVI.
Edward the Second, by Christopher Marlowe
Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth & The Tempest, by William Shakespeare
XLVII.
The Shoemaker’s Holiday, by Thomas Dekker
The Alchemist, by Ben Jonson
Philaster, by Beaumont and Fletcher
The Duchess of Malfi, by John Webster
A New Way to Pay Old Debts, by Philip Massinger
XLVIII.
Thoughts, Letters & Minor Works, by Blaise Pascal
XLIX.
Epic & Saga: Beowulf, The Song of Roland, The Destruction of Dá Derga’s Hostel & The Story of the Volsungs and Niblungs
LI.
Lectures on the Harvard Classics
Thursday, September 17, 2009
A Host of Reasons
I collect Reading Lists. I still have the first such list, a four-paged double-columned list of books "to be read before entering college," that I received from my freshman English teacher in high school. It consisted largely of classics, so it did not take me long to realize that this list should have been labeled "a lifelong reading list." I continue to chisel away at this list; however, I have never used the list to select books. Rather, periodically I find myself perusing this list and checking off a few more. The more books I can check off, the more I feel that I am a well-read person. This is a pleasure worth sharing. So, one purpose of this blog is to make my collection of reading lists available publically.
My long-term involvement in a Reading Group, as well as my voracious reading appetite, has given me many opportunities to search book reviews on-line. There are few sources for commercially unbiased reviews, and these tend to focus on best-selling books. Among those that cover a broader range of books, the bulk of the reviews come from questionable sources: readers whose education, reading history and philosophical stance are unknown and sometimes suspect. A rave review from several pretentious reviewers does not guarantee a book is worth reading. Nor is a pan from several illiterate pulp fiction readers a guarantee that a book is worthless. I'm hoping to fill the gap, by offering reviews of a broad range of books, from a single, well-educated and well-read source. Not everyone will agree with my opinions, but they will know the criteria upon which I base those opinions, as well as my credentials.
Likewise, I have had experience in searching for reading group guides. Again, these tend to focus upon best-sellers, or at least those that the publisher hopes to make best-sellers. They also tend to be short, and largely uninsightful. I know from my college classes that the right question engages minds, and promotes lively and long-lived discussion. When a person joins a reading group, I believe they do so with the intent to broaden their scope, participate in life-long learning, and come to a greater understanding of human nature. I hope to contribute questions for reading groups that will serve these worthy ends.
Last, but certainly not least, I desire to write essays about literature. My primary interests involve the history of ideas, exploring World Views, ethics in fiction, what makes for quality fiction, and life lessons learned from literature. I want to share my passion for reading great books of all eras. I hope to find others with a similar passion, and perhaps even to inspire a few readers to embark upon deeper waters.
My long-term involvement in a Reading Group, as well as my voracious reading appetite, has given me many opportunities to search book reviews on-line. There are few sources for commercially unbiased reviews, and these tend to focus on best-selling books. Among those that cover a broader range of books, the bulk of the reviews come from questionable sources: readers whose education, reading history and philosophical stance are unknown and sometimes suspect. A rave review from several pretentious reviewers does not guarantee a book is worth reading. Nor is a pan from several illiterate pulp fiction readers a guarantee that a book is worthless. I'm hoping to fill the gap, by offering reviews of a broad range of books, from a single, well-educated and well-read source. Not everyone will agree with my opinions, but they will know the criteria upon which I base those opinions, as well as my credentials.
Likewise, I have had experience in searching for reading group guides. Again, these tend to focus upon best-sellers, or at least those that the publisher hopes to make best-sellers. They also tend to be short, and largely uninsightful. I know from my college classes that the right question engages minds, and promotes lively and long-lived discussion. When a person joins a reading group, I believe they do so with the intent to broaden their scope, participate in life-long learning, and come to a greater understanding of human nature. I hope to contribute questions for reading groups that will serve these worthy ends.
Last, but certainly not least, I desire to write essays about literature. My primary interests involve the history of ideas, exploring World Views, ethics in fiction, what makes for quality fiction, and life lessons learned from literature. I want to share my passion for reading great books of all eras. I hope to find others with a similar passion, and perhaps even to inspire a few readers to embark upon deeper waters.
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