John’s Comments (group member since Aug 23, 2012)

John’s comments from the Read a Classic Challenge group.

The White Company by Arthur Conan Doyle, 1891, 432 pages, ereader/text-to-speech.

I tried to read this book when I was younger and couldn't get through it. With interests in archery and medieval history, I figured I would give it another go. However, the archers of the White Company really don't even appear until 3/4ths of the way through the book. Unfortunately, this isn't the most accessible book to read. It is bogged down with massive amounts of archaic dialog about status, chivalry, and the superiority of the English. In addition, I had a hard time with its racist portrayal of a Black man early in the book, which I realize is partly due to the times in which it was written.

X-posted on Facebook

The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1855, 184 pages, ereader/text-to-speech.

I have fond memories of reading this with my Grandmother when I was a child. However, back then I was too young to notice the social and religious undertones of the story. It did have some catchy passages though.

X-posted on Facebook

February is Poetry month in Read a Classic in 2013.
Modified from Scott's post in the FB Group.

"It’s time to dust off your favorite volumes of Frost, Robert, Alfred Lord Douglas, John Donne, or (enter favorite here).

Here’s how it works. I’ll suggest about a dozen books in the genre. Feel free to read one, or branch out and read your own classic poet—just be sure to report back with the Author, Title, Translator, year of initial publication, page number, and format (e-reader, audio-book, print, etc.) when you’re finished.

My favorite 12 poets are (in alphabetical order):
1. Unknown, Anglo-Saxon Poets
2. Auden Wystan Hugh
3. George Gordon Byron, Lord Byron
4. Samuel Taylor Coleridge
5. John Donne
6. T S Elliott
7. Frost, Robert
8. William Shakespeare
9. Percy Bysshe Shelley
10. Edmund Spenser
11. Walt Whitman
12. William Wordsworth
*

If you want to know what counts as “classic” poetry, your guess is as good as mine. Here’s my definition of poetry from my AP English Class:

Poetry has no specific and accepted definition, and anyone who tries to give you a concrete definition of poetry is either recklessly egotistical or ignorant (sometimes both), or is naively following the information given in a bad literature textbook. Generally, poetry is agreed to contain meter and stanza; as well as make use of various verbal literary devices such as rhyme, alliteration, assonance, consonance, and onomatopoeia; and will likely include figurative language such as simile, metaphor, conceit, symbolism, allegory, and paradox; however, some writings that are considered to be poetic contain none of these things.

Here is my unspecific and intentionally vague definition (probably recklessly egotistical and ignorant in some sense): Poetry has two major elements and without either, the “poem” cannot (or should not) be said to be poetry.

Element One: Poetry is vestigial remnant of an oral culture still manifest within the bounds of a written culture. In other words, for millennia, human culture existed without the written word, and poetry (yes, definitely including music) is the natural remnant of that culture present in today’s society. Now, obviously, poetry is written down, but in order for it to be poetic, it must be meant to be spoken or heard. So, when you read a poem, you should hear the words in your mind’s ear. Thus, in some sense, written poetry is the sound of a human voice, heard in your head, but sung across the ages, attempting to make the strings of your soul vibrate in accord with its own. There is much more that could be said here, but for the sake of brevity, I’ll cut this definition off.
Element Two: Poetry is designed to emotionally impact and intellectually challenge the reader. The general goal of any poem should be to shake the reader momentarily free from the trappings of his or her daily monotony and to make that reader consider (or feel) an element of human perception, emotion, or existence that he or she might otherwise never have considered (or felt). This, of course, is hit or miss, because some poems will be deeply affecting to some people, and not at all affecting to others (just like songs). There is no “universal” truth when it comes to human existence, just myriad individual truths that overlap like an insane Venn diagram. Something that is poetic will touch on one of these truths."

--------------
* As an aside, I would add to Scott's list above which includes many White men writing in the traditions of Western literature. There are a great many poets from diverse backgrounds (African American, Hispanic, Women, etc...) throughout the world which have written classic poems, and I encourage exploring some of these authors. For example: Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, Omar Khayyám, Pablo Neruda, Sylvia Plath, Shel Silverstein, etc... Here is a resource to explore some more (http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/)

JANUARY 2013
Happy New Year! January is Action/Adventure month in Read a Classic in 2013. The dull winter month is a great time to escape on a swashbuckling, near-death, hair-raising, and romantic adventure.

Some Classic Adventure Books:
James Clavell –Shōgun
Daniel Defoe – Robinson Crusoe
Arthur Conan Doyle – The Lost World
Alexandre Dumas – The Three Musketeers
C.S. Forester – The African Queen
H. Rider Haggard – King Solomon's Mines
Anthony Hope – The Prisoner of Zenda
Jack London -- The Call of the Wild
A.E.W. Mason – The Four Feathers
Howard Pyle – The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
Robert Louis Stevenson – Kidnapped
Jules Verne – Around the World in Eighty Days
P.C. Wren – Beau Geste

Optional Monthly Themes:
These are optional suggestions to provide a some fun to this years challenge. Any classic can be logged at any time. If you have a specific classic in mind, you’re a ‘one classic a year’ kind of participant, or you're an ‘I’m going to read every book from a single author this year’ kind of participant, then bravo, carry on. But if you like some variety and are not adverse to suggestions, please feel free to participate.

JAN: Action/Adventure
FEB: Classic Poetry
MAR: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
APR: Lost in Translation (any classic not originally written in English)
MAY: Victorian (written during or set in)
JUNE: Out to Sea (classics on a ship) (ORIGINALLY LISTED AS JULY)
JULY: Classical Greek and Roman (written during or set in) (ORIGINALLY LISTED AS JUNE)
AUG: Mystery
SEPT: Medieval (written during or set in)
OCT: Renaissance (written during or set in)
NOV: Drama
DEC: Short Story Collections or Holiday Fiction

Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis, 1938, 150 pages, Ereader/Text-to-Speech.

I am not sure what to think of this book. The philosophical elements were unusual, but it did a good job of portraying unique descriptions of alien cultures.

The Variable Man by Philip K. Dick, 1953, 69 pages, Ereader/Text-to-Speech.

I enjoyed this story, although it was a little too short to fully develop the plot/themes.

X-Posted on Facebook.

The Body Snatcher by Robert Louis Stevenson, 1884, 22 pages, Ereader/Text-to-Speech.

Having grown up reading Robert Louis Stevenson, and having lived in Edinburgh for a brief time, this short story filled me with nostalgia. However, it lacked enough substance and conflict to hold my interest.

X-Posted on Facebook

Here are the results of the Read a Classic in 2012 challenge. I have enjoyed participating in the discussions with all of you these past few months. I encourage you to invite others to participate in the 2013 challenge (Similar, but with optional monthly themes) or to contact me with any suggestions for improving the group page. Happy New Year!
- John

Scott's 2012 Summary Message:

Thanks to everyone who participated! I had a lot of fun, and had no idea that so many people would join up and really enjoy themselves while reading classic literature. I'm proud of what we accomplished.

Final Data: In four and a half months we read 227 books totaling 77,496 pages.

Top five readers by number of books:
John Sauter: 15
Liz Holmes : 9
Scott Howard: 9
Robert Scott: 8
Michael Gordon: 8

Top five readers by number of pages:
Liz Holmes: 4591
Michael Gordon: 4056
Karen Cassavant: 2841
John Sauter: 2722
Lynda Krobath: 2108

Top five authors read by number of books:
Jane Austen: 10
Charles Dickens: 9
JRR Tolkien: 7
John Steinbeck: 6
Ernest Hemingway: 6
Anthony Trollope: 6
Thomas Hardy: 6

Top five most read books by number of books:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens: 7
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: 6
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain: 5
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien: 5

Books formats read by number of books:
Print: 162
E-reader: 55
Audio books: 10

Books read by relation to Scott Howard by number of books:
Me: 9
Friends: 17
Teacher/Colleague: 27
Family Member: 30
Ex-Students: 63
Complete Strangers: 81

I slogged through a fairly difficult to read translation of Le Morte D'Arthur for a Summer Institute on Medievalism back in college. Since then I have had a slight aversion to Arthurian legends. I will have to try The Once and Future King as perhaps the modern retelling will help.

Overview:
"When you finish, please post the following information to the feed: Title, Author, Translator (if applicable), Year of (initial) Publication, Number of Pages, and Format (print, e-reader, audiobook, etc.). You may also post analysis, critique, or questions about the book if you wish." Classics can be posted at anytime and are open to interpretation.

2013 Challenge Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/events/46743...

Optional Monthly Themes:
These are optional suggestions to provide a some fun to this years challenge. Any classic can be logged at any time. If you have a specific classic in mind, you’re a ‘one classic a year’ kind of participant, or you're an ‘I’m going to read every book from a single author this year’ kind of participant, then bravo, carry on. But if you like some variety and are not adverse to suggestions, please feel free to participate.

JAN: Action/Adventure
FEB: Classic Poetry
MAR: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
APR: Lost in Translation (any classic not originally written in English)
MAY: Victorian (written during or set in)
JUNE: Out to Sea (classics on a ship) (ORIGINALLY LISTED AS JULY)
JULY: Classical Greek and Roman (written during or set in) (ORIGINALLY LISTED AS JUNE)
AUG: Mystery
SEPT: Medieval (written during or set in)
OCT: Renaissance (written during or set in)
NOV: Drama
DEC: Short Story Collections or Holiday Fiction

Here is the link for the facebook page for Read a Classic in 2013: https://www.facebook.com/events/46743...

One last short one for the year.

Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam Translated by Edward FitzGerald, 12th century, 96 pages (although there was often just one quatrain per page), print.

X-posted to Facebook

Another under the wire. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, 1937, 246 pages, e-reader/text-to-speech.

I enjoyed reading The Hobbit some 20 years ago, and found that it still met my expectations today. It is a great fantasy adventure story, where good and evil are not always easily defined.

I highly recommend reading it, especially if you are planning to watch the new trilogy. If you read it straight through you might be able finish it in less time than it takes to watch the complete trilogy.

x-posted on Facebook

Two days left. There are plenty of short classics out there if you want to squeeze something in. I am trying to finish the Hobbit in time.

According to Scott, between this group and the Facebook page we have logged in over 200 books and 68,000 pages so far.

He also asked, "how many of you might be interested in doing this again next year?"

Taran Wanderer by Lloyd Alexander, 1967, 219 pages, ereader/text-to-speech

The High King by Lloyd Alexander, 1968, 253 pages, ereader/text-to-speech

Taran Wanderer read like a book of short stories, which later informed The High King. A satisfying light read overall. Despite being a princess, Eilonwy is a much better role-model for my daughter than some of the other options out there. Reminds me of Éowyn from Lord of the Rings.

I finished these on the drive to my family's for Thanksgiving, but after reading so many classics lately, I decided to take a break. I got sucked into the Wool Omnibus by Hugh Howey. I highly recommend it for any fans of dystopian lit.

X-Posted on FB

The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander, 1965, 182 pages, ereader/text-to-speech

The Castle of Llyr by Lloyd Alexander, 1966, 170 pages, ereader/text-to-speech

These are quick light reads with a decent heroine and bumbling hero who doesn't always make the best decisions, but seems to mature as the series continues.

X-Posted on FB

The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander, 1964, 190 pages, Ereader/Text-to-Speech. A little simpler than I expected, but still enjoyable.

X-Posted on Facebook

Melisande by E. Nesbit, 1901, 48 pages, Illustrated Children's Books/Ereader Text-to-Speech (I read both versions)

A classic princess in distress style fairytale, with both a rescuing prince and some more progressive elements.

Five Children and It by E. Nesbit, 1902, 174 pages, Ereader/Text-to-speech.

Be careful of what you wish for is the central premise of the book. It was interesting, but it does include some dated and highly stereotypical depictions of American Indians.

X-Posted on Facebook.

City by Clifford D. Simak, 1952, 216 pages, Ereader/text-to-speech.

This novel was a collection of 8 connected short stories full of interesting ideas and concepts.

X-posted on FB

Metropolis by Thea von Harbou, 1926, 231 pages, ereader/text to speech.

Metropolis is both a classic science fiction film and a novel, which has influenced the genre. I can't say I understood what was going on, but it was an exciting read none-the-less.

X-Posted with Facebook Group