Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

LiLi wrote: "@Wreade1872, I didn't have much choice but to look these up after I saw you posted them. I see something in a foreign language, I have to know what it means."

Got the last one it was way off, although i did copy it correctly but i found this once i got hold of the name of the writer
Armatz de fer e de fust e d'asier,
E mei ostal seraun bosc e semdier
E mas chansos sirventes ab descortz,
E mantenrai los frevols contra.ls fortz

armed with iron, with wood and with steel,
and woods and roads shall be my lodgings
and many songs shall be strident satires
and I shall uphold the weak against the strong.

http://www.trobar.org/troubadours/rai...

Only about a million more to go, there was a dozen in the first chapter :lol. At least most were just latin easy enough to get generally.

I toyed with the spellings and usage a bit. This seems to get something more meaningful out of the translator. Probably not 100%, but the gist. I'm guessing that "d'er'enan" has something to do with today and another time period, but I can't make it into an intelligible word, as my hest guess is FR hier/DE heute could be cognates.

Galop e trot e saut e corrs, viejos, e maltratar, e enfin,
serián Ustedes mei sejór d'er'enan;
e sufrirai frío e calors,
armas; de fust e de fer e d’acier;

e más ostál serián bosque e sendier,

e más cansós siventes e descórs,

e mantenrai los frevols contre·l fortz

(from Latin Hodie)

Ah then, I think frévols would work better than frevols for getting a translation. I tried that earlier and got "frivolous", which is roughly similar to "weak".

LiLi wrote: "(from Latin Hodie)"

I think i posted while you where typing i found someones translation, look up :) .

Cool, now I will look at your link! My "modernization" of spellings was strictly amateur hour, but it looks like the idea of being at home in the woods instead of in a cushy accommodation came through.

Yes, it seems we crossed wires a bit, lol.

Veillars! Yes, that makes sense it would be evening. Somewhere else I'd seen "valhars" translated as "old ones", which is why I transliterated it to "viejos". My bad.

Wasn't too far off on the "henceforth" tho..;)

LiLi wrote: "Wasn't too far off on the "henceforth" tho..;)"

I think the 3rd line of this translation is a bit off actually they had it as
E mas chansos sirventes ab descortz,
and many songs shall be strident satires

The version i had was
E mas cansos sestinas e descortz,
But a sestina and descortz are two types of medieval song like ballads or lays or sonnets etc, so a better translation i think would be something like
i will compose many ballads and dittys, or something like that. Then again i'm no translator :) .

No, I agree with you. "Descortz" even sounds like it should be something short.

Maybe a genitive form?

Hey all,

When do we start the 2022 challenges and info about these so I can see how I work on these and also I can start a new year with you guys and plan ahead my reads and my lists etc?

The 2022 Challenges are in the process of being compiled, Didi, and should post soon. You will have ample time to plan your 2022 reads. Posting for them will begin January 1st. We all get giddy with anticipation this time of year...Christmas and Classic challenge lists coming!!!

So true Sara!

VROOM, VROOM…..

Some us already have spreadsheets full of ideas. :D

And, some of us can't wait to see them, Marilyn.

Marilyn wrote: "Some us already have spreadsheets full of ideas. :D"

For sure, with some of them (mine) being more horribly chaotic than those of others.

I can’t wait to see what is planned - both as the challenges and what folks are going to read!

Hi! I started making a spreadsheet (using Google Sheets) to take stock of my personal library, which I think will help me not to duplicate books; I also added notes about which short stories appear in the different collections I already own. I started by making a tab to categorize a particular type of literature I have a lot of (Russian novels & criticism). Does anyone use a similar spreadsheet, and would like to give tips on how you organize it, or does anyone recommend an app instead? It occurred to me that it would be great if there was an app that I could easily use to check the books I own while out and about (browsing used book stores), and if there was a way to scan books into the app once I bought them, that would be even better.

Thanks for any tips or advice!

Amyjzed wrote: "Hi! I started making a spreadsheet (using Google Sheets) to take stock of my personal library, which I think will help me not to duplicate books; I also added notes about which short stories appear..."

The Goodreads' app allows you to scan in books, so long as the ISBN barcode is visible and the edition is logged on the site. There's always a chance that duplicates won't be caught because editions haven't been paired together, but that's not going to happen often enough to cause you any real problems. I personally use this website's shelving/tagging system in such a way that I can immediately tell if I own a copy already, but I'm sure that's taken countless hours for me to create and maintain till now. The tagging's flexible enough to probably account for most of your descriptor needs.

As for short stories, GR's unfortunately limited to describing single works, so a spreadsheet for accounting purposes might be your best bet if you need efficiency beyond typing in table of contents into each work's review space. There might be some book site out there that allows for collapsible organization of works within works, but it's not something I've personally come across.

Amyjzed wrote: "Hi! I started making a spreadsheet (using Google Sheets) to take stock of my personal library, which I think will help me not to duplicate books; I also added notes about which short stories appear..."

Yes, I use a spreadsheet as well. It currently has about 12 tabs. I delete them when not needed. I have used it since 2018. Some tabs are lists of Award Winners - usually because there was a Bingo square they pertained to.

Personal use tabs:
1. My monthly plan and the monthly read. I just add lines on top and put the most recent things I read there. It is a chronological list of everything I have read for about 5 years now. Example: "The Snow Image: A Childish Miracle" by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1852) 1/9/2022 5*

On the same tab to the right I keep a list of all books and short stories read in order of publication year for the current year. Oldest books on top. This helps to organize for century challenges and decade challenges. Next to this to the right, I have a column for which challenge I used the book for.

3. I have a tab for the yearly challenges...I keep those old year tabs too. On that I have all sort of book possibilities, short stories and the place I can find it (kindle, pdfs on laptop, physical book). Just like you I did an inventory these last two weeks of possible books to read. I always put the publication year next to book titles and then look a book up on Goodreads and mark it to-read.

4. Last year I had a "theme" to my challenges. I read Science Fiction for a couple of challenges, so I have a tab that is the inventory I did last year of all the Science Fiction books I have (kindle, pdfs, physical books) and the short stories from collections that interested me. They were listed in a novels column and a short story column with publication dates in order of year of publication. I highlight when I read something. At the end of the year I copied the tab, deleted the highlighted lines and it is now my current Sci Fi resources.

5. This week I decided my "theme" for 2022 would be 19th Century short stories. I have been gathering resources (around the house and free downloads) and typing in the inventory with publication dates on my 19th Century Short Story tab. This is actually a lot of fun for me to do.

6. I keep a tab that is just a list of all the authors I have read on books entered on Goodreads. I keep track of how many books/short stories I have read from each author. It helps on challenges like an author you have not read before. Surprisingly, sometimes when an author is famous I feel like I might have read one of his or her works until I look it up and find I have not.

7. I do not inventory every single book I own, only those that apply to a particular challenge I am working on.

8. Finally, I have a "nominations cheat sheet" for moderator duties. Each month in the Revisit the Shelf nominations I copy and paste the information on books into an alphabetical sheet. It makes it much easier because the same books get nominated over and over and I can use the entries in the future.

That's it. Hope it didn't make your eyes glaze over. Having a list of books I already own and want to read this year helps me refrain from buying more or buying duplicates.

How do I edit my 2022 Challenge comment? A book I linked to is not the book I plan to read.

Also, How do I edit the challenge comment to indicate books I have completed?

Dave wrote: "How do I edit my 2022 Challenge comment? A book I linked to is not the book I plan to read.

Also, How do I edit the challenge comment to indicate books I have completed?"

Hi Dave!

At the bottom of every comment you will see this:

reply | flag *

At the bottom of every comment YOU make you will see this:

reply | edit | delete | flag *

So click EDIT to edit and add or change your comment. Let me know if you need more help.

Thank you CindySR, I was trying to edit inside the app rather than on the website. I’ve got it straight now.

Dave - yeah, the app isn’t great for some of those things. I run into that problem a lot. Glad you got it worked out!

Is there a way to block someone on Goodreads? I accepted a friend request from someone named “Jaqueline” and now she claims to be an investment advisor in NYC and is pestering me about investment advise. Probably a scam. I unfriended her but don’t know if that will stop the messages.

Dave wrote: "Is there a way to block someone on Goodreads? I accepted a friend request from someone named “Jaqueline” and now she claims to be an investment advisor in NYC and is pestering me about investment a..."

Yes, on their profile page at the top where it says FOLLOW or ADD FRIEND, next to that is MORE and it has a drop down box and you can block them. I'd also report them to GR or flag their comments to you.

Thank you.

That’s good to know CindySR!

Natalie wrote: "That’s good to know CindySR!"

Yes, and thanks for sharing too Dave. I got a friend request from the same person I think. I hadn't accepted it yet, and now I know not to.

Blocking people is a handy tool. I've blocked three GR members who had trouble separating opinion from fact.

I'm hoping one of you can help me with this--back when I was in high school, I came across a copy of Inferno by Dante that was beautifully written. It was in verse. It rhymed. The rhymes did not feel forced. It was great. I found it again in college. In both cases, I forgot to write down the translator's name, and in both cases, it was an older book (I discovered it sometime between 2007 and 2009, but it was wrapped in yellow buckram and clearly one of the older titles in both collections). I can't remember if it was the entire Divine Comedy or not, but I'm pretty sure it was just Inferno.

I know this is super-vague, but one of the first lines went "...When in a gloomy wood I found me straying". And that's all I really remember. If anyone happens to know this translation and can get me the translator's name, I would be thrilled beyond belief. I'd just need the first stanza to know if it's the right one or not. I'd recognize it as soon as I read it.

I feel like if anyone can figure it out, it would be this group!

Thanks in advance!
Em

Emmy wrote: "I'm hoping one of you can help me with this--back when I was in high school, I came across a copy of Inferno by Dante that was beautifully written. It was in verse. It rhymed. The rhymes did not fe..."

https://www.fromoldbooks.org/Doree-In...


English: Dante finds himself lost in a gloomy wood, from Canto 1 of Divine Comedy, illustrated by Paul Gustave Doré (1832-1883). The image is from an 1861 edition of Dante's Inferno, the first part of the poem. The caption reads "'In the midway of this our mortal life, I found me in a gloomy wood, astray' Canto 1 lines 1,2." Doré's edition can be read online here (Project Gutenberg) and here (Archive.org).



https://www.gutenberg.org/files/8789/...

Hello! I am a new member from Germany. Some years ago I was on a short story kick, after discovering those of JD Salinger. Now 2 short story books by Roald Dahl showed up again, while cleaning up and well, I am inhaling everything I can get my hands on.
Youtube is also a great source for audio books for the classics, so I can listen while painting or doing some chores.
I was surprised how much I loved Poe's stories (after disliking The tell-tale heart at school, I reread it and I still don't like it...), Oscar Wilde has some beautiful short stories, fairy tale like... I have short flirts with some of the big names, Mark Twain, Dickens, Hemingway... now my question:

Which are your favourite short stories? The Lottery, The Way up to Heaven, The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales and The Gift of the Magi stand out to me now, that I think about it.

There are a couple short story collections by Daphne Du Maurier that are wonderful. Have you read them. I also like the Roald Dahl stories. Of the ones you listed, The Lottery is my favorite.

Patty wrote: "There are a couple short story collections by Daphne Du Maurier that are wonderful. Have you read them. I also like the Roald Dahl stories. Of the ones you listed, The Lottery is my favorite."

No! I haven't read a short story by her yet, good idea! I remember enjoying a full length novel by her, but don't remember which one it was... Thank you!

I had read The Lottery years ago and thought about it quite a few times (I was addicted to dystopian stories, which often reminded me of it), now I reread it and still loved it, even though theshock impact of the first time was gone.

The Auctioneer by Joan Samson is a novel you may like if you liked The Lottery.

Patty wrote: "The Auctioneer by Joan Samson is a novel you may like if you liked The Lottery."

Ah, will check it out, thank you!

Nadine — Since you liked “The Lottery,” check out Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson. I read it earlier this year and enjoyed this collection of shorts. You can find a lot of hers on YouTube, too. I would also recommend looking up the YT channel Windy Night Stories.

Heather L wrote: "Nadine — Since you liked “The Lottery,” check out Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson. I read it earlier this year and enjoyed this collection of shorts. You can find a lot of hers on You..."

Oh thank you! Both the collection and the channel sound good! Thanks, Heather!

If you're looking for short stories, you could try reviving this group's thread that's specifically devoted to discussing such: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Aubrey wrote: "If you're looking for short stories, you could try reviving this group's thread that's specifically devoted to discussing such: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/......"

Thanks! :-)

Re short stories: Also please nominate your favorite in the nomination tread. The next round opens April 1st. Somewhere here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...
(you cannot see it yet).

I don't think we have ever read any short stories by Daphne Du Maurier.

Hi everyone! I made a post in the “Introductions” thread a couple of days ago, and am now thinking about my April/May reading plans as I’d like to fit a couple of classics in there. I was wondering, aside from short stories as I don’t tend to gravitate towards them as much, what classics might you recommend for someone relatively new to it all and looking for something a bit more accessible? (Hope this was the right place to ask - I’m pretty new to Goodreads, too!)

This month's revisit is Persuasion. If you have not read Jane Austen, this would be a great place to start. You would be reading with a group, and could share your own reactions as you go or ask questions if you are feeling confused about anything.

I second what Sara said about Persuasion. As classics go it’s an easy read, and definitely the easier read of this month’s choices. There are plenty of free options online if you can’t find a printed copy.

You might also consider “children’s” classics such as: The Secret Garden, Peter Pan, Matilda, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Little Prince, Black Beauty, Heidi, or The Little Mermaid.

If you want something short but for an “older” audience try: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Rip Van Winkle, A Christmas Carol, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Pearl, Summer, Letters to a Young Poet, or 84, Charing Cross Road.

Don’t be intimidated by something being a “major classic” or similar. It is perfectly alright to read the first few pages and say “maybe some other day”.

In general: Older books are easier to read with a linear/chronological story told from one perspective. Somehow in particular books written 1800-1900 - but that is just my personal feeling.

This month's Aesop's Fables are easy and fun to read.

From the group shelf I can highly recommend these. All short, accessible and very good:
The Call of the Wild 110 pp
Ender's Game 324 pp
The Hound of the Baskervilles256 pp
Chess Story 104 pp
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone309 pp
The Giver 208 pp
Around the World in Eighty Days 252 pp

Russian classics tend to be really long but surprisingly easy to read. If you want to try a short one:
White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky, 82 pp. But there is not a lot of plot, it is mainly the person and the beautiful language.

Hi! I have a question regarding picking an edition of the text please.

I have two editions of Far From The Madding Crowd and I realised one is the first edition (1874), and one is the heavily revised edition (1895 - revised by Hardy).

Now I'm confused which edition would be the 'better' one to read? I'm sure plot wise there's not a major difference but a quick comparison shows there has been lots of little edits throughout (word emissions, additions and rephrasing).

By better I mean more authentic... I feel like the first edition, but then maybe the revised is the one Hardy would intend?

Any thoughts welcome please!

It did also get me thinking on how it is often the case that there are revised editions for classics - I feel like the editions we typically read are the revised/most recent?