Old Books, New Readers discussion
Through the Ages Challenge
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Jazzy - Captain
date
newest »
newest »
Centuries:
√Ninth - The Thousand and One Nights
√Tenth - Hrotsvitha
√Eleventh - Shahnameh
√Twelfth - Arthurian Legend/Romances
Thirteenth - Prose & Poetic Edda
Fourteenth - The Divine Comedy
Fifteenth - La Celestina
Sixteenth - William Shakespeare
Seventeenth - Don Quixote
Eighteenth - Candide
Nineteenth - Gothic Fiction
Twentieth - Literary Criticism/Globalization
Skips:
One
Two
Crystals:
(radiowest.kuer)The Thousand and One Nights is a collection of Indian and Middle Eastern stories. There is still an ongoing debate on when the stories originated or who it's author/s are. This is a common occurrence with early century stories as they were often told orally through generations. The first book and most well known of the collection is titled "Arabian Nights". According to sources, it has been in circulation since the Ninth century. There was no known manuscript in Arabic until the Fourteenth century. It was not published in English until the Eighteenth century. The collection's stories are put within a frame story around King Shahryar. The stories are told through his wife in order to survive the night and avoid execution. Aladdin, Sindbad and Ali Baba are the most well known stories from the collection.
Complete all 4 tasks to move to the next century:
1) Read tales from 1001 Nights (include page counts/must add up to a minimum of 100 pages)
2) Read a book that was originally published in another language.
3) Read a book set in the Middle East.
4) Read another book written or published in the 9th century OR a classic book with 9 in the publication date.
9th c.Complete all 4 tasks to move to the next century:
4/4
✅1) Read tales from 1001 Nights
(include page counts/must add up to a minimum of 100 pages)
The Arabian Nights (9th c.) - Anonymous ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Translated by Sir Richard Francis Burton (1885)
One Thousand and One Nights is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the Arabian Nights, from the first English-language edition (c. 1706 – c. 1721), which rendered the title as The Arabian Nights' Entertainment.
742/742pp [21/8/19]
✅2) Read a book that was originally published in another language.
Botchan [original title 坊っちゃん] (1906) - Sōseki Natsume [夏目 漱石] ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Translated by Umeji Sasaki (1922)
Botchan (坊っちゃん) is a novel written by Natsume Sōseki in 1906. It is one of the most popular novels in Japan, read by many Japanese during their school years. The central theme of the story is morality, but the narrator serves up this theme with generous sides of humour and sarcasm.
192/192pp [1/6/19]
✅3) Read a book set in the Middle East.
The Blind Owl (1936) - Sadegh Hedayat ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Translated by D.P. Costello (1957)
The Blind Owl (1936; Persian: بوف کور) is Sadegh Hedayat's magnum opus and a major literary work of 20th century Iran. It was written during the oppressive latter years of Reza Shah's rule (1925–1941), and was originally published in a limited edition in Bombay, during Hedayat's year-long stay there in 1937, stamped with "Not for sale or publication in Iran." It first appeared in Tehran in 1941 (as a serial in the daily Iran), after Reza Shah's abdication, and had an immediate and forceful effect. It is believed that much of the novel had already been completed by 1930 while Hedayat was still a student in Paris. Being inspired by European ideologies, the author challenges the traditions and as a result, the work is the representation of modern literature in Iran.
148/148pp [2/6/19]
✅4) Read another book written or published in the 9th century OR a classic book with 9 in the publication date.
Beowulf (9th c.) - Unknown. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Translation by John Lesslie Hall (1897)
Beowulf is an Old English epic poem consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important works of Old English literature. It was written in England some time between the 8th and the early 11th century. The author was an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet, referred to by scholars as the “Beowulf poet.” The poem is set in Scandinavia.
300/300pp [2/6/19]
Sorry Jazzy. I didnt get a notification until your recent post. Remember I do not get notifications if you edit a post.
Congrats you made it and found a Sunstone!
Hrotsvitha, nun of Gandersheim, is classified as the first female German poet. Her name, as she herself attests, is "strong voice" in Saxon. Some consider her to be the first dramatist/playwright since ancient times. Hrotsvitha desired her works to "counteract the pagan morality expressed in classical works". All of her original works were written in Latin as taught by the monastery. During her lifetime, Hrosvitha categorized her works into three sections: Book of Legends, Book of Drama, and Epics. The Book of Legends contained eight legends: Ascensio, Gangolf, Pelagius, Theophilus, Basilius, Dionysius, Maria & Agnes. Theophilus is hypothesized to be the most famous. The legend describes a young archdeacon who consults a Jewish sorcerer about his disappointed promotion. A dark journey ensues soon after. The Books of Drama include six plays that are believed to be written around 960. The plays are Gallicanus, Dulcitius, Callimachus, Abraham, Pafnutius & Sapientia. During the Tenth century, the Christian church looked down upon drama and theater under the advise of the Roman Empire. Hrotsvitha turned to drama as a means of promoting Christian ideals such as chastity, poverty and obedience. Thus re-inviting the Roman Empire and Christianity back into the art form. The two historical stories included in the Epics (the Gesta Ottonis and the Primordia coenobii Gandeshemensis) have been lost.
Complete 4 tasks to move to the next century:
1) Read a play from the Book of Dramas or a legend from the Book of Legends.
PDF of Hrotsvitha's Work
2) Read a book by a German author.
3) Read a book with a church on the cover or in text. (Cite passage)
4) Read another book written or published in the 10th century or read a book with 1 & 0 in the page count.
10th c.Complete 4 tasks to move to the next century:
4/4
✅1) Read a play from the Book of Dramas or a legend from the Book of Legends by Hrotsvitha
The Plays Of Roswitha - Hrotsvitha (10th c.) ⭐⭐
Translated by Christopher St. John (1923)
Contains the plays Gallicanus, Dulcitius, Callimachus, Abraham, Paphnutius, and Sapientia, with Gallicanus being in two parts.
210/210 [23/8/19]
✅2) Read a book by a German author.
Effi Briest - Theodor Fontane (1895) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Theodor Fontane (1819 – 1898) was a German novelist and poet, regarded by many to be the most important 19th-century German-language realist writer. Fontane set to work on Effi Briest, which was to become his best-known novel, a few days after his 70th birthday.
228/228 [27/8/19]
✅3) Read a book with a church on the cover or in text.
The Hound of Death (1933) - Agatha Christie ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A doctor meets a nun traumatised by the Great War. An attempt to restore the woman's sanity results in the uncovering of something very sinister indeed.
256/256 [28/8/19]
✅4) Read another book written or published in the 10th century or read a book with 1 & 0 in the page count.
The Tosa Diary (10th c.) - Ki no Tsurayuki ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ki no Tsurayuki was a Japanese waka poet of the Heian period. In 905, he was one of the poets ordered to compile the Kokinshu - Collected Japanese Poems of Ancient and Modern Times. He is also one of the Thirty-six Poetry Immortals of Japan. The Tosa Diary, written in 935, is considered the major work of Tsurayuki. It is an account of his return to the capital Kyoto from Tosa province, where he had served as governor since 930. The journey is by boat, and Tsurayuki tells about his sea sickness and fear of pirates, his impressions of the coast, and the various offerings to placate the gods of the sea. The Tosa Diary is written entirely in kana and contains many poems composed by Tsurayuki during the journey.
128/128 [27/8/19]
C'est fini!
Congrats you made it and found a Lapis Lazuli!
(huffingtonpost)
The epic of Shahnameh by Abu ʾl-Qasim Firdowsi Tusi describes the history of pre-Islamic Persia. The title translates to The Book of Kings. The stories center around fifty Persian Kings, hence the title. According to the Library of Congress, it includes "62 stories, told in 990 chapters with 50,000 rhyming couplets." The collection is divided into three parts. The first is the mythical, the second heroic and third is historical. Regarded as a literary masterpiece by Persian natives because it embodies the national identity. It reflects Iran's history, cultural values and ancient religions. The author published Shahnameh in 1010 when the nation's independence was compromised. This piece of work even effected modern Persian language a thousand years later. Experts believe it was due to surviving works such as Shahnameh with it's profound cultural influence that effected how the language was preserved and developed.
Complete 4 tasks to move to the next century:
1) Read a book whose both author's initials can be found in: BOOK OF KINGS
2) Read a book or anthology of poetry.
3) Read a book that features royalty.
4) Read another book written or published in the 11th century or who has 11 in the page count.
11th c.Complete 4 tasks to move to the next century:
4/4
✅1) Read a book by an author whose first and last initials can be found in: BOOK OF KINGS
The Trial (1925) - Franz Kafka ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Trial (original title: Der Process) is a novel written by Franz Kafka between 1914 and 1915 which was published posthumously in 1925. One of his best-known works, it tells the story of Josef K., a man arrested and prosecuted by a remote, inaccessible authority, with the nature of his crime revealed neither to him nor to the reader.
219/219 [15/11/19]
✅2) Read a book of poetry.
Selected Poems (<1963) - Sylvia Plath ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Sylvia Plath was one of the most dynamic and admired poets of the 20th century. By the time she took her life at the age of 30, Plath already had a following in the literary community. In the ensuing years her work attracted the attention of a multitude of readers, who saw in her singular verse an attempt to catalogue despair, violent emotion, and obsession with death.
85/85 [4/9/19]
✅3) Read a book that features royalty.
Greek Myths: A Wonder Book For Girls & Boys (1851) - Nathaniel Hawthorne ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This edition includes the legends of Pandora and the Box of Troubles, King Midas and the Golden Touch, Perseus and the Medusa, Philemon and Baucis, Bellerophon and Pegasus, and the labours of Hercules, all illustrated magnificently in colour by Walter Crane.
216/216 [10/11/19]
✅4) Read a book that was written or published in the 11th century or has 11 in the page count.
A String of Flowers, Untied . . .: Love Poems from the Tale of Genji (11th c.) - Murasaki Shikibu ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Over 400 tanka poems describe the intricate love-play and word-play between men and women of noble breeding, consumed by sexual desire and aesthetic longing from the first 33 chapters of The Tale of Genji. The Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari) is a classic work of Japanese literature attributed to the Japanese noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th c., around the peak of the Heian Period. It is considered to be the world's first novel, the first modern novel, the first romance novel, and the first novel to still be considered a classic.
224/224 [4/11/19]
Congrats you made it and found Citrine!
(kxcdn)
Twelfth century literature was dominated by a central character, King Arthur. Known as the Arthurian Legend began with Geoffrey of Monmouth’s 1138 work History of the Kings of Britain. Monmouth's work described the entirety of Britain's history from the seventh to twelfth century. With this increasing interest brought about the Arthurian Legend which are divided into three parts - Camelot, Age of Chivalry, and Songs of Deed. Three other authors are credited to these stories - Robert de Baron, Sir Thomas Malory & Chretien de Troyes. Within the Arthurian Legend one can find the Arthurian romances which birthed the genre of courtly romance. These stories combined Christian, Muslim and Celtic elements. Chretien de Troyes is considered the genre's founder with "Erec and Enide" published in 1160. He would go on to write four more works including the infamous romance between Lancelot and Guinevere. Not only did his works include Arthur like the others, but it included other members of his court.
Complete 4 tasks to move to the next century:
1) Read any of the Arthurian Legend stories.
2) Read a book whose title begins with a letter found in: TROYES
3) Read a French Romance novel.
4) Read another book published in the 12th century or read a book that has 12 in the page count.
12th c. Complete 4 tasks to move to the next century:
4/4
✅ 1) Read any of the Arthurian Legend stories.
The Story of King Arthur and His Knights - Howard Pyle
When the young Arthur pulls the embedded sword from the stone, his future as the King of England is foretold. This imaginative retelling of the classic legends recounts the story of Arthur's formation of the Knights of the Round Table, his securing of the enchanted sword Excalibur, his wooing of the Lady Guinevere and many other beloved Arthurian tales.
437/437pp [2/7/20]
✅ 2) Read a book whose title begins with a letter found in: TROYES
Tintin in the Congo (1930) - Hergé ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The second entry in the beloved Tintin series. This time the irrepressible Belgian heads for the Congo and gets involved in all manner of intrigue.
120/120pp [16/11/19]
✅ 3) Read a French Romance novel.
Chéri (1920) - Colette ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Léa de Lonval is an ageing courtesan facing the end of her sexual career, as well as her most intense love affair, with Chéri--a playboy half her age.
120/120pp [19/11/19]
✅ 4) Read another book published in the 12th century or read a book that has 12 in the page count.
Songs to Make the Dust Dance: The Ryojin Hisho of Twelfth-Century Japan (12th c.) - Yung-Hee Kim ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Ryōjin Hishō (梁塵秘抄, Songs to Make the Dust Dance on the Beams) is an anthology of imayō 今様 songs. Originally it consisted of two collections joined together by Cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa: the Kashishū 歌詞集 and the Kudenshū 口伝集. The works were probably from the repertoire of the Emperor's tutor, the aged singer Otomae, whose superlative mastery of the art derived from four generations of teachers. Only a fragment (about 10%) of this work is still extant. These songs were very popular in the 12th century Japan, but quickly fell into disuse in the Kamakura period.
222/222pp [22/12/19]
C'est fini! All done with this one. :)Next please, Elizabeth.
PS. Sorry it took a while, I took time out to start reading all 117 Nobel Laureates in order, 58 in so far :)
Congrats you made it and found Red Jasper!
(ancientpages)
Not much had been known about Scandinavia culture and history until exploration and the influence of Western religion. Christianity brought about the first writings of centuries old Norse spoken tales and historical information. Known as the Saga's which translates to "what is told" usually involved historical figures, voyages and migration. From my research, there is still no finite author. The Icelandic Saga includes the King's, Family and Legendary Sagas. The King's Sagas include the contemporary biographies and histories of remote periods. Many themes in the Saga's include character development, fate, luck, heroic deeds and the supernatural. Originally written in Old Norse until 1220 when Snorri Sturluson translated and produced the first English translation. Famously known as the Prose Edda, Old Norse for collection of Sagas, has four surviving manuscripts. It is perceived to be the only extensive source of Norse mythology. The Prose and Poetic Edda include the Yggdrasil/the Tree of Life (photo above). Yggdrasil according to Historical Mysteries is an "enormous glistening ash tree that cradles the nine realms of the cosmos within its branches and roots, thereby connecting all things... and represents the cycle of birth, growth, death, and rebirth."
Complete 4 tasks to move to the next century:
1) Read the Prose or Poetic Edda.
2) Read a book that has mythology as a MPG(Main Page Genre).
3) Read a book set in Scandinavia.
4) Read another book published in the 13th century or read a book with 1 & 3 in the publication date.
13th c.Complete 4 tasks to move to the next century:
1/4
1) Read the Prose or Poetic Edda.
The Poetic Edda - A Book That Inspired Tolkien: With Original Illustrations (The Professor's Bookshelf) (13th c.) - translated by Olive Bray
Along with the Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda is the most expansive source on Norse mythology. The Poetic Edda is a later manuscript dating from the second half of the 13th century, but containing older materials (hence its alternative title, the Elder Edda). It is a collection of mythological and heroic poems of unknown authorship, composed over a long period (ad 800–1100).
0/432pp
2) Read a book that has mythology as a MPG (Main Page Genre).
✅ 3) Read a book set in Scandinavia.
Nu var det 1914 (1934) - Eyvind Johnson
A Swedish bildungsroman which follows the life of 12-year-old Olof as he leaves his foster home and travels to the south of the country in search of a meaningful life.
167/167pp [4/7/20]
4) Read another book published in the 13th century or read a book with 1 & 3 in the publication date.
Of Reynaert the Fox: Text and Facing Translation of the Middle Dutch Beast Epic (1250) - translated by Thea Summerfield
The mid 13th c. Dutch beast epic Van den vos Reynaerde is a fascinating reworking of the most popular branch of the Old French Roman de Renart and one of the finest examples of this popular genre, consisting of a lengthy cycle of animal tales which provided a satirical commentary on human society.
0/368pp
2
Old Books, New Readers
Books mentioned in this topic
Of Reynaert the Fox: Text and Facing Translation of the Middle Dutch Beast Epic Van den Vos Reynaerde (other topics)The Poetic Edda - A Book That Inspired Tolkien: With Original Illustrations (other topics)
Nu var det 1914 (other topics)
The Story of King Arthur and His Knights (other topics)
Songs to Make the Dust Dance: The Ryojin Hisho of Twelfth-Century Japan (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Thea Summerfield (other topics)Olive Bray (other topics)
Eyvind Johnson (other topics)
Howard Pyle (other topics)
Yung-Hee Kim (other topics)
More...
*Challenge inspired by Love of Books Group Challenges*