Classics and the Western Canon discussion

Am I dreaming, Dr Freud, or is it almost time to choose our next read for 2024? Indeed, it is. We have this week for discussion, and the poll will run next week with the second 2024 read scheduled to start March 13. The nominees include random choices from the bookshelf and a popular choice from the last poll.

NOMINEES FOR THE NEXT READ
The Plague by Albert Camus
Independent People by Halldor Laxness
Pensées by Blaise Pascal (popular nominee from the last poll)
Dr. Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
The Princess of Cleves by Madame de La Fayette and Manon Lescaut by Abbe Prevost
Lives of the Twelve Caesars by Suetonius

Which reading destination will you pick? Do you want to journey to the early days of the Roman Empire and The Lives of the Twelve Caesars? Or are you gambling on 17th and 18th century France with philosopher/mathematician Pascal’s Pensées or on the two very different love stories of The Princess of Cleves and Manon Lescaut? Or will you choose one of the 20th century options: revolutionary Russia with Dr. Zhivago or an Algerian city under threat of The Plague or rural Iceland with its Independent People? I know I’m going to have a tough time making a choice. Which one(s) are you interested in reading?

How do I participate in the poll?

Jan, there will be a link to the poll here when it goes up on February 14. You can just click on the link and vote. You will have one week to vote.

Our discussion of Freud ends on February 27. This will be followed with a two-week short interim read to give people time to acquire the book for the next major read. Our next major read begins on March 13.

We're looking forward to your participation in the poll and the discussions. All best.

Oh, this is a hard choice! I love "The Plague" and it would definitely be an interesting experience to re-read it with this group. But I always wanted to finally read "Pensées" by Pascal. And "Dr. Zhivago" is one of my favourite movies. And I have been interested in the Roman Empire lately, so "Lives of the Twelve Caesars" seems to come just in time. Hum...

Tamara wrote: "Jan, there will be a link to the poll here when it goes up on February 14. You can just click on the link and vote. You will have one week to vote.

Our discussion of Freud ends on February 27. Th..."

Thank you! I love this Goodreads group, although I don't post very much. I'm always in the background, though.

Jan wrote: "Thank you! I love this Goodreads group, although I don't post very much. I'm always in the background, though...."

Try being in the foreground, occasionally. I promise we don't bite : )

Here’s the upcoming schedule:

Feb 7 Freud Week 6 & Next read member discussion
Feb 14 Freud Week 7 & Next read poll
Feb 21 Freud Week 8 & Run-off if needed
Feb 28 Interim Week 1 & Acquire book week 1
Mar 6 Interim Week 2 & Acquire book week 2
Mar 13 Next read begins

Voting for our next read starts at 12:00 am PST February 14 and runs for a week. The poll can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/1...

Where's the commentary, the opinions, the advocacy?

I favor Suetonius, although Princess of Cleves would also be interesting.

Christopher wrote: "Where's the commentary, the opinions, the advocacy?

I favor Suetonius, although Princess of Cleves would also be interesting."

Why should I read Suetonius? Or Princess of Cleves? Let's see some commentary and opinions!

Let's read Suetonius to dip into the wonders of Classical Rome and prepare for Mary Beard's "Emperor" which is a contemporary classic.
The legacy of Imperial Rome is our Western Canon.

I've voted for Pensees. In this work, Pascal defends the existence of God, but also discusses the process of making decisions. How do we decide what to believe? Is it a matter of pure reason? And he is aware that the main difficulty in deciding the important questions in our life is that we come to them with preconceptions that are the result of how we've lived our lives up to this point.

Thomas wrote: "Christopher wrote: "Where's the commentary, the opinions, the advocacy?

I favor Suetonius, although Princess of Cleves would also be interesting."

Why should I read Suetonius? Or Princess of Cleves?”

Why read The Princess of Cleves, often considered the first European novel? A subtle classic of psychological realism, the story takes place around 1558, mostly in the court of Henri II of France where the future Mary Queen of Scots plays a small but key role. In under 200 pages, the reader gets an intimate look at life in the French court and the complications of a courtly love affair when a young woman married by arrangement to an amiable nobleman falls in love with another man.

The Princess of Cleves is paired here with another short novel, Manon Lescaut, an action-filled, slightly racy story set in early 18th century Paris and New Orleans. Featuring a possibly unreliable narrator, this story of obsessive love was banned upon initial publication in France.

Two different perspectives on love, social obligations, and fiction could make for a very lively discussion.

Susan has convinced me to change my vote from Suetonius (which I will read on my own) to "Princess of Cleves". After plugging through Freud, I am ready for something lighter, like this novel. It also serves as a period piece to get into the Court of the early Enlightenment. This early novel seems like just the thing. Also, tracking the French novel to back before Stendhal, et al. seems a worthy endeavor. "Manon Lescaut" fits in with my enjoyment of Puccini's opera, and as I am living now in Louisiana, it also strikes a chord.

I'm going for Laxness because I've never heard of him and a novel set in modern Iceland sounds intriguingly unlike anything I've ever read.

i would not mind if this wins.

Halldór Kiljan Laxness won the 1955 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Just a reminder — It’s not too late to vote for our next read. The poll is open until the end of Tuesday, February 20, Pacific Time. Here’s a link to the poll: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/1...

The voters have spoken! Drumroll, please. Independent People by Halldór Laxness will be the second read of 2024. The read will start March 13.

For anyone interested, here are the final weighted totals:
14 weighted votes - Independent People
5 weighted votes — Pensées
5 weighted votes — The Princess of Cleves/Manon Lescaut
5 weighted votes — The Twelve Caesars
4 weighted votes — Dr. Zhivago
4 weighted votes — The Plague
37 weighted votes - Total

Votes are weighted based on the number of comments made by the voter. The hope is that this encourages group discussion:
0-99 comments = 1 vote
100-299 comments = 2 votes
300 or more comments = 3 votes

By the way, you can check the number of comments you’ve made in the member section here: https://www.goodreads.com/group/19860... The easiest way is to enter your Goodreads name into the “search members” box.

Interim read?

Chris wrote: "Interim read?"

The discussion on Freud is wrapping up now, and the interim read will start Feb. 28.

Got that, what will the interim read be?

Chris wrote: "Got that, what will the interim read be?"

It’s a surprise ;). Our long-standing tradition is to wait until after the major read is complete so participants can continue to focus on that discussion.

I have just received my copy of this book. I am excited to start this reading and learn about this country which I actually know very little about (besides Bjork and Floki...). So I have started reading a little bit about its history and so on.

I'm glad you'll be joining us, Monica.

I ordered the book from my local independent bookstore on Mon.

Great! Glad you're on board, Chris!

Tamara wrote: "Great! Glad you're on board, Chris!"

Looking forward to it. I do have trouble keeping up with this group but enjoy reading the comments even if I am not in the mix.

I have my copy now too. Not sure how well I'll keep up as I'm going to be travelling out of the country for a couple weeks later in the month, but I'll try. I've never read this book before, and I'm eager to read an Icelandic classic.

Chris wrote: "Tamara wrote: "Great! Glad you're on board, Chris!"

Looking forward to it. I do have trouble keeping up with this group but enjoy reading the comments even if I am not in the mix."

Chris, we're reading about 50 pages a week. So I hope it's manageable and that you're able to keep up.

Greg wrote: "I have my copy now too. Not sure how well I'll keep up as I'm going to be travelling out of the country for a couple weeks later in the month, but I'll try. I've never read this book before, and I'..."

Glad you'll be joining us, Greg. I look forward to your comments. Safe travels when you go abroad.