An idea for an SC summer activity has been floating about lately. Wheeler, in particular, has advanced the idea of designating a book for the SC to read and discuss over the summer break. I would like to hear suggestions.
One idea involves tying our selection to next semester's World Literature through Film course -- reading one of the stories in its entirety beforehand. The required reading for that course includes selections from the following:
Swift -- Gulliver’s TravelsIn any case, we would like to avoid works that are either too long or too short. To use Dostoevsky as an example, Crime and Punishment has been judged too long and dense, while Notes from Underground is a bit too short to be desirable.
Goethe -- Faust
Pushkin -- Eugene Onegin
Flaubert -- Madame Bovary
Dostoevsky -- The Brothers Karamazov
Ibsen -- A Doll’s House
Conrad -- Heart of Darkness
Any ideas?
Posted by Wilson at May 5, 2004 03:28 PM | TrackBackI suggest either "As I Lay Dying" by Faulkner or "She" by H. Rider Haggard . . .
I'll post more if I think of them.
Posted by: Blame Jared at May 5, 2004 04:13 PMWhile my tastes might have matured some since I read it last, I really don't recall particularly caring for Madame Bovary... beyound that I'm up for anything.
Posted by: Vengeful Cynic at May 5, 2004 08:21 PMWhile I would not be opposed to a "group book" thingy, I've got my own reading list, ranging from textbooks (summer classes) to just-plain-fun, no-brainer books... still, if a decision is reached, I'll see what I can do.
Posted by: Martinez at May 6, 2004 05:35 PMchesterton maybe? everlasting man? or george macdonald?
Posted by: banana at May 8, 2004 12:01 AMJust a suggestion: you all should read Chaucher's Canterbury Tales (I think I'm spelling that right... but am far to unmotivated to check) *in middle english*. It's not so different that modern English that you can't read it, and I really enjoyed it a lot more when I translated it for myself.
Posted by: Toad at May 13, 2004 12:16 PM