1. Literature What is Literature?: Literature of the Western World The Poetic Path: Norton Anthology of Poetry, Lives of the Poets The Epic Poem: Iliad, Odyssey, Aeneid, Canterbury Tales, Faerie Queen, Paradise Lost The Prosaic Path: The Novel: Tom Jones, Count of Monte Christo, Jane Eyre, Les Miserables, Middlemarch, Lord of the Rings ------===ooo===------ What is Literature? Now literature isn't about cold hard facts And it certainly won't help you do your tax It never taught me how to swing an axe And by golly don't expect to learn the sax Well, what is it? Literature in all its forms tells a tale It could be about me at a sale Or a hero riding high on his snail Whatever ever never it just won't fail Well, there it is. ------===ooo===------ Literature of the Western World: this is a massive two-volume offering from Macmillan Publishing. An ambitious anthology, it is nevertheless true to its title; literature as in the general sense (poetry, plays, novels, short stories) and western world including a number of nations and eras (from ancient Greece to Modern times). Still, don't expect everything; the scope here is immense. Some 100 authors are represented in 5000 odd pages. Either a complete shorter work, or an intact section from a larger one, was the item included. The translations themselves are delightfully contemporary, and should appeal to most readers. Wonderful to have on your desk both for earnest contemplation and an idle browse. First edition hardcover (1983). ------===ooo===------ The Poetic Path Down this path we dance hand-in-hand Stepping to the tinker-bells of spoken cadence But take care! as we round the rime, A giddy roundabout of revolving sound. Poetry! O Poetry! ------===ooo===------ Norton Anthology of Poetry: the most comprehensive single-volume survey of English-language poetry is published by WW Norton. A luxurious large page format results in a pleasingly uncluttered page; even though there are line numbers on the far left, annotations on the far right, and concise footnotes adorning almost every page. The coverage is impressive, with 1400 selections drawn from 200 poets; there should be something here for everyone. I recommend finding a copy of the superceded 3rd edition (1983). It possesses an elegance and economy that the current 4th edition woefully lacks. ------===ooo===------ Lives of the Poets: Samuel Johnson finds a worthy successor in Michael Schmidt. 250 poets are covered in just over a thousand pages, a remarkable feat of controlled writing. Chapters group together poets of natural affinity (usually contemporaries with similar outlook) though each poet is discussed individually. The narrative is lively, the quotations apt, criticism useful. Either as a single volume history of English-language poetry, or as an occasional reference text, this is truly outstanding work. A solid Phoenix paperback (1999). ------===ooo===------ The Epic Poem The epic poem is both grand and long Though in this some would discern a wrong They disapprove any form of speech That aims to extend man's mental reach. I say stuff 'em, they're a backward lot That don't know Milton and what he's not. As for the length, well it's just divine It keeps on going line after line Great for slow Sundays both day and night And fills a year if you read it right. The epic poem is well worth a go Try it, and you'll see I told you so! ------===ooo===------ Iliad: here Homer takes a brief slice from the siege of Troy. Heroes from both sides are paraded in turn; for the Greeks: Achilles, Diomed, Odysseus; and the Trojans: Hector, Aeneas, Pandarus; are just a few who take part in the bloodfest. The balance swings as the gods repeatedly intervene and withdraw; though the Greeks gain the eventual honours; mighty Hector slain by a furious Achilles. Pope's version is the best; combining the robust rhyming couplet with a fiery lyrical voice. It is currently available as a fat Penguin paperback (1996), with Pope's extensive notes appearing at the end of each chapter. ------===ooo===------ Odyssey: here Homer traces the last stages of a hero's journey home. Along with current adventures, we are informed of past ones, giving us a full picture of the wily Odysseus. The son, Telemachus, plays a key role, searching for his father and aiding his vengeance. The wife, Penelope, is more a background archetype, steadfastly faithful even though surrounded by riotous suitors. The homecoming is skillfully prepared, and leads to a long, exciting, extremely satisfying last section. One of the most perfect works in western literature. Cowper's version is highly recommended. It is a wonderfully fluent translation; blank verse suiting the narrative nature of the work perfectly. Also a fine example of pre-Romantic poetry; crisp, controlled, and coolly- creative. Currently available in a very handsome Everyman edition (1996). ------===ooo===------ Aeneid: here Virgil tells the founding of Rome by a Trojan prince. As the Odyssey traces the footsteps of a Greek hero after the fall of Troy, so the Aeneid maps the journey of his Trojan counterpart. Troy, having been infiltrated by Greek warriors hidden in a giant wooden horse, falls prey to a bloody massacre. Aeneas, our hero, is warned of the disaster by the ghost of Hector, and his goddess mother Venus. In the midst of the slaughter he escapes with a small group, carrying his aged father on his shoulders, and leading his young son by the hand. The winds carry Aeneas and co to various lands before arriving at Carthage. Here the ill-fated meeting with Queen Dido, which results in her self-afflicted death. Aeneas, rather stonily, continues onto Italy, where the second half of the epic is spent. Our hero sparks off a civil war, in which he is battling against the underhanded Turnus. Much bloodshed, and many dead bodies later, Aeneas is victorious, and free to found the line that will lead to the great Roman empire. I recommend getting Dryden's version; the stately rhyming couplets unfold the story with drama and vigour; and as Dryden himself was one of the foremost poets of the Augustan age (a period that tried to recapture the glory and spirit of high Rome), he is ideally placed for this exacting task. Go for the Penguin edition (1997); an elegant paperback with useful maps and glossary. ------===ooo===------ Canterbury Tales: we join Chaucer and a merry band of pilgrims as they make their way towards Canterbury. To help pass the time, each member of the diverse group is called upon to tell tale. We have the Knight's tale of two brothers divided by common love, the Miller's story of a carpenter deceived, and the Reeve's rejoinder (a former carpenter) of a miller outwitted by two students. Then there is the hilarious Wife-of-Bath describing her five marriages, and the Prioress' chilling tale of a murdered boy still singing God's praise. All up there are a couple of dozen of these lively stories; a handful in rhyme-royal, the rest in very easy rhyming couplets. Plenty of ribald humour, occasional doses of homely wisdom, and a lovable cast make the Canterbury Tales a joyful portrait of 14C England. Penguin publishes Nevill Coghill's distinguished modernisation. An ideal lead- in to the original Medieval English, though a fine work in it's own right. A handy paperback (1977). ------===ooo===------ Faerie Queen: the allegorical romance by Spencer. Each of the six books focus on a different virtue, as personified by some character. For example, book 1 concerns the Redcrosse Knight, who is an exponent of holiness. Our hero manages to defeat the manifest forms of Error & Hypocrisie, but is deceived by subtle Falsehood. Although he manages to resist Pride, the Knight gradually weakens until he is taught to Repent. He emerges a holy paragon. The other books follow similar, though later interweaved, strains. Can be read as a full-blooded grand adventure, or pierced through for the deeper meaning. The finest rhyming poem in the English language. Pick up the Wordsworth edition (1999). The large pages hold a convenient quantity, and an excellent glossary has been included. A gem. ------===ooo===------ Paradise Lost: the greatest epic poem in the English language is by Milton. This is our answer to Homer and Virgil; a grand theme, magniloquently expressed, burning bright with poetic fire. God, Satan, and Man stride the stage, and the Fall of each is the story. How Satan was laid low by high ambition, which lead to the corruption of Man, which necessitated the sacrifice of God's son. The Fall indeed. Satan is undoubtedly the hero. He is the most human of the three; showing both faults and genuine feeling. The poem opens with his fall: "Hurled headlong flaming from the Ethereal Sky With hideous ruin and combustion down To bottomless perdition, there to dwell In Adamantine Chains and penal Fire" Wow! The seductive sound draws one in, to be held there by lofty thought. Pure entrapment. Penguin publishes this in a very cute pocket edition (1989). ------===ooo===------ The Prosaic Path We have lost the song; the song, the song, And look to the earth to guide our way. It leads us along; along, along, To places unknown to the singers of song. We come to the plains; the plains, the plains, A large flat place where all may wander. And then come the rains; the rains, the rains, Washing off the past to be finally free. ------===ooo===------ The Novel Tell me a story, o Daddy o, One that has people both live and die A real world made from segmented words A chain of blushing life. Let me see, let me see, What have we here? A big fat beastly thing, An enormously overweight book, Tis the novel! o Daddy o! My thanks, my thanks Tis the story that will both live and die A real world made from segmented words A chain of blushing life. The Novel. ------===ooo===------ Tom Jones: the comic masterpiece by Henry Fielding. A foundling, Tom Jones is raised by Squire Allworthy, a wealthy country gentleman. On a neighbouring estate lives Squire Western, whose daughter Sophia, Tom has grown up with. As Tom and Sophia become older, love blossoms, and here begins the novel proper. The union is disapproved of, Tom booted out of home, and Sophia threatened with disinheritance. Tom is soon joined by Latin-spouting Partridge, and they make their way to London. Sophia, too, is London-bound, she with her maid Honor. The two strands are deftly woven together, and, as one might expect, there is a happy outcome, though one with a slightly moral edge. Go for the Wordsworth edition (1992, grey cover). Bargain and quality fruitfully combined. ------===ooo===------ Count of Monte Christo: the greatest adventure story ever told is by Alexander Dumas. Set in 19C France, it concerns Edmund Dantes, a dashing young sailor who has been framed by three jealous aquaintances. The presiding judge is also drawn into the conspiracy, and Edmund is plunged into the hidden dungeons of Chateau d'If. Upon his escape 14 years on, Edmund finds a vast treasure, and becomes the enigmatic Count of Monte Christo, an instrument for destructive revenge. Full of drama, love, talk, and raw action. A real runaway. The Wordsworth edition (1997, black cover) is outstanding. The massive text is set in a judicious reduced type, and the flexible binding will withstand much punishment. The clear choice. ------===ooo===------ Jane Eyre: the upbeat story of a determined young woman by Charlotte Bronte. An unusual heroine; short, plain, thoroughly intelligent; Jane shows a fighting spirit we can all admire. An early orphan, she is first mistreated by the Reeds, then spends a miserable adolescence at the Lowood boarding school. Upon leaving, her first post is as a governess with the mysterious Mr Rochester; a dark, sardonic gentleman. A high-tension 10 000 Volt bond arises, with the past diverting the present and thwarting the future. Romance with a Gothic tinge. Again, go Wordsworth Classics (1992, grey cover). Almost unbeatable for the novel format. ------===ooo===------ Les Miserables: a stunning portrait of human nature by Victor Hugo. Set in post-revolutionary France (1815-1830), the story revolves around 3 starkly contrasting characters; the giant Jean Valjean is undoubtedly the driving force; a hardened convict by circumstance, he is redeemed by a single act of kindness. His immense energies are then directed into acquiring a factory, and his open kindness leads to him becoming mayor. But the past has not been left behind. Through his intervention in rescuing the orphan Cosette, he attracts the attentions of Javert, a single-minded police inspector. Javert thinks he recognises the old Jean Valjean, and on this slight sniff starts watching the mayor like a wolf. Jean Valjean is intelligent and perceptive; he knows the game is up; he flees with the young Cosette; through the countryside, and into a safe haven in Paris. Here Cosette grows out of her sordid past into an attractive young woman. Ten years pass. But Javert still waits. Penguin publishes the superb translation by Norman Denny. Look for the old man with the beard on the front (1982). ------===ooo===------ Middlemarch: here George Eliot creates an English provincial town with all its complex social currents and underlying tensions. We enter this world through two similar, though intelligently contrasted, characters. Lydgate is an enterprising young physician; handsome, suave, and ambitious, his arrival to the small town causes quite a stir. His female counterpart, Dorothea Brooke, is a local; an intellectual with strong moral views, she too is handsome and attractive. One might expect that the two would be drawn together, but they are really too similar to spark a flame; mutual respect and the occasional chance meeting the extent of their direct contact. No, it is through our two strong leads pursuing their lives; through marriage, through debt and illness, though doubt and through lost hopes; through all this and through the many lives drawn into the whirling pools because of it; it is through the involvement of the entire town of Middlemarch in their affairs that it can be said that Dorothea & Lydgate work to shape this novel. Look for the Wordsworth edition (1994, grey cover). ------===ooo===------ Lord of the Rings: the epic fantasy by JRR Tolkien. It falls upon a handful of Hobbits to save the world of Middle-earth. The young Frodo Baggins is our hero, who must bear the Ruling Ring across half a continent to have it destroyed in the Cracks of Doom. His companions, as Frodo himself as, have passed into popular lore; the wizard Gandalf, merry Merry, piping Pipin, and the protector Strider are surely known to all. Able to be read as a grand adventure, or appreciated on a deeper level, Lord of the Rings is a story with wide appeal. From Harper-Collins in a handsome single-volume paperback (1993). I end with the opening words: "Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die, One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. One Ring to rule them all, one Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie."