Here is an update on the Classics Club, consisting of me, one of my daughter, Cami, and my mom, Julia, three generations of women trying to fill in the gaps of their literary lives by somewhat chronologically reading a good bit of the world's greatest literature. So far we have closely followed Fadiman's Lifetime Reading Plan. In about 2 years we have read about 10 of these books. We only have 123 left to go. But of course Fadiman has left out dozens of authors we consider are must-reads -- we need to get our list solidified. So let's say we have about 150 books to read. If we read 10 a year that will take us 15 years. We have only been reading them at a rate of 5 per year. (We really got stuck on Thucydides.) At that rate it will take us 30 years which we simply don't have. Now, last year I think we each read about 30-50 books in all. Granted, some of these are down on our classics list somewhere and maybe we'll count them when we get there, or we might want to read them again, I don't know. The point is, we need to make better progress. Shall we shoot for 11 of these classics this year, about one a month? That will get us completely through Part One. We will be reading Plato, Aristotle, Mencius, Valmiki, Vyasa, The Bhagavad Gita, Ssu-ma Ch'ien, Lucretius, Virgil, and Marcus Aurelius. It always sounds so heavy until we get there and find out all we have to read is a page at a time.Anyway, I love doing this. I think it is hugely worthwhile. It gives me a greatly needed, wide-reaching perspective on EVERYTHING. It even helps me with my school work. (I found a perfect quote from Herodotus for an upcoming paper.) Cami is doing a great job of editing and chronicling our letters on the Classics Club blog. I was reading them all today and they are good and funny and interesting.
Anyone want to join us, at least here and there? We are now reading 3 Greek comedies by Aristophanes (448-388 B. C.) that are not difficult to read, and funny.
4 comments:
you three are so intellectual. what I wouldn't give for even a portion of your brain powers! And what a fun thing to tie all three generations together. Just get Katy in on it or something, and you can have four!
Yes, we really ought to do one a month like a regular book club, but sometimes we could do 2 per month! We've just got to give ourselves some sort of deadline for each book, just to help us keep things going.
Lili, at the rate we are going, Janey can get in on the action!
Brother, I don't even know how to pronounce most of those words you wrote. I really need to get educated. Maybe in the summer I will join in. Let's recall that last July I read 7 books, so we'll see what you are reading then!
I am pretty amazed at the references to these books one comes across in everyday life. Nice to know some about them, even if for me it is second-hand knowledge, mostly.
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