Works Steve mentions: - Thomas Malory: Le Morte d'Arthur - Miguel De Cervantes: Don Quixote (transl. by Edith Grossman) - Michel de Montaigne: Essays - Niccolò Machiavelli: The Prince (+ Erasmus: The Praise of Folly)
Steve, I have to say watching your videos is such a delight. I have two English degrees and listening to you reminds me of sitting in some of my favorite classes. I really appreciate the enthusiasm you share!
Western Canon starter kit speech begins at 5:30--And Steve has a comical and inviting personality that helps us feel ready to take on the Western Canon.
I agree about the Prince. It was a very interesting read. I didn't think Machiavelli came across nearly as brutal as he is often supposed to be. Great video!
I've been obsessed with Don Quixote for three years. Also I'm frustrated trying to figure out what Cervantes is doing. I just read The Praise of Folly and I can't help but think that it is a major inspiration for DQ. Has anyone else thought this?
It took her about four hours to calm down. This is a very high-strung and nervous dog even under the best of circumstances. A few months ago, if such a thing had happened to her, she would have spent the entire day curled up tight against my other dog. Without that comfort, she's much harder to calm down - although I did eventually manage it.
Steve Donoghue I'm sorry to hear that. Poor thing. I've said it already, but she's lucky to have you. My wife and I just took in a cat and spent a ton at the vet on him. We don't think he's going to last very long, and our goal is to keep him as comfortable as possible. He neutered and loves people, so we expect he was abandoned. Some people! I can't stand people who don't value their pets. I smile every time you talk about yours.
This post is somewhat related to the previous canon video as well. What do we talk about when we talk about Renaissance? There have been many renaissances, but the one most often referred to (pan-European Renaissance) began in the 14th C Italy. Based on this, some would have included Decameron and Divine Comedy to Renaissance. Renaissance then slowly travelled to northern parts of Europe. So, when Renaissance began in Italy, England and many other countries were still in the Middle-Ages. The Canterbury Tales is on the borderline whether it belongs to Middle-Ages or Renaissance - in England, Renaissance "began" somewhere in the mid-16th C, if we mean the humanist mentality that is associated with it, but The Canterbury Tales is clearly influenced by Decameron that it would be fair to include it in the Renaissance. ...here in Finland we were still in the Middle-Ages, and I think we even skipped the whole Renaissance... as Renaissance is often called as "the bridge from Middle-Ages to the New Age", I wonder how we ever got this far! I just thought I had to be the loud-mouth baboon and bring forth the question and highlight the notion of ambiguous timelines when dealing with epochs such as these. I'm pretty sure you are aware of most of the things around the topic, as you've read Braudel and Burckhardt and tons of more stuff than I have. You're here to share your love of books and offer the core of canonical works, not nickpick about timelines and other semi-related mumbojumbo. I've no complaints about the selected works in here. All solid choices. Montaigne rocks!
No! I love it with a passion, but it's a very difficult 1000-page poem that nobody reads anymore - in a series stressing both simplicity and accessibility, it had to go!
Do the translation!!!!:) I bought a book of dialogues by Erasmus in Russian. He wrote them back then when he was a student and made a living by tutoring boys in Latin, he wrote them as a textbook as a reading material. And I thought what a wonderful idea it was to find these dialogues in Latin and to try and learn Latin using them. They are short, simple and funny. But the translator translated everything there is no Latin title and I looked at Wikipedia page and couldn't find it too. So if you know the Title in English and in Latin, please let me know or better yet translate them:) and publish them like they used to do, page in Latin then the same page in English:)
Works Steve mentions:
- Thomas Malory: Le Morte d'Arthur
- Miguel De Cervantes: Don Quixote (transl. by Edith Grossman)
- Michel de Montaigne: Essays
- Niccolò Machiavelli: The Prince
(+ Erasmus: The Praise of Folly)
Don Quixote is one of my favorites, I'm going to listen to Arthur soon!
Steve, I have to say watching your videos is such a delight. I have two English degrees and listening to you reminds me of sitting in some of my favorite classes. I really appreciate the enthusiasm you share!
What I wouldn't give to be able to organize your videos in to playlists.
Weeeeee! Here we go. Love this series.
Western Canon starter kit speech begins at 5:30--And Steve has a comical and inviting personality that helps us feel ready to take on the Western Canon.
a "comical and inviting personality" that you're advising people to skip -
Shakespeare!! What a mountain! (Shakespeare nut here)
Don't worry Steve lunch will be packed - pen and paper on hand. Can't wait!!
I agree about the Prince. It was a very interesting read. I didn't think Machiavelli came across nearly as brutal as he is often supposed to be. Great video!
Excellent video!
Who would have believed you would fail at VEDA, haha. Nice to see another video in this series.
I was wondering if El Quijote was going to make the cut. I'm glad it did, this would be a good reason to read it again.
Also Is Praise of Folly spoof of the Consolation of Philosophy?
I just happened to have acquired a copy of the prince on a whim from my local thrift store. Guess I have too read it now!
Awe I once had 3 rescue dogs ... been there and got the t shirt so to speak 🐾🐾
I've been obsessed with Don Quixote for three years. Also I'm frustrated trying to figure out what Cervantes is doing. I just read The Praise of Folly and I can't help but think that it is a major inspiration for DQ. Has anyone else thought this?
I’m still making my way through the Bible that you recommended but I will get around to this part of the canon in the near future.
Oh God. Shakespeare. 5th form English flashbacks. flee flee.
Glad everything was ok
That story about your lady's accident was heartbreaking. Hopefully it didn't take her long to calm down!
It took her about four hours to calm down. This is a very high-strung and nervous dog even under the best of circumstances. A few months ago, if such a thing had happened to her, she would have spent the entire day curled up tight against my other dog. Without that comfort, she's much harder to calm down - although I did eventually manage it.
Steve Donoghue I'm sorry to hear that. Poor thing. I've said it already, but she's lucky to have you. My wife and I just took in a cat and spent a ton at the vet on him. We don't think he's going to last very long, and our goal is to keep him as comfortable as possible. He neutered and loves people, so we expect he was abandoned. Some people! I can't stand people who don't value their pets. I smile every time you talk about yours.
This post is somewhat related to the previous canon video as well.
What do we talk about when we talk about Renaissance?
There have been many renaissances, but the one most often referred to (pan-European Renaissance) began in the 14th C Italy. Based on this, some would have included Decameron and Divine Comedy to Renaissance. Renaissance then slowly travelled to northern parts of Europe. So, when Renaissance began in Italy, England and many other countries were still in the Middle-Ages. The Canterbury Tales is on the borderline whether it belongs to Middle-Ages or Renaissance - in England, Renaissance "began" somewhere in the mid-16th C, if we mean the humanist mentality that is associated with it, but The Canterbury Tales is clearly influenced by Decameron that it would be fair to include it in the Renaissance.
...here in Finland we were still in the Middle-Ages, and I think we even skipped the whole Renaissance... as Renaissance is often called as "the bridge from Middle-Ages to the New Age", I wonder how we ever got this far!
I just thought I had to be the loud-mouth baboon and bring forth the question and highlight the notion of ambiguous timelines when dealing with epochs such as these. I'm pretty sure you are aware of most of the things around the topic, as you've read Braudel and Burckhardt and tons of more stuff than I have. You're here to share your love of books and offer the core of canonical works, not nickpick about timelines and other semi-related mumbojumbo. I've no complaints about the selected works in here. All solid choices. Montaigne rocks!
Guttenburg printer yah
Would you read the western canon in order or read for pleasure
I was actually reading "classics" contained in the western canon without realising so i have read books in a scrambled order
What would you say are the works where a writer brings an entire world into their novel?
Probably MiddleMarch by George Eliot
so, you wouldn't include The Fairy Queen in the starter kit?
No! I love it with a passion, but it's a very difficult 1000-page poem that nobody reads anymore - in a series stressing both simplicity and accessibility, it had to go!
Do the translation!!!!:) I bought a book of dialogues by Erasmus in Russian. He wrote them back then when he was a student and made a living by tutoring boys in Latin, he wrote them as a textbook as a reading material. And I thought what a wonderful idea it was to find these dialogues in Latin and to try and learn Latin using them. They are short, simple and funny. But the translator translated everything there is no Latin title and I looked at Wikipedia page and couldn't find it too. So if you know the Title in English and in Latin, please let me know or better yet translate them:) and publish them like they used to do, page in Latin then the same page in English:)
Two weeks/months of noise? Bah...get the sleeping bag and head to the Brattle. LOL