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Western Lit Survival Kit: How To Read The Classics Without Fear (2012)

by Sandra Newman(Favorite Author)

4.11 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0141044527 (ISBN13: 9780141044521)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Particular Books

review 1: Amazing. I loved this book and will be using it as a guide to make my way through the classics in 2015! Newman is clever, intelligent and hilarious. She manages to make sarcastic comments about acknowledged works of literary genius without diminishing them and whilst still encouraging you to read them. “In the 1920s, educators like Mortimer Adler started the Great Books programs, while imprints like Everyman's Library made the classics available to everyone at reasonable prices ... From then on, not just English majors, but everybody else could feel guilty about not reading the Great Books.”Each book that Newman includes is given a rating out of ten for Importance, Accessibility and Fun, which are very helpful for planning your own journey through the classics.A great ... moreread in and of itself, and a great guide, this book would also be a great Christmas gift for the bookish and sarcastically inclined.
review 2: This book is one of the funniest things I have read...ever. So funny it's almost too funny. Two examples:"In ancient Greece, poetry was thought to be inspired by one of the nine "Muses," who were the goddesses of the arts. Thus, the Iliad begins with an invocation: "Sing, Muse, of the wrath of Achilles." This line is by far the most famous in the book, because it is as far as most people get. Therefore, "Sing, Muse, of the wrath of Achilles" is a good thing to quote when the Iliad comes up in conversation. (Oh, it will. Don't get complacent.)While quoting, adopt a dreamy look, as if recalling many pleasant hours spent in a persimmon bower drunk on heavenly verse." From the intro to Emile Zola: "Naturalism is a form of realism that consists entirely of unhelpful thoughts. Here all human desires are base, and we are slaves to these desires. It is only justice, then, that we are doomed. Science proves this, sorry. Still, enjoy the moment, because the world is getting inexorably worse. Also, there's no heaven. People with a history of mood disorders should avoid naturalist works at all costs." less

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