ereks mom Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 (edited) I need some alternatives, written in the first half of the 20th century, that are positive and optimistic without being trite and predictable. I'd prefer books by Christian authors who aren't necessarily well-known. I want meaty and thought-provoking because I want to foster good discussions and provide essay opportunities. Are there any out there that you would recommend? Edited June 25, 2011 by ereks mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janice in NJ Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 Doesn't meet your other criteria - but I would offer up Steinbeck's Travels with Charley as an alternative to some of his novels. So far it's my favorite Steinbeck. (Maybe it's because our family has camped....) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travels_with_Charley:_In_Search_of_America Peace, Janice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 Doesn't meet your other criteria - but I would offer up Steinbeck's Travels with Charley as an alternative to some of his novels. So far it's my favorite Steinbeck. (Maybe it's because our family has camped....) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travels_with_Charley:_In_Search_of_America Peace, Janice Did you see the articles from a couple months ago that this one is more fictionalized than it had been generally considered? Not that it makes it less worth of reading, but it does put it solidly into fiction rather than non. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 I need some alternatives, written in the first half of the 20th century, that are positive and optimistic without being trite and predictable. I'd prefer books by Christian authors who aren't necessarily well-known. I want meaty and thought-provoking because I want to foster good discussions and provide essay opportunities. Are there any out there that you would recommend? I like Edith Wharton's short stories and The Age of Innocence. Age of Innocence isn't a happy ending, but it is one that is fitting and proper, while not being horribly tragic the way something like House of Mirth is. Her short stories are just a delight. Witty and biting, with frequent unexpected turns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jami Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 I need some alternatives, written in the first half of the 20th century, that are positive and optimistic without being trite and predictable. I'd prefer books by Christian authors who aren't necessarily well-known. I want meaty and thought-provoking because I want to foster good discussions and provide essay opportunities. Are there any out there that you would recommend? "The Napoleon of Notting Hill" by Chesterton? C. S. Lewis Space Trilogy or Till We Have Faces or Screwtape Letters? I think most of the great Christian novelists of the 20th century would be the Southern greats--O'Conner, Faulkner, Percy--but these aren't necessarily optimistic. And I think many were published post-1950. "Gone with the Wind" would be earlier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 (edited) I suggest looking at Hewitt's Lightning Literature: Christian British Authors program. All are meaty authors, all are British Christians, most fall in your time frame of first half of the 20th century. The works are predominantly non-fiction, essays, and poetry. For FICTION classic works by some of these British Christian authors, and a few others, consider: - 1908 = The Man Who Was Thursday (Chesterton) - 1941 = The Man Born to Be King (Sayers) -- radio drama/play - 1938-45 = space trilogy: Out of the Silent Planet; Perelandra; That Hideous Strength (Lewis) -- the last work has mature themes - 1942 = The Screwtape Letters (Lewis) - 1944 = The Great Divorce (Lewis) - 1949-1954 = Chronicles of Narnia (Lewis) - 1937 = The Hobbit (Tolkien) - 1954-55 = Lord of the Rings (Tolkien) -- BUT mostly written prior to 1950 - 1937 = Descent into Hell (Williams) -- very complex work; mature themes - 1945 = All Hallow's Eve (Williams) -- very complex work; mature themes For more Classics that fall before 1950, you might also look at works by Christian novelists Graham Green and Evelyn Waugh (perhaps "Brideshead Revisited"), and poets T.S. Eliot and W.H. Auden. I have no personal experience with these authors. While not always by Christians or always "cheerful", these Classic Works are WELL worth reading in order to compare/contrast the worldview with your Christian authors: - 1901 = Up From Slavery (Washington) -- non-fiction; Christian; autobiography - 1903 = Call of the Wild (London) -- worldview: naturalism - early 1900s = short stories by O. Henry -- humorous; classic "twist" - 1925 = The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald) -- tragic end; "lost generation" worldview - 1932 = Brave New World (Huxley) -- mature themes; tragic end; clash of worldviews (really captures today's mindset!) - 1945 = Animal Farm (Orwell) -- satire; biting commentary of both communist and capitalist worldviews - 1947 = The Pearl (Steinbeck) -- tragic end, but very interesting Biblical themes explored - To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee) -- humor, tragedy; themes of racism; coming of age; written in 1960s, but set in the 1930s While there are some works either written or set in that time frame by Christian authors, they are not traditionally considered meaty or classified as Great Literature; these are all light or humorous: - Little Britches (Moody) - Christy (Marshall) - Mama's Bank Account (Forbes) Edited June 26, 2011 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 (edited) Here's a thread asking for works by American authors that would make you laugh -- majority of these are NOT "meaty", but could be used to lighten the heaviness of the American Classic Literature. As the other poster said, many of the Classic Works by Christian authors fall after 1950 and are not at all "cheery"; they wrestle with really hard themes -- but they are VERY worthwhile: - Lord of the Flies (Golding) -- man's inner fallen nature revealed; UK - short stories by Flannery O'Conner -- "southern grotesque"; USA - A Canticle for Leibowitz (Miller) -- post-apocalptic sci-fi; USA - novels by Walker Percy -- USA; mature themes!! - Cry The Beloved Country (Paton) -- forgiveness in the face of terrible loss; South Africa - Silence; The Samurai (Endu) -- wrestling with faith in God -- and either losing that faith (1st book), or your life (2nd book); Japan - One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (Solzhenitsyn) -- former USSR For post 1950, more inspiring Classics, how about: - I Heard the Owl Call My Name (Craven) -- has bittersweet ending; very Christian themes (not necessarily a Christian author) - The Tombs of Atuan (LeGuin) -- fantasy; very Christian themes; not a Christian author Not classics, but inspiring post-1950 works: - The Singer; The Song; The Finale (Miller) -- allegory - Hinds Feet On High Places (Hunard) -- allegory - The Hiding Place; Tramp For the Lord (tenBoom) -- autobiography - Bruchko (Olson) -- autobiography - God's Smuggler (Andrew) -- autobiography - Do Hard Things (Harris) -- non-fiction Edited June 26, 2011 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacy in NJ Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Steinbeck, H.G. Wells, Orwell, were all of the post WWI and II generation and produced lit that reflected the disillusionment of the period. Fitzgerald's My Side of Paradise was his most innocent and optimistic. For Whom the Bell Tolls (Hemingway) is incredibly touching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigid in NC Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 (edited) I need some alternatives, written in the first half of the 20th century, that are positive and optimistic without being trite and predictable. Trying not to repeat any that have been mentioned. How about: My Antonia Their Eyes Were Watching God Edited June 26, 2011 by Brigid in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingiguana Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 My Antonia To Kill a Mockingbird Pride and Prejudice Jane Eyre The Moonstone Ivanhoe Farmer Giles of Ham The House of the Seven Gables The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Robinson Crusoe (but maybe not as upbeat as I'm remembering?) Sorry, those are mostly older books. classic mysteries: Sherlock Holmes Father Brown Lord Peter Wimsey Also, any of the Wooster and Jeeves books are funny and upbeat. I'm also finding that they use a fair amount of difficult vocabulary. And I think one could do a lot of discussion about class issues based on these books. I'm currently working on "Reading Lolita in Tehran". It gives a different perspective on some of the less "upbeat" novels (like The Great Gatsby) as well as giving a portrait of Tehran in the 1980's. It might be worth looking into (although some of the scenes might be disturbing for a younger teen). I hated The Great Gatsby, but reading this book gave me a bit more appreciation for it. For more modern books that are less depressing, you might try some of the "immigrant" literature like The Joy Luck Club or The Woman Warrior. Other books that aren't quite so classic but still good (and with themes to discuss): The Chosen Farewell to Manzanar The Education of Little Tree Julie of the Wolves Never Cry Wolf (although it's a bit of a downer) The Land I Lost Whalerider Out of Africa West With the Night Things Fall Apart (maybe not too upbeat, though) The Poisonwood Bible (some Christians hate this book because they think it's anti-Christian, but I really didn't see it that way. There is one tragic fool who happens to be a minister, but I read it as the downfall of a man who was too proud.) Also, although Animal Farm is on a fairly depressing theme, it's not quite so dark as, say, 1984. It's short and thought provoking, so it might be worth doing. My experience is that most kids absolutely hate Lord of the Flies. Although it's not exactly all cheery, The Old Man and The Sea was the one Hemingway that didn't totally lose me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ma23peas Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Can I use My Antonia as a piece to explore world views...specifically trying to find the nature of man and God? I am using CS Lewis's Mere Christianity..The Great Divorce and Shelley's Frankenstein..would like to find a 'lighter' uplifting book that would still be considered a strong read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigs Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 How about Gene Stratton Porter? http://www.genestrattonporter.net/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Stratton-Porter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Black Boy? Neither Christian nor wildly optimistic, but not completely dreary and examining an important segment of the American experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Can I use My Antonia as a piece to explore world views...specifically trying to find the nature of man and God? I am using CS Lewis's Mere Christianity..The Great Divorce and Shelley's Frankenstein..would like to find a 'lighter' uplifting book that would still be considered a strong read. Not familiar with My Antonia, but here are some "lighter" uplifting books that are I would consider to be Great Literature and will definitely bring out nature of man and God conversations: - The Man Who Was Thursday (Chesterton) - short stories: Leaf by Niggle; Smith of Wooten Major (Tolkien) - Out of the Silent Planet; Perelandra (Lewis) - I Heard The Owl Call My Name (Craven) -- sad ending, but very inspiring novella - The Tombs of Atuan (LeGuin) -- fantasy; not a Christian author, but what a powerful image of God rescuing man from spiritual darkness! We also really enjoyed making our own "Worldviews in Classic Sci-Fi Literature" one year -- it really allowed us to explore the nature of man and the nature of God, and to compare worldviews. Below are books we read and some of the themes and worldviews we found in them. Enjoy your worldview in literature year! Warmest regards, Lori D. -Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (Stevenson) Christian worldview (inherent fallen nature of man cannot be seperated out) - Frankenstein (Shelley) romanticism (feelings define us and are of most importance) ethics question (just because science allows us to do so, should we?) moral question (lack of responsibility of the creator towards his creature) - The Time Machine (Wells) socialism; evolution - Animal Farm (Orwell) communism; capitalism (and they are flawed systems due to the fallen nature of man -- or rather, here, animals) - The Giver (Lowry) utopia/dystopia (paradise = God's perfect creation / utopia = man's attempts to re-create paradise, but doomed to fail and become a dystopia because of man's inherently fallen nature -- a society made in man's image will reflect man's image which is a fallen nature) theme: importance of memory, which allows us to make choices (contrasted to a tightly designed/controlled society which prevents memory as a form of control) - Brave New World (Huxley) utopia/dystopia (another concept about utopia: it is only possible at the cost of loss of part of the human experience -- usually includes a loss of memory or knowledge of the past, and a loss free will -- society of the past gave up the ability to make choices for the "greater good" of a stable society) theme: consumerism and stable economy the driving forces behind having a tightly controlled society - Farenheit 451 (Bradbury) setting: mostly just before and a little after atomic war theme: loss of literacy and ability to think/reason with the ascendancy and dependence on the image - A Canticle for Leibowitz (Miller) setting: post-apocalyptic world (post atomic war) theme: contrast of the stable constant of the Church, preserving knowledge for mankind until man is ready for it again, versus the cycle of governments, with man rising to power, ultimately destroying most of the world with that power, the sinking into a dark age, and the slow rise again to power and an even greater destruction of the world - selected short stories from CosmiComics (Calvino) evolution; existentialism - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Adams) absurdism Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted June 26, 2011 Author Share Posted June 26, 2011 Wow! You've given me some WONDERFUL suggestions! Thanks so much to all who contributed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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