Hunter Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 I'm trying to divide the Dirda Literature list up by the SOTW volumes. I'd like to make a make a separate post for each volume of SOTW, and list editions for grammar, logic, and rhetoric. Public domain freebies, leather bound collectors editions, audio books, whatever you all like. Does anyone want to help? THE KNOWLEDGE MOST WORTH HAVING pages 7-8 from Book by Book by Michael Dirda “Once in a class of graduate students,†recalled the distinguished Canadian Robertson Davies, “I met a young man who did not know who Noah was.†What should a person know of the world’s literature? It has always seemed obvious to me that the great patterning works ought to lie at the heart of any structured reading program. By “patterning works†I mean those that later authors regularly build on, allude to, work against. There aren’t that many of these key books, and they aren’t all obvious classics. Here’s the roughly chronological short list of those that the diligent might read through in a year or two. For such famous works you can hardly go wrong with any good modern editions, though the Bible the Authorized, or King James, Version is the one that has most influenced the diction and imagery of the English prose. The Bible (Old and New Testament) Bulfinch’s Mythology (or any other account of the Greek, Roman, and Norse Myths) Homer, The Iliad and the Odyssey Plutarch, Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans Dante, Inferno The Arabian Nights Thomas Malory, Le Morte D’Arthur (tales of King Arthur and his knights) Shakespeare’s major plays, especially Hamlet, Henry IV, Part One, King Lear, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and the Tempest Cervantes, Don Quixote Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels The fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson Any substantial collection of the world’s major folktales Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice Lewis Caroll, Alice in Wonderland Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Know these well, and nearly all of the world’s literature will be an open book to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 24, 2014 Author Share Posted June 24, 2014 SOTW 1 Ancients 5000 BC-A.D. 400 The Bible (Old and New Testament) Bulfinch’s Mythology (or any other account of the Greek, Roman Myths) Homer, The Iliad and the Odyssey Plutarch, Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans Any substantial collection of the world’s major folktales Grammar Logic Rhetoric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 24, 2014 Author Share Posted June 24, 2014 SOTW 2 Medieval-early Renaissance 400-1600 Bulfinch’s Mythology (or any other account of Norse Myths) Dante, Inferno The Arabian Nights Thomas Malory, Le Morte D’Arthur (tales of King Arthur and his knights) Shakespeare’s major plays, especially Hamlet, Henry IV, Part One, King Lear, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and the Tempest *published later, but based on oral tradition from this period* The fairy tales of the brothers Grimm, especially: Snow-white. The Frog Prince. Hansel and Gretel. Rumpelstiltskin. Mother Hulda. The Bremen Town Musicians. Aschenputtel. The Fisherman and His Wife. The Brave Little Tailor. The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids. Rupunzel. The Robber Bridegroom. The Almond Tree. The Sleeping Beauty. Grammar Logic Rhetoric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 24, 2014 Author Share Posted June 24, 2014 SOTW 3 Late Renaissance-early modern 1600-1850 Cervantes, Don Quixote Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol Charles Perrault Fairy Tales: The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods. Little Red Riding Hood. Blue Beard. The Master Cat, or Puss in the Boots. Cinderella, or The Little Glass Slipper Mme le Prince de Beaumont: Beauty and the Beast Hans Christian Anderson Fairy Tales, especially: The Snow Queen: A Tale in Seven Stories. The Little Mermaid. The Princess and the Pea. The Tinder Box. The Little Match Girl. The Swineherd. The Emperor's New Clothes. The Steadfast Tin Soldier. The Ugly Duckling. Peter Asbjornsen and Jorgen Moe Fairy Tales, especially: East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon. The Three Billy-Goat's Gruff John Newbery, Mother Goose Rhymes I won’t be my father’s Jack. Three wise men of Gotham. There was an old woman. Ding dong bell. Little Tom Tucker. Se saw, Margery Daw. Great A, little a. High diddle diddle. Ride a cock horse. Cock a doodle doo. Jack and Gill. Hush-a-by baby. Little Jack Horner. Pease-porridge hot. Jack Sprat. Tell tale tit. Patty cake, patty cake. When I was a little boy. This pig went to market. There was a man of Thessaly. Bah, bah, black sheep. There were two blackbirds. Boys and girls come out to play. Dickery, dickery, dock. Edward Lear, A Book of Nonsense, especially: There was an Old Man in a tree. There was an Old Man in a boat. There was an Old Person of Philoe. There was an Old Man of the Dee. There was an Old Man who said, “How.†There was an Old Man who said, “Hush!†There was an Old Person of Bangor. There was an Old Man with a beard. The Owl and the Pussy-Cat. The Dong with a Luminous Nose. Grammar Logic Rhetoric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 24, 2014 Author Share Posted June 24, 2014 SOTW 4 Modern 1850-present Fairy Tales of Joseph Jacobs, especially: Tom Tit Tot. Jack and the Beanstalk. The Story of the Three Little Pigs. The Story of the Three Bears. Henny-Penny. Molly Whuppie. Lazy Jack. Johny-Cake. Master of All Masters Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes John Ruskin, The King of the Golden River Carlo Collodi, The Adventures of PinocchioFrances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret GardenRobert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, A Child's Garden of VersesL. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of OzKenneth Grahame, The Wind in the WillowsJames M. Barrie, Peter PanRudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book. Just So StoriesBeatrix Potter, especially: Peter Rabbit. The Tale of Squirrel NutkinLaura Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the PrairieMargery Williams Bianco, The Velveteen Rabbit.A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-PoohC. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeE.B. White, Charlotte’s Web. Louisa May Alcott, Little Women Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in WonderlandMark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables. Jack London (John Griffith), The Call of the Wild Grammar Logic Rhetoric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 24, 2014 Author Share Posted June 24, 2014 I think I want to add the Classics of Children's Literature lists too. Classics of Children's Literature 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th.John W. Griffith and Charles H. FreyCharles Perrault (1628-1703)The Sleeping Beauty in the WoodsLittle Red Riding HoodBlue BeardThe Master Cat, or Puss in the BootsCinderella, or The Little Glass SlipperMme le Prince de Beaumont (1711-1780)Beauty and the Beast John Newbery (1713-1767)Mother Goose RhymesI won’t be my father’s Jack. Three wise men of Gotham. There was an old woman. Ding dong bell. Little Tom Tucker. Se saw, Margery Daw. Great A, little a. High diddle diddle. Ride a cock horse. Cock a doodle doo. Jack and Gill. Hush-a-by baby. Little Jack Horner. Pease-porridge hot. Jack Sprat. Tell tale tit. Patty cake, patty cake. When I was a little boy. This pig went to market. There was a man of Thessaly. Bah, bah, black sheep. There were two blackbirds. Boys and girls come out to play. Dickery, dickery, dock.The Brothers GrimmJacob (1785-1863); Wilhelm (1786-1859)Snow-white. The Frog Prince. Hansel and Gretel. Rumpelstiltskin. Mother Hulda. The Bremen Town Musicians. Aschenputtel. The Fisherman and His Wife. The Brave Little Tailor. The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids. Rupunzel. The Robber Bridegroom. The Almond Tree. The Sleeping Beauty.Hans Christian Anderson (1805-1875)The Snow Queen: A Tale in Seven Stories. The Little Mermaid. The Princess and the Pea. The Tinder Box. The Little Match Girl. The Swineherd. The Emperor's New Clothes. The Steadfast Tin Soldier. The Ugly Duckling.Peter Asbjornsen and Jorgen Moe(1812-1885); (1813-1882)East o' the Sun and West o' the MoonThe Three Billy-Goat's GruffEdward Lear (1812-1888)A Book of NonsenseThere was an Old Man in a tree. There was an Old Man in a boat. There was an Old Person of Philoe. There was an Old Man of the Dee. There was an Old Man who said, “How.†There was an Old Man who said, “Hush!†There was an Old Person of Bangor. There was an Old Man with a beard. The Owl and the Pussy-Cat. The Dong with a Luminous Nose.Charles Dickens (1812-1870)A Christmas CarolJohn Ruskin (1819-1900)The King of the Golden RiverCarlo Collodi (1826-1890)The Adventures of PinocchioLouisa May Alcott (1832-1888)Little Women Part 1 only,up to chapter 23 Aunt March Settles the Question.Part 2, the later chapters were originally another book.Lewis Carroll (1832-1898)Alice's Adventures in WonderlandMark Twain (1835-1910)The Adventures of Tom SawyerFrances Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924)The Secret GardenRobert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)Treasure IslandA Child's Garden of VersesJoseph Jacobs (1854-1916)Tom Tit TotJack and the BeanstalkThe Story of the Three Little PigsThe Story of the Three BearsHenny-PennyMolly WhuppieLazy JackJohny-CakeMaster of All MastersL. Frank Baum (1856-1919)The Wonderful Wizard of OzKenneth Grahame (1859-1932)The Wind in the WillowsJames M. Barrie (1860-1937)Peter PanRudyard Kipling (1865-1936)The Jungle BookJust So StoriesBeatrix Potter (1866-1943)Peter RabbitThe Tale of Squirrel NutkinLaura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957)Little House on the PrairieL.M. Montgomery (1874-1942).Anne of Green Gables.Jack London (John Griffith) (1876-1916)The Call of the WildMargery Williams Bianco (1880-1944).The Velveteen Rabbit.A. A. Milne (1882-1956)Winnie-the-PoohC. S. Lewis (1898-1963)The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeE.B. White (1899-1985).Charlotte’s Web. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 24, 2014 Author Share Posted June 24, 2014 misc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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