tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17970543785759047922024-03-22T08:55:56.531-07:00Areté Classical Studies ProgramA Program for Adults interested in Reading the Great Books of Western CivilizationCarol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797054378575904792.post-15399623787603488502013-01-01T21:27:00.000-08:002014-04-26T21:27:20.576-07:00Reading Group Is ClosedDear Readers,<br />
<br />
The Arete Classical Reading program and study loop is closed now. I have enjoyed leading you through the study of the great books for almost seven years. Now that I am a full time doctoral student and teaching at Grand Canyon University, I do not have time to maintain this reading list. However, at the request of the readers on the Yahoo Study loop, I am keeping all the reading list materials on this blog, and I am also leaving all the study materials in the file archives. I wish you all the best as you continue to self-educate and learn from the great masters of Western Civilization!<br />
<br />
CarolCarol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797054378575904792.post-39383101041923160752012-04-29T08:25:00.002-07:002012-04-29T08:38:43.084-07:002012 Reading ScheduleWelcome to 2012 and the new year's reading schedule. This year we move out of the high middle ages and Renaissance, and open the door to the Age of Reason and Revolutions. Our historical period will cover approximately1600-1800. <i>Note: biographical information provided through <a href="http://www.wikipedia.org/">http://www.wikipedia.org</a>.</i><br />
<br />
<u><b>Major Events of this Period:</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>The Thirty Years War</li>
<li>The English settle Jamestown </li>
<li>The English Civil War</li>
<li>The American Revolution</li>
<li>The French Revolution</li>
</ul>
<u><b>Major Authors of the Period:</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>John Milton </li>
<li>Jonathan Swift</li>
<li>Alexander Pope</li>
<li>Thomas Paine</li>
<li>Thomas Jefferson</li>
</ul>
<u><b>Selected Works:</b></u><br />
<br />
This year our focus is on major authors of the period. The following selections have been chosen for your reading pleasure.<br />
<br />
<u><b>1. John Milton</b></u><br />
<br />
<b>John Milton</b> (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet, <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polemicist" title="Polemicist">polemicist</a>, a scholarly <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_of_letters" title="Man of letters">man of letters</a>, and a civil servant for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_England" title="Commonwealth of England">Commonwealth (republic) of England</a> under <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Cromwell" title="Oliver Cromwell">Oliver Cromwell</a>. He wrote at a time of religious flux and political upheaval, and is best known for his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_poetry" title="Epic poetry">epic poem</a> <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradise_Lost" title="Paradise Lost">Paradise Lost</a></i>. <br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Paradise Lost</b> - <a href="http://www.literature.org/authors/milton-john/paradise-lost/">http://www.literature.org/authors/milton-john/paradise-lost/</a></li>
<li><b>Paradise Regained</b> - <a href="http://www.literature.org/authors/milton-john/paradise-regained/">http://www.literature.org/authors/milton-john/paradise-regained/</a></li>
</ul>
<u><b>2. Jonathan Swift</b></u><br />
<br />
<b>Jonathan Swift</b> (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Irish" title="Anglo-Irish">Anglo-Irish</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Swift#cite_note-1">[2]</a></sup> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satire" title="Satire">satirist</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essay" title="Essay">essayist</a>, political <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamphleteer" title="Pamphleteer">pamphleteer</a> (first for the <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whig_%28British_political_faction%29" title="Whig (British political faction)">Whigs</a>, then for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tory_%28British_political_party%29#1678.E2.80.931760" title="Tory (British political party)">Tories</a>), poet and cleric who became <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_%28Christianity%29" title="Dean (Christianity)">Dean</a> of <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Patrick%27s_Cathedral,_Dublin" title="St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin">St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin</a>.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li> <b>Gulliver's Travels</b> - <a href="http://www.online-literature.com/swift/gulliver/">http://www.online-literature.com/swift/gulliver/</a></li>
</ul>
<u><b>3. Alexander Pope</b></u><br />
<br />
<b>Alexander Pope</b> (21 May 1688 – 30 May 1744) was an 18th-century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer" title="Homer">Homer</a>. He is the third-most frequently quoted writer in <i>The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations</i>, after <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare" title="William Shakespeare">Shakespeare</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred,_Lord_Tennyson" title="Alfred, Lord Tennyson">Tennyson</a>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-0"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Pope#cite_note-0">[1]</a></sup> Pope's use of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroic_couplet" title="Heroic couplet">heroic couplet</a> is famous. <br />
<br />
The following works can be accessed here: <a href="http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poets/pope-alexander">http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poets/pope-alexander</a><br />
<ul>
<li>Essay on Criticism</li>
<li>Essay on Man</li>
<li>Rape of the Lock </li>
</ul>
<u><b>4. Thomas Paine</b></u><br />
<br />
<b>Thomas Paine</b> (January 29, 1737 <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Conway_0-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_paine#cite_note-Conway-0">[1]</a></sup> <small>(<a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Style" title="New Style">NS</a> February 9, 1737)</small> – June 8, 1809) was an English American <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Author" title="Author">author</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamphleteer" title="Pamphleteer">pamphleteer</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radicalism_%28historical%29" title="Radicalism (historical)">radical</a>, <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inventor" title="Inventor">inventor</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual" title="Intellectual">intellectual</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary" title="Revolutionary">revolutionary</a>, and one of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founding_Fathers_of_the_United_States" title="Founding Fathers of the United States">Founding Fathers of the United States</a>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_paine#cite_note-1">[2]</a></sup> He has been called "a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corsetmaker" title="Corsetmaker">corsetmaker</a> by trade, a journalist by profession, and a <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propagandist" title="Propagandist">propagandist</a> by inclination."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_paine#cite_note-2">[3]</a></sup><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Common Sense</b> - <a href="http://www.constitution.org/tp/comsense.htm">http://www.constitution.org/tp/comsense.htm</a></li>
<li><b>The Rights of Man</b> - <a href="http://www.constitution.org/tp/rightsman_pre.htm">http://www.constitution.org/tp/rightsman_pre.htm</a></li>
</ul>
<u><b>5. Thomas Jefferson</b></u><br />
<br />
<b>Thomas Jefferson</b> (April 13, 1743 (April 2, 1743 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates" title="Old Style and New Style dates">O.S.</a>) – July 4, 1826) was an American <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founding_Fathers_of_the_United_States" title="Founding Fathers of the United States">Founding Father</a> who was the principal author of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence" title="United States Declaration of Independence">United States Declaration of Independence</a> (1776) and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States" title="List of Presidents of the United States">third</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States" title="President of the United States">President of the United States</a> (1801–1809). At the beginning of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolution" title="American Revolution">American Revolution</a>, Jefferson served in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Congress" title="Continental Congress">Continental Congress</a>, representing Virginia. He then served as a wartime <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_Virginia" title="Governor of Virginia">Governor of Virginia</a>
(1779–1781). Just after the war ended, from mid-1784 Jefferson served
as a diplomat, stationed in Paris, initially as a commissioner to help
negotiate commercial treaties. In May 1785, he became the <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Minister_to_France" title="United States Minister to France">United States Minister to France</a>. He was the first <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secretary_of_State" title="United States Secretary of State">United States Secretary of State</a> (1790–1793) during the administration of President <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington" title="George Washington">George Washington</a>. Upon resigning his office, with his close friend <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Madison" title="James Madison">James Madison</a> he organized the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic-Republican_Party" title="Democratic-Republican Party">Democratic-Republican Party</a>. Elected Vice-President in 1796, under his opponent <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Adams" title="John Adams">John Adams</a>, Jefferson with Madison secretly wrote the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_and_Virginia_Resolutions" title="Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions">Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions</a>, which attempted to nullify the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_and_Sedition_Acts" title="Alien and Sedition Acts">Alien and Sedition Acts</a> and formed the basis of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States%27_rights" title="States' rights">states' rights</a>. <br />
<ul>
<li><b>Selected writings and essays</b> - browse here for items of interest</li>
<li><a href="http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupname?key=Jefferson%2C%20Thomas%2C%201743-1826">http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupname?key=Jefferson%2C%20Thomas%2C%201743-1826</a></li>
</ul>
<br />Carol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797054378575904792.post-80849197231409896122011-10-01T17:49:00.000-07:002012-04-29T08:38:43.103-07:00Fall Schedule 2011Fall is finally here! Our summer reading session has come to a close and we are ready to tackle some new books for the next study period. On tap are several wonderful choices selected the very end of the period, 1400-1599.<br />
<br />
Once again, we are going to allow readers to choose which books they would like to read over the next few months.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwA5Ya2Irtnh6C6w0mCJAypNrh5_O0bh3Y1d3tP9SP1YujUgLwSY68qiGz6KaqJ1fwtbh8RowRuymyiJCzgGw51TTjpeHlzXG1SRKkXsmTAeobs0j4kqvDxgYoFwSdpEa7QwPdgpFn14z/s1600/shakespeare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwA5Ya2Irtnh6C6w0mCJAypNrh5_O0bh3Y1d3tP9SP1YujUgLwSY68qiGz6KaqJ1fwtbh8RowRuymyiJCzgGw51TTjpeHlzXG1SRKkXsmTAeobs0j4kqvDxgYoFwSdpEa7QwPdgpFn14z/s200/shakespeare.jpg" width="165" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">William Shakespeare</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Option 1: William Shakespeare's Plays and Sonnets</b></span><br />
<br />
Any good reading program must contain it's fair share of Shakespeare, and our group is not to be left out. Therefore, this fall, readers who are not familiar with the plays of Shakespeare may want to read one or more of the following choices:<br />
<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.bartleby.com/70/index23.html">The Twelfth Night; or What You Will </a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.bartleby.com/70/index44.html">Othello, the Moor of Venice</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.bartleby.com/70/index42.html">Hamlet, Prince of Denmark</a></li>
</ul>All other plays can be accessed via Bartleby.com's <a href="http://www.bartleby.com/70/">Oxford Shakespeare webpages</a>.<br />
<br />
In addition to the above plays, readers may want to also read through the <a href="http://www.bartleby.com/40/index1.html">Sonnets</a>, which can be found here as well.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Ghvn9OQC0WoApVYy7kaDFBPg83mrzcj2yi1iJ6keljbh6qvk_n-zAs2Ycl96dybzzAb_VbzDXON2y9YQ4qnBGrP9yRQ-26yYXtqOkgJAxd3CpPkcwtoZBUQs40aQCJAgtvPixSQ6XFbR/s1600/200px-John_Donne_BBC_News.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Ghvn9OQC0WoApVYy7kaDFBPg83mrzcj2yi1iJ6keljbh6qvk_n-zAs2Ycl96dybzzAb_VbzDXON2y9YQ4qnBGrP9yRQ-26yYXtqOkgJAxd3CpPkcwtoZBUQs40aQCJAgtvPixSQ6XFbR/s1600/200px-John_Donne_BBC_News.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Donne</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Option 2: John Donne, Poems and Sermons</b></span><br />
<br />
Readers may wish to read from a selection of John Donne's poems as well as <a href="http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/donne/donnebib.htm">his most famous sermons</a>. A nice selection of poems can be accessed via <a href="http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/donne/donnebib.htm">Luminarium's website</a>.<br />
<br />
Izzak Walton's brief biography of John Donne is a nice compliment to reading the poems and sermons. You can find it here: <a href="http://www.bartleby.com/15/2/">http://www.bartleby.com/15/2/</a><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5LfCZwH_vUlauL4g3DuHlU8XOn8tqI7hZ8AVDHahVXNr9XfWaFgfQ8eDUd1MVTBfYhylHrvrwRthkh2ftLCJdUWjaYK3D3p94usWrkZ-VP9CfdwNzKiHslpx-bU_9nmOrnfgpN9zKcc9P/s1600/569px-Thomas_Hobbes_%2528portrait%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5LfCZwH_vUlauL4g3DuHlU8XOn8tqI7hZ8AVDHahVXNr9XfWaFgfQ8eDUd1MVTBfYhylHrvrwRthkh2ftLCJdUWjaYK3D3p94usWrkZ-VP9CfdwNzKiHslpx-bU_9nmOrnfgpN9zKcc9P/s200/569px-Thomas_Hobbes_%2528portrait%2529.jpg" width="189" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thomas Hobbes</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Option 3: Thomas Hobbes "The Leviathan"</b></span><br />
<br />
For readers interested in reading Hobbes, consider "The Leviathan" as an alternative to our other selections. You can find a very nice <a href="http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/hobbes/leviathan-contents.html">HTML formatted version</a> via Oregon State's website.<br />
<br />
Discussion questions as well as some general background information and study notes can be accessed via <a href="http://www.sparknotes.com/">Sparknotes</a>. General biographical information can be found via Wikipedia or another online encyclopedia.Carol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797054378575904792.post-73768025547043001822011-06-04T09:17:00.000-07:002012-04-29T08:38:43.097-07:00Summer Courses, 2011Well, summer has finally arrived here in Phoenix, and we are experiencing daily high temperatures in the upper 90's to low 100's (F and not C). It is a good time to stay indoors and read, so here is the summer schedule.<br />
<br />
I have decided to offer this summer as an elective, and allow readers several books to read instead of just one. Perhaps this will generate more interest in the courses offered.<br />
<ul><li><strong>Option 1: Miguel de Cervantes, "Don Quixote"</strong></li>
<li><strong>Option 2: Edmund Spenser's, "The Faerie Queene"</strong></li>
<li><strong>Option 3: Christopher Marlowe's, "Doctor Faustus"</strong></li>
</ul>All three book choices span our period, 1400-1599, and are well-known novels.<br />
<br />
Readers are free to choose to read one of the above books or they can choose to read them all. I will provide links and textual information for easy reading online as well as for finding hard copies at libraries or used book sources. Questions and other background information will be available here and in the Yahoo Group files section.<br />
<br />
<strong>Updated Fall 2011 Schedule</strong><br />
<br />
For now, the following schedule seems doable. Fall readings will begin in September and run through December 2011.<br />
<ul><li>William Shakespeare</li>
<li>John Donne</li>
</ul><strong>Updated Spring 2012 Schedule</strong><br />
<br />
For Spring 2011, the following selections will be scheduled:<br />
<ul><li>Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels"</li>
<li>Alexander Pope's "Rape of the Lock"</li>
<li>William Wordsworth</li>
</ul>More details will follow, so stay tuned.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Option 1: Miguel Cervante's "Don Quixote"</strong></span><br />
<br />
For readers who would like to attempt this book, my suggestion is to read this over the entire summer. It is a long book, and will require two months of consistent daily (or weekly reading) to finish it.<br />
<br />
Online HTML Text can be found here: <a href="http://www.classicreader.com/book/1148/">http://www.classicreader.com/book/1148/</a><br />
Audio Book at Librivox: <a href="http://librivox.org/don-quixote-vol-1-by-miguel-de-cervantes-saavedra/">http://librivox.org/don-quixote-vol-1-by-miguel-de-cervantes-saavedra/</a><br />
Book notes: <a href="http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/donquixote/">http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/donquixote/</a><br />
Study questions: <a href="http://www.columbia.edu/itc/lithum/adams/sq9.html">http://www.columbia.edu/itc/lithum/adams/sq9.html</a><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Option 2: Edmund Spenser's "Faerie Queene"</span></strong><br />
<br />
For readers who want to read this book in Middle English, the following links are available. <br />
<br />
Online version: <a href="http://www.luminarium.org/renascence-editions/queene1.html">http://www.luminarium.org/renascence-editions/queene1.html</a><br />
PDF Format: <a href="http://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1794/784/faeriequeene.pdf?sequence=1">http://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1794/784/faeriequeene.pdf?sequence=1</a><br />
Audio at Librivox: <a href="http://librivox.org/the-faerie-queene-book-1-by-edmund-spenser/">http://librivox.org/the-faerie-queene-book-1-by-edmund-spenser/</a><br />
Book notes: <a href="http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/fqueen/">http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/fqueen/</a><br />
Canto by Canto reading guide: <a href="http://cla.calpoly.edu/~dschwart/engl331/fq.html">http://cla.calpoly.edu/~dschwart/engl331/fq.html</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Option 3: Christopher Marlowe's "Doctor Faustus"</strong></span><br />
<br />
Online Text: <a href="http://pd.sparknotes.com/lit/doctorfaustus/">http://pd.sparknotes.com/lit/doctorfaustus/</a><br />
Audio Book at Librivox: <a href="http://librivox.org/the-tragical-history-of-doctor-faustus-by-christopher-marlowe/">http://librivox.org/the-tragical-history-of-doctor-faustus-by-christopher-marlowe/</a><br />
Book Notes: <a href="http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/doctorfaustus/">http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/doctorfaustus/</a><br />
Study Questions: <a href="http://cla.calpoly.edu/~dschwart/engl331/faustus.html">http://cla.calpoly.edu/~dschwart/engl331/faustus.html</a><br />
<br />
If you would like to join us this summer and read some great classical books, please feel free to visit our Yahoo Group here: <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/areteclassical">http://groups.yahoo.com/areteclassical</a>Carol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797054378575904792.post-68877244842914197462011-01-13T14:37:00.000-08:002012-04-29T08:38:43.090-07:002011 Reading ScheduleWe are still reading through the Renaissance, focusing now on the latter portion of the 16th century. Continuing on through the 16th and into the 17-18th centuries, we will focus on the following literature, philosophy, religion, and poetry:<br />
<ul><li>Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes (1547-1616)</li>
<li>The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser (1552-1599)</li>
<li>Essays by Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626)</li>
<li>Doctor Faustus by Christoper Marlowe (1564-1593)</li>
<li>William Shakespeare (1564-1616)</li>
<li>Sermons by John Donne (1572-1631) </li>
<li>Paradise Lost by John Milton (1608-1674) </li>
<li>The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan (1628-1688) </li>
<li>Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) </li>
<li>Essays by Alexander Pope (1688-1744)</li>
</ul>Book links, backgound information, study notes, and other important information will be posted as soon as we finish up Sir Thomas More's, Utopia.Carol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797054378575904792.post-84268796558091854572011-01-13T14:16:00.000-08:002011-01-13T14:23:14.131-08:00Utopia by Sir Thomas More<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_9RgraSkfgIpIbtk_v1pYrkkqoAu6CZy_GZLuFgTqvxnQreSgbbr6KvXCaTTXaHY6qkFpPsOzA9ApMlMdPsFz1RxAu73FJ913lSAmx3fRggun7BCKlRnyP1woMIidjYff0CYJdchg_ml/s1600/utopia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_9RgraSkfgIpIbtk_v1pYrkkqoAu6CZy_GZLuFgTqvxnQreSgbbr6KvXCaTTXaHY6qkFpPsOzA9ApMlMdPsFz1RxAu73FJ913lSAmx3fRggun7BCKlRnyP1woMIidjYff0CYJdchg_ml/s1600/utopia.jpg" /></a></div>Utopia (in full: Libellus vere aureus, nec minus salutaris quam festivus, de optimo rei publicae statu deque nova insula Utopia) is a work of fiction by Thomas More published in 1516. English translations of the title include A Truly Golden Little Book, No Less Beneficial Than Entertaining, of the Best State of a Republic, and of the New Island Utopia (literal) and A Fruitful and Pleasant Work of the Best State of a Public Weal, and of the New Isle Called Utopia (traditional).[1] (See "title" below.) The book, written in Latin, is a frame narrative primarily depicting a fictional island society and its religious, social and political customs.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utopia_(book">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utopia_(book</a>)<br />
<br />
<strong>Background on Sir Thomas More</strong><br />
Sir Thomas More (pronounced /ˈmɔr/; February 7, 1478[1] – July 6, 1535), also known as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was an important counsellor to Henry VIII of England and for three years toward the end of his life he was Lord Chancellor. He is also recognised as a saint within the Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion.[2] He was an opponent of the Protestant Reformation and of Martin Luther and William Tyndale. <br />
<br />
More coined the word "utopia" - a name he gave to the ideal, imaginary island nation whose political system he described in Utopia, published in 1516. He opposed the king's separation from the papal church and denied that the king was the Supreme Head of the Church of England, a status the king had been given by a compliant parliament through the Act of Supremacy of 1534. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1534 for his refusal to take the oath required by the First Succession Act, because the act disparaged the power of the Pope and Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon. In 1535 he was tried and executed for treason by beheading. More was beatified by the Catholic Church in 1886 and canonised, with John Fisher, in 1935. In 1980, he was added to the Church of England's calendar of saints.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_More">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_More</a><br />
<br />
<strong>Articles from Luminarium</strong><br />
<a href="http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/tmore.htm">http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/tmore.htm</a><br />
<br />
<strong>Links to Online Texts</strong><br />
<br />
Utopia at Oregon State<br />
<a href="http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/more/utopia-contents.html">http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/more/utopia-contents.html</a><br />
<br />
Utopia at Online Literature<br />
<a href="http://www.online-literature.com/more/utopia/">http://www.online-literature.com/more/utopia/</a><br />
<br />
Utopia at Project Gutenberg<br />
<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2130">http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2130</a><br />
<br />
<strong>Study Notes and Guides for Utopia</strong><br />
<br />
Sparknotes for Utopia<br />
<a href="http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/utopia">http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/utopia</a><br />
<br />
Study Guide with Detailed Information<br />
<a href="http://thomasmorestudies.org/utopia/Utopia_guide_ed1.pdf">http://thomasmorestudies.org/utopia/Utopia_guide_ed1.pdf</a><br />
<br />
<strong>Schedule of Readings</strong><br />
<br />
This is a fairly short book, and could be read in a few weeks (depending on your own schedule). I would suggest reading it at your leisure and taking the time to think about what Sir Thomas More might be suggesting in this story. You might want to spend a little time and review some British History so that you can understand better why this book is so important. Thomas More lived during the reign of Henry the VIII. It was his stand against Henry's wish to divorce that eventually led to More's execution (a must see -- watch Paul Scofield's dramatization of More in the movie, "A Man for All Seasons").Carol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797054378575904792.post-77870974523745382662010-12-01T14:17:00.000-08:002011-01-13T14:24:20.016-08:00The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36pWKLLc-l_thBtc9_R-UUYErs239ttvpA35HFZEV_7PlvaRrXyF88L2res2aCj4-Vf0QWhVOrDPxAqBwH-UanPq8nZ8-muwwQrqVxd7GJwjS1uKbNjReV7mmTfVmi6MCnKm37fEiiRvG/s1600/prince.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36pWKLLc-l_thBtc9_R-UUYErs239ttvpA35HFZEV_7PlvaRrXyF88L2res2aCj4-Vf0QWhVOrDPxAqBwH-UanPq8nZ8-muwwQrqVxd7GJwjS1uKbNjReV7mmTfVmi6MCnKm37fEiiRvG/s320/prince.jpg" width="271" /></a></div>The Prince (Italian: Il Principe) is a political treatise by the Italian diplomat, historian and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli. From correspondence a version appears to have been distributed in 1513, using a Latin title, De Principatibus (About Principalities). But the printed version was not published until 1532, five years after Machiavelli's death. This was done with the permission of the Medici pope Clement VII, but "long before then, in fact since the first appearance of the Prince in manuscript, controversy had swirled about his writings".[1]<br />
<br />
Although it was written as if it were a traditional work in the Mirror of Princes style, it is generally agreed that it was especially innovative, and not only because it was written in Italian rather than Latin.[2] The Prince is sometimes claimed to be one of the first works of modern philosophy, in which the effective truth is taken to be more important than any abstract ideal. It was also in direct conflict with the dominant Catholic and scholastic doctrines of the time concerning how to consider politics and ethics.[3][4]<br />
<br />
Although it is relatively short, the treatise is the most remembered of his works and the one most responsible for bringing "Machiavellian" into wide usage as a pejorative term. It also helped make "Old Nick" an English term for the devil, and even contributed to the modern negative connotations of the words "politics" and "politician" in western countries.[5] In terms of subject matter it overlaps with the much longer Discourses on Livy, which was written a few years later. In its use of examples who were politically active Italians who perpetrated criminal deeds for politics, another lesser-known work by Machiavelli which The Prince has been compared to is the Life of Castruccio Castracani.<br />
<br />
The descriptions within The Prince have the general theme of accepting that ends of princes, such as glory, and indeed survival, can justify the use of immoral means to achieve those ends.[6]<br />
<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prince">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prince</a><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>Links to Online Texts</strong><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.constitution.org/mac/prince00.htm">http://www.constitution.org/mac/prince00.htm</a><br />
<br />
<strong>Study Notes for The Prince</strong><br />
<a href="http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/prince/">http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/prince/</a><br />
<br />
<strong>Suggested Reading Schedule</strong><br />
<br />
This book is very short, and can be read quickly. I would suggest reading it at your leisure, and thinking more deeply about the reasons why Machiavelli wrote this philosophical treatise.Carol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797054378575904792.post-8417389996559973442010-06-11T09:34:00.000-07:002010-06-11T09:57:53.723-07:00Le Mort d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory<div align="center"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 242px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481560733066991634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW23kGZWWo_EnOb_ukTTHWw5apvKXysGELPKj8y3g-uHu3QHyg6CZvI2pGl3qn2gRFS6nhDA7y0w3_NXjIoGuCwiYgRen6wKnRDtLge3Xxwb_xg8KsYgJBvW1SS0xxdbO1CofOL5ljJt7A/s320/lemorte_darthur.jpg" /><span style="font-size:78%;">Courtesy of </span><a href="http://www.celtic-twilight.com/camelot/malory/lemorte_darthur.jpg"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.celtic-twilight.com/camelot/malory/lemorte_darthur.jpg</span></a><br /><br /><div align="left">Our next book will be Sir Thomas Mallory's, "Le Mort d'Arthur'. This is the classic tale that began the fascination with King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table. A few years ago, I had the pleasure of reading T.H. White's, "The Once and Future King," which was awesome. I have not read Mallory's text, so I am really looking forward to it this summer.<br /><br />This is a rather long book, and I think we will read as much as we possibly can given the time we have on the schedule. I found an online HTML text that seems very readable. I will post other links later, if I can find good translations, and they are easily accessed. I will also be posting study questions, but for now, here is some background information as well as a link to the HTML formatted book.<br /><br /><strong>Background</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />You can read some interesting background information on Mallory as well as on his writing of this text <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Morte_d">here</a>.<br /><br /><strong>Online Texts</strong><br /><br />The following two websites have the book in HTML format. You can also download the text file through Project Gutenberg. I personally find HTML to be easier to read, but if you would rather download it to your computer, have at it. </div><ul><li><div align="left"><a href="http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/mart/">Le Mort d'Arthur Vol. 1 and 2</a></div></li><li><div align="left"><a href="http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/Mal1Mor.html">University of Virginia Etext - Vol 1. (through Book 9)</a></div></li><li><div align="left"><a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1251">Project Gutenberg Etext - Vol 1</a> and <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1252">Vol. 2</a></div></li></ul><div align="left"><strong>Audio Versions</strong></div><ul><li><div align="left"><a href="http://librivox.org/le-morte-darthur-volume-1-by-sir-thomas-malory/">Librivox Vol. 1</a> and <a href="http://librivox.org/le-morte-darthur-by-sir-thomas-malory/">Vol. 2</a><br /></div></li></ul><p align="left"><strong>Resources</strong></p><ul><li><div align="left"><a href="http://www.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/malory/darthurglossary1.pdf">Glossary for Book 1</a> and <a href="http://www.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/malory/darthurglossary2.pdf">Book 2</a></div></li><li><div align="left"><a href="http://www.lugodoc.demon.co.uk/MYTH/Arthur/Mal0.htm">Lugodoc's Guide to Mallory's Le Mort d'Arthur</a></div></li><li><div align="left"><a href="http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/Le-Morte-d-Arthur.id-182.html">Cliff Notes Study Guide</a><br /></div></li></ul><p align="left"><strong>Reading Schedule</strong></p><div align="left">The following schedule is fluid and may change, given the nature of our readers preferences. However, for now, this is a good schedule to start this book.</div><ul><li><div align="left">June 14 - Book 1</div></li><li><div align="left">June 21 - Book 2</div></li><li><div align="left">June 28 - Book 3</div></li><li><div align="left">July 5 - Book 4</div></li><li><div align="left">July 12 - Book 5</div></li><li><div align="left">July 19 - Book 6</div></li><li><div align="left">July 26 - Book 7</div></li><li><div align="left">August 2 - Book 8</div></li><li><div align="left">August 9 - Book 9 (end of Vol. 1)</div></li><li><div align="left">August 16 - Book 10 and on for readers who wish to continue with Vol. 2</div></li></ul><p align="left">Happy reading ~ Enjoy!</p></div>Carol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797054378575904792.post-71614194227373300372010-05-11T10:24:00.001-07:002011-01-13T14:26:38.070-08:00The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbttUmUUlmiqqMJ4PyUgKJFY12oxXZFtfrBBcRIRryxW-hJoC82zb2icrvEiOCe9rl_vzCoKuxmQdd3pkWfE53VRCwyKt_NgrAdYa0gFNEoDeqQNgZjGX0BxM33I9o2TYgPmx0vDLO9Ac/s1600/canterburytales1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbttUmUUlmiqqMJ4PyUgKJFY12oxXZFtfrBBcRIRryxW-hJoC82zb2icrvEiOCe9rl_vzCoKuxmQdd3pkWfE53VRCwyKt_NgrAdYa0gFNEoDeqQNgZjGX0BxM33I9o2TYgPmx0vDLO9Ac/s320/canterburytales1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Welcome Spring (or Summer for us in hot AZ!) Readers:<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>We are set to begin a four-week study in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. This is a quick reading through these stories, simply to give our readers a taste of Chaucer's wit and style. Feel free to join along with our reading group on this next adventure through late Medieval classical literature.</div><div><br />
Lets begin reading through a few of the Canterbury Tales. I chose those which are most often read in college courses (and the ones I could find study<br />
questions on -- LOL!) I think these will give you enough of a feel for these stories without having to read them all. If you want to read more, go ahead at<br />
your own leisure.<br />
<br />
<strong>Brief Background from Wikipedia</strong><br />
<br />
I would suggest reading the background on the Tales themselves, either at Wikipedia, in your own text, or as a general introduction at Sparknotes or Online-Literature.com.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Chaucer" style="color: #9136ad; text-decoration: none;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Chaucer</a><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Canterbury_Tales" style="color: #9136ad; text-decoration: none;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Canterbury_Tales</a><br />
<br />
<strong>Literature Study Guide from Sparknotes</strong><br />
<br />
Sparknotes will provide some good summaries of the tales, a great help for struggling readers who need a little hand-holding to help explain the story.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/canterbury/" style="color: #9136ad; text-decoration: none;">http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/canterbury/</a><br />
<br />
<strong>Book Links</strong><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.online-literature.com/chaucer/canterbury/" style="color: #9136ad; text-decoration: none;">http://www.online-literature.com/chaucer/canterbury/</a><br />
<br />
<strong>Modern Prose in PDF (each tale is it's own file)</strong><br />
<br />
<a href="http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/webcore/murphy/canterbury/" style="color: #9136ad; text-decoration: none;">http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/webcore/murphy/canterbury/</a><br />
<br />
<strong>Audio from Librivox</strong><br />
<br />
<a href="http://librivox.org/the-canterbury-tales-by-geoffrey-chaucer/" style="color: #9136ad; text-decoration: none;">http://librivox.org/the-canterbury-tales-by-geoffrey-chaucer/</a><br />
<br />
<strong>Schedule</strong><br />
<br />
Week 1 - Introduction and Prologue<br />
Week 2 - The Knights Tale<br />
Week 3 - The Miller and The Reeves Tale<br />
Week 4 - The Friar and The Summoner's Tale<br />
<br />
Guesstimate on reading: The Knights Tale is fairly long, the others are shorter readings. I would guess four weeks to cover these tales only. If at the end of this period, you all want to read some of the other Tales, we can add a few more in. Let' wait and see how every does with these stories, OK?<br />
<br />
Begin date: you are welcome to start this week or next. I will post the first set of questions today and then will try and stay a week ahead of everyone.<br />
<br />
I think you will enjoy reading these stories, and will find the modern translation (PDF files linked above) a good source (helpful notes and explanations are included).<br />
<br />
Happy Reading!</div>Carol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797054378575904792.post-9655066488291558682010-01-30T07:49:00.000-08:002012-04-29T08:38:43.107-07:00Spring is HereThe new schedule for Spring has been late in being posted. Partly this was due to some personal challenges that I am facing, and partly because our readers needed a bit more time to get through the holidays. Now that we are finished with Christmas and well into the New Year, it is time to start thinking about reading again.<br /><br />We have been following the Great Books list from St. John's College. So far, it has proven to be a good program to follow. We have used online books and resources, mostly from the website: <a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/">http://www.grtbooks.com</a>. Another excellent resource, with links to not only resources that are online, but also to printed books (in several languages).<br /><br />Presently, we are beginning the Middle Ages, approx. 1000-1600 AD. We just finished reading The Song of Roland, and are heading into more religious works (Aquinas and A Kempis). I am not sure if this is the track we want to take, after all, we spent a fair portion of time reading through earlier church works last year. I am thinking that we should stay with literature (story, fairy tales, etc.) for a while. I think our readers are more interested in story than in deep philosophy.<br /><br />So with this decision in hand, here is the reading list for Spring 2010:<br /><br /><u><b><a name="volsung">The Story of the Volsungs and Niblungs</a></b></u><span style=""></span> <ul><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=1150&aa=AA&at=VO&ref=epics&URL=http://www.bartleby.com/49/4/"><b>HTML</b></a> (56 pages, indexed) at Bartleby.com <small>(Translated by Eiríkr Magnússon and William Morris)</small> </li><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=1150&aa=AA&at=VO&ref=epics&URL=http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1152"><b>HTML</b></a> (364 KB; 128 KB zipped; 342/124 KB text file also available) of <i>The Story of the Volsungs</i> at Project Gutenberg <small>(Translated by Eirikr Magnússon and William Morris)</small> </li></ul><u><b><a name="gawain">Sir Gawain and the Green Knight</a></b></u> <ul><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=1150&aa=AA&at=VO&ref=epics&URL=http://www.bibliomania.com/0/5/172/933/17346/1.html"><b>HTML</b></a> (Multi-page) at Bibliomania </li><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=1150&aa=AA&at=VO&ref=epics&URL=http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/14568"><b>HTML</b></a> (339 KB; 201 KB zipped; 255/97 KB text file also available) at Project Gutenberg, also includes Middle English text <small>(Translator unknown)</small><br /></li></ul><u><b><a name="tales">Canterbury Tales</a></b></u><span style=""></span> <ul><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=1340&aa=CH&at=VO&ref=chaucer&URL=http://www.librarius.com/cantales.htm"><b>HTML frames</b></a> at Librarius </li><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=1340&aa=CH&at=VO&ref=chaucer&URL=http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/2383"><b>Text File</b></a> (1.62 MB; 639 KB zipped) at Project Gutenberg (includes Canterbury Tales, Troilus and Cressida, and other works) </li></ul><u><b><a name="morte">Le Morte d'Arthur</a></b></u><span style=""></span> <ul><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=1405&aa=MA&at=VO&ref=malory&URL=http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1251"><b>Text file, vol. 1</b></a> (link page; 902 KB, or 295 KB zipped) at Project Gutenberg </li><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=1405&aa=MA&at=VO&ref=malory&URL=http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1252"><b>Text file, vol. 2</b></a> (link page; 1.00 MB, or 332 KB zipped) at Project Gutenberg</li></ul><u><b><a name="prince">The Prince</a></b></u><span style=""></span> <ul><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=1469&aa=MA&at=VO&ref=machiavelli&URL=http://www.orst.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/prince/prince_contents.html"><b>HTML</b></a> (36 pages, indexed) at Oregon State's History of Western Philosophy course<small> (Translated by W.K. Marriott)</small> </li><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=1469&aa=MA&at=VO&ref=machiavelli&URL=http://www.sonshi.com/machiavelli.html"><b>HTML</b></a> (Multi-page, indexed) at Sonshi.com <small>(Translated by W.K. Marriott)</small> </li><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=1469&aa=MA&at=VO&ref=machiavelli&URL=http://www.constitution.org/mac/prince00.htm"><b>HTML</b></a> (Multi-page, indexed; text file and PDF versions also available) at the Constitution Society<small> (Translated by W.K. Marriott)</small> </li><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=1469&aa=MA&at=VO&ref=machiavelli&URL=http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1232"><b>Text File</b></a> (310 KB; 111 KB zipped; 298/109KB text file also available) at Project Gutenberg <small>(Translated by William K. Marriott)</small> </li></ul><u><b><a name="utopia">Utopia</a></b></u><span style=""></span> <ul><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=1478&aa=MO&at=VO&ref=more&URL=http://www.orst.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/more/utopia-contents.html"><b>HTML</b></a> (Indexed, 10 pages) at Oregon State's History of Western Philosophy course </li><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=1478&aa=MO&at=VO&ref=more&URL=http://www.constitution.org/tm/utopia.htm"><b>HTML</b></a> (Multi-page, indexed) at the Constitution Society </li><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=1478&aa=MO&at=VO&ref=more&URL=http://www.constitution.org/tm/utopia.txt"><b>Text file</b></a> (231KB) at the Constitution Society </li><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=1478&aa=MO&at=VO&ref=more&URL=http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/2130"><b>HTML</b></a> (258 KB; 94 KB zipped; 254/93KB text file also available) at Project Gutenberg </li></ul>This reading list will take us through Spring and into early Summer. We will then move into Renaissance literature and begin reading more familiar texts.<br /><br />A reading schedule (of assignments) will be posted shortly, along with some background information and study help. Check out the Yahoo Group for specifics. Happy reading!Carol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797054378575904792.post-66120775192967747572009-09-14T14:20:00.000-07:002009-11-09T07:45:12.882-08:00The Song of Roland<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xdUC7oTtrfzZKgk3GqtZ6YVC_4anlnz6bgA8JiT6k7McATkySdwPb9SN1pGC01RCemGo_-HCHXz6SHhJuMYZQhggp7ykd5KhwsHR7O1dhpBGO0Jp2gXpmG8_wOwnpvi3NPm_3IOROcfG/s1600-h/566px-Grandes_chroniques_Roland.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381436843590980194" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 189px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xdUC7oTtrfzZKgk3GqtZ6YVC_4anlnz6bgA8JiT6k7McATkySdwPb9SN1pGC01RCemGo_-HCHXz6SHhJuMYZQhggp7ykd5KhwsHR7O1dhpBGO0Jp2gXpmG8_wOwnpvi3NPm_3IOROcfG/s200/566px-Grandes_chroniques_Roland.jpg" border="0" /></a>We are a little behind on our reading schedule (due to some family illness), so we are just beginning to read "The Song of Roland." This will be one of our first Medieval Literature stories.<br /><br />"The Song of Roland (<a title="French language" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_language">French</a>: La Chanson de Roland) is the oldest surviving major work of <a title="French literature" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_literature">French literature</a>. It exists in various different manuscript versions, which testify to its enormous and enduring popularity in the 12th to 14th centuries. The oldest of these versions is the one in the <a title="Bodleian Library" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodleian_Library">Oxford</a> manuscript, which contains a text of some 4,004 lines (the number varies slightly in different modern editions) and is usually dated to the middle of the twelfth century (between 1140 and 1170). The epic poem is the first and most outstanding example of the <a title="Chanson de geste" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chanson_de_geste">chanson de geste</a>, a literary form that flourished between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries and celebrated the legendary deeds of a hero." - Wikipedia<br /><br />Read the entire entry here: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_of_roland">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_of_roland</a><br /><br /><strong>Text</strong><br /><br />There are a number of translations for this text available online. I have linked to several below. Feel free to read which ever text you find enjoyable. Sparknotes.com offers a free online study guide with some background and plot summaries -- good to use for review.<br /><br />From the Medieval Internet sourcebook (O'Hagan trans.)<br /><a href="http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/roland-ohag.html">http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/roland-ohag.html</a><br /><br />From Harvard Classics (O'Hagan trans.)<br /><a href="http://www.bartleby.com/49/2/">http://www.bartleby.com/49/2/</a><br /><br />From Sunsite (UC Berkeley - Moncreif trans.)<br /><a href="http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/roland/index.htm">http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/roland/index.htm</a><br /><br />Librivox (Moncreif trans) - Audio<br /><a href="http://librivox.org/the-song-of-roland-by-anonymus/">http://librivox.org/the-song-of-roland-by-anonymus/</a><br /><br /><strong>Schedule of Readings<br /></strong><br />I have adjusted our readings since we lost two weeks between reading Heloise's Letter and the start of this poem.<br /><br />September 14-18<br />The Song of Roland<br />Verses I - LXXXVII<br /><a href="http://omacl.org/Roland/index.html">http://omacl.org/Roland/index.html</a><br /><br />September 21-25<br />Verses LXXXVIII - CLXI<br /><br />September 28-October 2<br />Verses CLXII - CCXXXIII<br /><br />October 5-9<br />Verses CCXXXIV -CCXCI<br /><br /><strong>Study Questions</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />I will be posting study questions as we move through this story. Enjoy!<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#cc0000;">Update - November 9, 2009</span></em></strong><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span></em></strong><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#cc0000;">Our readers are behind, so we are going to stay with this poem for a few more weeks. If you are just joining us, feel free to begin with this study!</span></em></strong>Carol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797054378575904792.post-4797639077837393232009-08-19T09:46:00.000-07:002009-08-19T10:06:36.270-07:00Peter and HeloiseWhen I was in college, I was required to take a Medieval History course. It was a Humanities course, so we didn't just study history. We studied philosophy (a lot), literature, poetry, religion, and history. It was taught by a very kind older man, who loved, I mean loved, the Middle Ages. I didn't think I would like this period in time, and was terrified of studying philosophy (everyone I knew told me it was DIFFICULT!) This professor, though, was great. He made the study of these classic works really interesting. Yes, they were difficult to read and understand, but he had a way that made them come alive. He especially liked to read to his students (something very old fashioned), and we spent most every day listening to him read to us. One particular favorite of mine were the letters written by Peter Abelard to his lover, Heloise. My professor had a real affinity for St. Augustine and Peter Abelard. He loved them both, and we spent the majority of the semester studying these two men.<br /><br />Our classical study group has just finished reading through 1001 Stories of the Arabian Nights. This series of stories was really enjoyabled, far more enjoyable than I thought possible. I had only read Ali-Baba (years ago), and while familiar with the tale of Alladin (thanks to Disney), had not really spent any time at all reading the other stories. I am glad we spent a couple weeks reading through them -- they are all great moral tales -- stories that make you chuckle a bit, but leave you with a definite impression of good/evil, wrong/right, etc. <br /><br />As we close out our early Medieval readings, we begin to turn towards more significant "classical works" (not to put down Ali-Baba, but we are talking about Dante here!) Our next several readings will take us through the end of the year. These include the former mentioned letters of Peter Abelard, the Song of Roland and Summa Theologica (briefly chucked in between), then the power house book, The Divine Comedy. The latter will take the majority of our reading time, approx. 10 weeks to complete (probably longer, given the nature of the text). However, before we press on into the Middle Ages, we need to address the little letter written by Friar Peter Abelard (c. 1079-1142). Fr. Pierre Abélard, a 12th century philosopher, theologian and logician, is called "the keenest thinker and boldest theologian of the 12th Century" (by Chambers Biographical Dictionary). His love affair with Heloise is legendary -- true Medieval Soap Opera. We will only have time to read one letter, but the story itself is worth the investment of time.<br /><br /><strong>Background</strong><br /><br />I am not going to post a bio of Peter Abelard, because this one over at Wikipedia is pretty good:<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_abelard">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_abelard</a><br /><br />Our text is coming from the following resource at Fordham University (Internet Medieval Sourcebook). We will read the introduction and overall guide to the letter first. The actual letter will be read the following week. Both are short readings -- not more than a few pages -- so this week and next will be rather light (giving our readers time to finish up Arabian Nights, if they need to).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/heloise1.html">http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/heloise1.html</a><br /><br />Discussion will be limited, unless our readers have insight or questions.<br /><br /><strong>Up Next</strong> <br /><br /><em>The Song of Roland</em><br /><a href="http://omacl.org/Roland/index.html">http://omacl.org/Roland/index.html</a> (four weeks only)<br /><br /><em>Summa Theologica</em> (just one essay - one week)<br /><a href="http://www.ccel.org/ccel/aquinas/summa.FP.vi.html">http://www.ccel.org/ccel/aquinas/summa.FP.vi.html</a><br /><br /><em>The Divine Comedy</em> (ten weeks)<br /><a href="http://poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Italian/Danthome.htm">http://poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Italian/Danthome.htm</a>Carol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797054378575904792.post-9563817834272935502009-07-14T08:07:00.000-07:002009-07-15T08:12:58.858-07:00Next Book: Stories from 1001 Arabian NightsDear Readers -- Good Tuesday Morning to you all!<br /><br />I hope you all had a chance to finish up Beowulf last week. I am late postingour next readings, so please forgive me. Our next few weeks will be devoted toreading some of the 1001 Arabian Night stories (circa 800 AD). You do not haveto read them all, unless you wish to do so. Some of the more familiar taleswill come towards the middle to end of this series of readings (Aladin, Sinbad,Ali Baba, etc.)<br /><br />If you don't want to read all of this post -- the schedule and link to the textare at the end. I would encourage you to read the Wikipedia article on thesetales. It will give specific literary device information that I think will behelpful to place these stories in their proper context as well as demonstratehow influential they became through succeeding literary generations (in story,play, music, and film).<br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><br /><strong><em>BRIEF BACKGROUND (Harvard Classics)</em></strong><br /><br />"THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS" is one of the great story-books of the world. Itwas introduced to European readers by the French scholar Galland, who discoveredthe Arabic original and translated it into French in the first decade of theeighteenth century; but its earlier history is still involved in obscurity.There existed as early as the tenth century of our era a Persian collection of athousand tales, enclosed in a framework which is practically the one used in thepresent collection, telling of a King who was in the habit of killing his wivesafter the first night, and who was led to abandon this practise by thecleverness of the Wezir's daughter, who nightly told him a tale which she leftunfinished at dawn, so that his curiosity led him to spare her till the taleshould be completed. Whether more than the framework of the Arabian collectionwas borrowed from this Persian work is uncertain. The tales in the collection of Galland and in more complete editions discovered since his time are chieflyPersian, Indian, and Arabian in source, and in ultimate origin come from all theends of the earth. No two manuscripts have precisely the same contents, and someof the most famous of the tales here printed are probably not properly to beregarded as belonging to the collection, but owe their association with theothers to their having been included by Galland. Thus "Ali Baba and the FortyThieves" is found in no Oriental version of the "Nights," and "`Ala-ed-Din andthe Wonderful Lamp" was long supposed to be in the same situation, though withinrecent years it has turned up in two manuscripts.<br /><br />Both the place and the date of the original compilation are still matters ofdispute among scholars. From such evidences as the detailed nature of thereferences to Cairo and the prevailing Mohammedan background, Lane argued thatit must have been put together in Egypt; but this opinion is by no meansuniversally accepted. As to date, estimates vary by several centuries. Burton,who believed in a strong Persian element, thought that some of the oldest tales,such as that of "Sindibad," might be as old as the eighth century of our era;some thirteen he dated tenth century, and the latest in the sixteenth. There isa fair amount of agreement on the thirteenth century as the date of arrangementin the present framework, though they were probably not committed to writingtill some two centuries later.<br /><br />Of a collection of fables, fairy-stories, and anecdotes of historical personagessuch as this, there can, of course, be no question of a single author. Bothbefore and after they were placed in the mouth of Shahrazad, they were handeddown by oral recitation, the usual form of story-telling among the Arabs. As inthe case of our own popular ballads, whatever marks of individual authorship anyone story may originally have borne, would be obliterated in the course ofgenerations of tradition by word of mouth. Of the personality of an originaleditor or compiler, even, we have no trace. Long after writing had to someextent fixed their forms, the oral repetition went on; and some of them could beheard in Mohammedan countries almost down to our own times.In the two hundred years of their currency in the West, the stories of the"Nights" have engrafted themselves upon European culture. They have made thefairy-land of the Oriental imagination and the mode of life of the medievalArab, his manners and his morals, familiar to young and old; and allusions totheir incidents and personages are wrought into the language and literature ofall the modern civilized peoples. Their mark is found upon music and painting aswell as on letters and the common speech, as is witnessed by such diverseresults of their inspiration as the music of Rimsky-Korsakoff, the illustrationsof Parrish, and the marvelous idealization of their background and atmosphere inTennyson's "Recollections of the Arabian Nights," "Barmecide Feast," "OpenSesame," "Old Lamps for New," "Solomon's Seal," "The Old Man of the Sea," "TheSlave of the Lamp," "The Valley of Diamonds," "The Roc's Egg," Haroun al-Raschidand his "Garden of Delight,"—these and many more phrases and allusions ofevery-day occurrence suggest how pervasive has been the influence of thiswonder-book of the mysterious East.<br /><br />The translation by E. W. Lane used here has been the standard English versionfor general reading for eighty years. The translations of "`Ali Baba" and"`Ala-ed-Din" are by S. Lane-Poole and for permission to use the latter we areindebted to Messrs. G. P. Putnam's Sons.<br /><br /><strong><em>INTRODUCTION (from Wikipedia)</em></strong><br /><br />One Thousand and One Nights is a collection of folk tales and other stories. Itis often known in English as the Arabian Nights, from the first English languageedition (1706), which rendered the title as The Arabian Nights' Entertainment[1].<br /><br />The original concept is most likely derived from a pre-Islamic Persian prototypethat probably relied partly on Indian elements,[2] but the work as we have itwas collected over many centuries by various authors, translators and scholarsacross the Middle East and North Africa. The tales themselves trace their rootsback to ancient and medieval Arabic, Persian, Indian, Egyptian and Mesopotamianfolklore and literature. In particular, many tales were originally folk storiesfrom the Caliphate era, while others, especially the frame story, are mostprobably drawn from the Pahlavi Persian work Haz?r Afs?n (Persian: ???? ?????,lit. Thousand Tales). Though the oldest Arabic manuscript dates from the 14thcentury, scholarship generally dates the collection's genesis to around the 9thcentury.<br /><br />What is common throughout all the editions of the Nights is the initial framestory of the ruler Shahryar (from Persian: ??????, meaning "king" or"sovereign") and his wife Scheherazade (from Persian: ???????, meaning"townswoman") and the framing device incorporated throughout the talesthemselves. The stories proceed from this original tale; some are framed withinother tales, while others begin and end of their own accord. Some editions contain only a few hundred nights, while others include 1,001 or more.<br /><br />Some of the best-known stories of The Nights, particularly "Aladdin's WonderfulLamp", "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" and "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad theSailor", while almost certainly genuine Middle-Eastern folk tales, were not partof The Nights in Arabic versions, but were interpolated into the collection byits early European translators.<br /><br />Note 1: For the rest of this introduction, please see:<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_One_Thousand_and_One_Nights">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_One_Thousand_and_One_Nights</a><br /><br />Note 2: See the Harvard Classics introduction here:<a href="http://www.bartleby.com/16/1002.html">http://www.bartleby.com/16/1002.html</a><br /><br /><strong><em>SCHEDULE</em></strong><br /><br />These stories are short, so it is possible to read through them quickly. Feelfree to read a few or all of them!<br /><br />July 13-17<br />Tales from 1001 Arabian Nights: Nights 1-3, 3-9<br /><a href="http://www.bartleby.com/16/">http://www.bartleby.com/16/</a><br /><br />July 20-24<br />Nights 9-18, 24-32<br /><br />July 27-31<br />Nights 32-36, Nights 537–566<br /><br />August 3-7<br />Nights 566–578, 738–756<br /><br />August 10-14<br />The Story of `Ala-ed-Din and the Wonderful Lamp and The Story of `Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves<br /><br /><em><strong>LINKS to the TEXT</strong></em><br /><br />Harvard Classics (follows our schedule)<br /><a href="http://www.bartleby.com/16/">http://www.bartleby.com/16/</a>Carol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797054378575904792.post-17298853081109240792009-05-11T09:39:00.000-07:002009-05-11T09:45:57.895-07:00Beowulf, an Introduction<div align="center"><strong>Beowulf. The Harvard Classics. 1909–14. </strong></div><div align="center"><strong>Introductory Note<br /></strong></div>"WHEN our Teutonic ancestors migrated to Britain from the Continent of Europe, they brought with them the heroic songs in which their minstrels were accustomed to celebrate the deeds of their kings and warriors. In Section xvi of “Beowulf” will be found a short description of the recitation at a feast of this kind of lay. Perhaps as early as the seventh century of our era, after the introduction of Christianity, an unknown poet gathered material from these lays and composed the epic of “Beowulf.” Besides the stories, he took from the older songs their metrical form and many features of style; but how far he retained their actual language there is no longer any means of knowing. A good deal of comment and reflection he must have added; and the structure of the epic is certainly due to him. He did not sing or chant to a harp as his predecessors in the treatment of this material had done; he wrote a book to be read. “Beowulf” is thus not folk-song, but belongs to a much more conscious and developed stage of art than the popular ballad.<br /><br />The exploits narrated in the poem belong to the life of Germanic peoples before they crossed the North Sea, and at least one of the characters can be identified with a historical personage. Hygelac was the Danish king Chochilaicus, who was killed in a raid into the countries near the mouth of the Rhine, not far from 520 A.D.; and as he was the uncle of Beowulf, this fixes approximately the date for the historical prototype of our hero. But the events of the poem are legendary, not historic. The fights with monsters and dragons, which occupy so much of the poem, are clear evidence of the large extent to which the marvels of popular tradition had attached themselves to figures whose historical identity had already become shadowy. Some scholars have even tried to interpret the persons and events of the poem as mythology; and while one can not deny that mythical elements may have become interwoven, yet the poet believed his hero to be thoroughly human, and his foes to be such ghosts and monsters as are still believed in by the peasantry in many parts of Europe.<br /><br />From Professor Gummere’s translation, which preserves with great skill the essential metrical features of the original, accent and alliteration, one can get a good idea of the rhythmic vigor of the old English. The translation is made from the solitary text which has come down to us, a manuscript of the tenth century, now in the British Museum.<br /><br />Although, as has been said, the chief materials of the poem must have come from the Continent, much of the detail giving a picture of life at an old Germanic court is likely to have been drawn from the England of the writer’s own day. “Beowulf” thus comes to have, in addition to its interest as the earliest extended imaginative work extant among the Teutonic peoples, a special value for the light it throws on the culture and ideals of character prevalent during the first centuries of the English occupation of Britain."<br /><br />----<br /><br />Some readers may find a children's retelling of the story easier to digest at first. If you choose to read a children's version, make sure to follow it up with the original (links provided in previous post).<br /><br /><em>Stories of Beowulf told to Children by H.E. Marshall</em><br /><a href="http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=marshall&book=beowulf&story=_contents">http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=marshall&book=beowulf&story=_contents</a><br /><br /><em>Legends of the Middle Ages by Helene Guerber</em><br /><a href="http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=guerber&book=middle&story=beowulf">http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=guerber&book=middle&story=beowulf</a><br /><br /><em>Legends Every Child Should Know by </em><a href="http://www.mainlesson.com/displayauthor.php?author=mabie"><em>Hamilton Wright Mabie</em></a><br /><a href="http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=mabie&book=legends&story=beowulf">http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=mabie&book=legends&story=beowulf</a><br /><br /><em>European Hero Stories by Eva March Tappen</em><br /><a href="http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=tappan&book=european&story=beowulf">http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=tappan&book=european&story=beowulf</a><br /><br /><strong>How to Use a Children's Story</strong><br /><br />The advantage of reading a children's story is that the myth is told in a simplified way. You will be quickly introduced to the main characters and given a very simple and straightforward plot. Once you are familiar with the tale, how it unfolds, and who the major characters are, you can then begin to read the adult version (modern prose if you are still faint of heart). It is also a good idea to use Sparknotes.com and read through the character analysis, plot summaries, etc. along the way.<br /><br />Enjoy!Carol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797054378575904792.post-413497410669169312009-05-11T08:36:00.000-07:002009-05-11T09:39:02.912-07:00Beowulf<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhr-9nLvxIiU5AYpFOwu4NtvGrNmixwzDjrH6PmQ2Kkjczj_7uXW7_J_-dOpMCPMSoIi0WIqljp1vB3-VJzFqq1hbJnfKrz-R4WK_ZM8iQF9MnHrAkiLCW1Cjy30sDFJkNagVSErOC1XjL/s1600-h/beowulf.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334606468923635010" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 137px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 288px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhr-9nLvxIiU5AYpFOwu4NtvGrNmixwzDjrH6PmQ2Kkjczj_7uXW7_J_-dOpMCPMSoIi0WIqljp1vB3-VJzFqq1hbJnfKrz-R4WK_ZM8iQF9MnHrAkiLCW1Cjy30sDFJkNagVSErOC1XjL/s400/beowulf.jpg" border="0" /></a>This will be our first classic read during our summer session. The following links will provide access to online texts or to paperback versions, should you wish to purchase a copy or find one through your libary.<br /><br /><strong>HTML Versions</strong><br /><br /><br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=725&aa=AA&at=BE&ref=epics&URL=http://www.bartleby.com/49/1/">HTML</a> (45 pages, indexed) at Bartleby.com (Translated by Francis B. Gummere) </li><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=725&aa=AA&at=BE&ref=epics&URL=http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/16328">HTML</a> (498 KB; 134 KB zipped; 292/108 KB text file also available) at Project Gutenberg (Translated by Lesslie Hall) </li><li><a href="http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/~beowulf/main.html">Original text with modern version </a>(side by side) -- Includes notes, history, character summary, etc.</li><li><a href="http://sparknotes.com/lit/beowulf">Sparknotes summary and study guide</a> and <a href="http://pd.sparknotes.com/lit/beowulf/">complete text</a></li></ul><br /><br /><br />Available at Amazon.Com or other book stores:<br /><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=725&aa=AA&at=BE&ref=epics&URL=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393320979/greatbooksandcla">Paperback</a> edition, verse translation by Seamus Heaney (W.W. Norton & Co, 2001, 215 pg). <a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=725&aa=AA&at=BE&ref=epics&URL=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1551111896/greatbooksandcla">Paperback</a> edition, verse translation by R.M. Liuzza (Broadview Pr, 2000, 248 pg).<br /><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=725&aa=AA&at=BE&ref=epics&URL=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0292707711/greatbooksandcla">Paperback</a> edition, verse translation by Ruth P.M. Lehmann (Univ of Texas Pr, 1988, 119 pg). <a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=725&aa=AA&at=BE&ref=epics&URL=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0195024354/greatbooksandcla">Paperback</a> edition, verse translation by Charles W. Kennedy (Oxford Univ Pr, 1978, 121 pg). <a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=725&aa=AA&at=BE&ref=epics&URL=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140440704/greatbooksandcla">Paperback</a> edition, prose translation by David Wright (Penguin USA, 1957).<br /><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=725&aa=AA&at=BE&ref=epics&URL=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393974065/greatbooksandcla">Paperback</a> edition, prose translation by E. Talbot Donaldson (W.W. Norton & Co, 2001).<br /><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=725&aa=AA&at=BE&ref=epics&URL=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0486272648/greatbooksandcla">Thrift Paperback</a> edition, translation by Robert Kay Gordon (Oxford Univ Pr, 1992, 57 pg).<br /><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=725&aa=AA&at=BE&ref=epics&URL=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1556855567/greatbooksandcla">Audio Cassette</a> edition, unabridged? (record says "unabridged selections"), read by Flo Gibson (Audio Book Contactors, 1999, 2 cassettes).<br /><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=725&aa=AA&at=BE&ref=epics&URL=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1565114272/greatbooksandcla">Audio CD</a> edition, unabridged, read by translator Seamus Heaney (HighBridge Co, 2000).Carol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797054378575904792.post-69649877958015531092009-04-13T09:17:00.000-07:002009-07-15T08:14:11.464-07:00Summer Schedule 2009Our reading group will be moving into the Middle Ages after we complete our study of Church history. The schedule for summer and fall reading is listed below:<br /><br /><strong>Session 1</strong><br /><br /><ul><li>Beowulf (c. 725) </li><li>Tales from the 1001 Nights (or, 1001 Arabian Nights) (c. 850?) </li><li>Letters of Abelard and Heloise (c. 1130-1136) </li><li>The Song of Roland (c. 1100)<br />Summa Theologica (1265-1273) </li><li>The Divine Comedy (c. 1306-1321) </li><li>Canterbury Tales (c. 1386) </li><li>Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Late 14th Century) </li><li>La Mort D'Arthur by Thomas Malory</li></ul><strong>Session 2</strong><br /><br /><ul><li>The Prince (c. 1505 or 1515; pub. 1532) </li><li>The Courtier (1528; Hoby's tr. 1561) </li><li>Utopia (1516) </li><li>Ninety-five Theses (1517) </li><li>Essays (1575) </li><li>Don Quixote (1615) </li><li>The Faerie Queene (1596) </li><li>Essays (1601) </li><li>Doctor Faustus (1593?; pub. 1604) </li><li>Sermons (c. 1615-1631) </li><li>The Leviathan (1651) </li></ul><p>For a PDF schedule of our reading list and assignments, <a href="http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~cheps/pdf/medieval%20studies%202009.pdf">click here</a>!</p><p></p>Carol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797054378575904792.post-64149709592103310222008-12-28T08:05:00.000-08:002012-04-29T08:39:03.500-07:00Spring 2009 ScheduleOur spring study begins with the early Middle Ages and consists of Church History. To join our the Yahoo reading group, please visit:<br /><br /><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/areteclassical">http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/areteclassical<br /></a><br />Here is the posted reading schedule for Spring 2009:<br /><br />January 5 - Eusebius, book I<br />January 12 - Eusebius, book II<br />January 19 - Eusebius, book III<br />January 26 - Eusebius, book IV<br /><br />February 2 - Athanasius, Intro-Chapter 4 (Eusebius, book V)<br />February 9 - Athanasius, Chapters 5-9 (Eusebius, book VI)<br />February 16 - Augustine, book 1 (Eusebius, book VII)<br />February 23 - Augustine, book 2 (Eusebius, book VIII)<br /><br />March 2 - Augustine, book 3<br />March 9 - Augustine, book 4<br />March 16 - Augustine, book 5<br />March 23 - Augustine, book 6<br />March 30 - Augustine, book 7<br /><br />April 6 - Easter break<br />April 13 - Augustine, book 8<br />April 20 - Augustine, book 9<br />April 27 - Augustine, book 10<br /><br />May 4 - Augustine, book 11<br />May 11 - Augustine, book 12<br />May 18 - Benedict, Chapters 1-30 (chapters are very short)<br />May 25 - Benedict, Chapters 31-73<br /><br />The online texts are linked from my blog below.<br /><br />Enjoy!Carol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797054378575904792.post-22496243630660377272008-12-18T20:10:00.000-08:002008-12-18T20:12:20.226-08:00Reading Group Starting Up AgainDear friends,<br /><br />After a long break, the Arete Classical Studies reading group is back in action. Thanks to our dedicated reading members (116 of them) who didn't unsubscribe when I announced that I needed to step down last fall -- we are set to begin a new semester after the Christmas break.<br /><br />One of our members will be leading a study in Church History. Stay tuned for more details or join us at <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/areteclassical">http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/areteclassical</a>Carol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797054378575904792.post-73007924614329477432008-09-02T07:14:00.001-07:002008-09-02T07:16:17.106-07:00Classical Reading ListsDear readers,<br /><br />For those of you who would like to continue reading through the classics on your own, here are some suggested book lists:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Well-Trained Mind</span></span><br /><br />I am currently using this listing with my high schooler. I have created a PDF checklist along with a brief summary of how to keep a history notebook. It can easily be adapted for an adult reader:<br /><br /><a href="http://homepages.rootsweb.com/%7Echeps/pdf/greatbooks.pdf">http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~cheps/pdf/greatbooks.pdf</a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">St. John College</span></span><br /><br />This is the book list I used for this group. I simply followed their outline for Freshman-Senior Seminar studies.<br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Santa Fe Reading List:</span></li><li><a href="http://www.stjohnscollege.edu/academic/SFreadlist.shtml">http://www.stjohnscollege.edu/academic/SFreadlist.shtml</a></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Annapolis Reading List:</span></li><li><a href="http://www.stjohnscollege.edu/academic/ANreadlist.shtml">http://www.stjohnscollege.edu/academic/ANreadlist.shtml</a></li></ul><br />The St. John's reading lists are broken out by book and suggested pacing, which is very handy. They do change their lists yearly, so it might be good to book mark their website.<br /><br />I hope this gives you some direction and focus for your reading studies. I do appreciate all the lovely comments regarding our group and send everyone my best wishes.<br /><br />I will post these links to my blog:<br /><br />http://areteclassical.blogspot.com so they will be available online indefinitely. I will continue to keep my blog updated (depends on my time) with any pertinent updates and/or links to study articles.<br /><br />~Carol H. :o)Carol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797054378575904792.post-20580819444320331302008-08-18T22:13:00.000-07:002008-08-18T22:16:05.744-07:00Group ClosingDear friends,<br /><br />I have made the decision to close the Arete Classical Study reading group due to my inability to continue coordinating the readings. There is another classical reading group for home school mom's here: <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheClassicalReview/">http://<b>groups</b>.yahoo.com/<b>group</b>/TheClassicalReview/</a><br /><br />This group has over 360 members and is currently reading Charlotte Bronte's Wuthering Heights. The format is more conversational and the reading is selected for enjoyment moreso than by chronological order.<br /><br />Wishing you all happy reading,<br /><br />Carol H.<br />List Moderator for Arete Classical StudiesCarol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797054378575904792.post-40444312886633260182008-03-01T22:17:00.000-08:002012-04-29T08:39:03.496-07:00Spring ReadingSpring 2008 begins our term study of high church history including the writings of Eusebius, Athanasius, Augustine, and St. Benedict. These writings are important works of the church and are wonderful to read through slowly and study carefully. Please feel free to take your time and read these at your leisure. <p><span style="font-size:85%;"><b>Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 265-339)</b></span></p> <p>Eusebius of Caesarea (c 263 – 339?[1]) (often called Eusebius Pamphili, "Eusebius [the friend] of Pamphilus") became the bishop of Caesarea in Palaestina c 314.[1] He is often referred to as the father of Church history because of his work in recording the history of the early Christian church, especially Chronicle and Ecclesiastical History. An earlier version of church history by Hegesippus, that he referred to, has not survived.</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius_of_Caesarea">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius_of_Caesarea</a> </p> <p><u><b><a name="history">Ecclesiastical History</a></b> (c. 325)</u></p> <ul><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=265&aa=EU&at=AA&ref=eusebius&URL=http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/NPNF2-01/Npnf2-01-06.htm"><b>HTML</b></a> (Multi-page, indexed, up to 285KB) at Christian Classics Ethereal Library <small>(Translator unknown)</small></li><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=265&aa=EU&at=AA&ref=eusebius&URL=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140445358/greatbooksandcla"><b><span style="color: rgb(96, 64, 0);">Paperback</span></b></a> edition of <i>Eusebius : The History of the Church from Christ to Constantine</i>, translated by G.A. Williamson (Penguin USA, 1990, 434 pg).</li></ul> <p><span style="font-size:85%;"><b>St. Athanasius (c. 297-373)</b></span></p> <p>Pope Athanasius I of Alexandria (c. 293-May 2, 373) also known as St. Athanasius the Great and St. Athanasius the Apostolic was a theologian, Pope of Alexandria, a Church Father, and a noted Egyptian leader of the fourth century. He is best remembered for his role in the conflict with Arius and Arianism. At the first Council of Nicaea (325), Athanasius argued against Arius and his doctrine that Christ is of a distinct substance from the Father.<br /> <br /> Athanasius is revered as a saint by the Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Eastern Catholic Churches. He is traditionally regarded as a great leader of the Church by the Lutheran Church, the Anglican Communion, and most Protestants in general. He is chronologically the first Doctor of the Church as designated by the Roman Catholic Church, and he is counted as one of the four Great Doctors of the Eastern Church. His feast day is May 15 in the Coptic Orthodox Church, January 18 in the Eastern Orthodox Churches and May 2 in Western Christianity.</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Athanasius">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Athanasius</a> </p> <u><b><a name="incarnat">On the Incarnation</a></b> (c. 318)</u> <ul><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=297&aa=AT&at=AA&ref=athanasius&URL=http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/NPNF2-04/Npnf2-04-16.htm"><b>HTML</b></a> (Single page, 180 KB) at Christian Classics Ethereal Library <small>(Translated by Cardinal Newman; corr. by Henry Wace)</small></li><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=297&aa=AT&at=AA&ref=athanasius&URL=http://www.gty.org/%7Ephil/history/ath-inc.htm"><b>HTML</b></a> (Single page, 191 KB) with introduction by C.S. Lewis, at Phil Johnson's Hall of Church History <small>(Translator unknown)</small></li><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=297&aa=AT&at=AA&ref=athanasius&URL=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0899810659/greatbooksandcla"><b><span style="color: rgb(96, 64, 0);">Paperback</span></b></a> edition (Eastern Orthodox Books, 1981).</li><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=297&aa=AT&at=AA&ref=athanasius&URL=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0913836400/greatbooksandcla"><b><span style="color: rgb(96, 64, 0);">Paperback</span></b></a> edition (St. Vladimirs Seminary Pr, 1975).</li></ul> <p><b><i>Note: On previewing this document, the best edition to read is from <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=297&aa=AT&at=AA&ref=athanasius&URL=http://www.gty.org/%7Ephil/history/ath-inc.htm"> Phil Johnson's Hall of Church History</a>. It offers a very nice introduction by C.S. Lewis and then breaks down the document into manageable chunks. The CCEL version includes a lot of ancillary writings AND now you must login to be able to download their files. So, let us read the shortened version as I think it will be easier on us all.</i></b></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430)</b></span> <p>Saint Augustine (November 13, 354 – August 28, 430), Bishop of Hippo, was a philosopher and theologian. Augustine, a Latin Father and Doctor of the Church, is one of the most important figures in the development of Western Christianity. Augustine was radically influenced by Platonism. He framed the concepts of original sin and just war. When Rome fell and the faith of many Christians was shaken, Augustine developed the concept of the Church as a spiritual City of God, distinct from the material City of Man. Augustine's work defined the start of the medieval worldview, an outlook that would later be firmly established by Gregory the Great.<br /> <br /> Augustine was born in present day Algeria to a Christian mother, Saint Monica. He was educated in North Africa and resisted his mother's pleas to become Christian. He lived as a pagan intellectual, took a concubine, and became a Manichean. He later converted to Christianity, became a bishop, and opposed heresies, such as the belief that people can deserve salvation by being good (Pelagianism). His works—including The Confessions, which is often called the first Western autobiography—are still read around the world. In addition he believed in Papal supremacy.<br /> <br /> In Roman Catholicism and the Anglican Communion, he is a saint and pre-eminent Doctor of the Church, and the patron of the Augustinian religious order. Many Protestants, especially Calvinists, consider him to be one of the theological fathers of Reformation teaching on salvation and grace. In the Eastern Orthodox Church he is a saint, and his feast day is celebrated annually on June 15, though a minority are of the opinion that he is a heretic, primarily because of his statements concerning what became known as the filioque clause. Among the Orthodox he is called Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed. "Blessed" here does not mean that he is less than a saint, but is a title bestowed upon him as a sign of respect. The Orthodox do not remember Augustine so much for his theological speculations as for his writings on spirituality.</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo</a> </p> <p><u><b><a name="confess">Confessions</a></b> (c. 401)</u></p> <ul><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=354&aa=AU&at=AA&ref=augustine&URL=http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1101.htm"><b>HTML</b></a> (13 pages, indexed) at New Advent Catholic Supersite <small>(</small>J.G. Pilkington<small>)</small></li><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=354&aa=AU&at=AA&ref=augustine&URL=http://www.ccel.org/a/augustine/confessions/confessions.html"><b>HTML</b></a> (16 pages, indexed) at Christian Classics Ethereal Library <small>(Translated by Albert C. Outler)</small></li><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=354&aa=AU&at=AA&ref=augustine&URL=http://www.ccel.org/a/augustine/confessions/confessions1.0.pdf"><b>Adobe Acrobat document</b></a> (594 KB) at Christian Classics Ethereal Library <small>(Translated by Albert C. Outler)</small></li><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=354&aa=AU&at=AA&ref=augustine&URL=http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext02/tcosa10.txt"><b>Text file</b></a> (615 KB) at Project Gutenberg <small>(Translated by E.B. Pusey)</small></li></ul> <p>For the stout of heart, reading <a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=354&aa=AU&at=AA&ref=augustine&URL=http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1201.htm">The City of God</a> is quite illuminating.</p> <p><b>St. Benedict (c. 480-540)</b></p> <p>Saint Benedict of Nursia (born in Nursia, Italy c. 480 - died c. 547) was a founder of Christian monastic communities and a rule giver for monks living in community. His purpose may be gleaned from his Rule, namely that "Christ … may bring us all together to life eternal". The Roman Catholic Church canonized him in 1220.<br /> <br /> Benedict founded twelve other communities for monks, the best known of which is his first monastery at Monte Cassino in the mountains of southern Italy. There is no evidence that he intended to found also a religious order. The Order of St Benedict is of modern origin and, moreover, not an "order" as commonly understood but merely a confederation of congregations into which the traditionally independent Benedictine abbeys have affiliated themselves for the purpose of representing their mutual interests, without however ceasing any of their autonomy.<br /> <br /> Benedict's main achievement was a "Rule" containing precepts for his monks, referred to as the Rule of Saint Benedict. It is heavily influenced by the writings of St John Cassian (ca. 360 – 433, one of the Desert Fathers) and shows strong affinity with the Rule of the Master. But it also has a unique spirit of balance, moderation, reasonableness, and this persuaded most communities founded throughout the Middle Ages, including communities of nuns, to adopt it. As a result the Rule of St Benedict became one of the most influential religious rules in Western Christendom. For this reason Benedict is often called "the founder of western Christian monasticism". </p> <p>Source: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Benedict">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Benedict</a> </p> <ul><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=480&aa=BE&at=AA&ref=benedict&URL=http://www.osb.org/rb/text/toc.html#toc"><b>HTML</b></a> (multi-page, indexed) at the Order of St. Benedict <small>(Translated by Leonard Doyle)</small></li><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=480&aa=BE&at=AA&ref=benedict&URL=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/037570017X/greatbooksandcla"><b><span style="color: rgb(96, 64, 0);">Paperback</span></b></a> edition, edited (translated?) by Timothy Fry (Vintage Books, 1998, 112 pg).</li><li><a href="http://www.grtbooks.com/exitfram.asp?idx=0&yr=480&aa=BE&at=AA&ref=benedict&URL=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0385009488/greatbooksandcla"><b><span style="color: rgb(96, 64, 0);">Paperback</span></b></a> edition, translated by Anthony C. Meisel and M.L. Dei Mastro (Image Books, 1975).</li></ul> <p>This will end our readings in church history and begin our study of Medieval literature.</p>Carol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797054378575904792.post-80795974488283656342007-12-14T15:08:00.000-08:002007-12-14T15:12:27.302-08:00Updated Schedule for DecemberAs usual, life has once again intervened and I have had to let my reading program slide. I am thankful for the dedicated readers we have on our group and how they endeavor to persevere despite my lackadaisical approach to running our list! With the Christmas Holiday's fast approaching, I would like for us to take a well-deserved break in reading and rejoin after the first of the year. In looking over our schedule, I see that we have skipped over Plutarch and are marching right on through Tertullian.<br /><br />So for those that would like to read over the break, here are some suggested reading links for Tertullian:<br /><br />Wikipedia article on Tertullian<br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tertullian (good general background)<br /><br />followed by time spent at><br /><br />The Tertullian Project<br />http://www.tertullian.org/anf/index.htm<br /><br />The Noddy Guide to Tertullian<br />http://www.tertullian.org/readfirst.htm<br /><br />A Popular Modernising Tale<br />http://www.tertullian.org/chi.htm<br /><br />Famous Quotes<br />http://www.tertullian.org/quotes.htm<br /><br />Who read Tertullian in Antiquity<br />http://www.tertullian.org/witnesses/witnesses.htm<br /><br />The Renaissance Rediscovery<br />http://www.tertullian.org/rediscovery.htm<br /><br />Selected Works<br />--------------------<br /><br />I have lost my link to the Great Books and am quite distressed. This listing gave me a brief rundown of each writers most famous work. It was indeed handy. Since Tertullian wrote many, many short works, I am simply going to suggest you browse through this section here and choose any that are of interest to you:<br /><br />http://www.tertullian.org/works.htm (read introduction in English) The links are commentary on each work. You will find a listing of English translations of his works here:<br /><br />http://www.tertullian.org/anf/index.htm<br /><br />If you decide you would like to read the commentary, please do so. Read as much or as little as you like and after the break, we will discuss anything that touched your heart or stirred your soul.<br /><br />Have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed Hanukkah!Carol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797054378575904792.post-55900273115436515612007-10-02T10:28:00.000-07:002007-10-02T12:12:45.900-07:00Early Church HistoryFall has finally arrived and school is in session. Arete Classical Studies Program begins it's fall reading schedule on October 1, 2007. Please join us as we read and study the following GREAT BOOKS:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Antiquities of the Jews</span> by Titus Flavius Josephus<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJzpd5h7iT_Xo-_tXXwh325HZnPZnssvbIj2_Q7eW9GlRFeN3dkKAelFwWVDG4O1WJbp2OojwnhlKuFeIj3O64j3dRRCVXoyIbFuqpMRPGpnlGR6XaatT7laSUoqt7_QiV7sdgRTptE5o/s1600-h/josephus-portrait.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 59px; height: 70px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJzpd5h7iT_Xo-_tXXwh325HZnPZnssvbIj2_Q7eW9GlRFeN3dkKAelFwWVDG4O1WJbp2OojwnhlKuFeIj3O64j3dRRCVXoyIbFuqpMRPGpnlGR6XaatT7laSUoqt7_QiV7sdgRTptE5o/s320/josephus-portrait.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116793078514298146" border="0" /></a>Josephus (37 – sometime after 100 CE), who became known, in his capacity as a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus, was a 1st-century Jewish historian and apologist of priestly and royal ancestry who survived and recorded the Destruction of Jerusalem in 70. His works give an important insight into first-century Judaism.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Parallel Lives by Plutarch</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4GbLfVykrXewdjPoddrZp9TiS5J3FF6BV0g2AVE3Oz1NF2SZGbG_C82n6CKvsCdZHYUNRxBtqTw2VLJyPmgaTXruMUC-aXaBXu31_6Gb197PWcStLs2ANzX3Jjmxsv7Zo7iOzOighbVDh/s1600-h/Plutarch.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 62px; height: 81px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4GbLfVykrXewdjPoddrZp9TiS5J3FF6BV0g2AVE3Oz1NF2SZGbG_C82n6CKvsCdZHYUNRxBtqTw2VLJyPmgaTXruMUC-aXaBXu31_6Gb197PWcStLs2ANzX3Jjmxsv7Zo7iOzOighbVDh/s320/Plutarch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116800182390205746" border="0" /></a>Mestrius Plutarchus (c. 46 AD - 127 AD), better known in English as Plutarch, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist. Plutarch was born to a prominent family in Chaeronea, Boeotia [Greece], a town about twenty miles east of Delphi. His oeuvre (work of art) consists of the Parallel Lives and the Moralia.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Writings of Tertullian</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZeFQqnRdDlxQU7_rK_TJzf85APnv77HgnOeOVwD95POdXwxcXiB062gvucuSvaCUmBJOXBvQ-PQQSn6UsAGsrN5FNHXVKOJ1Vl9S79aKedN7qTmEG2ZX-F0kbz_t_F0jGaLDXwjaSTeeD/s1600-h/tertullian.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 52px; height: 76px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZeFQqnRdDlxQU7_rK_TJzf85APnv77HgnOeOVwD95POdXwxcXiB062gvucuSvaCUmBJOXBvQ-PQQSn6UsAGsrN5FNHXVKOJ1Vl9S79aKedN7qTmEG2ZX-F0kbz_t_F0jGaLDXwjaSTeeD/s320/tertullian.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116800766505758018" border="0" /></a>Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicised as Tertullian, (ca. 155–230) was a church leader and prolific author of Early Christianity. He also was a notable early Christian apologist. Tertullian, a Romanized African, was born, lived and died in Carthage, in what is today Tunisia.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Schedule of Readings<br /></span><ul><li>October 1-31, 2007: Josephus</li><li>November 1-30, 2007: Selected lives of Plutarch</li><li>December 1-20, 2007: Writings of Tertullian along with some philosophical discussion on early Church history. Possibly will require time in January to complete.<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Biographical Information</span><br /><ul><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiquities_of_the_Jews">Josephus Biography from Wikipedia</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiquities_of_the_Jews">Background on Antiquities of the Jews from Wikipedia</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_Lives">Plutarch's Parallel Lives from Wikipedia</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tertullian">Background on Tertullian from Wikipedia</a></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Online Texts</span><br /><ul><span><li><a href="http://wesley.nnu.edu/biblical_studies/josephus/index.htm">Antiquities of the Jews (Wesley Center Online)</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://classics.mit.edu/Browse/index-Plutarch.html">Plutarch at Internet Classic's Archive</a></li><li><a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/674">Plutarch at Project Gutenberg<br /></a></li><li><a href="http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf03.toc.html">Writings (Christian Classics Ethereal Library)</a></li></span></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Suggested Pacing<br /><br /></span><span>All of these writings with the exception of the Lives are short and easy to read. Josephus's work is 20 chapters long with each chapter approximately 3 pages in MS Word. Plutarch's Lives are each around 20-30 pages long. We will be reading select Lives and will read them in Parallel the way Plutarch originally wrote them. Tertullian's writing is approximately 50 chapters with each chapter approximately 2 pages in MS Word.<br /></span><ul><li>Josephus should take us five weeks to complete. Each week plan on reading 4-5 chapters or about 12 to 15 pages.</li><li>Plutarch will take us five weeks to complete. We will look at 4-5 of the most well-known Lives.</li><li>Tertullian will take us five weeks to complete. Plan on reading 10 chapters or about 20 pages each week. We will spend some time looking at the other philosophers of the period, most namely Origen.</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Class Discussion</span><br /><br />Class discussion is encouraged by not required for participation. Study notes will be provided whenever possible, however, we encourage you to read and think deeply on each work and then give a thoughtful opinion or your impression of each piece. There are no right or wrong anwers so enjoy this study and learn something new from it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>~Enjoy!Carol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797054378575904792.post-36951478672468097792007-06-02T12:03:00.000-07:002007-10-02T12:17:25.813-07:00Ovid's Metamorphoses<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KvL8QbCx2S6s-ZRnerpq0y2B9YzpVeCyDQ4N2xdWF7MH69AImUYETMoSTxhtGb8W1jhD_VcT3kI1IjX3O8zHIlxuvqcD4E5uAB3LqMCsVHiQesQTw5qpTk414b9meX4NjaUEFYCrReH8/s1600-h/Ovid.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KvL8QbCx2S6s-ZRnerpq0y2B9YzpVeCyDQ4N2xdWF7MH69AImUYETMoSTxhtGb8W1jhD_VcT3kI1IjX3O8zHIlxuvqcD4E5uAB3LqMCsVHiQesQTw5qpTk414b9meX4NjaUEFYCrReH8/s320/Ovid.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116820476110679378" border="0" /></a><br /><b>Publius Ovidius Naso</b> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulmona" title="Sulmona">Sulmona</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_20" title="March 20">March 20</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/43_BC" title="43 BC">43 BC</a> – Tomis, now <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constan%C3%85%C2%A3a" title="Constanţa">Constanţa</a> AD <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/17" title="17">17</a>), a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Empire" title="Roman Empire">Roman</a> poet known to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language" title="English language">English</a>-speaking world as <b>Ovid</b>, wrote on topics of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love" title="Love">love</a>, abandoned <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women" title="Women">women</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythological" title="Mythological">mythological</a> transformations. Ranked alongside <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgil" title="Virgil">Virgil</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horace" title="Horace">Horace</a> as one of the three <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/canon" class="extiw" title="wiktionary:canon">canonical</a> poets of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_literature" title="Latin literature">Latin literature</a>, Ovid was generally considered the greatest master of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elegiac_couplet" title="Elegiac couplet">elegiac couplet</a>. His poetry, much imitated during <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_Antiquity" title="Late Antiquity">Late Antiquity</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Ages" title="Middle Ages">Middle Ages</a>, had a decisive influence on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European" title="European">European</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art" title="Art">art</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literature" title="Literature">literature</a> for centuries. <p><b>The Metamorphoses</b></p> <p>The <b>Metamorphoses</b> by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Rome" title="Ancient Rome">Roman</a> poet <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovid" title="Ovid">Ovid</a> is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poetry" title="Poetry">poem</a> in fifteen books that describes the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creation_%28theology%29" title="Creation (theology)">creation</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History" title="History">history</a> of the world in terms according to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_mythology" title="Greek mythology">Greek</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_mythology" title="Roman mythology">Roman</a> points of view. Probably written in 8 BCE, it has remained one of the most popular works of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythology" title="Mythology">mythology</a>, being the Classical work best known to medieval writers and thus having a great deal of influence on medieval poetry.</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamorphoses_%28poem%29">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamorphoses_%28poem%29</a></p> <ul><li>Metamorphoses, Book I contains 15 Chapters || <a href="http://www.tkline.freeserve.co.uk/Ovhome.htm">read in HTML</a> || <a href="http://www.tonykline.co.uk/klineasovid.htm">Download as PDF</a></li></ul>Carol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797054378575904792.post-4736693820660927182007-06-01T12:04:00.000-07:002007-10-02T12:19:50.706-07:00The Poetry of HoraceJune 2007 begins our term study of Latin Poetry. We have several wonderful selections scheduled including: The Works of Horace (Odes, Epodes, Satires and Ars Poetica) and Ovid's Metamorphoses.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCyhnMyoGmYMlXl06KprCA5zky-UGrImPqSkKRr292gYWufS69-pk6PreLtJOTU75gH5p6D1Fw7_LSbGrQi4b63dqfQQ9o88u7caZI7om6bqwFOJJpDQy_GcjYYrCsppl_jSHlthMz2ovD/s1600-h/horace.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCyhnMyoGmYMlXl06KprCA5zky-UGrImPqSkKRr292gYWufS69-pk6PreLtJOTU75gH5p6D1Fw7_LSbGrQi4b63dqfQQ9o88u7caZI7om6bqwFOJJpDQy_GcjYYrCsppl_jSHlthMz2ovD/s320/horace.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116821030161460578" border="0" /></a><b>Quintus Horatius Flaccus</b>, (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_8" title="December 8">December 8</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/65_BC" title="65 BC">65 BC</a> - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_27" title="November 27">November 27</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8_BC" title="8 BC">8 BC</a>), known in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language" title="English language">English-speaking</a> world as <b>Horace</b>, was the leading <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Empire" title="Roman Empire">Roman</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyric_poetry" title="Lyric poetry">lyric poet</a> during the time of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus" title="Augustus">Augustus</a>.<p><b>Background and Links to Texts</b></p>While in Greece, Horace joined the army of <a href="http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/caesarpeople/f/CaesarBrutus.htm">Brutus</a> and fought at <a href="http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_pennellhistoryofrome35.htm">Philippi </a>as <a href="http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_text_polybius6.htm">military tribune</a>. As a result of being on the losing side against Octavian and <a href="http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/leadersaf/g/MarkAntony.htm">Mark Antony</a>, Horace's family's property was confiscated. <p>In 39 B.C., after Augustus granted amnesty, Horace became a secretary in the Roman treasury. In 38, Horace met and became the client of the artists' patron <a href="http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_maecenas.htm">Maecenas</a>, who provided Horace with a villa in the Sabine Hills. Augustus favored Horace, commissioning him to write the <i>Carmen Saeculare</i> for the Secular Games of 17 B.C.</p> <p>When Horace died at age 59, he left his estate to Augustus and was buried near the tomb of Maecenas.</p> <p><i>Source: <a href="http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/horace/g/Horace.htm">http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/horace/g/Horace.htm</a> </i></p> <ul><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horace">Biography of Horace at Wikipedia.org</a></li><li><a href="http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_text_suethorace.htm">Life of Horace by Suetonius (from Lives of the Poets)</a></li></ul> <h5><span style="font-size:100%;">Notes on Reading Horace</span></h5> <p>Many scholars prefer John Dryden's translation of Horace and usually we try and read the very best translation to date. However, Dryden's version is not available online. If you have access to it and would like to read it, please feel free to do so. For our online readers, we will be using Christopher Smart's translation (1767) which is available through a variety of free sources.</p> <ul><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Smart">Brief background on English Poet, C.M. Smart, from wikipedia.org</a></li></ul> <p><b>Complete Works from Project Gutenberg (Text)</b></p> <ul><li><a href="http://areteclassical.com/www.gutenberg.org/files/14020/14020-h/14020-h.htm#HORACES_BOOK_UPON_THE_ART_OF_POETRY">The Works of Horace</a> by Christopher Smart, A.M. of Pembroke College, Cambridge; includes Odes, Epodes, Satires and the Book of Poetry</li></ul> <p><b>Complete Works from Perseus</b> (HTML/Web)</p> <ul><li><a href="http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Hor.+S.+1.1.5">Works of Horace</a> </li></ul> <p><i>Note: While I find the Perseus system awkward to read, the advantage to using their website is that all the footnotes and scholary helps are conveniently located at the bottom of each page.</i></p> <p><b>Complete Works Other Formats </b></p> <ul><li><a href="http://areteclassical.com/pdf/The%20Works%20of%20Horace.pdf">The Works of Horace</a> by C.M. Smart (PDF)</li><li><a href="http://www.authorama.com/works-of-horace-1.html">The Works of Horace</a> by C.M. Smart (HTML/Web)</li></ul> <p><b>Selected Work</b><b>s from Project Gutenberg (Text)</b></p> <ul><li><a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext05/8artp10.txt">The Art of Poetry</a>, translated and with notes by George Colman</li><li><a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext05/8artp10.txt">The Odes and Carmen Seculare</a>, translated by John Conington</li><li><a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext04/hrcst10.txt">The Satires, Epistles, and Art of Poetry</a>, translated by John Conington</li></ul> <h5>Study Questions</h5> <ul><li><a href="http://faculty.goucher.edu/eng215/horace_ars_poetica_questions.htm">Questions on Ars Poetica</a> by Arnie Sanders, Goucher College</li><li><a href="http://virtual.park.uga.edu/%7Emballif/platter1.html">Questions on Odes</a> (scroll to bottom) by Dr. Chuck Platter, The University of Georgia</li></ul>Carol Hepburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00591908619651007329noreply@blogger.com