Literary Rotating Nominations - Page 24

Bookpossum · 01-30-2017, 04:35 PM

That's an interesting idea fantasyfan, as long as books are available, preferably from libraries. Might it be worth including a couple of literary biographies as well, in case of availability problems?

So February is yours, and please post your list on the 1st, when sun surfer will start the the voting thread.

fantasyfan · 01-30-2017, 04:50 PM

Thanks for the suggestion, Bookpossum.

I'll get to work on the list.

sun surfer · 01-30-2017, 05:14 PM

Looking forward to your list!

fantasyfan · 01-31-2017, 12:21 PM

Here's my list in chronological order, generally with the descriptions from Goodreads:

1904 Shakespearean Tragedy by A.C. Bradley

"A.C. Bradley put Shakespeare on the map for generations of readers and students for whom the plays might not otherwise have become 'real' at all" writes John Bayley in his foreword to this edition of Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth.

Approaching the tragedies as drama, wondering about their characters as he might have wondered about people in novels or in life, Bradley is one of the most liberating in the line of distinguished Shakespeare critics. His acute yet undogmatic and almost conversational critical method has—despite fluctuations in fashion—remained enduringly popular and influential. For, as John Bayley observes, these lectures give us a true and exhilarating sense of "the tragedies joining up with life, with all our lives; leading us into a perspective of possibilities that stretch forward and back in time, and in our total awareness of things."

1905 Aspects of the Novel by E. M. Forster

Another classic. "Forster’s lively, informed originality and wit have made this book a classic. Avoiding the chronological approach of what he calls “pseudoscholarship,” he freely examines aspects all English-language novels have in common: story, people, plot, fantasy, prophecy, pattern, and rhythm. Index."

1913 The Victorian Age in Literature by G.K.Chesterton

‘I was born a Victorian; and sympathise not a little with the serious Victorian Spirit.’ In this engaging and extremely personal account G K Chesterton expounds his views on Victorian literature. Many of his opinions reflect the conventions of the age; however of the Victorian novel he refreshingly comments ‘it is an art in which women are quite beyond controversy’. Equally uncompromising about poets and poetry he does not hesitate to call Tennyson ‘a provincial Virgil’. This book is an important landmark in our understanding of an age which produced some of Britain’s most widely enjoyed literature.

1942 A Preface to Paradise Lost by C. S. Lewis

Astonishingly, this remarkably perceptive book does not seem to be available for Kindle. Goodreads says little about it, but I have read it and this is a profound and brilliant exposition of the philosophy that underlies the great poem. It is also an attempt to rebut the very attractive views of Shelley who asserts that Satan is the true hero of the poem.
Available in paperback

1948 Yeats: The Man and His Masks by Richard Ellmann

One of the most influential poets of his age, W.B. Yeats eluded the grasp of many who sought to explain him. His life was complex in both its outer and inner events. Yeats's mystical concerns, such as his involvement with spiritualism and construction of a transcendental world system in A Vision, coexisted and occasionally clashed with his active involvement in public affairs. In this classic critical examination of the poet, Richard Ellmann strips away the masks of his subject: occultist, senator of the Irish Free State, libidinous old man, and Nobel Prize winner.

1948 The Great Tradition

Again, there is very little about this book on Goodreads. It has been both influential and controversial. Leavis does brilliant work with James, Eliot, and Conrad. He is dismissive of Fielding and Dickens and doesn't quite know what to make of Emily Bronte.
Some have said that he mistitled his book and should have used "A" instead of "The".

So far the books have all been modestly priced. This one you might want to get from a library.

1949 Seven Types of Ambiguity by William Empson

Revised twice since it first appeared, it has remained one of the most widely read and quoted works of literary analysis. Ambiguity, according to Empson, includes "any verbal nuance, however slight, which gives room for alternative reactions to the same piece of language." From this definition, broad enough by his own admission sometimes to see "stretched absurdly far," he launches into a brilliant discussion, under seven classifications of differing complexity and depth, of such works, among others, as Shakespeare's plays and the poetry of Chaucer, Donne, Marvell, Pope, Wordsworth, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and T. S. Eliot.

This is a trailblazer! It is also quite modestly priced.

1982 The Rhetoric of Fiction Second edition by Wayne Booth

The first edition of The Rhetoric of Fiction transformed the criticism of fiction and soon became a classic in the field. One of the most widely used texts in fiction courses, it is a standard reference point in advanced discussions of how fictional form works, how authors make novels accessible, and how readers recreate texts, and its concepts and terms—such as "the implied author," "the postulated reader," and "the unreliable narrator"—have become part of the standard critical lexicon.

For this new edition, Wayne C. Booth has written an extensive Afterword in which he clarifies misunderstandings, corrects what he now views as errors, and sets forth his own recent thinking about the rhetoric of fiction. The other new feature is a Supplementary Bibliography, prepared by James Phelan in consultation with the author, which lists the important critical works of the past twenty years—two decades that Booth describes as "the richest in the history of the subject."

A major work but quite expensive--I suggest you get it from the library. I have the PB edition which was cheaper than the ebook.

1984 Celtic Dawn: A Portrait of the Irish Literary Renaissance AKA Black Swan by Ulick O'Connor

"It is the small details that make this book such a fascinating read. Often times, O’Connor includes anecdotes that make the characters seem more than characters from a not too distant history, but highlight them in the mind through their personal interactions with each other and with those around them. If you are a fan of any of the authors of the Irish Renaissance, this is a must read." Mr Hardie on Goodreads

I found this book difficult to put down! Ulick O'Connor is a gifted writer and sensitive critic. It is a bit pricey at £7 but worth it.

2003 The Road To Middle Earth Third edition by Tom Shippey

Shippey's classic work, now revised in paperback, explores J.R.R. Tolkien's creativity and the sources of his inspiration. Shippey shows in detail how Tolkien's professional background led him to write "The Hobbit" and how he created a timeless charm for millions of readers.

bfisher · 01-31-2017, 12:45 PM

that was a premature post on my part; memo to self - read to end first.

Great list, fantasyfan.

Seven Types of Ambiguity is available at Amazon.ca as a Kindle reprint for $CDN 6.15, so not terribly bad. I remember I had it as a text in an English Lit course more than 40 years ago; that's all I remember about it

sun surfer · 01-31-2017, 12:50 PM

Looks good, fantasyfan! I'll have the vote thread up on the 1st.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bfisher

that was a premature post on my part.

What was a premature post?

bfisher · 01-31-2017, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sun surfer

Looks good, fantasyfan! I'll have the vote thread up on the 1st.

What was a premature post?

Like a verbal premature ...

sun surfer · 01-31-2017, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bfisher

Like a verbal premature ...

I got that, but I wasn't sure what it was referring to. When I posted, your post hadn't been edited and you hadn't had any other posts recently so it seemed like you were talking about some invisible post!

bfisher · 01-31-2017, 08:29 PM

You saw it mid-edit. After I read what I had posted, I deleted it and left a placeholder while I edited it offline, but I didn't clean up afterwards.

Must remember - measure twice, cut once

Bookpossum · 01-31-2017, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bfisher

You saw it mid-edit. After I read what I had posted, I deleted it and left a placeholder while I edited it offline, but I didn't clean up afterwards.

Must remember - measure twice, cut once

bfisher · 01-31-2017, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bfisher

Seven Types of Ambiguity is available at Amazon.ca as a Kindle reprint for $CDN 6.15, so not terribly bad. I remember I had it as a text in an English Lit course more than 40 years ago; that's all I remember about it

Also available at Kobo ($CDN 6.19; I don't know what that is in real money), if that helps anyone make a voting decision

sun surfer · 02-01-2017, 09:53 AM

The vote is up!

Quote:

Originally Posted by bfisher

You saw it mid-edit. After I read what I had posted, I deleted it and left a placeholder while I edited it offline, but I didn't clean up afterwards.

Must remember - measure twice, cut once

Ah yes that's right, if you quickly make an edit it doesn't show as an edit; that's what I saw.

Bookpossum · 03-19-2017, 09:19 PM

Who would like to take their turn selecting the nominations for the upcoming rotating month in April?

Previous nominator for this series:
February fantasyfan

Spoiler:

Bookpossum · 03-28-2017, 02:42 AM

Just bumping this one. Any offers?

bfisher · 03-28-2017, 09:45 AM

I'll take a bash at it, if nobody else wishes to this month.

01-30-2017, 04:50 PM	#347
fantasyfan Wizard Posts: 1,368 Karma: 26886344 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Ireland Device: Kindle Oasis 3, 4G, iPad Air 2, iPhone IE	Thanks for the suggestion, Bookpossum. I'll get to work on the list. Last edited by fantasyfan; 01-30-2017 at 04:52 PM.

01-31-2017, 12:21 PM	#349
fantasyfan Wizard Posts: 1,368 Karma: 26886344 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Ireland Device: Kindle Oasis 3, 4G, iPad Air 2, iPhone IE	Here's my list in chronological order, generally with the descriptions from Goodreads: 1904 Shakespearean Tragedy by A.C. Bradley "A.C. Bradley put Shakespeare on the map for generations of readers and students for whom the plays might not otherwise have become 'real' at all" writes John Bayley in his foreword to this edition of Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth. Approaching the tragedies as drama, wondering about their characters as he might have wondered about people in novels or in life, Bradley is one of the most liberating in the line of distinguished Shakespeare critics. His acute yet undogmatic and almost conversational critical method has—despite fluctuations in fashion—remained enduringly popular and influential. For, as John Bayley observes, these lectures give us a true and exhilarating sense of "the tragedies joining up with life, with all our lives; leading us into a perspective of possibilities that stretch forward and back in time, and in our total awareness of things." 1905 Aspects of the Novel by E. M. Forster Another classic. "Forster’s lively, informed originality and wit have made this book a classic. Avoiding the chronological approach of what he calls “pseudoscholarship,” he freely examines aspects all English-language novels have in common: story, people, plot, fantasy, prophecy, pattern, and rhythm. Index." 1913 The Victorian Age in Literature by G.K.Chesterton ‘I was born a Victorian; and sympathise not a little with the serious Victorian Spirit.’ In this engaging and extremely personal account G K Chesterton expounds his views on Victorian literature. Many of his opinions reflect the conventions of the age; however of the Victorian novel he refreshingly comments ‘it is an art in which women are quite beyond controversy’. Equally uncompromising about poets and poetry he does not hesitate to call Tennyson ‘a provincial Virgil’. This book is an important landmark in our understanding of an age which produced some of Britain’s most widely enjoyed literature. 1942 A Preface to Paradise Lost by C. S. Lewis Astonishingly, this remarkably perceptive book does not seem to be available for Kindle. Goodreads says little about it, but I have read it and this is a profound and brilliant exposition of the philosophy that underlies the great poem. It is also an attempt to rebut the very attractive views of Shelley who asserts that Satan is the true hero of the poem. Available in paperback 1948 Yeats: The Man and His Masks by Richard Ellmann One of the most influential poets of his age, W.B. Yeats eluded the grasp of many who sought to explain him. His life was complex in both its outer and inner events. Yeats's mystical concerns, such as his involvement with spiritualism and construction of a transcendental world system in A Vision, coexisted and occasionally clashed with his active involvement in public affairs. In this classic critical examination of the poet, Richard Ellmann strips away the masks of his subject: occultist, senator of the Irish Free State, libidinous old man, and Nobel Prize winner. 1948 The Great Tradition Again, there is very little about this book on Goodreads. It has been both influential and controversial. Leavis does brilliant work with James, Eliot, and Conrad. He is dismissive of Fielding and Dickens and doesn't quite know what to make of Emily Bronte. Some have said that he mistitled his book and should have used "A" instead of "The". So far the books have all been modestly priced. This one you might want to get from a library. 1949 Seven Types of Ambiguity by William Empson Revised twice since it first appeared, it has remained one of the most widely read and quoted works of literary analysis. Ambiguity, according to Empson, includes "any verbal nuance, however slight, which gives room for alternative reactions to the same piece of language." From this definition, broad enough by his own admission sometimes to see "stretched absurdly far," he launches into a brilliant discussion, under seven classifications of differing complexity and depth, of such works, among others, as Shakespeare's plays and the poetry of Chaucer, Donne, Marvell, Pope, Wordsworth, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and T. S. Eliot. This is a trailblazer! It is also quite modestly priced. 1982 The Rhetoric of Fiction Second edition by Wayne Booth The first edition of The Rhetoric of Fiction transformed the criticism of fiction and soon became a classic in the field. One of the most widely used texts in fiction courses, it is a standard reference point in advanced discussions of how fictional form works, how authors make novels accessible, and how readers recreate texts, and its concepts and terms—such as "the implied author," "the postulated reader," and "the unreliable narrator"—have become part of the standard critical lexicon. For this new edition, Wayne C. Booth has written an extensive Afterword in which he clarifies misunderstandings, corrects what he now views as errors, and sets forth his own recent thinking about the rhetoric of fiction. The other new feature is a Supplementary Bibliography, prepared by James Phelan in consultation with the author, which lists the important critical works of the past twenty years—two decades that Booth describes as "the richest in the history of the subject." A major work but quite expensive--I suggest you get it from the library. I have the PB edition which was cheaper than the ebook. 1984 Celtic Dawn: A Portrait of the Irish Literary Renaissance AKA Black Swan by Ulick O'Connor "It is the small details that make this book such a fascinating read. Often times, O’Connor includes anecdotes that make the characters seem more than characters from a not too distant history, but highlight them in the mind through their personal interactions with each other and with those around them. If you are a fan of any of the authors of the Irish Renaissance, this is a must read." Mr Hardie on Goodreads I found this book difficult to put down! Ulick O'Connor is a gifted writer and sensitive critic. It is a bit pricey at £7 but worth it. 2003 The Road To Middle Earth Third edition by Tom Shippey Shippey's classic work, now revised in paperback, explores J.R.R. Tolkien's creativity and the sources of his inspiration. Shippey shows in detail how Tolkien's professional background led him to write "The Hobbit" and how he created a timeless charm for millions of readers. Last edited by fantasyfan; 01-31-2017 at 12:27 PM.

01-31-2017, 12:45 PM	#350
bfisher Wizard Posts: 1,638 Karma: 28483498 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Ottawa Canada Device: Sony PRS-T3, Galaxy (Aldiko, Kobo app)	that was a premature post on my part; memo to self - read to end first. Great list, fantasyfan. Seven Types of Ambiguity is available at Amazon.ca as a Kindle reprint for $CDN 6.15, so not terribly bad. I remember I had it as a text in an English Lit course more than 40 years ago; that's all I remember about it Last edited by bfisher; 01-31-2017 at 01:04 PM.

03-19-2017, 09:19 PM	#358
Bookpossum Snoozing in the sun Posts: 10,137 Karma: 115423645 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: iPad Mini, Kobo Touch	Who would like to take their turn selecting the nominations for the upcoming rotating month in April? Previous nominator for this series: February fantasyfan Spoiler: The only requirements for the month's selections are that they are literary, that none have been the monthly selection of either book club yet (nominees can be previous nominees though) and that they number at least four. That’s it, pretty simple. You can find the list of previous selections of the Literary Book Club on the first page of the thread The MR Literary Club: Welcome, Information and General Discussion. You can find the list here The list of previous selections of the general Book Club can be found in a thread called Book Club Selections List. You can find the list here. If you want the background to how this works, see the first page of this thread here. And any questions, just ask! Last edited by Bookpossum; 03-19-2017 at 09:34 PM.

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01-30-2017, 04:35 PM	#346
Bookpossum Snoozing in the sun Posts: 10,137 Karma: 115423645 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: iPad Mini, Kobo Touch	That's an interesting idea fantasyfan, as long as books are available, preferably from libraries. Might it be worth including a couple of literary biographies as well, in case of availability problems? So February is yours, and please post your list on the 1st, when sun surfer will start the the voting thread.

01-30-2017, 05:14 PM	#348
sun surfer languorous autodidact ✦ Posts: 4,235 Karma: 44637926 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: smiling with the rising sun Device: onyx boox poke 2 colour, kindle voyage	Looking forward to your list!

01-31-2017, 08:29 PM	#354
bfisher Wizard Posts: 1,638 Karma: 28483498 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Ottawa Canada Device: Sony PRS-T3, Galaxy (Aldiko, Kobo app)	You saw it mid-edit. After I read what I had posted, I deleted it and left a placeholder while I edited it offline, but I didn't clean up afterwards. Must remember - measure twice, cut once

03-28-2017, 02:42 AM	#359
Bookpossum Snoozing in the sun Posts: 10,137 Karma: 115423645 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: iPad Mini, Kobo Touch	Just bumping this one. Any offers?

03-28-2017, 09:45 AM	#360
bfisher Wizard Posts: 1,638 Karma: 28483498 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Ottawa Canada Device: Sony PRS-T3, Galaxy (Aldiko, Kobo app)	I'll take a bash at it, if nobody else wishes to this month.

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