Back to the original purpose of the 10 literary fiction works one
should read to
be considered literature literate: what was the purpose of the
original question?
What does it mean to be literate in literature?
1. Just to have read the 'great works' of fiction?
2. To read a great example of **character development**?
(a) early seminal works?
(b) later development of the technique?
(c) the development of the technique over a period of decades or
centuries?
(d) the fully developed epitome of the "technique"?
Now insert any of the following words in place of "character development"
> plot and episode development
> descriptions (details, word-pictures of the settings etc)
(in movie terms: the cinematography behind the story)
> verisimilitude to real life (at that time in history)
> a great yarn
> a lesson of behavior, morals, etc.
> others?
Doesn't literate mean to be able to know why a particular book is
in the great fiction canon? There are works in that may be depressing
as hell
to read, but they exhibit something that make the work great.
So are you reading these books because you are looking for "a great yarn"?
To say you have read the great books?
To compare character development between dead
white-northern-European-male and live-Hispanic-female writers?
Presumably you want to increase your understanding of the human condition
as illustrated in certain works. As well as just knowing a few
"cultural facts"
such as what is conjured up in the mind by "..what light through yonder
window breaks?"
or "..if his chest were a cannon he would have shot his heart upon it."
(that's the idea ,but
I can't quite recall the exact quote.
Will the reader be able to come to a greater understanding by reading
the work
alone? Need a commentary or study guide to develop the sensitivity to the
value of that particular work? Study group?
The list of 10 to 100 are great books all. But what do you want to
accomplish
by the end of 6-months, 12-months, 24-months?
Just know the story or **why** its a great story?
Steph T
On 10/13/2010 10:27 PM, Steve Smith wrote:
Glen -
I hope that large bowl of spaghetti-sentences helps clarify what I
meant. ;-)
Oddly enough, It worked for me.
What we engaged in, here, is an exercise in credibility and reputation.
I also particularly liked your endorsement of a wide variety of
recommendation (provided by self-proclaimed wackos, as it were). I
could have used *even more* radical suggestions but there were
certainly some and your own list of authors in your explanation was a
good reminder of how broad our collective knowledge/wisdom base is
*even* while sticking to (mostly) dead (or soon to be) white men.
- Steve
============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
