Beowulf  |
| Anonymous ( - ) |
An heroic epic poem where Beowulf, a hero of a Germanic tribe from southern Sweden, travels to Denmark to help defeat a monster named Grendel. It is sometimes called "England's national epic". J. R. R. Tolkien of Lord of the Rings fame was a Beowulf scholar and many parallels can also be drawn between Beowulf and The Hobbit. The work has served as the inspiration for many books and films including Michael Crichton's Eaters of the Dead. |
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| The Golden Ass |
| Lucius Apuleius (123BC - 180BC) |
The Golden Ass relates the ludicrous adventures of Lucius, a virile young man obsessed with magic. In his enthusiasm to see the use of magic he is accidentally transformed into an ass and thus forced to witness and experience the lives of slaves and the destitute. This is the only surviving work of Greco-Roman literature to give a first person perspective of the abhorrent condition of the lower classes. T. E. Lawrence carried a small copy of the book in his saddlebags throughout the Arab Revolt. |
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| The Younger Edda |
| Snorre (1178 - 1241) |
The Edda Contains many stories of Norse Mythology is the best-known work of Scandinavian literature. It details the Norse creation myths and the struggles of Gods, Giants, and Dwarves. Perhaps the most compelling theme is the Gods' realization that there will be a final unavoidable battle, Ragnarok, between Gods and Giants that must result in the end of the world The Edda can be credited with inspiring innumerable works including those of Wagner, Tolkien, and Marvel comics. |
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| The Decameron Volume 2 |
| Giovanni Boccaccio (1313 - 1375) |
The Decameron is a collection of 100 very readable novellas finished in 1353. It is known for its bawdy tales that span the spectrum from erotic to tragic. The tales are told by a party of ten fleeing the black plague, on each of 10 days they each tell a tale on a particular theme. The stories remain compelling for the modern reader while providing a unique window into medieval life. |
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| The Decameron, Volume 1 |
| Giovanni Boccaccio (1313 - 1375) |
The Decameron is a collection of 100 very readable novellas finished in 1353. It is known for its bawdy tales that span the spectrum from erotic to tragic. The tales are told by a party of ten fleeing the black plague, on each of 10 days they each tell a tale on a particular theme. The stories remain compelling for the modern reader while providing a unique window into medieval life. |
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| The History of the Peloponnesian War |
| Thucydides (460BC - 400BC) |
An influential classic and one of the earliest scholarly works of history. Enthusiastically embraced by the author's contemporaries and immediate successors. History gives an account of the war fought between the Peloponnesian League (led by Sparta) and the Delian League (led by Athens) in Ancient Greece. Unlike the many appearances the Gods make in the writings of Herodotus and the poems of Homer, Thucydides sees history as being caused by the choices and actions of human beings. |
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| The Iliad |
| Homer (700BC - 700BC) |
The Iliad is one of the two major ancient Greek epic poems of Homer and the first and greatest achievement of Classical Greek civilization. It tells of the last years of the siege of the city of Ilion (Troy) by the Greeks under King Agamemnon. It explores the conflict between love and honour, rage and control, a long life and a glorious life; all under the watchful and meddling Gods. |
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