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 Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam |
Omar Khayyam (1048 - 1131) |
This is Edward Fitzgerald's poetic version. As a work of English literature, it was a high point of the 19th century. As a work of accurate line-by-line translation of Omar Khayyam's quatrains, it is noted more for freedom than for fidelity. This collection of four line poems have provided later authors with a rich source of titles and allusions; "The Moving Finger writes: and, having writ, Moves on: ...", "A book of verse, a jug of wine, and thou....". |
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Meno |
Plato (427BC - 348BC) |
Meno is written as a dialogue between Socrates and Meno. What is virtue? Is it a trait that can be taught? Is there some virtue that can be possessed by all human beings? Is it different between genders? Plato ponders. |
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Phaedrus |
Plato (427BC - 348BC) |
Written as a dialogue between Socrates and Phaedrus, the subject within Phaedrus (370B.C.) appears to be that of love - love in its proper form as well as love erotic. Widely considered to be one of Plato's greatest works. Profoundly Plato. |
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Protagoras |
Plato (427BC - 348BC) |
Set in dialogue form, the main players in this work are a young Socrates and an elderly sophist, Protagoras. Unusual to Plato's works, Protagoras also employs a cast of many others in the dialogue. In it, Plato once again explores the concept of virtue and whether or not it can be taught. Is virtue actually knowledge? And if so, can knowledge not be taught and thus also virtue? |
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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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