Tag Archives: Classics and Literary

A Preface to Paradise Lost

Posted on September 15, 2022 by smellincoffee

A Preface to Paradise Lost© 1941 C.S. Lewis192 pages Although I’ve read much of C.S. Lewis, I’ve never encountered him in his chosen role as a master of English literature. I spotted some discussion about this Preface on Classical Carousel … Continue reading →

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Persuasion

Posted on September 6, 2022 by smellincoffee

Persuasion© 1817 Jane Austen249 pages Persuasion is the story of a young couple broken apart by the young woman (Anne’s) family convincing her that her beau doesn’t have enough money or social standing to be a good match for her. … Continue reading →

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Back to the Classics Challenge

Posted on December 4, 2020 by smellincoffee

Next year I’ll be restarting the Classics Club challenge, with a scheduled list set to go live on January 1st, but some bloggers whom I follow are enrolling in a mini-classics challenge, with twelve categories. My CC list fills all … Continue reading →

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The Brothers Karamazov

Posted on September 9, 2020 by smellincoffee

The Brothers Karamazov© 1879 Fyodor Dostoevsky, trans. 1992 Pevear & Volkonsky840 pages Fathers and teachers, I ask myself: “What is hell?” And I answer thus: “The suffering of being no longer able to love.” The Brothers Karamazov has the unusual … Continue reading →

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How Dante Can Save Your Life

Posted on August 13, 2020 by smellincoffee

How Dante Can Save Your Life: The Life-Changing Wisdom of History’s Greatest Poem © 2015 Rod Dreher 322 pages Selected Quotations How Dante Can Save Your Life is one man’s account of how that Renaissance poet’s epic  tale of a … Continue reading →

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Mark Twain and the Swiss Family Robinson

Posted on May 22, 2019 by smellincoffee

May’s theme for the classics was “Adventure”, as I paired Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain with The Swiss Family Robinson.     Twain’s former is  a collection more than a monograph, as he presents together his recollections of growing up … Continue reading →

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The Whale

Posted on January 27, 2019 by smellincoffee

The Whale, or, Moby-Dick © 1851 Herman Melville 630 pages The Whale, alternatively called Moby-Dick,  is a comprehensive  19th century guide to whaling and whales from a novelist who decided to take a hand at writing nonfiction. Such a thing … Continue reading →

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Invisible Man and Everybody Lies

Posted on January 13, 2019 by smellincoffee

This week I’ve finished two books of interest, the first being a classics club entry (Invisible Man), and the other a book on big data and statistics.  Everybody Lies  played true to its title, opening with ways that analysis of … Continue reading →

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The Arabian Nights

Posted on November 14, 2018 by smellincoffee

Tales from the Arabian Nights “If you are not sleepy, tell us one of your lovely, little tales to while away the night.” Shahrazad replied, “With the greatest pleasure”:Tales from The Arabian Nights proved an interesting challenge, because most collections … Continue reading →

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The Prince

Posted on October 30, 2018 by smellincoffee

The Prince© 1532 Niccolo Machiavelli100 pages Italy, circa 1500, was a rough neighborhood. Divided between powerful city-centered states and frequently threatened by outside empires,  few rulers could rest on their laurels and enjoy a prolonged peace. Even if someone outside … Continue reading →

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