Search |
Harvard Classics - Reading Guide - MayMay 1: PERSONS ONE WOULD WISH TO HAVE SEENWhat Would You Ask Judas Iscariot? Once Hazlitt and his friends took to discussing the famous people they would like to meet—Guy Fawkes, Sir Isaac Newton, Chaucer, Boccaccio, Cromwell, Garrick, and Judas. Read: PERSONS ONE WOULD WISH TO HAVE SEEN ..... Vol. 27, pp. 270-283 May 2: Faraday's MAGNETISM—ELECTRICITYFirst Sparks of Electricity Everything has to have a beginning, so too with the science of electricity. Here we learn the very rudiments, the inceptions of science that have revolutionized the world. Faraday explains in a simple way the truths of electricity. Read: Faraday's MAGNETISM—ELECTRICITY ...... Vol. 30, pp. 61-72 May 3: Machiavelli's THE PRINCEWhy "Machiavellian"? Traveling from court to court in the stirring days of the Renaissance, Machiavelli studied the intrigues of princes. His writings have affected the destiny of mighty dynasties. Read from Machiavelli's THE PRINCE ................. Vol. 36, pp. 7-17 May 4: SCIENCE AND CULTUREA Champion of Science When science was struggling for a place in popular education, Huxley distinguished himself as its champion. While the arts were to beautify life and increase pleasure, Huxley saw science as a means of benefiting man's prosperity. Read from SCIENCE AND CULTURE .......... Vol. 28, pp. 209-319 May 5: Calderon's LIFE IS A DREAMStrange Adventures in Man's Clothes Disguised as a man, a Russian noblewoman exploring the mountains of Poland came upon a secret prison. Fate linked the lives of this woman and the unknown prisoner. Read from Calderon's LIFE IS A DREAM ............. Vol. 26, pp. 7-21 May 6: CELLINI'S AUTOBIOGRAPHYA Poor Artist Defies a Rich Duke "Benvenuto, the figure cannot succeed in bronze," so spoke the patron Duke. Cellini, stung to fury, passionately burst out: "You do not understand art." Feverishly he began the casting of the statue—but read his own account of the tilt with the Duke. Read from CELLINI'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY ........ Vol. 31, pp. 373-384 May 7: BROWNING'S POEMSA Bishop Bargains A haughty aristocrat, who murdered his wife for enjoying life more than he, now bargaining for a new bride; a crafty bishop begging and bullying his heirs for a tomb richer than that of his rival; these are subjects of Browning's pen. Read from BROWNING'S POEMS ......... Vol. 42, pp. 1074-1078 May 8: Sheridan's SCHOOL FOR SCANDALBehind the Screen in t h e School for Scandal Lady Teazle hides in haste when her husband is unexpectedly announced. Situations which set many tongues wagging and fed the fire of gossip in Scandal-land, startle the reader. Read from Sheridan's SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL ..... Vol. 18, pp. 164-176 May 9: Schiller's ON AESTHETIC EDUCATIONRelation of Art to Freedom Who has ever thought the arts had anything to do with freedom? Schiller did. Forced by a German noble to enter a military school, he escaped. Struggling to achieve freedom, he wrote a series of letters on the relation of art to freedom. Read: Schiller's ON AESTHETIC EDUCATION ..... Vol. 32, pp. 209-217 May 10: Raleigh's DISCOVERY OF GUIANAA Knight Among Cannibals Savages who drink the powdered bones of their dead mixed with wine, Amazons who hold riotous festivals, the worship of golden statues, all the primitive wonders of Guiana are described by the famous Elizabethan gallant, Sir Walter Raleigh. Read from Raleigh's DISCOVERY OF GUIANA .... Vol. 33, pp. 326-341 May 11: Webster's THE DUCHESS OF MALFILatest Gossip in Malfi Latest news abroad in Malfi: The Duchess has run off with her butler. But this happened before the days of newspapers or radio, so Webster made from it an exciting play. Read from Webster's THE DUCHESS OF MALFI .... Vol. 47, pp. 721-737 May 12: ROSSETTI'S POEMSHis Wife's Golden Hair Enshrined His Poems The manuscripts of many of the best poems of Rossetti were buried with his wife. Friends prevailed upon him to allow them to be exhumed—and these poems, once buried with the dead, are now a treasure of the living. Read: ROSSETTI'S POEMS .... Vol. 42, pp. 1149-1153, 1178-1181 May 13: Burns' THE TWA DOGSWhat Does Your Dog Think of You? Two dogs fell a-gossiping about their masters and about a dog's life among the humble Scotch folk. Each "rejoic'd they werena men but dogs; an' each took aff his several way." Read: Burns' THE TWA DOGS ................ Vol. 6, pp. 151-157 May 14: VACCINATION AGAINST SMALLPOXJenner's Amazing Smallpox Cure Edward Jenner found that disease in the heel of a horse, transmitted through a cow to the dairy attendants, was an agent in making human beings immune from smallpox. His amazing experiments inaugurated a new epoch. Read: VACCINATION AGAINST SMALLPOX ......... Vol. 38, pp. 145-154 May 15: Dante's DIVINE COMEDYGlimpses Into the Beyond The best part of the Divine Comedy for a few minutes' reading is the "Inferno." There the reader finds the most vivid descriptions, the most startling and unforgettable pictures. Read from Dante's DIVINE COMEDY ........ Vol. 20, pp. 102-114 May 16: THE POETRY OF THE CELTIC RACESFavorite Superstitions of Celtic Imagination Chessboards on which, of their own accord, black pieces played against white; chariots that swiftly turned hither and yon without a driver; pots in which a coward's meat would not cook— all these are woven into bewitching stories. Read from THE POETRY OF THE CELTIC RACES .... Vol. 32, pp. 145-155 May 17: Plato's APOLOGY OF SOCRATESAn Honest Life's Reward Condemned for impiety, Socrates felt so justified in the virtue of his past action that instead of receiving a death sentence, he told the judges he should be maintained at public expense as a public benefactor. Read: Plato's APOLOGY OF SOCRATES .......... Vol. 2, pp. 24-30 May 18: ANDERSEN'S TALESThe Night Life of Flowers Flowers often tire of their stationary life and sometimes at night frolic away to a ball in a beautiful castle. Thus a fanciful storyteller accounts for their drooping condition in the morning. Read: ANDERSEN'S TALES ........................ Vol. 17, pp. 334-341 May 19: Epictetus' GOLDEN SAYINGSGolden Advice on Manners When a man is invited to a banquet he must be satisfied with the dishes put before him. Epictetus reasoned that man should be content with what life offers, and in serenity find happiness. Read: Epictetus' GOLDEN SAYINGS ............ Vol. 2, pp. 128-138 May 20: Shakespeare's SONNETSShakespeare's Finest Work The most concentrated beauty of Shakespeare's unbounded creative genius is found in his sonnets. Written as personal messages to friends and not intended for publication, they reveal the inner Shakespeare more truly than do any of his great plays. Read from Shakespeare's SONNETS ............... Vol. 40, pp. 270-276 May 21: Pope's ESSAY ON MANAn Honest Man Defined The sharp tongue of Alexander Pope made him celebrated, yet widely feared. In a representative product of his versatile pen, he gracefully combines his flashing wit with sage advice. Read from Pope's ESSAY ON MAN ........... Vol. 40, pp. 430-440 May 22: Manzoni's I PROMESSI SPOSITrue Love in Difficulty Because of a fancy for a peasant girl, the tyrannical lord of an Italian village sent desperadoes to threaten the priest if he married the girl to her village lover. Read from Manzoni's I PROMESSI SPOSI ............. Vol. 21, pp. 7-24 May 23: HOOD'S POEMSA Plea for an Unfortunate From the river her body was tenderly lifted—the girl who could find no place in the vast city. Thomas Hood pleads for her— eloquently and justly. Read this gem of pathos. Read: HOOD'S POEMS ........................ Vol. 41, pp. 907-911 May 24: Adam Smith's WEALTH OF NATIONSThey Had No Money—Yet Bought and Sold Debts were not always paid in money. Not so long ago the butcher paid for his keg of beer with a slab of beef, and oxen were exchanged for land and wives. Adam Smith tells the interesting story of the origin and use of money. Read from Adam Smith's WEALTH OF NATIONS ...... Vol. 10, pp. 22-33 May 25: Emerson's HEROISMDo What You Fear Emerson startled the world by fearlessly declaring his beliefs. Such apparent paradoxes as we find in his inspirational essay, "Heroism," makes him the most stimulating yet profound thinker America has produced. Read: Emerson's HEROISM .................... Vol. 5, pp. 121-131 May 26: Shakespeare's KING LEARDaughter Declares Her Love Goneril and Regan falsely swore they loved their father, King Lear, more than life itself. Cordelia could find no words to express her sincere devotion. Then King Lear made the decision that started a series of exciting events. Read from Shakespeare's KING LEAR ........... Vol. 46, pp. 215-225 May 27: THE EDUCATION OF THE HUMAN RACELessing's Courageous Stand for Toleration To advance freedom of thought, Lessing published an essay of one hundred paragraphs outlining the history of religion. The wrath of orthodox churchmen was hurled at his head, and Lessing was left alone to defend his daring theories. Read from THE EDUCATION OF THE HUMAN RACE ..... Vol. 32, pp. 185-195 May 28: MOORE'S POEMSMaster of Melodious Lyrics Any one of these poems, " The Harp That Once Through Tara's Halls," "The Last Rose of Summer," "The Light of Other Days," would alone have made Moore immortal. Read: MOORE'S POEMS ..................... Vol. 41, pp. 816-822 May 29: THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTSAdventures in Bagdad A Bagdad merchant dreamed of the money he would make from the sale of a tray of glassware, and of marrying the king's daughter. But, daydreaming, he kicked over the tray. Read from THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS ..... Vol. 16, pp. 177-184 May 30: Longfellow's THE BUILDING OF THE SHIPWhen the Throb of the War Drum Is Stifl'd At the close of the war, a torn and bleeding nation set about to rebuild its shattered frame. The result was a stronger nation rising from an almost disrupted union. Read: Longfellow's THE BUILDING OF THE SHIP .... Vol. 42, pp. 1280-1290 May 31: Whitman's PREFACE TO LEAVES OF GRASSAmerica's Most Surprising Poet Walt Whitman is the most original and startling of modern poets. An irony of his life is that while he wrote for the contemporary masses, only a limited number of followers appreciated his genius, now universally recognized. Read: Whitman's PREFACE TO LEAVES OF GRASS .... Vol. 39, pp. 388-398 |