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Harvard Classics - Reading Guide - MarchMar 1: THE SPECTATOR CLUBInvented Sir Roger de Coverly Word pictures are often more vivid than photographs. Steele had a gift for originating characters that are remembered longer than flesh and blood people. Sir Roger de Coverly and Will Honeycomb are now bold figures in literature. Read: THE SPECTATOR CLUB ..................... Vol. 27, pp. 83-87 Mar 2: Dana's TWO YEARS BEFORE THE MASTWhat Sailors Do on Sunday "A sailor's liberty is but for a day," as Dana explains. Dressed in his Sunday best, the sailor feels like a dashing Beau Brummel; and sets out to enjoy his freedom. "While it lasts it is perfect. He is under no one's eye and can do whatever he pleases." Read from Dana's Two YEARS BEFORE THE MAST ... Vol. 23, pp. 112-119 Mar 3: Walton's LIFE OF GEORGE HERBERTFor Poets and Fishermen Isaak Walton, famed patron of fishermen, appreciated other arts and hobbies. He writes of George Herbert, a preacher whose hobby was poetry. Read from Walton's LIFE OF GEORGE HERBERT .... Vol. 15, pp. 373-382 Mar 4: Penn's SOME FRUITS OF SOLITUDEPenn—Pioneer, Thinker, and Builder Penn, true to Quaker beliefs, came before the king with his hat on. The king overlooked this and later made him governor of Pennsylvania. A sagacious Penn is revealed in his writings. Read from Penn's SOME FRUITS OF SOLITUDE ..... Vol. 1, pp. 321-330 Mar 5: CELLINI'S AUTOBIOGRAPHYLaughed at Locks Prison walls were the least of Cellini's troubles. "Lock me well up and watch me, for I shall certainly contrive to escape." In spite of this warning, the utmost care of the jailers only furnished amusement for the dauntless Cellini. Read from CELLINI'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY ........... Vol. 31, pp. 214-224 Mar 6: Poe's THE RAVENWest Point's Outcast, America's First Great Poet Edgar Allan Poe was expelled from West Point and disinherited. So poor was he that when his young wife lay dying, he could not afford a fire to warm her. The weirdness and despair of "The Raven" is particularly symbolic of his life. Read: Poe's THE-RAVEN .................. Vol. 42, pp. 1227-1230 Mar 7: Bacon's OF JUDICATUREBacon Warns Judges Bacon pointed out that a judge's duty was to interpret laws and not to make laws. This single essay of Bacon's is a richly condensed summary of the ethics of law. Read: Bacon OF JUDICATURE ..................... Vol. 3, pp. 130-134 Mar 8: Cervantes' DON QUIXOTEDangerous Experiment with a Wife Anselmo and Lothario were close friends. Anselmo, anxious to learn if his wife were perfect, as he believed her to be, makes an unusual proposal to his old friend. Read from Cervantes' DON QUIXOTE ......... Vol. 14, pp. 307-319 Mar 9: TREATISE ON GOOD MANNERSCommon Sense and Good Manners Swift regretted the laws against dueling because dueling at least was a good means of ridding the country of bores and fools. His keen eye penetrated social customs and saw the common sense that governed good manners. Read: TREATISE ON GOOD MANNERS ............. Vol. 27, pp. 99-103 Mar 10: PHILASTERBeaumont—The Adonis of Elizabethan Playwrights In the days when contact with the theatre meant exile from the best society, Beaumont and Fletcher, men from good families, dared to ally themselves with the stage as playwrights. "Philaster" won them immortal praise. Read from PHILASTER ......................... Vol. 47, pp. 667-677 Mar 11: Emerson's COMPENSATIONGain Gleaned from Suffering We are paid for our suffering and we pay for our happiness. Every ache, every sorrow receives its recompense here on earth. Emerson gives the basis for this conviction. Read from Emerson's COMPENSATION ............. Vol. 5, pp. 85-92 Mar 12: Berkeley's THREE DIALOGUESAn Irish Bishop's Wit Berkeley believed in a great religious future for America. He lived three years in Rhode Island, and made plans for a college in Bermuda. Read from Berkeley's THREE DIALOGUES ......... Vol. 37, pp. 228-238 Mar 13: Manzoni's I PROMESSI SPOSIBefore Noblity Ran Tea Rooms Manzoni has pictured in this thrilling romance of the seventeenth century nobility, the pompous and sporting life of those good old days when nobles lived sumptuously in spacious castles surrounded by vast estates. Read from Manzoni's I PROMESSI SPOSI ............ Vol. 21, pp. 318-332 Mar 14: THE HOLY GRAILA Maiden's Forfeit "This gentlewoman that ye lead with you is a maid? " demanded the knight. "Sir," said she, "a maid I am." "Then she must yield us the custom of this castle." Read from THE HOLY GRAIL ................... Vol. 35, pp. 194-200 Mar 15: Plutarch's CaesarBeware the Ides of March! Twice warned of the danger that threatened him on the Ides of March, although "the earth rocked and the stars fell and headless men walked in the Forum," Caesar goes to the doom awaiting him in the Senate Chamber. Read from Plutarch's CESAR ............... Vol. 12, pp. 315-321 Mar 16: Darwin's VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLECrabs Climb Trees? Many amazing things happen in the Malay jungles. For example, Darwin tells about a crab that climbs trees and walks down the trunks for an occasional bath in a pool. Read from Darwin's VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE .... Vol. 29, pp. 466-475 Mar 17: THE POETRY OF THE CELTIC RACESAn Old Irish Legend An old Irish legend tells how, while St. Patrick was preaching about Paradise and Hell, several of his audience begged to be allowed to investigate the reality of these places. St. Patrick actually satisfied their curiosity. Read from THE POETRY OF THE CELTIC RACES .... Vol. 32, pp. 174-182 Mar 18: A NEW WAY TO PAY OLD DEBTSNew Way to Pay Old Debts A cunning uncle cheats his worthless nephew out of his fortune. The nephew, laughing stock of his former servants, sets out to retrieve his old position and riches. Read from A NEW WAY TO PAY OLD DEBTS ..... Vol. 47, pp. 859-870 Mar 19: Herodotus' AN ACCOUNT OF EGYPTSeeing Old Egypt The mysterious Egyptian temples, the floating islands, the huge pyramids and the many wonders of ancient Egypt are pictured for you by Herodotus. Read from Herodotus' AN ACCOUNT OF EGYPT .... Vol. 33, pp. 72-84 Mar 20: Voltaire's LETTERS ON THE ENGLISHApples, Feathers, and Coals Sir Isaac Newton was aided in his momentous discoveries by the most insignificant objects—even apples, feathers, and coal. Voltaire discusses the wondrous discoveries of Newton. Read from Voltaire's LETTERS ON THE ENGLISH .... Vol. 34, pp. 113-124 Mar 21: Virgil's AENEID1,000 Years of History on the Surface of a Shield Venus, mother of Aeneas and wife of Vulcan, obtained from her husband, by seductive witchery, a marvelous shield whose surface reflected a thousand years of future events. Venus describes the wonders of the magic armor. Read from Virgil's AENEID ........................... Vol. 13, pp. 280-292 Mar 22: Goethe's FAUSTFrom Puppet Show to Majestic Drama The Faust legend, which can be traced to puppet shows of earlier days, portrays a philosopher who, through Satan's aid and in return for the price of his soul, works magic at will. From this rude framework Goethe has reared a drama of sublime grandeur. Read from Goethe's FAUST .......................... Vol. 19, pp. 23-36 Mar 23: THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTSFirst of a Thousand Harem Stories Shahrazad, favorite of the treacherous Sultan's harem, selected a most thrilling story for her bridal night. By leaving it unfinished she was privileged to live to continue it the next night—and so on for a thousand and one nights. Read from THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS ....... Vol. 16, pp. 15-24 Mar 24: Morris' DEFENSE OF GUENEVEREA Queen Pleads Guenevere, King Arthur's queen, justly accused but harshly treated, makes a noble and brave attempt to convince her court that Gawaine lied and that Launcelot was true. Read: Morris' DEFENSE OF GUENEVERE ...... Vol. 42, pp. 1183-1193 Mar 25: Shakespeare's HAMLETHow Conscience Makes Cowards of Us All Hamlet pondered over which course contained the least unhappiness— whether to suffer here and not incur new dangers, or whether to end it all and chance the unknown terrors of the next world. See how Hamlet reasoned. Read from Shakespeare's HAMLET .................. Vol. 46, pp. 144-158 Mar 26: Aesop’s FABLES"2,500 Years Ago Aesop Said . . ." Men in all ages have recognized the ingenuity of the practical philosophy and freshness of Aesop's allegories. Spend a few delightful moments with the wit and wisdom of Aesop. Read from Aesop's FABLES ................... Vol. 17, pp. 21-30 Mar 27: Stevenson's TRUTH OF INTERCOURSEWhen Is a Lie Not a Lie? Is lying or quibbling ever permissible? May one juggle words so a truth is conveyed through a lie and a lie told by a truth? Stevenson unravels this puzzle. Read: Stevenson's TRUTH OF INTERCOURSE ..... Vol. 28, pp. 277-284 Mar 28: Adam Smith's WEALTH OF NATIONSPins and Other Points The making of a simple pin is one of the most complex affairs of modern industry. Adam Smith regards the process from the worker's point of view, and shows the many and varied economic principles that are involved in pin making. Read from Adam Smith's WEALTH OF NATIONS .... Vol. 10, pp. 9-17 Mar 29: EPIC AND SAGAHero and Goddess Break Engagement Brynhild, favorite goddess of Norse mythology, plighted troth with Sigurd, fearless warrior. But Sigurd forgot Brynhild and married Gudrun, whose brother, Gunner, then set out to win the beautiful Brynhild. Complications very like a modern triangle arose. Read from EPIC AND SAGA .................... Vol. 49, pp. 307-317 Mar 30: Manzoni's I PROMESSI SPOSIThe Plague of Milan "I Promessi Sposi," a seventeenth century novel, vividly describes the devastating plague of Milan. Then whole families sickened in a few hours and died in less than a day's time of strange and violent complaints whose symptoms were unknown to physicians. Read from Manzoni's I PROMESSI SPOSI ........ Vol. 21, pp. 500-512 Mar 31: Walton's LIFE OF DR. DONNEThe Ghastly Whim of John Donne Monuments are usually made from death masks, but John Donne took pleasure in posing for his, wrapped from head to foot in a shroud. Isaak Walton tells of this in his fascinating biography of the eccentric poet. Read from Walton's LIFE OF DR. DONNE ....... Vol. 15, pp. 364-369 |