Now that the end is in sight for my Birth Year Reading Challenge (four more to go!), I just wouldn't feel right if I had less than three challenges going at a time. The Really Old Classics Challenge has caught my eye. It gives me the perfect excuse to read Dante's Divine Comedy which has been on my TBR list forever (and I just got a terrific edition translated by Dorothy L Sayers). The challenge runs from September 1 to December 31, and the only requirement is to read one book originally written before 1600 AD (or CE if you prefer). They do, however, have a "Classicist" category which calls for four books if you want to stretch yourself. I wouldn't mind being able to impress my friends & neighbors with that title, but I don't know that I'll make it. We'll see. At the moment, I'm in for Dante.Finished (click title for review):
The Divine Comedy 1: Hell (Read 9/19/10)
The Divine Comedy II: Purgatory (Read 9/26/10)
The Divine Comedy II: Paradise (Read 10/13/10)
Gilgamesh translated by Herbert Mason (Read 10/25/10)
For Extra Credit:
The Conference of the Birds by Jean-Claude Carriere and Peter Brooks and based on the original poem by Fard Uddi Attar (Read 10/19/10)
Bev,
ReplyDeleteYou should totally do some Chaucer. Remember: Betsy's undergraduates from last year coined a term for particularly wonderful moments in Chaucer: "Chausome!" As in, "That Nun's Priest's Tale is Chausome!"
I would recommend the Merchant's Tale as a starter--but the General Prologue to the CT is pretty good, too. There's always the Pardoner's Tale--a very good story, too.
Welcome aboard Bev. I'm know we are all really excited to see what you think of Dante, and if you feel like going for more, we've loved that to.
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