Houston Montrose Great Books

 
 
 

### The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

An "A" for "adultery" marks Hester Prynne as an outcast from the society of colonial Boston. Although forced by the puritanical town fathers to wear a bright red badge of shame, Hester steadfastly resists their efforts to discover the identity of her baby's father. The return of her long-absent spouse brings new pressure on the young mother, as the aggrieved husband undertakes a long-term plot to reveal Hester's partner in adultery and force him to share her disgrace.

Masterful in its symbolism and compelling in its character studies, Nathaniel Hawthorne's tale of punishment and reconciliation examines the concepts of sin, guilt, and pride. The Scarlet Letter was published to immediate acclaim in 1850. Its timeless exploration of moral and spiritual issues, along with its philosophical and psychological insights, keep it ever relevant for students of American literature and lovers of fiction.

Buy on Amazon:
Dover Edition https://amzn.to/3fwu9aS
Norton Critical Edition https://amzn.to/3FyAZHw

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Please join 15 minutes prior to scheduled start, in order to say "hi" and test your connection and settings.

PRE-REGISTER NOW, or any time before the meeting with this (easy) three step process:

1. RSVP to the meeting. When you do, an "Online Event" link will appear
2. Click on the link, and fill in the registration form with your name and email address.
3. You will receive almost immediately an email with the actual link to the meeting. Save the email with the link for use at the scheduled time. (If you mislay the email, just repeat step 2).

 
 
 

### Point Counter Point by Aldous Huxley

Aldous Huxley's lifelong concern with the dichotomy between passion and reason finds its fullest expression both thematically and formally in his masterpiece Point Counter Point. By presenting a vision of life in which diverse aspects of experience are observed simultaneously, Huxley characterizes the symptoms of "the disease of modern man' in the manner of a composer—themes and characters are repeated, altered slightly, and played off one another in a tone that is at once critical and sympathetic.
First published in 1928, Huxley's satiric view of intellectual life in the '20s is populated with characters based on such celebrities of the time as D. H. Lawrence, Katherine Mansfield, Sir Oswald Mosley, Nancy Cunard, and John Middleton Murray, as well as Huxley himself. A major work of the twentieth century and a monument of literary modernism, this edition includes an introduction by acclaimed novelist Nicholas Mosley (author of Hopeful Monsters and the son of Sir Oswald Mosley).
Along with Brave New World (written a few years later), Point Counter Point is Huxley's most concentrated attack on the scientific attitude and its effect on modern culture.

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We will hold this meeting online using ZOOM. You can join by computer, tablet, smartphone, or listen in with ordinary telephone.

Please join 15 minutes prior to scheduled start, in order to say "hi" and test your connection and settings.

PRE-REGISTER NOW, or any time before the meeting with this (easy) three step process:

1. RSVP to the meeting. When you do, an "Online Event" link will appear
2. Click on the link, and fill in the registration form with your name and email address.
3. You will receive almost immediately an email with the actual link to the meeting. Save the email with the link for use at the scheduled time. (If you mislay the email, just repeat step 2).

 
 
 

### The Red and the Black by Stendhal

The Red and the Black, Stendhal’s masterpiece, is the story of Julien Sorel, a young dreamer from the provinces, fueled by Napoleonic ideals, whose desire to make his fortune sets in motion events both mesmerizing and tragic. Sorel’s quest to find himself, and the doomed love he encounters along the way, are delineated with an unprecedented psychological depth and realism. At the same time, Stendhal weaves together the social life and fraught political intrigues of post–Napoleonic France, bringing that world to unforgettable, full-color life. His portrait of Julien and early-nineteenth-century France remains an unsurpassed creation, one that brilliantly anticipates modern literature.

Buy on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3E80bnr

==============================================
We will hold this meeting online using ZOOM. You can join by computer, tablet, smartphone, or listen in with ordinary telephone.

Please join 15 minutes prior to scheduled start, in order to say "hi" and test your connection and settings.

PRE-REGISTER NOW, or any time before the meeting with this (easy) three step process:

1. RSVP to the meeting. When you do, an "Online Event" link will appear
2. Click on the link, and fill in the registration form with your name and email address.
3. You will receive almost immediately an email with the actual link to the meeting. Save the email with the link for use at the scheduled time. (If you mislay the email, just repeat step 2).

 
 
 

This is a "place holder" event to signal our next 6 months of reading. If you have attended some of our meetings in the past and wish to read forward with us, we invite you to help us make the selections. Message me through this website/app and I'll give you more information.

== Leigh Anderson