Literary Classics Book Club

Join us for a discussion of the Russian novella One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Published in 1962, the novella narrates a single day in the life of a prisoner in a Soviet prison camp during the early 1950s. Solzhenitsyn himself had spent years in the Soviet Gulag for criticizing Stalin. One Day was published with the consent of Nikita Kruschev. After Kruschev's ouster from power, the book was removed from publication but continued to circulate among the population illegally until the Soviet Union fell. The book remains a classic today as a testament of political dissent.
We'll meet again at the Mission Valley Library this time in Seminar Room A. Feel free to bring your own refreshments. The library sets a limit of 12 persons for the room so please be sure to RSVP. Please change your RSVP to not attending if you can no longer make it.

-dave rankin

This will be a ongoing weekly chat about major writings from the traditional "Western Civ" curriculum. Columbia University Press has helpfully compiled the best of these readings into a two-volume, 2,500 page source book, entitled "Introduction to Contemporary Civilization in the West". We can select a reading from the list each week for the following week's discussion.

Our reading list grew out of the iconic Columbia University “CC” course which became one of the foundations of the Core Curriculum, adopted at Columbia and later by many other liberal arts colleges. Developed beginning in 1919 in the aftermath of the First World War, the course was intentionally constructed over many decades by scholars from history, philosophy, politics, religion, literature, and economics to introduce students to many of the central texts and enduring questions of Western civilization. Rather than relying primarily on textbooks or summaries, the program gradually evolved toward close reading of original primary sources — Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Dante, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and many others — with the goal of encouraging thoughtful discussion about human nature, society, morality, religion, government, science, and culture. It was done with the purpose of forming young scholars into the best versions of themselves, to face whatever hard challenges life might later throw at them. The resulting artifact, a two-volume anthology, reflects more than a century of refinement and academic experience, embodies almost our notion of a sound liberal arts education. By scholarly consensus refined over many decades, this reading list contains some of the most important ideas produced by our literature throughout the centuries.

The readings on the list are now in the public domain and/or are widely available elsewhere, (so no need to buy the books). However, if anyone is interested, Columbia University Press continues to print them, and new and used copies may still be gotten, as shown below. (But, again, no need to purchase these books.)

Introduction to Contemporary Civilization in the West, Volume I
ISBN: 978-0231024235
Introduction to Contemporary Civilization in the West, Volume II
ISBN: 978-0231024778

This will be a ongoing weekly chat about major writings from the traditional "Western Civ" curriculum. Columbia University Press has helpfully compiled the best of these readings into a two-volume, 2,500 page source book, entitled "Introduction to Contemporary Civilization in the West". We can select a reading from the list each week for the following week's discussion.

Our reading list grew out of the iconic Columbia University “CC” course which became one of the foundations of the Core Curriculum, adopted at Columbia and later by many other liberal arts colleges. Developed beginning in 1919 in the aftermath of the First World War, the course was intentionally constructed over many decades by scholars from history, philosophy, politics, religion, literature, and economics to introduce students to many of the central texts and enduring questions of Western civilization. Rather than relying primarily on textbooks or summaries, the program gradually evolved toward close reading of original primary sources — Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Dante, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and many others — with the goal of encouraging thoughtful discussion about human nature, society, morality, religion, government, science, and culture. It was done with the purpose of forming young scholars into the best versions of themselves, to face whatever hard challenges life might later throw at them. The resulting artifact, a two-volume anthology, reflects more than a century of refinement and academic experience, embodies almost our notion of a sound liberal arts education. By scholarly consensus refined over many decades, this reading list contains some of the most important ideas produced by our literature throughout the centuries.

The readings on the list are now in the public domain and/or are widely available elsewhere, (so no need to buy the books). However, if anyone is interested, Columbia University Press continues to print them, and new and used copies may still be gotten, as shown below. (But, again, no need to purchase these books.)

Introduction to Contemporary Civilization in the West, Volume I
ISBN: 978-0231024235
Introduction to Contemporary Civilization in the West, Volume II
ISBN: 978-0231024778

Join us for a discussion of The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea by controversial author Yukio Mishima. The novel is set in postwar Japan in the port city Yokohama. The narrative tells the interlocking stories of a merchant sailor who dreams of greatness, a widow who runs a successful clothing import business, and her adolescent son and the gang he runs with, as they all cope with personal and societal loss after Japan's defeat in World War Two.
We'll be meeting at Lounge 72, the hotel bar at the Doubletree by Hilton in Hazard Center. Please plan to order a drink or appetizer.
Ample parking and a trolley stop are nearby. Attendance is limited, so please change your RSVP if you become unable to attend.
Hope to see you there.