Classics Discussion Group: Planning and Recruitment Thread

Perhaps, but I would be disinclined to think so for at least the majority of people.

If you’ve ever read a collection of similar stories–even wondrous, amazing ones like A Thousand and One Nights, The Collected Short Stories of Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Grimm Brother Fairy Tales, The Essential Harlan Ellison, etc.–you’ll find that even just a hundred pages through it stops being entertaining just because you’ve already well-gotten the idea and each new story really isn’t a “new” story; it’s just a new stage of something you’ve already encountered in sufficient supply.

Anything without large variety, repeated over a sufficient length, no matter how exciting each piece may be, becomes gruelling and tedious. I would generally believe that to be a human condition, not one localised to myself.

So, I’m just saying that I’d personally advise choosing a list that was more rounded if you truly want to get through them all together, but if you all don’t feel it’s a worry then I guess I’ll just wish you all luck.

Just looking through the list now - way more philosophy than I like. I may wuss out and opt out of some of the books. But the thought of discussing Herodotus with SDMB people makes me go ‘squeee’. And I don’t believe I’ve ever typed that out before.

Talking about Herodotus, this is madness!

THIS IS THE SDMB!!!

I would love to join this, but I can’t make any promises, as I’ve got the actual St. John’s program to deal with IRL. To those who don’t find the SJC list to your taste, here’s a list of Great Books programs elsewhere, and I’m sure you can easily find their reading lists. I believe that both NYU and UChicago have very good programs, though I don’t have time to find their lists right now.

With regard to rules: Definitely try to keep anything that you haven’t read for that seminar or prior ones out of the conversation. If you must bring something in, and there are sometimes valid reasons to do so, explain it.

General suggestions: Read carefully and slowly, of course, and I highly recommend taking notes. If you say something about the text, try to reference where you’re getting it from. Listen to (well, read) what others say. It’s far better to have quiet periods in the conversation when people are thinking and listening than lots of scattered conversation. Often in seminars at St. John’s, the tutor will ask the ‘opening question’, and there will be a full minute or three of silence and page-flipping.

A cautionary note: Unless it was originally written in English, you’re not reading the original text. If the language at a certain point interests or intrigues you, ask what other people using other translations have there. How one word is translated can make a huge difference (for an excellent example, pick up both the Fagles and the Lattimore translation of either the Iliad or the Odyssey. Both have a lot going for them, but they are vastly different).

Above all: enjoy the text, listen to each other, have fun.

I think you mean Chicago and Columbia. I went to Columbia as an undergrad and NYU as a grad, and there is pretty much no comparison between the Core and NYU’s program.

Okay, I see where you guys are coming from now. I agree, that seems like a good way to approach things.