In 1962, The Christian Century magazine published C.S. Lewis’s answer to the question, “What books did most to shape your vocational attitude and your philosophy of life?” Here is C.S. Lewis’s list of his top ten books, not including the Bible.
1. Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women, by George MacDonald
2. The Everlasting Man, by G. K. Chesterton
3. The Aeneid, by Virgil
4. The Temple, by George Herbert
5. The Prelude, by William Wordsworth
6. The Idea of the Holy, by Rudolf Otto
7. The Consolation of Philosophy, by Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius
8. The Life of Samuel Johnson, by James Boswell
9. Descent into Hell, by Charles Williams
10. Theism and Humanism, by Arthur James Balfour
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Tuesday Bookgroup
What we've read:
Sept. 2009 - Flannery O'Conner short stories
Oct - I Serve: A Novel of the Black Prince Roseanne Lortz
Nov - In Defense of Food Michael Pollock
Dec -
Jan 2010 - Bucer's meeting for planning next few books
Feb - Til We Have Faces C.S.Lewis
March - The Moonstone Wilkie Collins
April -
May - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society Mary Ann Shaffer
June - The Scarlet Pimpernel Baroness Orczy
July -
Aug - The Supper of the Lamb Robert Farrar Capon
Sept - The Number One Ladies Detective Agency Alexander McCall Smith
Oct - The Book Thief Markus Zusak
Nov - Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science Atul Gawande
Dec - Christmas Stories
Jan 2011 - The Hiding Place Corrie ten Boom
Feb - The Blue Castle L.M. Montgomery
March - Choosing Rest Sally Breedlove
April - Buffalo Coat Carol Ryrie Brink
May - The Man in the Brown Suit Agatha Christie
June - Social night :)
July - Endurance: An Epic Polar Adventure by F. A. Worsley or The Endurance: Shakelton's Legendary Antartic Expediton by Caroline Alexander
August - 84 Charing Cross Road
September -
October - The Help Kathryn Stockett
November - One Thousand Gifts
December - movie night! watched 'The Help'
January 2012 - Sense and Sensibility Jane Austen
February - Unbroken Laura Hillenbrand
March - continued Unbroken and the WWII theme
April - For the Life of the World
May - Master and Commander
June -
July -
August -
Next up ...
Other Suggestions:
Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God
To Kill A Mockingbird
The Name of the Rose
The Yearling
Sept. 2009 - Flannery O'Conner short stories
Oct - I Serve: A Novel of the Black Prince Roseanne Lortz
Nov - In Defense of Food Michael Pollock
Dec -
Jan 2010 - Bucer's meeting for planning next few books
Feb - Til We Have Faces C.S.Lewis
March - The Moonstone Wilkie Collins
April -
May - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society Mary Ann Shaffer
June - The Scarlet Pimpernel Baroness Orczy
July -
Aug - The Supper of the Lamb Robert Farrar Capon
Sept - The Number One Ladies Detective Agency Alexander McCall Smith
Oct - The Book Thief Markus Zusak
Nov - Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science Atul Gawande
Dec - Christmas Stories
Jan 2011 - The Hiding Place Corrie ten Boom
Feb - The Blue Castle L.M. Montgomery
March - Choosing Rest Sally Breedlove
April - Buffalo Coat Carol Ryrie Brink
May - The Man in the Brown Suit Agatha Christie
June - Social night :)
July - Endurance: An Epic Polar Adventure by F. A. Worsley or The Endurance: Shakelton's Legendary Antartic Expediton by Caroline Alexander
August - 84 Charing Cross Road
September -
October - The Help Kathryn Stockett
November - One Thousand Gifts
December - movie night! watched 'The Help'
January 2012 - Sense and Sensibility Jane Austen
February - Unbroken Laura Hillenbrand
March - continued Unbroken and the WWII theme
April - For the Life of the World
May - Master and Commander
June -
July -
August -
Next up ...
Other Suggestions:
Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God
To Kill A Mockingbird
The Name of the Rose
The Yearling
Friday, June 19, 2009
Persuasion by Jane Austen
I just finished reading Persuasion by Jane Austen.
In Persuasion we find the words and action of “persuading” throughout. My husband read this for a class in college and he underlined every word that could be used to persuade. I found that so helpful reading this time through. I discovered how many different people used it; the woman who didn’t want Anne to marry Captain Wentworth is very persuasive. Almost all of her speeches are to push the listener in one direction or another. Anne is very aware of this and more than once is described as “looking towards Lady Russell” to see what her next reaction would be. Anne’s father, Sir Elliot, and sister, Elizabeth, are easily persuaded. They follow fashion, trends; they are vain, and conceited and desire followers, though they have no strength of soul.
The greatest persuasion, of course, is in the course of love. A cousin, Mr. Eliot, attempts to woo Anne. His words are all flattery and his actions are good. She and the rest of the family are over come by his attentions. However, Anne remembers his character from years ago, even that which was only a rumor and it is not consistent with his conduct now and so she doesn’t trust him fully until the two characters are reconciled. There is another love story, one between Anne and Captain Wentworth.
Anne is persuaded that Captain Wentworth doesn’t love her. She avoids him when she thinks he is wooing another. Captain Wentworth is persuaded the he still loves Anne by watching her from a distance and seeing her character. He says at the end that “her character was fixed on her mind as perfect” and he never saw her “equal”. He is persuaded by her good character that she truly was the one for him. In other words, Anne herself persuaded him to marry her.
There are two scenes in which Anne goes out of her way to influence Captain Wentworth, and rightly so. She knows they are both free to marry and she suspects him of admiring her and encourages him in the hope of a proposal. The first scene is at the concert where she catches his attention and talks with him for a good while before the evening begins. During the concert, Mr. Elliot sits with her and Captain Wentworth discovers a rival. Anne is persuaded the he is jealous, but can’t do more than act and her actions aren’t loud enough to convince yet. The second scene is in the rooms with the Musgroves and while Captain Wentworth is writing a letter, Anne falls into conversation with Caption Harville, which is famous for it’s conclusion. Captain Wentworth over hears and, I think, Anne knows he is listening and thus says more than she might have. Harville is persuaded that men love deeper, while Anne is persuaded that women love longer and thus better. When a man must toil through life, his love though deep and rich must not last long or it would be too much to bear, says Anne. While a women has not the same cares and concerns, her love last longer and is the better of the two. Captain Harville and Anne don’t agree in the end, but she has said enough for Captain Wentworth to be convinced that she could be in love with him still.
Not only does Anne persuade Captain Wentworth to marry her through her words and actions, but through her character and steadfastness of heart. Captain Wentworth, in turn, persuades Anne through his loyalty towards his friends and companions. He also persuades himself by watching Anne and how she treats those around her.
In Persuasion we find the words and action of “persuading” throughout. My husband read this for a class in college and he underlined every word that could be used to persuade. I found that so helpful reading this time through. I discovered how many different people used it; the woman who didn’t want Anne to marry Captain Wentworth is very persuasive. Almost all of her speeches are to push the listener in one direction or another. Anne is very aware of this and more than once is described as “looking towards Lady Russell” to see what her next reaction would be. Anne’s father, Sir Elliot, and sister, Elizabeth, are easily persuaded. They follow fashion, trends; they are vain, and conceited and desire followers, though they have no strength of soul.
The greatest persuasion, of course, is in the course of love. A cousin, Mr. Eliot, attempts to woo Anne. His words are all flattery and his actions are good. She and the rest of the family are over come by his attentions. However, Anne remembers his character from years ago, even that which was only a rumor and it is not consistent with his conduct now and so she doesn’t trust him fully until the two characters are reconciled. There is another love story, one between Anne and Captain Wentworth.
Anne is persuaded that Captain Wentworth doesn’t love her. She avoids him when she thinks he is wooing another. Captain Wentworth is persuaded the he still loves Anne by watching her from a distance and seeing her character. He says at the end that “her character was fixed on her mind as perfect” and he never saw her “equal”. He is persuaded by her good character that she truly was the one for him. In other words, Anne herself persuaded him to marry her.
There are two scenes in which Anne goes out of her way to influence Captain Wentworth, and rightly so. She knows they are both free to marry and she suspects him of admiring her and encourages him in the hope of a proposal. The first scene is at the concert where she catches his attention and talks with him for a good while before the evening begins. During the concert, Mr. Elliot sits with her and Captain Wentworth discovers a rival. Anne is persuaded the he is jealous, but can’t do more than act and her actions aren’t loud enough to convince yet. The second scene is in the rooms with the Musgroves and while Captain Wentworth is writing a letter, Anne falls into conversation with Caption Harville, which is famous for it’s conclusion. Captain Wentworth over hears and, I think, Anne knows he is listening and thus says more than she might have. Harville is persuaded that men love deeper, while Anne is persuaded that women love longer and thus better. When a man must toil through life, his love though deep and rich must not last long or it would be too much to bear, says Anne. While a women has not the same cares and concerns, her love last longer and is the better of the two. Captain Harville and Anne don’t agree in the end, but she has said enough for Captain Wentworth to be convinced that she could be in love with him still.
Not only does Anne persuade Captain Wentworth to marry her through her words and actions, but through her character and steadfastness of heart. Captain Wentworth, in turn, persuades Anne through his loyalty towards his friends and companions. He also persuades himself by watching Anne and how she treats those around her.
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