Thursday Thirteen – Thirteen Classics I Love

December 17, 2009 on 12:05 am | In Elise, Uncategorized | 9 Comments

This TT is born of a twitter conversation (do a lot of my TTs seem to have that as a genesis?). I don’t remember who all was involved – Shannan P, Jared James, Moriah Jovan, Ginny Glass, Hickepedia and Lori Ella for sure. In any case, we were discussing various pieces of literature and how varied preferences can be. So, I thought I would present to you a list of 13 classics that I love.

1. Machiavelli, The Prince. This is what got me started on this topic. Well, this and Clausewitz, but I don’t love Clausewitz, so Machiavelli it is. I enjoy Machiavelli from the standpoint of fining an argument down to its bare bones. From my standpoint, Machiavelli is the genesis of game theory. If you have a goal of X, you need to consider how to manipulate the other players so that it is in their best interest to make sure you get X. That may not be pretty – and in politics and war, it most likely isn’t – but it’s the basis of game theory, of realpolitik, of… well, political science. It is the ugly nitty-gritty polar opposite of the Utopian ideals, and the two together formulate the basis of political science. So, yeah. I love it.

2. Swift, A Modest Proposal. Oh, the beauty and terror of this tiny little piece of literature. This is the canonical example of taking an argument to its most absurd outlying possibility. It’s pointed, harsh satire, and it’s beautifully done. You wince while reading, but the very sharpness is what makes it so terribly engaging.

3. Homer, The Odyssey. The adventure to end all adventures. I love the scope, the majesty of it. I love the individual stories, the group dynamics, the poetic construction. Sure, there’s a lot you can skim, but the story is magical. In every sense of that term.

4. Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby. I know, I know. No one else likes this one. Fine. But I love the convoluted stylings and the deliberate artifice of it, the surface flash and the image of the eyes. Yes, I know this makes me odd. I don’t care. I like it.

5. Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest. A social satire that revolves around people inventing obligations to get out of obligations, the whole thing is nearly farcical in it’s implementation, while remaining sharp and very clever. It’s a fine line, and Wilde is a master at striking the balance.

6. Voltaire, Candide. Another satire. In this one, Voltaire mocks Utopian idealism with a deft and sarcastic hand. It is a hard-edged critique of what Voltaire sees as a ridiculously naive world view, and his rather more cynical view lays a heavy hand on the piece. Indeed, it is “the best of all possible worlds” if I get to read Candide.

7. Marlowe, Dr. Faustus. This is such an interesting play. Juxtaposing a darkly themed morality play with scenes of ridiculous comedy, it’s a different view of Elizabethan England from Shakespeare. Marlowe is at once more pointedly moralistic and patently ridiculous than Shakespeare. Indeed, for many years the comedy seemed so out of keeping with the harsher aspects of the play that scholars thought they were added later. It’s like a perfect storm of Elizabethan intrigue – religion, ambition, comedy.

8. Beowulf. Monsters! Heroes! Adventure! What more could you want? This is the medieval version of Rambo. And it’s awesome.

9. Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing. I love Shakespeare’s comedies in general, and this one in particular. I love the juxtaposition of Claudio and Hero -young and gullible, still soft – with Benedick and Beatrice. Beatrice is one of my all-time favorite heroines, as she is intelligent, strong, and unbowed even at the end. While she realizes her mistakes, she doesn’t break as some of Shakespeare’s heroines do. Similarly, Benedick comes to value Beatrice’s intellect as part of her individuality. A bonus is the Kenneth Branaugh adaptation with an amazing cast (Branaugh, Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington, Kate Beckinsale, Keanu Reeves, Michael Keaton, Robert Sean Leonard).

10. Shakespeare, Hamlet. My favorite Shakespearean tragedy by far. Though it suffers from the Big Misunderstanding which plagues all of literature, the intensity and punch of this play are unequaled. The way he weaves comedy in with the rising tension of the tragedy is sheer artistry. The play-within-a-play could have been heavy and unwieldy, but instead serves to ratchet up the intensity.

11. Wilde, The Canterville Ghost. I read this piece first in an abridged version as a young teen and enjoyed it tremendously. I reread an unabridged version later and fell in love. This was my first Oscar Wilde, and let me to a love affair with Wilde’s work, which is wonderously clever. Wilde has a gift for mixing horror, comedy, satire and drama. Beautiful.

12. Sun Tzu, The Art of War. I favor the Samuel Griffith translation, as it has copious notes and supporting documentation from other Eastern strategists and philosophers. It’s a nice way to see how it fits together.  In any case, Sun Tzu is classic for a reason. His prose is clean, concise, bordering on curt. The information is brilliant and has application far beyond military. It’s truly, absolutely, brilliant.

13. Sheridan, The School for Scandal. This is a fabulously snide and sneaky play. It is as perfectly pitched today as a societal condemnation as it was when it premiered. In case you can’t tell, I love well-done satire, and this one is perfect. If you haven’t seen or read this play, do. Sheridan is underrated, in my opinion, as his construction is clever, his dialogue multi-layered, and the satire is absolutely spot on.

How about you? what do you love? And which of mine do you hate?