Iain McGilchrist's The Master and His Emissary

Harding's The Hierarchy of Heaven and Earth

Farrer's A Rebirth of Images

James's Scepticism and Poetry

Browning's verse novel The Ring and the Book

I've tried these repeatedly except for the Browning, which I keep thinking about but haven't really tried yet. That's not a complete list.

How about you? What are some books you expect will be challenging, and that maybe you have tried before, and that you really do want to read while you still have the wit to persevere with them?

Frazer's The Golden Bough.

There are others. They'll come to me.

--Sawfish

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The intimidating History of Middle-Earth in 12 volumes by J. R. R. Tolkien. But since Tolkien's prose is so delightful, once I get going, I expect it will be a breeze. Will likely skip most of Christopher Tolkien's lengthy comments, and approach the manuscripts as they are.

The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night in translation by Richard Francis Burton. Has lost some of its exotic attraction it had for Victorians and our grandparents, as Arabs are now being allowed to take over Europe. But I think I can still muster up some enthusiasm for it, by first going into complete denial.

On the Origin of the Species by Charles Darwin. Being rather restless, and with short attention span, increasing the older I get, lengthy repetition of numerous scientific examples to prove a point may find me sleeping over the book's pages.

Ah! I've read portions of the History of Middle-earth, but not most of the material. I'm a big fan of The Notion Club Papers in the Sauron Defeated volume.

Can you get Tolkien's Legendarium from your library ? (Or maybe, unlike me, you've got a copy!) This collection of essays edited by V. Flieger has some interesting, encouraging (to read JRRT) essays in Part 1. The History.

[elvish.org]

Lots yet to read!

For what it's worth, Knygatin, I think Arthur Machen deplored Burton's translation of the Nights. A more recent version would be my choice, but I guess Burton's was it for the whole Nights for several generations of English readers. I'll have to see if I can track down that remark that I think I remember.

[www.goodreads.com]

I have a Penguin Classics edition of the Darwin. If I read it, it would be largely as a work of historical rather than scientific interest, since Darwin didn't understand key things about genetics -- through no fault of his own, of course.

Another challenging book I want to read is Edwyn Bevan's Gifford Lectures, Symbolism and Belief.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 15 Aug 21 | 12:03PM by Dale Nelson.

Knygatin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

SNIPPED...

>
> On the Origin of the Species by Charles Darwin.
> Being rather restless, and with short attention
> span, increasing the older I get, lengthy
> repetition of numerous scientific examples to
> prove a point may find me sleeping over the book's
> pages.


I read parts of this, and may revisit it now that you mention it.

This has profoundly affected my worldview since my late 20s/early 30s.

At the most basic level.

Speaking of slow going...

Last night I resumed Gibbons' The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. I'm in the middle of vol 4 or the 6 volume set.

As I resumed where had left off 6-8 months ago, I can see why I had put it down: the topic under discussion is laws of inheritance as they evolved over time up to Justinian.

--Sawfish

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dale Nelson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Can you get Tolkien's Legendarium from your
> library ? (Or maybe, unlike me, you've got a
> copy!) This collection of essays edited by V.
> Flieger has some interesting, encouraging (to read
> JRRT) essays in Part 1. The History.
>
> [elvish.org]

Ah, I am sure, but I really don't think I have time for that one too.

I have lately found several recordings on Youtube of J. R. R. Tolkien reading from his different works. These were originally on LPs released in the 1970s. Quite delightful. Accompanied by some appropriate music too.


> For what it's worth, Knygatin, I think Arthur
> Machen deplored Burton's translation of the
> Nights. A more recent version would be my choice,
> but I guess Burton's was it for the whole Nights
> for several generations of English readers. I'll
> have to see if I can track down that remark that I
> think I remember.
>

Yes, I have heard complaints that Burton translated it clumsily, word for word, but I have no problem with these texts. The thing with Burton's translation, is that it is thorough and completely uncensored. That counts for me.

Knygatin Wrote:
> Yes, I have heard complaints that Burton
> translated it clumsily, word for word, but I have
> no problem with these texts. The thing with
> Burton's translation, is that it is thorough and
> completely uncensored. That counts for me.

Speaking of tough works I always wanted to read:

Burton's text counts for something, yes, though I suspect not for as much as he claims, and especially not after you get past the early volumes. But yes, first 2 volumes are are a must read, if you must know about the sexy bits that Galland snipped or modified from his 14th century manuscript.

I have long had an ambition to read Burton's version in its entirety. I still maybe have that ambition, but I no longer expect much from the effort. I'm glad that I read Galland instead.

Bottom line is: there is only one Arabian Nights that is a 300-year old classic of Western literature, and that is Galland's text, not Burton's. It was Galland, not Burton, who worked from the oldest, most untrameled sources. Burton simply assumes that a text is automatically more authentic if it is written in Arabic before Burton translates it. Never mind that the Arabic texts Burton translated were compilied a century after Galland and in response to the demand that Galland's success created.

Yes, Burton did restore a few sexy bits that are authentic to our oldest sources. And yes it was interesting to find out what really went on when the porter was carousing with the 3 ladies. But on the other hand, it was also kinda stupid, and crude, and punctures the aura of magic and mystery, that Galland made the tales justly famous for.

But I speak somewhat from ignorance. To those who have made it all the way through Burton, please tell me, does it contain a single extra tale that is worth reading?

Yes, Galland added stuff to the Nights after his manuscript ran out. But he managed to add some good stuff, that was in the same spirit as what he already presented: Sinbad, Ali-Baba, Sidi Nouman, Aladdin. All of which were, I imagine, authentic middle eastern tales, which, thanks to Galland, became classics of Western wierd fantasy. What did Burton manage to add that was worthwhile, other than the porter and the 3 ladies getting drunk and playing show and tell with their privates?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 18 Aug 21 | 08:30PM by Platypus.

Dale Nelson Wrote:
> For what it's worth, Knygatin, I think Arthur
> Machen deplored Burton's translation of the
> Nights.

I think I have been able to track down the quote you are thinking of:

I am sorry to have to confess that the rectory shelves held no copy of "The Arabian Nights." I made up this deficiency soon after I went to school by buying an excellent edition, issued, I think, by Routledge for a shilling. This edition is now, the booksellers tell me, out of print, and it is a pity, for now if you want the book there is nothing between an edition obviously meant for the nursery, with gaudy plates, and Lane's version for thirty shillings. I speak not of Burton, for I found myself unable to read a couple of pages of his detestable English, made more terrible by the imitations of the rhymed prose of the original. I came upon something which went very much as follows:—

Then followed the dawn of day, and the Princess finished her allotted say,
Praise be to the Lord of Light alway, who faileth not to send the appointed ray——

and so on, at much greater length; highly ingenious, no doubt, and also infinitely foolish.

- Arthur Machen, in Far Off Things

I am guessing that the Routledge text was a translation of Galland, but I have not been able to confirm.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 18 Aug 21 | 10:26PM by Platypus.

Fantastic, Platypus! That’s it, the Machen remark on Burton that I couldn’t find. Thank you.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 18 Aug 21 | 10:34PM by Dale Nelson.