1. Ancient Middle East and Far East
2. Ancient India and Tibet
3. Ancient Greece
4. Ancient Greece, Pt. 2
5. The Hellenistic Greeks and the Romans
6. Seneca, Plutarch, and Marcus Aurelius
7. The Bible
8. The Middle Ages
9. Dante, Italy, and the Aristocratic Age
10. Molière, France, and the Aristocratic Age
11. Milton, England, and the Aristocratic Age
12. Michel de Montaigne
13. Shakespeare: Comedies and Histories
14. Shakespeare: Tragedies and Sonnets
15. Novels of the Aristocratic Age
16. Goethe & Nietzsche
17. Essays/Nonfiction in the Democratic Age
18. Essays/Nonfiction in the Democratic Age, Pt. 2
19. Novels of France and Great Britain in the Democratic Age
20. Novels of France and Great Britain in the Democratic Age, Pt. 2
21. Poetry of the Democratic Age
22. Short Stories in the Democratic Age
23. Novels of the United States in the Democratic Age
24. The Plays of Ibsen, Wilde, and Chekhov
25. Dostoevsky & Tolstoy
26. Novels of the World in the Chaotic Age
27. Novels of the World in the Chaotic Age, Pt. 2
28. Poetry in the Chaotic Age
29. Novels of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth in the Chaotic Age
30. Novels of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth in the Chaotic Age, Pt. 2
31. Novels of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth in the Chaotic Age, Pt. 3
32. Novels of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth in the Chaotic Age, Pt. 4
33. American Novelists in the Chaotic Age
34. American Novelists in the Chaotic Age, Pt. 2
35. American Novelists in the Chaotic Age, Pt. 3
36. American Novelists in the Chaotic Age, Pt. 4
37. Nonfiction/Essays in the Chaotic Age
38. Plays in the Chaotic Age
39. Short stories in the Chaotic Age
40. Nonfiction/Essays in the Chaotic Age, Pt. 2
Nice work! But you have R. L. Stevenson in the ‘English and French Novelists’ section and Beckett in a ‘British’ section.
That you have left off Mumonkan is embarrassing, and an example of the inherent flaw in these sorts of lists.
What is the foundation of all of this? What is it that is, by it’s own excellence and the authority of it’s brilliant uniqueness, that which can be made the foundation of reading? How is the mind educated to receive education? Meno, Macbeth, Go Down Moses, A Shropshire Lad, and Euclid’s first book, begin there and expand outward in all directions only when these have been thoroughly digested.
Just as a child’s parents teach the use of the fork, the toilet, soap, and wearing cloths, the foundation must be kept simple or the rest of the conversation collapses under it’s own weight.
Mumonkan, Genesis and the Gospel of John, something similar from the Hindus, the Muslims, the Buddhists and the Hebrews, some Homer, a bit of Kant, a bit of Satre, some Thucydides, more Shakespeare, some Nietzsche to keep you honest, some Newton to keep you focused, this isn’t a list anymore this is just going out into the world. Spinoza, Mill, that funny stuff that Beethoven and Mozart wrote, that Declaration of Independance, Sexton, Dickenson, St. Vincent Millay, all of it through the lens of some upbringing.
Otherwise, as Amban said in the 49th Case of Mumonkan, you are just stuffing the novices’ mouths so full they cannot swallow.
I would love to see this concept in other fields, but also based on FREE material on the internet…Students could farther indicate their favorite sites
I like it very much and will use it for my return to a classical education in 18 months when I am FIREd (Financially Independent Retired Early). Thanks!
Don’t forget The Tale of Genji. It’s a look at classic courtier/royal life in early Japan. Written by Murasaki Shikibu.
I think this is really great – and a nice entree into a lot of great reading. Anyone can quibble with the things left off or things included, but hey, that’s the nature of lists, unless you plan to just put every book on the list which is of no use to anyone. It may not be perfect for everyone, but it’s plenty good enough for most people. Thanks for all the hard work.
Thanks for the list! It will definitely influence my reading list.
East Asia?
This is such a great compilation of literature. I’ve officially added reading this to my bucket list. Thanks for taking the time to compile and share.