trit is currently reading War and Peace and Poetics.
I’m male, from Canada. I’ve been a DailyLit member since August 29, 2010. My reading interests include History, Political Theory, Philosophy, and Classic Literature.
Books
- Poetics 68% complete
- War and Peace 30% complete
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Paradise Lost finished
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Pride and Prejudice finished
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Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting One's Reason and of Seeking Truth finished
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The Critique of Practical Reason finished
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The Count of Monte Cristo finished
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The Three Musketeers finished
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The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844 finished
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Grimm's Fairy Tales finished
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Burn This Book finished
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Robin Hood finished
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The Art of War finished
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Spirits in Bondage finished
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The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes finished
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Gulliver's Travels finished
Posts
Etc. - Question of the Week #17: Why do you DailyLit?
I find that DailyLit is both preventative-in that it prevents you from being overwhelmed by a book due to the size or complexity, while it also is an effective stimulant-it kinda forces you to continue to read the book. I receive one installment every day for 2 books (so I always have two books on the go), and I find that I have gotten through many books that I wouldn`t have been able to otherwise. I don`t generally turn to classic literature when looking for my next book to read, so it also pushes me to become better steeped in the classics (which I greatly enjoy, I just tend not to look for).
Question of the Week - What's Your Favorite Word?
indubitably-bounces around in your mouth and yet rolls right out
Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting One's Reason and of Seeking Truth - It makes you think
This little book is an excellent stimulation for the mind. It will drag you kicking and screaming into the realm of asking questions, and it will force you to reflect on your own life. However, unless you are willing to make the effort and really reflect on and engage in the text, you will find this book dry and scarce. Unlike modern philosophy books, this book makes you work for it. Many of our modern writers are expected to provide revelation to the reader with as little effort as possible-Descarte is from the old school, when people were expected to think for themselves.
The Critique of Practical Reason - Immanuel Kant is the emperor`s new clothes
Kant writes with a sophistication and complexity that transcends the majority of his contemporaries, and he is widely read in academic circles, perceived to be one of the most influential philosophers of the modern era, and the founder of continental philosophy. However, once you scrape away all of the grandeous language and complexity of explanation, there is actually very little originality. Kant was a master of imitation, hidden in new words and wineskins. In this way, he is much like the emperor`s new clothes. Everyone must pretend to understand and appreciate what he writes, but nobody really gets anything from it.
The Count of Monte Cristo - Brilliant-truly a work of genius
This is possibly the most artfully crafted, detailed and poetically written story I have ever read. The characters have infinite depth and beguile the reader with a fascinating realness which is impossible to resist. The rawness of the story, while being composed in a form that is more grand than a Michelangelo painting, creates a titillating contrast which further reveals the starkness of revenge, hate, and-perhaps most significantly, love.
The Three Musketeers - Why isn`t there a movie of this!
I know-you`re thinking that there are dozens of movies, but there truly isn`t-I haven`t seen a single one that actually tells the story contained in the book, which is quite good and a lot of fun!
The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844 - Everyone should read this
While there are obviously significant changes that have occurred since this book was written, it still exerts a great deal of influence on social capital theories and economic structures. We have been influenced by what is written in this book, whether we know it or not. Read it, and you will find out where some of your ideas come from.
Grimm's Fairy Tales - A DailyLit Gem
This collection is ideal for this forum of reading. It has a bunch of short stories-some really weird, some fun, all interesting-and you often finish a story in one or two installments. This means that you are constantly feeling that great feeling you get when you finish a book on dailylit (I love that feeling!).
Burn This Book - Interesting, but not complex
I found this book to be a little shallow at times. While it presented good ideas and tried to make the reader think of the issues around censorship, it did not truly present the complexities of the issues, nor did it provide a great deal of research into the all-round factors.
The Art of War - Timeless Wisdom
Yes, it can be tedious at times, and yes-it can be disconnected with our modern world, but The Art of War definitely provides insights into the psychology of warfare, and of humanity in general. In some ways, it is the first textbook on the psychological concept of `groupthink`. It is interesting and well-worth the read. Again, good for DailyLit as well, since the points presented are short and can be included in single installments.
Spirits in Bondage - Interesting and uniquely different for C.S. Lewis
I found this bundle of poetry hard to read at times, both due to the way it was written, but more because of who wrote it. It is hard not to perceive C.S. Lewis as a type of pure archetype for Christian living. So, reading these difficult and sometimes controversial poems was a challenge-but it was a good challenge, and well-worth the endeavor. Sometimes we need to peel back the paint and be honest about our heroes. This does nothing to detract from the greatness of C.S. Lewis-it merely illustrates his humanity. Great package, and good for dailylit as well.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Something to look forward to!
I greatly enjoyed reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes each morning, as it was something to look forward to. The stories were a nice length in that you were always finishing stories and starting new ones, which gave a real sense of completion and continuance at the same time. DailyLit is perfect for reading this compilation.
Pride and Prejudice - Great! And perfect for Daily Lit!
I looked forward to reading the installment each day, and found no problems with getting through it each day, as it fit into my schedule perfectly. A delightfully witty and engrossing book that has perfectly lengthened installments. Bravo Jane Austin and Daily Lit!
Paradise Lost - Good, but not good for this method of reading
So, I enjoyed Paradise Lost-the language is beautiful and timeless, and it is obviously a classic that has had a great deal of influence on western civilization and theological developments. However, I found the daily installments were too difficult to get into. They were too long, because it is a bit of a tedious read when you don`t have much time. But, they were also too short, because you need to really dive into the piece in order to enjoy it. Worth reading, but I wouldn`t recommend it for Daily Lit.
Robin Hood - A lot of fun!
The book was a whole lot of fun to read, and an excellent book for daily lit, since it's easy to pick up each day. It does lack depth in the way that it is written, however-with fairly simple story lines, and not a great deal of depth in the characters.
Gulliver's Travels - Too negative politically
Gulliver's Travels, although well-written, displays a level of ignorance concerning human nature and political reasoning that renders it an almost entirely useless expense of time. The author criticizes certain systems and decisions made by various political leaders, without having an inkling to the purposes for the systems and decisions. Furthermore, the book represents the still popular trend of criticizing the political, economic, and judicial systems without providing any type of alternative or method for improvement. It is the hippie protesting the G20 and G8 summits, without having any ideas for improvement. After all, would it be better that we had no system and resorted to anarchy? Perhaps the 20 countries should not try to get together and at least make some movements towards improvement of the world?
Gulliver's Travels - Too negative politically
I am a political science student at Redeemer University College in my fourth year. I am planning on continuing on to receive my Masters in political science. I tell you this because I want you to understand where I am coming from in my review. I believe this book to be a rather skewed representation of British politics during the time that it was written. Britain had much to be proud of, but this book represents all that they had to be ashamed of-however, the positive aspects are left out almost entirely, which I believe is unfortunate. In addition to this, the writing style is not particularly engaging. So, not only is this book politically of-kilter, it is not all that engaging to read.