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A Little History of Literature
A much-loved author brings the world of literature alive for all ages This 'little history' takes on a very big the glorious span of literature from Greek myth to graphic novels, from The Epic of Gilgamesh to Harry Potter. John Sutherland is perfectly suited to the task. He has researched, taught, and written on virtually every area of literature, and his infectious passion for books and reading has defined his own life. Now he guides young readers and the grown-ups in their lives on an entertaining journey 'through the wardrobe' to a greater awareness of how literature from across the world can transport us and help us to make sense of what it means to be human. Sutherland introduces great classics in his own irresistible way, enlivening his offerings with humor as well as Beowulf, Shakespeare, Don Quixote, the Romantics, Dickens, Moby Dick, The Waste Land, Woolf, 1984, and dozens of others. He adds to these a less-expected, personal selection of authors and works, including literature usually considered well below 'serious attention' - from the rude jests of Anglo-Saxon runes to The Da Vinci Code. With masterful digressions into various themes - censorship, narrative tricks, self-publishing, taste, creativity, and madness - Sutherland demonstrates the full depth and intrigue of reading. For younger readers, he offers a proper introduction to literature, promising to interest as much as instruct. For more experienced readers, he promises just the same.
284 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 5, 2013
432 people are currently reading
5818 people want to read
About the author
John Sutherland
231 books195 followersJohn Andrew Sutherland is an English academic, newspaper columnist and author. He is Emeritus Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at University College London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 355 reviews
January 30, 2019
Okay, so first of all- it is by no means a history of Literature, it’s a story of English literature. There are nods to authors from other countries but only insofar as it fits into the Anglo-centric arc. And I’m not being militantly post-colonialist or anything- or, rather, I don’t need to be-even as a french, German or Italian (not to mention Russian, omg) you’d be pretty offended by the idea that this is a history of even Western lit. (A full chapter on Samuel Johnson, half a line on Zola, no Goethe or Tolstoi- ‘nough said).
Secondly, it is quite puzzling how we somehow are still putting white dudes in charge of writing histories of anything. The result here is unsurprising.
That said, if you can hold your nose at the pervasive misogyny (crazy how Jane Austen manages to write good stuff despite her writing about such small womanly subjects/the Brontes were SO provincial and you can so tell they never saw the world when you read their books!/ Virginia Woolf bought her way into authordom, etc.) and the racism (there’s literally one ‘race’ chapter called, I KID YOU NOT, ‘colorful cultures.’ -and this book was published this decade.) (And, he spends a great deal of energy in that chapter calling Toni Morrison ‘angry.’), if, again, you can manage to ignore that, well, then it’s quite pleasant, really! Especially if you’ve been thinking, “Man, I really need to brush up on my John Donne and my Trollope.” It’s possible-I’m not judging!
Secondly, it is quite puzzling how we somehow are still putting white dudes in charge of writing histories of anything. The result here is unsurprising.
That said, if you can hold your nose at the pervasive misogyny (crazy how Jane Austen manages to write good stuff despite her writing about such small womanly subjects/the Brontes were SO provincial and you can so tell they never saw the world when you read their books!/ Virginia Woolf bought her way into authordom, etc.) and the racism (there’s literally one ‘race’ chapter called, I KID YOU NOT, ‘colorful cultures.’ -and this book was published this decade.) (And, he spends a great deal of energy in that chapter calling Toni Morrison ‘angry.’), if, again, you can manage to ignore that, well, then it’s quite pleasant, really! Especially if you’ve been thinking, “Man, I really need to brush up on my John Donne and my Trollope.” It’s possible-I’m not judging!
February 14, 2016
This is an enjoyable history of English Literature which consists of short essays on everything from early myths, through Shakespeare, the very first novels, poetry, Austen, Dickens, literature for (and about) children, the censorship of books and all the way up to today, with bestsellers, book prizes and reading groups being discussed.
Although this does not really give you a great deal of depth about any particular topic/author, it is a great introduction and very readable. A good starting point for anyone wishing to extend their reading, or wanting to read the classics and being unsure of where to start. All the major authors, as well as important movements – from Romanticism to Modernism – are mentioned here. From Woolf to Proust and the Brontes, this is a great overview of classic literature through the ages.
Although this does not really give you a great deal of depth about any particular topic/author, it is a great introduction and very readable. A good starting point for anyone wishing to extend their reading, or wanting to read the classics and being unsure of where to start. All the major authors, as well as important movements – from Romanticism to Modernism – are mentioned here. From Woolf to Proust and the Brontes, this is a great overview of classic literature through the ages.
May 25, 2019
أتذكر عندما كنت طفلاً أنني كلما تشاجرت مع أحد أصدقائي أقوم بوضع قائمة أسرد فيها الأشياء التي أحبها وتلك التي أكرهها فيه ومن ثم أحدد إن كنت سأظل أعتبره صديقًا لي بناء على عدد الأشياء الجميلة أو الكريهة في القائمة.
على الرغم من أنني تخلصت من هذه العادة بعد أن نضجت إلا أن هذا الكتاب، الذي أحبطني كثيرًا، أعادني إليها ودفعني لوضع قائمة حول الأشياء التي كرهتها فيه وهي كالتالي:
١- العنوان مضلل جدًا فالكتاب يتناول سردًا موجزًا لتاريخ الأدب الإنجليزي وهو يفعل ذلك بشكل سطحي في الغالب.
٢- المؤلف يطلق تعميمات لا تليق بأستاذ للأدب فهو يعتبر تشارلز ديكنز أهم روائي في التاريخ، وشكسبير أهم شاعر، ويزعم بأن الإنجليز هم من اخترعوا الرواية.
٣- هنالك فصل في الكتاب بعنوان "ثقافات ملونة" يتناول فيه المؤلف أدب السود وهذا الوصف يعد ضربًا من ضروب العنصرية في الغرب ولا أعرف كيف استطاع المؤلف تمريره.
٤- لا يوجد في الكتاب تسلسل منطقي لمراحل تطور الأدب فنجد المؤلف يقفز من موضوع إلى آخر ويدحش مواضيع مختلفة بطريقة عشوائية.
ما دفعني لإكمال الكتاب هو لغة المؤلف البسيطة والفكاهية أحيانًا والتي لم ينجح المترجم محمد درويش بنقلها بشكل جيد، وهو بالمناسبة من ترجم معظم أعمال الروائية التركية أليف شفق وقد سردت في مراجعات سابقة بعض الأخطاء التي وقع فيها في ترجمة رواياتها.
عمومًا، كوني اقتنيت كتابين من هذه السلسلة أتمنى أن يكون الكتاب الآخر وهو "مختصر تاريخ العلم" أفضل من هذا الكتاب 💔
على الرغم من أنني تخلصت من هذه العادة بعد أن نضجت إلا أن هذا الكتاب، الذي أحبطني كثيرًا، أعادني إليها ودفعني لوضع قائمة حول الأشياء التي كرهتها فيه وهي كالتالي:
١- العنوان مضلل جدًا فالكتاب يتناول سردًا موجزًا لتاريخ الأدب الإنجليزي وهو يفعل ذلك بشكل سطحي في الغالب.
٢- المؤلف يطلق تعميمات لا تليق بأستاذ للأدب فهو يعتبر تشارلز ديكنز أهم روائي في التاريخ، وشكسبير أهم شاعر، ويزعم بأن الإنجليز هم من اخترعوا الرواية.
٣- هنالك فصل في الكتاب بعنوان "ثقافات ملونة" يتناول فيه المؤلف أدب السود وهذا الوصف يعد ضربًا من ضروب العنصرية في الغرب ولا أعرف كيف استطاع المؤلف تمريره.
٤- لا يوجد في الكتاب تسلسل منطقي لمراحل تطور الأدب فنجد المؤلف يقفز من موضوع إلى آخر ويدحش مواضيع مختلفة بطريقة عشوائية.
ما دفعني لإكمال الكتاب هو لغة المؤلف البسيطة والفكاهية أحيانًا والتي لم ينجح المترجم محمد درويش بنقلها بشكل جيد، وهو بالمناسبة من ترجم معظم أعمال الروائية التركية أليف شفق وقد سردت في مراجعات سابقة بعض الأخطاء التي وقع فيها في ترجمة رواياتها.
عمومًا، كوني اقتنيت كتابين من هذه السلسلة أتمنى أن يكون الكتاب الآخر وهو "مختصر تاريخ العلم" أفضل من هذا الكتاب 💔
March 13, 2021
B.R.A.CE. 2019
4 βιβλία του ίδιου Εκδοτικού Οίκου (3/4)
Ένα βιβλίο που είναι τόσο καλογραμμένο και ταυτόχρονα τόσο κατανοητό με θέμα την λογοτεχνία κι όλα αυτά που την αφορούν : είδη, τυπογραφία, ευπώλητα, ποίηση, βραβεία, πνευματικά δικαιώματα και τόσα άλλα. Τόσες ευκαιρίες για να ψάξω κι άλλα στο διαδίκτυο και να μάθω περισσότερα πράγματα για τα βιβλία που τόσο αγαπώ.
Το διάβασα σαν ebook από την ΕΒΕ. Θα μπεί στα προς αγορά γιατί είναι ένα βιβλίο που θέλω να ξαναδιαβάσω και να το έχω στην βιβλιοθήκη μου.
Ένα βιβλίο που είναι τόσο καλογραμμένο και ταυτόχρονα τόσο κατανοητό με θέμα την λογοτεχνία κι όλα αυτά που την αφορούν : είδη, τυπογραφία, ευπώλητα, ποίηση, βραβεία, πνευματικά δικαιώματα και τόσα άλλα. Τόσες ευκαιρίες για να ψάξω κι άλλα στο διαδίκτυο και να μάθω περισσότερα πράγματα για τα βιβλία που τόσο αγαπώ.
Το διάβασα σαν ebook από την ΕΒΕ. Θα μπεί στα προς αγορά γιατί είναι ένα βιβλίο που θέλω να ξαναδιαβάσω και να το έχω στην βιβλιοθήκη μου.
September 16, 2013
Disclaimer: Read via Netgalley.
I’m tempted just to give this a 4.5 rating simply because the line about the English Football team sent me into the zone of can’t stop cracking up. Fortunately, for non-football (you know, the REAL football) fans, this book has several other things going for it.
You might have heard of John Sutherland. He wrote those question books about literature, like Henry V War Criminal?. The books confront questions in literature and are well worth reading. This book is not like that. It is what it says it is – a short history of literature – written in a very easy to read almost chatty tone. If this book was a course, it would be the type that has a waiting list.
Sutherland starts with the question of what literature is and moves onto to myth. The book ends with a belief look at e-reading, including a very brief look at how fan fiction ties into literature. In many ways, the book is like that sightseeing bus tour that I keep seeing around every single city I go to. Here’s the high points, folks, type of thing. The difference is that while the bus may stop at Ford’s Theater to let people off, Sutherland strongly encourages you to go inside and then points out that you should visit the place across the street, walk a few books to that Chinese restaurant that use to be the boarding house, and plan a trip to Illinois.
It is this aspect that makes the book a joy to read even if you are a long time student or reader of literature. He might be telling you things you already know, but there is such joy in it. Not only that, Sutherland will most likely mention one author or book, even in passing that you haven’t read but now that he’s mentioned it you want to pick it up.
Part of this seems to come from Sutherland’s love of literature, and part of it seems to come from his look at literature related topics. I’ve read a few histories of English literature and this is the only history I’ve seen that actually addresses copyright, movies, ownership, and the reader among other things in chapters as opposed to asides in chapters about Yeats or whoever. Sutherland’s comments, in particular about the development of the reading public and influence of film on literature (or vice versa) are insightful and bring freshness to the style of book. It is like Fahrenheit 451, which Sutherland mentions as a response to the television. This book brings literary histories into the here and now, moving them out of academic circles. Unlike Bloom, this is done with a sense that the reading public is different than the academic reader. Bloom impresses you with his knowledge and ego. Sutherland just wants you to love literature as much as he does.
The book does contain a chapter on race and writing. There is attention to poetry. While feminist writing doesn’t get its own chapter, Sutherland does zero in on the topic not only in the section on Woolf, who gets her own chapter, but also on the Brontes and other women. There is a rather interesting chapter on censorship and another on empire. These make up for the fact that the book is largely English literature centric. At times, it does open up but the writers are pre-dominantly English language writers. At times, short sentences do awhile with a larger story, for example the comment about Wilde and his family. It’s true they were not a large part of his public life, but that wasn’t the only reason why they didn’t join him after his release from jail.
Still, Sutherland’s history is a wonderful history. Absolutely wonderful.
It has nice pictures too.
I’m tempted just to give this a 4.5 rating simply because the line about the English Football team sent me into the zone of can’t stop cracking up. Fortunately, for non-football (you know, the REAL football) fans, this book has several other things going for it.
You might have heard of John Sutherland. He wrote those question books about literature, like Henry V War Criminal?. The books confront questions in literature and are well worth reading. This book is not like that. It is what it says it is – a short history of literature – written in a very easy to read almost chatty tone. If this book was a course, it would be the type that has a waiting list.
Sutherland starts with the question of what literature is and moves onto to myth. The book ends with a belief look at e-reading, including a very brief look at how fan fiction ties into literature. In many ways, the book is like that sightseeing bus tour that I keep seeing around every single city I go to. Here’s the high points, folks, type of thing. The difference is that while the bus may stop at Ford’s Theater to let people off, Sutherland strongly encourages you to go inside and then points out that you should visit the place across the street, walk a few books to that Chinese restaurant that use to be the boarding house, and plan a trip to Illinois.
It is this aspect that makes the book a joy to read even if you are a long time student or reader of literature. He might be telling you things you already know, but there is such joy in it. Not only that, Sutherland will most likely mention one author or book, even in passing that you haven’t read but now that he’s mentioned it you want to pick it up.
Part of this seems to come from Sutherland’s love of literature, and part of it seems to come from his look at literature related topics. I’ve read a few histories of English literature and this is the only history I’ve seen that actually addresses copyright, movies, ownership, and the reader among other things in chapters as opposed to asides in chapters about Yeats or whoever. Sutherland’s comments, in particular about the development of the reading public and influence of film on literature (or vice versa) are insightful and bring freshness to the style of book. It is like Fahrenheit 451, which Sutherland mentions as a response to the television. This book brings literary histories into the here and now, moving them out of academic circles. Unlike Bloom, this is done with a sense that the reading public is different than the academic reader. Bloom impresses you with his knowledge and ego. Sutherland just wants you to love literature as much as he does.
The book does contain a chapter on race and writing. There is attention to poetry. While feminist writing doesn’t get its own chapter, Sutherland does zero in on the topic not only in the section on Woolf, who gets her own chapter, but also on the Brontes and other women. There is a rather interesting chapter on censorship and another on empire. These make up for the fact that the book is largely English literature centric. At times, it does open up but the writers are pre-dominantly English language writers. At times, short sentences do awhile with a larger story, for example the comment about Wilde and his family. It’s true they were not a large part of his public life, but that wasn’t the only reason why they didn’t join him after his release from jail.
Still, Sutherland’s history is a wonderful history. Absolutely wonderful.
It has nice pictures too.
November 21, 2019
Yorum yazan diğer okurlar gibi kitabın adı içeriğini tam yansıtmıyor. Anglo-sakson edebiyatı ve özellikle şiir ağırlıklı. Herşeye karşın çok sade ve derli-toplu güzel bilgiler veriyor. Derin analizler ve ayrıntılarla hiç yormuyor. Kendinize yararlı olacak birçok bilgiyi mutlaka bulacaksınız. Okumanızı öneririm.
June 18, 2021
A Little History by John Sutherland is a fantastic summary of the evolution of language and literature over the past few millennium, from the Greek Tragedies and epics of Homer, all the way to the present day.
To summarise and explain so much without skimming over details but also not going into to much depth is a feat in itself, and on top of this John Sutherland adds humour and energy, so that if you are not incredibly interested in the history of English literature, I believe that you will still enjoy this.
I learned so much reading this, and alongside this, A Little History of literature has exposed me to writers who I had not previously read, but now my TBR pile has risen sharply and I know that there are many more authors over the centuries that I need ro check out.
5/5 STARS
To summarise and explain so much without skimming over details but also not going into to much depth is a feat in itself, and on top of this John Sutherland adds humour and energy, so that if you are not incredibly interested in the history of English literature, I believe that you will still enjoy this.
I learned so much reading this, and alongside this, A Little History of literature has exposed me to writers who I had not previously read, but now my TBR pile has risen sharply and I know that there are many more authors over the centuries that I need ro check out.
5/5 STARS
September 9, 2019
“A Little History of Literature” (orijinal adı da aynıymış onu vurguluyorum burada, Alfa'lık bir durum yok) çok İngiliz / İngilizce bir kısa tarih olmuş. Tamam, ağırlıkları tartacak kadar edebiyata hakim değilim ama tüm yazarlara ayrılan bölümler İngiliz yazarlar, diğer birçok bölüm İngilizce eserler üzerinden dönüyor. Balzac, Goethe, Tolstoy ve Dostoyevski’nin bir iki yerde adları geçiyor (nezaketen sanırım). Hırs yaptım indeksi açtım:
(rakamlarımızda +/- olabilir, çok da didiklemedim benim manyaklığımın da bir sınırı var)
William Shakespeare: 40 (helal olsun yiğidime)
Jane Austen: 30
Charles Dickens: 26
Kraliçe Victoria: 23
Virginia Woolf: 17
Geoffrey Chaucer: 15
Thomas Hardy: 15
Eserleriyle birlikte toplarsak oranlar daha da ezici boyutlara ulaşacaktır. Konuyla ilgili başka bir şey dememe gerek yok sanırım. Açıkçası bu durumu protesto etmek amacıyla 3 yıldız verdim. Aslında gayet güzel bölümler mevcut daha fazla puanı hak ediyor diyebilirim.
Yazarın tercihlerini bir kenara bırakıp (nihayet) üzüm peşinde koşmaya başlayabiliriz,
1. Bölüm - Edebiyat Nedir?
"Edebiyat birçok anlayışlı kişinin hayatında önemli rol oynar. Evde, okulda, arkadaşlarımızdan ve daha bilge ve zeki kişilerden bir sürü şey öğreniriz. Ama bildiğimiz en kıymetli şeylerin birçoğu, okuduğumuz edebiyattan gelir. İyi okursak, kendi dönemimizin ve geçmişin en yaratıcı zihinleriyle sohbet etmiş oluruz. Edebiyat okuyarak geçirilen zaman, iyi geçirilmiş zamandır. Hiç kimse bunun aksini söyleyemez. "(13)
Edebiyat nasıl tanımlanır?
"...edebiyatı insan zihninin çevresindeki dünyayı ifade etme ve yorumlama yeteneğinin zirvesi olarak tanımlamak daha yerinde olacaktır." (17)
Neden edebiyat okuruz?
"Çünkü başka hiçbir şeyin başaramayacağı şekillerde hayatı zenginleştirir. Bizi daha insan kılar. Edebiyat okumayı ne kadar iyi ögrenirsek, bunu o kadar daha iyi yapar." (17)
7. Bölüm - Ozan
SHAKESPEARE
Şüphesiz en büyük İngiliz yazar. 👏👏👏👏👏
"Shakespeare’i “açıklamayı” hiçbir zaman başaramayacağız ve bu beyhude bir çaba. Bunun yerine Shakespeare’in başarılarını takdir edebiliriz ve tablo çok eksik olsa da onu İngiliz dilindeki en büyük yazar kılan şeylerin ipuçlarını bulmak için hayatını anahatlarıyla çizebiliriz..." (62)
Birden fazla Shakespeare iddiası vardır bilirsiniz. Yazar bunu makul bulmuyor. (68)
Kitap Tavsiyeleri:
- Kuru Gürültü
- Kısasa Kısas
11. Bölüm - Edebiyatın “Sahibi” Kim?
BASIM, YAYIN VE TELİF HAKKI
“Yazarın emeğinin ürünü olduğu için kitaplardan söz ederken İngilizcede ‘edebi eser’ anlamına gelen ‘work of literature’ ifadesini kullanırız. Yayıncılar bu edebi eserler için İngilizcede 'sahiplik' anlamına gelen ‘title’ sözcüğü kullanılır. Son olarak kitaplar çoğaltılıp satışa sunulduğunda birer ‘kopya’ olur: Şu anda elinizde benim eserimin bir kopyasını bulunduruyorsunuz. Bu tarafların her biri esere farklı biçimde 'sahip olur.' Kitapseverlerin buluştuğu bir parti düşünün. Partinin ev sahibi, zengin kitaplığını göstererek gururlu bir ifadeyle 'Bunlar da benim kitaplarım!' der. Kitaplığı gözden geçiren bir yazar neşeyle 'Görüyorum ki benim kitaplarımdan birine sahipsiniz - hoşunuza gitti mi?' diye sorar. Kitapları inceleyen bir yayıncıysa 'Bizim kitaplarımızdan birçoğuna sahip olduğunuzu görmek mutluluk verici' der. Bir anlamda hepsi haklıdır: Ev sahibi fiziksel objelere, yazar orijinal sözcüklere ve yayıncı da özel formata sahiptir. Bu günümüzde bir kitabın yazılması, yayımlanması ve satın alınmasıyla ilgili birçok farklı kişi ve sürece işaret eder. “ (99)
12.BÖLÜM - Kurgu Evi
“Bütün iyi kurgular gibi Don Kişot da bizi ikilemde bırakır. Ahmak mı yoksa cana yakın bir idealist mi? Bu belirsizlik, öyküden yola çıkılarak genel olarak kullanılmaya başlanan ‘donkişotvari’ sözcüğünde kendini gösterir.” (111)
“... Ancak 1688’de yayımlanan Oroonoko (Soylu Köle) adlı kurgu öyküsü, haklı olarak Behn’in başyapıtı olarak kabul edilir. Arphra Behn, Wesminister Katedraline defnedildi; bu onura layık görülen ilk kadın yazardı. Virginia Woolf, Behn’in mezarının başında ‘Bütün kadınlar birleşip onun mezarına çiçekler bırakmalı… Çünkü kadınların konuşma hakkını Aphra Behn kazandırdı’ demiştir. ” (114)
Henry James romanı "kurgu evi" olarak nitelendirirmiş. (bölüm başlığına ithafen)
15. Bölüm - Romantik Devrimciler
1789-1832 arası diyor. Fransız Devrimiyle başlayan bir süreç. Özünde ideoloji bulunan ilk edebi hareket. İdeoloji dünyayı değiştirmeyi amaçlar, Romantizmin özünde de bu vardır. “Edebiyatın yazılma ve okunma şeklini sonsuza dek değiştirmiştir” der yazarımız.
18. Bölüm - Dev Dickens
“Charles Dickens’ın (1812-70) gelmiş geçmiş en usta İngiliz romancı olduğuna çok az kişi karşı çıkacaktır. ‘Tartışmaya bile gerek’ yok diyebiliriz. Kendisinin eşsiz olduğunu düşünen ve kendini tarif ederken ‘Taklit Edilmez’ sıfatını kullanan Dickens bırakın bu tür bir sorunun sorulmasını, bunun düşünülmüş olmasını bile saygısızlık kabul edip öfkeli bakışlar fırlatabilirdi.” (161)
Bu kadar mütevazi olmasaydın üstadım gerçek sanan olur bak. :)
Yazar Dickens’ın gelmiş geçmiş en büyük romancı olduğunu iddia eder ve bunu beş maddeyle açıklar, kitaptan bakabilirsiniz. (163-169)
Edebiyatın bütün büyük yazarları gibi Dickens da sadece büyük eserler vermekle kalmamış, aynı zamanda başkalarının da büyük eserler vermesine yol açmıştır. (165)
Kitap Tavsiyesi:
- Büyük Umutlar
- Oliver Twist
- Kasvetli Ev
- Müşterek Dostumuz
25. Bölüm - Tehlikeli Kitaplar
EDEBİYAT VE SANSÜR
Milton, ifade özgürlüğünüü işleyen Areopagitica (1644) adlı eserinde şu ifadelere yer verdi:
“İyi bir kitabı öldürmek neredeyse bir insanı öldürmekle aynıdır: Bir insanı öldüren kişi aklını kullanan bir canlıyı, Tanrı’nın suretini öldürür; iyi bir kitabı yok eden kişiyse aklın kendisini öldürür…” (225)
Nerdeyse İkinci Dünya Savaşı sonuna kadar sansür var her yerde. Fransa'da nispeten az.
Çok güzel bir bölüm, ufuk açıcı. 🤔🤔🤔
29. Bölüm Kendine Ait Bir Edebiyat
WOOLF
“Woolf hayattayken eserlerinin satış rakamları yüzleri geçmemişti.” (262) :(
“Woolf’un Kendine Ait Bir Oda adlı eseri, edebi feminizmin temel metinlerinden biri haline gelmiştir. Woolf bu eserinde kadınların edebiyat üretebilmek için kendi alanını ve maddi gücünü elinde bulundurması gerektiğini ileri sürer. Kadın, evin erkeği için akşam yemeği pişirdikten ve çocukları güven içinde yatağına yatırdıktan sonra mutfak masasında edebi eserler yazamaz... Kendine Ait Bir Oda ateşli bir öfke yüklüdür. Binlerce yıldır edebiyatın dengesini bozan eşitsizlikleri ortadan kaldırmak ve adaleti sağlamak için kararlılığını ortaya koyar. Kadının sesi artık bastırılmamalıdır... (263)”
Mrs. Dalloway üzerinden “bilinç akışı” tekniğinden bahsediyor. O kısımları da incelemeye değer. 267-269 arası.
Kitap Tavsiyesi
- Kendine Ait Bir Oda (İtirafımdır: ben başladıydım buna ama kitap bir türlü başlamadıydı)
30. Bölüm - Cesur Yeni Dünyalar
ÜTOPYALAR VE KARŞI ÜTOPYALAR
“Ütopya tam anlamıyla ‘iyi yer’ demek olan Antik Yunanca sözcüktür.” (270)
Bazı yazarlar da şimdi yaşadığımız dünyadan daha iyisini yaratmaktan uzaklaştığımızı düşünür. 19. Yüzyılda şehirleşme ve Sanayi Devrimi nedeniyle yitirilen romantikleştirilmiş ortaçağ adetlerine duyulan bir özlem vardır. Sadeliğe geri dönüşü savunan bu ütopyalar geçmişe özlem duyar. (271)
“... Edebiyat en çok eleştirel, şüpheci ve açıkça kavgacı bir tutum benimsediği zaman okunur. ‘Karşı Ütopya’ adı verilen eserler, daha canlı bir okuma deneyimi sunar ve okuyucuyu geçmişteki, günümüzdeki ve gelecekteki toplumlar hakkında daha fazla düşünmeye sevk eder. ” (272)
“Bradbury açıkça 1930’larda Nazilerin kitapları yakmasından ilham almıştır.” (273)
31. Bölüm - Sihirbazlık Seti
KARMAŞIK ANLATILAR
“Kurgu, hedefi doğru belirlenirse toplumsal bir reformun öncüsü olabilir.” (279)
“Kurgudan hayatımızda bize yardımcı olacak şeyleri seçip alırız. Edebiyat en görkemli haliyle bize hayattaki en önemli şeylerin ne olduğunu gösterebilir…
Ancak burada kurgunun yaptığı en ilginç şeylerden birini ele almak istiyorum: Kurgu kendi kendini keşfeder, kendisiyle oyunlar oynar ve kendi sınırlarını ve becerilerini test eder. Kurgu en çok kendini bilen ve en oyunbaz olan türdür. Bu bölümde kurgunun ‘sihirbazlık setini inceleyeceğiz. Bunlara romanlar hakkındaki romanlar da diyebilirsiniz. “ (280)
“Romanlarını gerçek anlamda paramparça eden yazarlar da çıkmıştır. Örneğin b.S. Johnson, The Unfortunates (1969) adlı romanını ciltlenmemiş bir şekilde yayımlamıştır. Okurlar deste halindeki sayfaları dilediği sırayla okuyabilir. Tam bir sihirbazlık seti. Kütüphaneciler ve okurlar için eğlenceli bir uğraş.” (287)
Kitaba vereceğim puanı arttıracak cinsten bir bölümdü. (artıramadı, domuz gibiyim ya, ver işte dört-beş, yok ya yukarıda Edebiyat Tanrıları var, olur mu öyle hiç)
Kitap Tavsiyesi:
- Tristram Shandy Beyefendi'nin Hayatı ve Görüşleri, Laurence Sterne
- 10 ½ Bölümde Dünya Tarihi, Julian Barnes
- Pamuk prenses, Donald Barthelme
- Bir Kış Gecesi Eğer Bir Yolcu, Italo Calvino
32. Bölüm - Sayfaların Dışında
FİLM, TELEVİZYON VE SAHNEDE EDEBİYAT
“İtalyanca Traduttore, traditore deyiminde ifade edildiği gibi çevirinin orijinal metne ‘ihanet’ olduğu söylenebilir. O halde uyarlama bir adım daha ileri giderek orjinal metnin gülünç bir taklidini mi sunar? Yoksa zenginleştirir mi? …” (296)
33. Bölüm - Absürd Varoluşlar
Edebiyatta en çok merak uyandıran açılış cümlelerinin listesi yapılsaydı, aşağıdaki cümle kesinlikle ilk on içinde yer alırdı:
“Gregor Samsa sıkıntılı ruyalarla geçen bir gecenin ardından sabah gözlerini açtığında kendini yatağında dev bir böceğe dönüşmüş halde buldu.” (297)
Kafka veremden 40 yaşında ölmüş. Max Brod vasiyetini dinlese tüm kitapları yakılacak. (298)
Kitap Tavsiyesi:
- Şato, Kafka
36. Bölüm - Büyülü Gerçeklik
Edebiyatın en parlak dönemlerinden biri diyor “Büyülü Gerçeklik” zamanını. Güney Amerika'ya sevgilerle.
Kitap tavsiyesi:
- Teneke Trampet, Günter Grass
- Gece Yarısı Çocukları, Salman Rüşdi
- Mağara, Saramago
40. Bölüm Edebiyat Ömrümüzde... Ve Ötesinde
Edebiyatın geleceği üzerine güzel bir zihin jimnastiği.
Diğer Kitap Tavsiyeleri:
- Moby Dick, Herman Melville
- Soylu Köle (Oroonoko), Aphra Behn
- Gurur ve Önyargı, Jane Austen
- Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
- Uğultulu Tepeler, Emily Brontë
- Ciddi Olmanın Önemi, Wilde
- Tom Amcanın Kulübesi, Harriet Beecher Stowe
- Gazap Üzümleri, John Steinbeck
- Tom Sawyer'ın maceraları, Mark Twain (Twain’le de yeni kapıştık, nasıl olacaksa)
- Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
- Adsız Sansız Bir Jude, Thomas Hardy
- Karanlığın Yüreği, Joseph Conrad
- Kapıcı, Harold Pinter
- Rosencrantz ve Guildenstern Öldüler, Tom Stoppard
Not: kitap tavsiyeleri dediğim kısa tarihte geçen kitaplardan benim okumadıklarım arasından seçtiklerim, zaten bir şey de okumamışım. :((
(rakamlarımızda +/- olabilir, çok da didiklemedim benim manyaklığımın da bir sınırı var)
William Shakespeare: 40 (helal olsun yiğidime)
Jane Austen: 30
Charles Dickens: 26
Kraliçe Victoria: 23
Virginia Woolf: 17
Geoffrey Chaucer: 15
Thomas Hardy: 15
Eserleriyle birlikte toplarsak oranlar daha da ezici boyutlara ulaşacaktır. Konuyla ilgili başka bir şey dememe gerek yok sanırım. Açıkçası bu durumu protesto etmek amacıyla 3 yıldız verdim. Aslında gayet güzel bölümler mevcut daha fazla puanı hak ediyor diyebilirim.
Yazarın tercihlerini bir kenara bırakıp (nihayet) üzüm peşinde koşmaya başlayabiliriz,
1. Bölüm - Edebiyat Nedir?
"Edebiyat birçok anlayışlı kişinin hayatında önemli rol oynar. Evde, okulda, arkadaşlarımızdan ve daha bilge ve zeki kişilerden bir sürü şey öğreniriz. Ama bildiğimiz en kıymetli şeylerin birçoğu, okuduğumuz edebiyattan gelir. İyi okursak, kendi dönemimizin ve geçmişin en yaratıcı zihinleriyle sohbet etmiş oluruz. Edebiyat okuyarak geçirilen zaman, iyi geçirilmiş zamandır. Hiç kimse bunun aksini söyleyemez. "(13)
Edebiyat nasıl tanımlanır?
"...edebiyatı insan zihninin çevresindeki dünyayı ifade etme ve yorumlama yeteneğinin zirvesi olarak tanımlamak daha yerinde olacaktır." (17)
Neden edebiyat okuruz?
"Çünkü başka hiçbir şeyin başaramayacağı şekillerde hayatı zenginleştirir. Bizi daha insan kılar. Edebiyat okumayı ne kadar iyi ögrenirsek, bunu o kadar daha iyi yapar." (17)
7. Bölüm - Ozan
SHAKESPEARE
Şüphesiz en büyük İngiliz yazar. 👏👏👏👏👏
"Shakespeare’i “açıklamayı” hiçbir zaman başaramayacağız ve bu beyhude bir çaba. Bunun yerine Shakespeare’in başarılarını takdir edebiliriz ve tablo çok eksik olsa da onu İngiliz dilindeki en büyük yazar kılan şeylerin ipuçlarını bulmak için hayatını anahatlarıyla çizebiliriz..." (62)
Birden fazla Shakespeare iddiası vardır bilirsiniz. Yazar bunu makul bulmuyor. (68)
Kitap Tavsiyeleri:
- Kuru Gürültü
- Kısasa Kısas
11. Bölüm - Edebiyatın “Sahibi” Kim?
BASIM, YAYIN VE TELİF HAKKI
“Yazarın emeğinin ürünü olduğu için kitaplardan söz ederken İngilizcede ‘edebi eser’ anlamına gelen ‘work of literature’ ifadesini kullanırız. Yayıncılar bu edebi eserler için İngilizcede 'sahiplik' anlamına gelen ‘title’ sözcüğü kullanılır. Son olarak kitaplar çoğaltılıp satışa sunulduğunda birer ‘kopya’ olur: Şu anda elinizde benim eserimin bir kopyasını bulunduruyorsunuz. Bu tarafların her biri esere farklı biçimde 'sahip olur.' Kitapseverlerin buluştuğu bir parti düşünün. Partinin ev sahibi, zengin kitaplığını göstererek gururlu bir ifadeyle 'Bunlar da benim kitaplarım!' der. Kitaplığı gözden geçiren bir yazar neşeyle 'Görüyorum ki benim kitaplarımdan birine sahipsiniz - hoşunuza gitti mi?' diye sorar. Kitapları inceleyen bir yayıncıysa 'Bizim kitaplarımızdan birçoğuna sahip olduğunuzu görmek mutluluk verici' der. Bir anlamda hepsi haklıdır: Ev sahibi fiziksel objelere, yazar orijinal sözcüklere ve yayıncı da özel formata sahiptir. Bu günümüzde bir kitabın yazılması, yayımlanması ve satın alınmasıyla ilgili birçok farklı kişi ve sürece işaret eder. “ (99)
12.BÖLÜM - Kurgu Evi
“Bütün iyi kurgular gibi Don Kişot da bizi ikilemde bırakır. Ahmak mı yoksa cana yakın bir idealist mi? Bu belirsizlik, öyküden yola çıkılarak genel olarak kullanılmaya başlanan ‘donkişotvari’ sözcüğünde kendini gösterir.” (111)
“... Ancak 1688’de yayımlanan Oroonoko (Soylu Köle) adlı kurgu öyküsü, haklı olarak Behn’in başyapıtı olarak kabul edilir. Arphra Behn, Wesminister Katedraline defnedildi; bu onura layık görülen ilk kadın yazardı. Virginia Woolf, Behn’in mezarının başında ‘Bütün kadınlar birleşip onun mezarına çiçekler bırakmalı… Çünkü kadınların konuşma hakkını Aphra Behn kazandırdı’ demiştir. ” (114)
Henry James romanı "kurgu evi" olarak nitelendirirmiş. (bölüm başlığına ithafen)
15. Bölüm - Romantik Devrimciler
1789-1832 arası diyor. Fransız Devrimiyle başlayan bir süreç. Özünde ideoloji bulunan ilk edebi hareket. İdeoloji dünyayı değiştirmeyi amaçlar, Romantizmin özünde de bu vardır. “Edebiyatın yazılma ve okunma şeklini sonsuza dek değiştirmiştir” der yazarımız.
18. Bölüm - Dev Dickens
“Charles Dickens’ın (1812-70) gelmiş geçmiş en usta İngiliz romancı olduğuna çok az kişi karşı çıkacaktır. ‘Tartışmaya bile gerek’ yok diyebiliriz. Kendisinin eşsiz olduğunu düşünen ve kendini tarif ederken ‘Taklit Edilmez’ sıfatını kullanan Dickens bırakın bu tür bir sorunun sorulmasını, bunun düşünülmüş olmasını bile saygısızlık kabul edip öfkeli bakışlar fırlatabilirdi.” (161)
Bu kadar mütevazi olmasaydın üstadım gerçek sanan olur bak. :)
Yazar Dickens’ın gelmiş geçmiş en büyük romancı olduğunu iddia eder ve bunu beş maddeyle açıklar, kitaptan bakabilirsiniz. (163-169)
Edebiyatın bütün büyük yazarları gibi Dickens da sadece büyük eserler vermekle kalmamış, aynı zamanda başkalarının da büyük eserler vermesine yol açmıştır. (165)
Kitap Tavsiyesi:
- Büyük Umutlar
- Oliver Twist
- Kasvetli Ev
- Müşterek Dostumuz
25. Bölüm - Tehlikeli Kitaplar
EDEBİYAT VE SANSÜR
Milton, ifade özgürlüğünüü işleyen Areopagitica (1644) adlı eserinde şu ifadelere yer verdi:
“İyi bir kitabı öldürmek neredeyse bir insanı öldürmekle aynıdır: Bir insanı öldüren kişi aklını kullanan bir canlıyı, Tanrı’nın suretini öldürür; iyi bir kitabı yok eden kişiyse aklın kendisini öldürür…” (225)
Nerdeyse İkinci Dünya Savaşı sonuna kadar sansür var her yerde. Fransa'da nispeten az.
Çok güzel bir bölüm, ufuk açıcı. 🤔🤔🤔
29. Bölüm Kendine Ait Bir Edebiyat
WOOLF
“Woolf hayattayken eserlerinin satış rakamları yüzleri geçmemişti.” (262) :(
“Woolf’un Kendine Ait Bir Oda adlı eseri, edebi feminizmin temel metinlerinden biri haline gelmiştir. Woolf bu eserinde kadınların edebiyat üretebilmek için kendi alanını ve maddi gücünü elinde bulundurması gerektiğini ileri sürer. Kadın, evin erkeği için akşam yemeği pişirdikten ve çocukları güven içinde yatağına yatırdıktan sonra mutfak masasında edebi eserler yazamaz... Kendine Ait Bir Oda ateşli bir öfke yüklüdür. Binlerce yıldır edebiyatın dengesini bozan eşitsizlikleri ortadan kaldırmak ve adaleti sağlamak için kararlılığını ortaya koyar. Kadının sesi artık bastırılmamalıdır... (263)”
Mrs. Dalloway üzerinden “bilinç akışı” tekniğinden bahsediyor. O kısımları da incelemeye değer. 267-269 arası.
Kitap Tavsiyesi
- Kendine Ait Bir Oda (İtirafımdır: ben başladıydım buna ama kitap bir türlü başlamadıydı)
30. Bölüm - Cesur Yeni Dünyalar
ÜTOPYALAR VE KARŞI ÜTOPYALAR
“Ütopya tam anlamıyla ‘iyi yer’ demek olan Antik Yunanca sözcüktür.” (270)
Bazı yazarlar da şimdi yaşadığımız dünyadan daha iyisini yaratmaktan uzaklaştığımızı düşünür. 19. Yüzyılda şehirleşme ve Sanayi Devrimi nedeniyle yitirilen romantikleştirilmiş ortaçağ adetlerine duyulan bir özlem vardır. Sadeliğe geri dönüşü savunan bu ütopyalar geçmişe özlem duyar. (271)
“... Edebiyat en çok eleştirel, şüpheci ve açıkça kavgacı bir tutum benimsediği zaman okunur. ‘Karşı Ütopya’ adı verilen eserler, daha canlı bir okuma deneyimi sunar ve okuyucuyu geçmişteki, günümüzdeki ve gelecekteki toplumlar hakkında daha fazla düşünmeye sevk eder. ” (272)
“Bradbury açıkça 1930’larda Nazilerin kitapları yakmasından ilham almıştır.” (273)
31. Bölüm - Sihirbazlık Seti
KARMAŞIK ANLATILAR
“Kurgu, hedefi doğru belirlenirse toplumsal bir reformun öncüsü olabilir.” (279)
“Kurgudan hayatımızda bize yardımcı olacak şeyleri seçip alırız. Edebiyat en görkemli haliyle bize hayattaki en önemli şeylerin ne olduğunu gösterebilir…
Ancak burada kurgunun yaptığı en ilginç şeylerden birini ele almak istiyorum: Kurgu kendi kendini keşfeder, kendisiyle oyunlar oynar ve kendi sınırlarını ve becerilerini test eder. Kurgu en çok kendini bilen ve en oyunbaz olan türdür. Bu bölümde kurgunun ‘sihirbazlık setini inceleyeceğiz. Bunlara romanlar hakkındaki romanlar da diyebilirsiniz. “ (280)
“Romanlarını gerçek anlamda paramparça eden yazarlar da çıkmıştır. Örneğin b.S. Johnson, The Unfortunates (1969) adlı romanını ciltlenmemiş bir şekilde yayımlamıştır. Okurlar deste halindeki sayfaları dilediği sırayla okuyabilir. Tam bir sihirbazlık seti. Kütüphaneciler ve okurlar için eğlenceli bir uğraş.” (287)
Kitaba vereceğim puanı arttıracak cinsten bir bölümdü. (artıramadı, domuz gibiyim ya, ver işte dört-beş, yok ya yukarıda Edebiyat Tanrıları var, olur mu öyle hiç)
Kitap Tavsiyesi:
- Tristram Shandy Beyefendi'nin Hayatı ve Görüşleri, Laurence Sterne
- 10 ½ Bölümde Dünya Tarihi, Julian Barnes
- Pamuk prenses, Donald Barthelme
- Bir Kış Gecesi Eğer Bir Yolcu, Italo Calvino
32. Bölüm - Sayfaların Dışında
FİLM, TELEVİZYON VE SAHNEDE EDEBİYAT
“İtalyanca Traduttore, traditore deyiminde ifade edildiği gibi çevirinin orijinal metne ‘ihanet’ olduğu söylenebilir. O halde uyarlama bir adım daha ileri giderek orjinal metnin gülünç bir taklidini mi sunar? Yoksa zenginleştirir mi? …” (296)
33. Bölüm - Absürd Varoluşlar
Edebiyatta en çok merak uyandıran açılış cümlelerinin listesi yapılsaydı, aşağıdaki cümle kesinlikle ilk on içinde yer alırdı:
“Gregor Samsa sıkıntılı ruyalarla geçen bir gecenin ardından sabah gözlerini açtığında kendini yatağında dev bir böceğe dönüşmüş halde buldu.” (297)
Kafka veremden 40 yaşında ölmüş. Max Brod vasiyetini dinlese tüm kitapları yakılacak. (298)
Kitap Tavsiyesi:
- Şato, Kafka
36. Bölüm - Büyülü Gerçeklik
Edebiyatın en parlak dönemlerinden biri diyor “Büyülü Gerçeklik” zamanını. Güney Amerika'ya sevgilerle.
Kitap tavsiyesi:
- Teneke Trampet, Günter Grass
- Gece Yarısı Çocukları, Salman Rüşdi
- Mağara, Saramago
40. Bölüm Edebiyat Ömrümüzde... Ve Ötesinde
Edebiyatın geleceği üzerine güzel bir zihin jimnastiği.
Diğer Kitap Tavsiyeleri:
- Moby Dick, Herman Melville
- Soylu Köle (Oroonoko), Aphra Behn
- Gurur ve Önyargı, Jane Austen
- Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
- Uğultulu Tepeler, Emily Brontë
- Ciddi Olmanın Önemi, Wilde
- Tom Amcanın Kulübesi, Harriet Beecher Stowe
- Gazap Üzümleri, John Steinbeck
- Tom Sawyer'ın maceraları, Mark Twain (Twain’le de yeni kapıştık, nasıl olacaksa)
- Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
- Adsız Sansız Bir Jude, Thomas Hardy
- Karanlığın Yüreği, Joseph Conrad
- Kapıcı, Harold Pinter
- Rosencrantz ve Guildenstern Öldüler, Tom Stoppard
Not: kitap tavsiyeleri dediğim kısa tarihte geçen kitaplardan benim okumadıklarım arasından seçtiklerim, zaten bir şey de okumamışım. :((
February 2, 2019
ฟังจาก podcast รู้มาว่าพนักงานร้าน readery ทุกคนต้องอ่านเล่มนี้ เลยหามาอ่านบ้าง เป็นสารคดีเกี่ยวกับวรรณกรรมที่อ่านง่ายแถมเนื้อหาเล่าได้ครอบคลุมตั้งแต่เริ่มมีเรื่องเล่า เลยไปถึงยุคของอีบุ๊คแฟนฟิก คิดว่าต้องเป็น non fiction แห่งปีของเราแน่ โดยปกติจะอ่านงานที่ไม่ใช่นิยายได้ช้ามากแถมอ่านไม่ค่อยจบ แต่เล่มนี้อ่านได้ไหลลื่น เพราะมันพูดถึงนิยายตลอดทั้งเล่มนั่นเอง
January 11, 2021
للاسف العنوان مضلل بشكل كبير فهو لا يقدم تاريخ الأدب في العموم و لكن تاريخ الأدب في انجلترا و شيئا ما في أمريكا
February 3, 2019
หนังสือเปิดบทแรกด้วยคำถาม ถ้าต้องติดเกาะร้างไปตลอดชีวิต คุณจะเลือกหนังสือเล่มไหนติดตัวไป เลือกได้แค่หนึ่งเล่มเท่านั้น แนวคิดก็คือ หนังสือมีจำนวนมหาศาล แต่ชีวิตคนเรานั้นสั้น มีเวลาจำกัด เราต้องเลือก เลือกเล่มที่สันดาปกับสันดาน เล่มที่มันอัดกระแทก เล่มที่ส่งสารกระตุ้นแทรกเข้าเส้นเลือดดำมุ่งสู่หัวใจ เล่มที่ปล่อยแสง มีออร่า เล่มที่เราสามารถมุดหัวเข้าไปแล้วจมดิ่งหายไปเลย อิอิอิ แต่เล่มไหนล่ะ ในเมื่อมันมีหลากหลายเหลือเกิน หนังสือเล่มนี้จึงแนะนำนักเขียนสำคัญๆ และโครงการของแต่ละคน จำกัดเฉพาะวรรณกรรม (วรรณกรรมคืออะไร) เริ่มตั้งแต่เรื่องเล่ายุคแรกๆ ไล่เรียงมา ก็คงไม่ได้ครอบคลุมทั้งหมดหรอก แบบนั้นคงมากไป แต่พอเป็นไกด์ เป็นแนวทางน่ะนะ ลองอ่านดูว่าเราสนใจเรื่องเล่าของยุคสมัยไหนก็จะมีนักเขียนคนนั้นคนนี้ที่มีแนวคิดแบบนั้นแบบนี้ ให้เราลิสต์ไว้ สร้างห้องสมุดในจินตนาการขึ้นมา ใครคิดว่าตัวเองจะตายเร็วหน่อยก็เลือกสักร้อยเล่มเน้นๆ ร้อยเล่มที่ต้องอ่านก่อนตายเขียนแปะฝาบ้านไว้ แล้วถ้ามีเวลาเหลือล่ะก็นะ เลือกเล่มที่มันบันเทิงเริงรมย์บ้าง แบบอ่านสนุกไม่ต้องซีเรียสมาก ไม่ต้องรู้สึกผิดเพราะเรามีเล่มที่ซีเรียสอยู่ในลิสต์ตั้งร้อยเล่มแล้วไง ทีนี้จากไอเดียข้างต้น นำไปสู่คำถามอื่นอีก เช่น เรารู้อยู่ว่านับวันหนังสือยิ่งเพิ่มจำนวนมากขึ้นทบทวี ตลอดชั่วชีวิตเราแน่ใจได้เลยว่าอ่านไม่หมดแน่ๆ แม้เฉพาะเล่มที่อยู่บนชั้นหนังสือเล็กๆ ของเราก็คงจะอ่านไม่หมด ผมเชื่อว่านักอ่านหลายๆ คนเป็นอย่างนั้น ในทางหนึ่งถ้าเราจะมุ่งไปแนวระนาบ คืออ่านอย่างหลากหลายและกว้างขวาง ขอบเขตการอ่านของเราจะไปได้ไกลสักแค่ไหนในช่วงชีวิตสั้นๆ นี้ หรือเราควรจะมุ่งไปสักทาง อาจจะในแนวดิ่ง
October 9, 2018
“Neden edebiyat okuruz?Çünkü başka hiçbir şeyin başaramayacağı şekillerde hayatı zenginleştirir.Bizi daha insan kılar.Edebiyat okumayı ne kadar iyi öğrenirsek,bunu o kadar daha iyi yapar.”
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Edebiyatın kısa tarihi,kırk başlıktan oluşan kırk saatlik bir ders niteliğinde.Bu dersler kilit noktaları sunmakla birlikte perdelerin ardını da gösteriyor,sizi meraklandırıyor,notlar aldırıyor,edebiyatın nasıl da geniş olduğuna dair ön bilgiler veriyor.Mitlerden,ilk öykü çalışmalarına,büyülü gerçekçilikten günümüz e-kitaplarına uzanan bir yolculuk.Ama uzun yolda dinlemeyi tercih ettiğiniz şarkılar tadında.Hem yolu takip ediyorsunuz hem de notaların zihninize yeni kapılar açmasına izin veriyorsunuz.
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John Sutherland edebiyat yetkinliğini hissettiriyor her alt başlıkta.Daha çok İngilizce üretilmiş eserlerden bahsedilmesi ise anlaşılabilecek bir durum.
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Diğer bir ayrıntı: pek çok yazar ve eser,alıntı,tarihsel notlar ve spesifik bilgiler taşıyan bir kitabın çevirisinin ne denli çetrefilli olabileceğini tahmin edersiniz.Tufan Çöbekçin ise yaptığı çeviri ile okuma keyfimi daha da üst noktaya taşıdı.
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Velhasıl ,döne döne bakacağım bir rehber kitap oldu kendileri.Sindirerek,keyfini çıkara çıkara okudum.Kimi yerlerde sinsi sinsi güldüm,yazarın geleceğe dair düşüncelerine hak verdim,anlatım tarzı ve seçtiği örnekler karşısında ise (kabul ediyorum bir miktar kıskançlık ile) hayran kaldım.
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Edebiyatın kısa tarihi,kırk başlıktan oluşan kırk saatlik bir ders niteliğinde.Bu dersler kilit noktaları sunmakla birlikte perdelerin ardını da gösteriyor,sizi meraklandırıyor,notlar aldırıyor,edebiyatın nasıl da geniş olduğuna dair ön bilgiler veriyor.Mitlerden,ilk öykü çalışmalarına,büyülü gerçekçilikten günümüz e-kitaplarına uzanan bir yolculuk.Ama uzun yolda dinlemeyi tercih ettiğiniz şarkılar tadında.Hem yolu takip ediyorsunuz hem de notaların zihninize yeni kapılar açmasına izin veriyorsunuz.
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John Sutherland edebiyat yetkinliğini hissettiriyor her alt başlıkta.Daha çok İngilizce üretilmiş eserlerden bahsedilmesi ise anlaşılabilecek bir durum.
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Diğer bir ayrıntı: pek çok yazar ve eser,alıntı,tarihsel notlar ve spesifik bilgiler taşıyan bir kitabın çevirisinin ne denli çetrefilli olabileceğini tahmin edersiniz.Tufan Çöbekçin ise yaptığı çeviri ile okuma keyfimi daha da üst noktaya taşıdı.
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Velhasıl ,döne döne bakacağım bir rehber kitap oldu kendileri.Sindirerek,keyfini çıkara çıkara okudum.Kimi yerlerde sinsi sinsi güldüm,yazarın geleceğe dair düşüncelerine hak verdim,anlatım tarzı ve seçtiği örnekler karşısında ise (kabul ediyorum bir miktar kıskançlık ile) hayran kaldım.
September 27, 2018
Earlier this year, I was in London for work and had the fortunate pleasure of spending a couple of hours in the huge Waterstones bookstore in Piccadilly. One particular display which caught my eye was a series called "Little History", which encompassed topics such as The World, Philosophy, Science, Economics, Religion and the one which beckoned most to me, Literature.
Having spent a significant span of my reading life in the science fiction & fantasy genres, with the occasional venture into thrillers, biographies and other non-fiction, I felt that it was time for me to explore the wider world of literature. And more importantly, the adult classics; I had more exposure to children's classics but my repertoire was almost solely SFF when I reached my teenage years. As such, I hoped that by reading this book, I was able to better appreciate how classics (some more than others, I'm sure) shaped the history and development of literature, and which are the ones which I should attempt to include into my reading list.
One thing for certain, this is written by an author who really knows his stuff and is passionate about books. There was indubitably a vast amount of research that went behind putting this volume together. That it was so well-written and appropriately arranged by motifs or topics only made the book even more fascinating to read. In 40 chapters, Sutherland wrote not only about the important works that changed the face of literature throughout the ages but also about the historical events that propagated such literary works. He also digressed into other themes such as censorship, book awards, and how progress changed the way literature is consumed.
Most notably, the narrative does not preach nor does it instruct - it enlightens. What I got out of the book was not disdain for the vast amount of genre fiction that I have read, but a better understanding of what else I should or could read if I so desire to widen my perspective on literature. I highly recommend this book to readers who wish to understand more about the evolution of literature, and/or further expand their reading horizons.
PS: I couldn't have chosen a more appropriate book to wrap up my reading challenge for the year!
Having spent a significant span of my reading life in the science fiction & fantasy genres, with the occasional venture into thrillers, biographies and other non-fiction, I felt that it was time for me to explore the wider world of literature. And more importantly, the adult classics; I had more exposure to children's classics but my repertoire was almost solely SFF when I reached my teenage years. As such, I hoped that by reading this book, I was able to better appreciate how classics (some more than others, I'm sure) shaped the history and development of literature, and which are the ones which I should attempt to include into my reading list.
What you are holding is, as the title says, a 'little history', but literature is not a little thing. There is hugely more of it than any of us will read in a lifetime. As best what we can put together is an intelligent sample, and the most important decision to make is how to assemble our selection. This little history is not a manual ('Read this!') but advice, along the lines of, 'You may find this valuable, because many others have, but, at the end of the day, you must decide for yourself'.
One thing for certain, this is written by an author who really knows his stuff and is passionate about books. There was indubitably a vast amount of research that went behind putting this volume together. That it was so well-written and appropriately arranged by motifs or topics only made the book even more fascinating to read. In 40 chapters, Sutherland wrote not only about the important works that changed the face of literature throughout the ages but also about the historical events that propagated such literary works. He also digressed into other themes such as censorship, book awards, and how progress changed the way literature is consumed.
Most notably, the narrative does not preach nor does it instruct - it enlightens. What I got out of the book was not disdain for the vast amount of genre fiction that I have read, but a better understanding of what else I should or could read if I so desire to widen my perspective on literature. I highly recommend this book to readers who wish to understand more about the evolution of literature, and/or further expand their reading horizons.
PS: I couldn't have chosen a more appropriate book to wrap up my reading challenge for the year!
September 24, 2022
This is horrible! Unlike Little History of Religion, which was comprehensive and logically ordered, this book is actually only about English literature.
Every chapter starts with sentences like "English literature starts as we know it" ... "a review of English literature" "king James Bible is most read book in the English Canon"..
He even mentions that Canterbury tales are generally inspired by The Decameron... But continues to discuss the first.
I think this is misleading title by Yale and it should be " Little History of English Literature".. If taken this way it might be good.. Still, not so much, because the author doesn't have a historical project to discuss the development of literature through time, and how each era and circumstances affected literature. He rather dedicat each chapter to some branch of literature in chronological order.
Also the tone of the book is very weird.. He seems like talking to children, and interrupts his sentences frequently with bad jokes.
Every chapter starts with sentences like "English literature starts as we know it" ... "a review of English literature" "king James Bible is most read book in the English Canon"..
He even mentions that Canterbury tales are generally inspired by The Decameron... But continues to discuss the first.
I think this is misleading title by Yale and it should be " Little History of English Literature".. If taken this way it might be good.. Still, not so much, because the author doesn't have a historical project to discuss the development of literature through time, and how each era and circumstances affected literature. He rather dedicat each chapter to some branch of literature in chronological order.
Also the tone of the book is very weird.. He seems like talking to children, and interrupts his sentences frequently with bad jokes.
May 11, 2020
كنتُ متصالحاً مع الكتاب، مع المادة الثرية التي يقدمها، المعلومات الغنية التي تزيد شغف القارئ شغفاً، بالرغم من أن عنوان الكتاب لم يكن دقيقاً، فالمختصر هنا لتاريخ الأدب الإنجليزي فقط؛ لكني أغفر ذلك للمؤلف بإزاء المتعة التي قدمها لي في قالب سردي مشوق. أغرمتُ بالمواضيع المتعلقة بتصنيف القراء واهتماماتهم بأنواع الروايات التي يقرؤونها، كذلك حديثه عن الطباعة والفرصة الكبيرة التي منحتها لانتشار الكتب،،الحداثة، الرومانسية، ما بعد الحداثة، الجوائز وأهدافها ولجانها غير المتخصصة في جائزة بوكر البريطانية مثلاً، مجموعات القراءة ونشاطاتهم ونقاشاتهم التي كانت حديثة على جمهور الأدب، أدباء الإنجليزية العظام. الكتاب ممتع ويستحق القراءة.
August 2, 2020
ผมบอกได้เลยว่าผมเป็นนักอ่านวรรณกรรมชั้นเลว ชั่วชีวิตของผม ผมเคยอ่านนิยายจบ 1 เรื่องถ่วน (ฟังไม่ผิด ผมเคยอ่านนิยายแค่ 1 เรื่องเท่านั้น เมื่อเดือนที่แล้วนี่เอง) ผมไม่เคยสนใจ ไม่เคยคิดแม้แต่จะแตะต้องมัน ผมมองว่ามันคงไม่ได้มอบคุณค่าอะไรให้ผมได้มากมายนักหรอก หนังสือเล่มนี้ได้ดึงกะลาที่ครอบหัวของผมออก กระชิบบอกให้ผมหันมาสนใจงานศิลปะชิ้นนี้หน่อย บอกเล่าเรื่องราวเชิงวิพากษ์ได้อย่างน่าสนใจ ผมต่องมานั่งไล่ว่าจะเริ่มอ่านเล่นใหนก่อนดี
September 30, 2015
A good intro for anyone who wants to know more about the beginning of literature right to the current status. Chapters are divided into various themes, from Greek myths to graphic novels.
June 22, 2024
اذا وجدت نفسك تائه في غابة او صحراء وتمنت لو اخذت كتاب معك ، اي كتاب سيكون ؟
August 14, 2018
The cover and back cover (in Thai translated version) did not mention that this book is mainly discuss English literature.
Unfortunately, I did not have chance to read prologue before I bought it. (It's wrapped) I expected to read world literature as their unclearly cover neglect to specific "English" that significant to me.
I would not buy it if I know this book is 'A little History of "English" Literature'.
Unfortunately, I did not have chance to read prologue before I bought it. (It's wrapped) I expected to read world literature as their unclearly cover neglect to specific "English" that significant to me.
I would not buy it if I know this book is 'A little History of "English" Literature'.
November 14, 2019
I read this in small segments over a number of weeks. I think it's a very good basic guide for the non-literature student to use as background for a history of literature in English. It's a bit British-centric, but given the early history of literature in English, that's to be expected. I look forward to picking up another "Little History" sometime.
June 19, 2018
Her kitaplıkta bulunması gereken tam bir başvuru (ve başucu) kitabı. Kitapta geçen ve henüz okumadığım eserleri okuma isteği uyandırdı.
Read
June 1, 2020Δείτε την κριτική στα Ελληνικά στις βιβλιοαλχημείες
I'll start by stating the tiny negative of this book. It's NOT A Little History of Literature but A Little History of the English Literature.
With a few exceptions like Ancient Greek works like Homer's and Tragedies, and a few nods towards French writers like Camus, Baudelaire, Proust, and Magical Realism writers like Borges, Márquez, and Grass; this book was mostly concerned with literature written in English.
This tiny negative was not something that made me dislike or feel bored by the book, but it was a tiny negative that made me think that whatever is written by an English speaker it is certainly going to be Anglocentric.
We begin with the great epics of the Ancient World and the tragedies from Ancient Greece (429BC) and then we made a huge jump of 1829 years and arrive in England of the 1400's, the time of Chaucer the father of English Literature, the creator of The Canterbury Tales (left unfinished upon his death in 1400)
Then we move on with Elizabethan and Jacobean epic poetry (The Faerie Queene 1590, and Paradise Lost 1667), then we continue with William Shakespeare (1590's-1600's) and the Metaphysical Poets John Donne and George Herbert (1620's)
Here is where we make a break from England and English moving to the first early novels of Spain France and Italy (Don Quixote (1612-1620) Gargantua and Pantagruel (1532) and The Decameron (1352) respectively)
And then we will return to the British Isles to check the first English novels: Robinson Crusoe (1719) and Gulliver's Travels (1726)
And from the first novels we reach the Romantic Era (1789-1832) with poets like Lord Byron, William Blake, and novelists like Mary Shelley (Frankenstein 1818).
And then we are introduced to the novels of Jane Austen (1810's) and the great giants of the Victorian Era (1837-1901) like Charles Dickens, The Brontë Sisters, and Thomas Hardy; all with a chapter of their own.
Then once again we leave Britain for America (Walt Whitman, John Steinbeck) and France (Charles Baudelaire, Marcel Proust) before returning once again during the peak of the British Empire with writers like Rudyard Kipling and modernist writers like James Joyce and Virginia Woolf.
Of course we have more general chapters about children's literature, book printing, censorship, adaptations, dystopias, and more. Among these only two chapters will depart from the English speaking literature for a last time.
These are the chapter about The Absurd (Albert Camus, and Franz Kafka) and the chapter on Magical Realism (Gabriel García Márquez, Jorge Luis Borges and Günter Grass)
So, ignoring the fact that this book is marketed as A Little History of Literature instead of the more correct A Little History of the English Literature it was an interesting educating, nice book.
Of course since I studied English Literature I didn't learn a lot MORE from it, but I spent a nice weekend with it.
I recommend it to anyone interested in literature especially those who don't have any contact with English literature beyond the Victorians and the Contemporary ones.
November 7, 2013
This was fun! Nice short essays on a wide range of literature. They were all good, but I particularly enjoyed the chapters on world literature and on literature prizes, both of which I know very little about and Sutherland gave me just the right level of detail. Even in areas where I'm not so ignorant -- the Romantic authors, Shakespeare, Dickens -- Sutherland's comments were interesting and I generally learned something new.
May 20, 2018
Kitap için edebiyatın kısa tarihinden ziyade "İngilizce edebiyatın kısa tarihi" ismi çok daha uygun olabilirmiş, zira ingilizce yazmayan yazarlar kitabın çok azında var. Kitap isminde bulunan"kısa" sıfatının hakkını veriyor ama- oldukça anlaşılır bir dilde ve de akıcı bir şekilde yazılmış 40 bölümden oluşuyor. Okuması keyifliydi, edebiyat tarihine yüzeysel bir giriş yapmak isteyenlere tavsiye ederim.
March 10, 2019
“Уншигч олон байх тусам илүү эрүүл нийгэм оршино.”
― John Sutherland
― John Sutherland
December 8, 2024
something about this doesn’t sit right haha. VERY narrow and at times too pessimistic.
updated: was written by a man in his 70s so this all makes sense now
updated: was written by a man in his 70s so this all makes sense now
November 13, 2018
ไม่ใช่หนังสือที่พูดถึงพัฒนาการหรือเหตุการณ์ทางวรรณกรรมตามลำดับเวลา แต่เป็นการเขียนหัวข้อสั้นๆ เกี่ยวกับนักเขียนบ้าง วรรณกรรมในหัวข้อต่างๆ บ้าง เช่น วรรณกรรมกับเชื้อชาติ , การเซ็นเซอร์ เป็นต้น ควรมีความรู้หรือเคยอ่านวรรณกรรมคลาสสิคพอสมควร หรืออย่างน้อยที่สุดควรผ่านหูชื่อวรรณกรรมเหล่านั้นมาบ้าง การรู้จักชื่อผู้เขียนอย่าง ฮาร์ดี วูล์ฟ เทนนีสัน หรือดีโฟพร้อมผลงานน่าจะทำให้อ่านรู้เรื่องขึ้น ไม่งั้นจะอ่านด้วยสายตาว่างเปล่าแบบเรา คือเขียนอิหยังวะ วิเคราะห์อิหยังวะ เหมือนวรรณกรรมเป็นเรื่องใกล้ตัว แต่อ่านเล่มนี้แล้วรู้สึกโครตห่างไกล
February 15, 2021
ان اعادة القراءه تمثل احدي المتع العظيمه التي يمنحنا اياها الادب وكلما عاد المرء اليها فانه يجد فيها شيئا جديدا تمنحه اياه 🌸
الادب يشغلنا عن مقتضيات الحياة اليوميه الواقعيه صحيح انه ينحو منحي الخداع الخداع الجميل وبهذا تزداد خطورته ❤️
رحله في تاريخ الادب الانجليزي وبعض من الادب العالمي كنت اتمني توسيع النطاق لكن كان سيحتاج الي مجلدات وليس كتاب واحد ❤️
الادب يشغلنا عن مقتضيات الحياة اليوميه الواقعيه صحيح انه ينحو منحي الخداع الخداع الجميل وبهذا تزداد خطورته ❤️
رحله في تاريخ الادب الانجليزي وبعض من الادب العالمي كنت اتمني توسيع النطاق لكن كان سيحتاج الي مجلدات وليس كتاب واحد ❤️
January 20, 2023
"الأدب هو العقل البشري في أقصى قدراته على التعبير عن العالم المحيط بنا وتفسيره. إن الأدب في أفضل أحواله لا يُبَسّط عقولنا وحواسنا ولكنه يوسعها إلى الحد الذي نستطيع به أن نتعامل مع التعقيدات، حتى وإن كنا لا نتفق مع ما نقرأ بين إيدينا في أغلب الأحيان. إنه يزيد من إنسانيتنا، وكلما تعلمنا قراءته على نحو أفضل، فإنه يفعل ذلك على نحو أفضل أيضا."
"الأدب جبل لن يصل إلى قمته أي واحد منا، ولسوف نكون على جانب كبير من الحظ إذا ما أفلحنا في الوصول إلى أسفل قدمات التلول، مقتفين أثر دربنا بأكبر ما نستطيع من العناية في حين تزداد ارتفاعاً القمة الشامخة من فوقنا."
الكتاب يعتبر مختصر لتاريخ الأدب الغربي ، كتاب كويس لو عاوز تعرف مراحل تطور الأدب بداية من الحكايات والاساطير إللي اتنقلت شفهيا من جيل للتاني، إلي المسرحيات إللي كانت بتتعمل في الشوارع أو المسارح المتنقلة ،ثم الثورة الصناعية و اختراع الطباعة إللي أحدث طفرة في انتشار وإتاحة الكتب لعامة الناس بأسعار زهيدة . الكاتب كان دايما بيختار عمل أو اتنين بين كل حقبة زمنية أو نوع من الادب ويتكلم عنه بشكل وجيز جدا لكن مفيد لك بحيث إنك لو معندكش فكرة عنه تقدر تحدد بعد الكتاب عدد لا بأس به من الأعمال إللي تقرأها بحيث تكون عندك نظرة موجزة عن الروايات والشعر والمسرحيات أو الأدب الغربي بشكل عام.
"الأدب جبل لن يصل إلى قمته أي واحد منا، ولسوف نكون على جانب كبير من الحظ إذا ما أفلحنا في الوصول إلى أسفل قدمات التلول، مقتفين أثر دربنا بأكبر ما نستطيع من العناية في حين تزداد ارتفاعاً القمة الشامخة من فوقنا."
الكتاب يعتبر مختصر لتاريخ الأدب الغربي ، كتاب كويس لو عاوز تعرف مراحل تطور الأدب بداية من الحكايات والاساطير إللي اتنقلت شفهيا من جيل للتاني، إلي المسرحيات إللي كانت بتتعمل في الشوارع أو المسارح المتنقلة ،ثم الثورة الصناعية و اختراع الطباعة إللي أحدث طفرة في انتشار وإتاحة الكتب لعامة الناس بأسعار زهيدة . الكاتب كان دايما بيختار عمل أو اتنين بين كل حقبة زمنية أو نوع من الادب ويتكلم عنه بشكل وجيز جدا لكن مفيد لك بحيث إنك لو معندكش فكرة عنه تقدر تحدد بعد الكتاب عدد لا بأس به من الأعمال إللي تقرأها بحيث تكون عندك نظرة موجزة عن الروايات والشعر والمسرحيات أو الأدب الغربي بشكل عام.
October 1, 2018
This book is, for all intents and purposes, absolutely pointless. It has no guiding theme or witty narrative, to walk you through the evolution of literature. It has no spark, no central question, nothing, in short, to move you to keep going and read on. If you know anything about literature, you know 80% of what is in this book, and the remainder is not presented in any way that is worth reading.
Throw in some jokes, and a couple of amusing illustrations, and sell it to children--then at least someone will get something from this (if not information then at least a laugh). As it stands it is a waste of paper.
Throw in some jokes, and a couple of amusing illustrations, and sell it to children--then at least someone will get something from this (if not information then at least a laugh). As it stands it is a waste of paper.
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