Essays

[close] Whether it be an in-depth look at our natural world through essays written by past and present authors such as H.D. Thoreau, Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, and Gary Snyder or reading authors where the landscape plays an active role in their novels, such as Willa Cather or Jack London this group will focus on how the environment plays a crucial role in literature.

[close] A niche for the readers of Eric Arthur Blair's writings, among the groups for literature and fiction lovers. Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903–21 January 1950), better known by the pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist. Noted as a novelist and critic as well as a political and cultural commentator, Orwell is among the most widely admired English-language essayists of the 20th century. He is best known for two novels critical of totalitarianism in general, and Stalinism in particular: Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. Both were written and published towards the end of his life.

[close] About the Group Welcome! We’re a Vancouver-based reading crew for people who love the classics and want to read them in a friendly, low-pressure way. We rotate between plays (Shakespeare & friends), classic novels (Tolstoy, Austen, Ibsen, etc.), and a monthly Harvard Classics Coffee Club pick (short, actionable reads like Ben Franklin’s Autobiography). Think: big ideas, zero academic gatekeeping. Who this is for Readers who want thoughtful conversation without homework police People curious about “the great books” and how they apply to real life Vancouver locals who may meet in person—non-Vancouver readers still welcome to join threads and chats How we read 1–2 selections per month (mix of short plays, short stories, essays, or manageable chunks of longer books) Discussion threads open a week before meetups with prompts + key quotes In-person meetups (cafés / library rooms) when possible, plus ongoing online chats “Come even if you didn’t finish”—we’ll post summaries and passages Typical Picks Plays: Twelfth Night, A Doll’s House, Death of a Salesman Novels/Novellas: Hadji Murat, The Stranger, Jane Eyre (selections welcome) Harvard Classics: Franklin, Emerson essays, Marcus Aurelius selections, Montaigne, Plato dialogues (short!) Why join Because classics don’t have to be stuffy. We read to think better, live better, and have great conversations—with a warm, curious crowd.

[close] A collection of great essays collections, ranging from Virginia Woolf to Zadie Smith.