Old Books, New Readers discussion

(brewminate)

The goal of this challenge is to journey from the 9th to 20th century of literary history. Each century has a set of four tasks. Depending on your desired level, you will complete a number of these book tasks in order to reach the next century. Each century centers around a book or genre written or completed at the time.

*This is an individual challenge. I will create a thread for each person.*

Level:

Bosun - Complete 2 tasks per century

Rules:

- Sign up begins: June 1st.
- Duration: at your own pace.
- Minimum of 100 pages per book.
- Book must be read after each century is posted to qualify to complete a task.
- Rereads & buddy reads permitted.
- If you are stuck on a century, you are allowed two skips.
- When signing up state desired level.

When you complete a task, comment with this form.

Completion Post
Book Read:
Date Read:
Task:
Explain How it Fits:

*Challenge inspired by Love of Books Group Challenges*

Centuries:

√ Ninth - The Thousand and One Nights
√ Tenth - Hrotsvitha
Eleventh - Shahnameh
Twelfth - Arthurian Legend/Romances
Thirteenth - Prose & Poetic Edda
Fourteenth - The Divine Comedy
Fifteenth - La Celestina
Sixteenth - William Shakespeare
Seventeenth - Don Quixote
Eighteenth - Candide
Nineteenth - Gothic Fiction
Twentieth - Literary Criticism/Globalization

Skips:

One
Two

Crystals:

(radiowest.kuer)

The Thousand and One Nights is a collection of Indian and Middle Eastern stories. There is still an ongoing debate on when the stories originated or who it's author/s are. This is a common occurrence with early century stories as they were often told orally through generations. The first book and most well known of the collection is titled "Arabian Nights". According to sources, it has been in circulation since the Ninth century. There was no known manuscript in Arabic until the Fourteenth century. It was not published in English until the Eighteenth century. The collection's stories are put within a frame story around King Shahryar. The stories are told through his wife in order to survive the night and avoid execution. Aladdin, Sindbad and Ali Baba are the most well known stories from the collection.

Complete 2 tasks to move to the next century:
1) Read tales from 1001 Nights (include page counts/must add up to a minimum of 100 pages)
2) Read a book that was originally published in another language.
3) Read a book set in the Middle East.
4) Read another book written or published in the 9th century OR a classic book with 9 in the publication date.

Read: Arabian Nights, Husain Haddawy translation
Date Read: August 29-November 16 2019, 518 pages
Task: Read from 1001 Nights
How it fits: part of 1001 nights

Read: Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux.
Date Read: Read from October 11 to October 25 2020, 224 pages
Task: Read a book originally published in another language
How it fits: Published in French in 1909, then published in English in 1911.

Congrats you made it and found a Sunstone!

Hrotsvitha, nun of Gandersheim, is classified as the first female German poet. Her name, as she herself attests, is "strong voice" in Saxon. Some consider her to be the first dramatist/playwright since ancient times. Hrotsvitha desired her works to "counteract the pagan morality expressed in classical works". All of her original works were written in Latin as taught by the monastery. During her lifetime, Hrosvitha categorized her works into three sections: Book of Legends, Book of Drama, and Epics. The Book of Legends contained eight legends: Ascensio, Gangolf, Pelagius, Theophilus, Basilius, Dionysius, Maria & Agnes. Theophilus is hypothesized to be the most famous. The legend describes a young archdeacon who consults a Jewish sorcerer about his disappointed promotion. A dark journey ensues soon after. The Books of Drama include six plays that are believed to be written around 960. The plays are Gallicanus, Dulcitius, Callimachus, Abraham, Pafnutius & Sapientia. During the Tenth century, the Christian church looked down upon drama and theater under the advise of the Roman Empire. Hrotsvitha turned to drama as a means of promoting Christian ideals such as chastity, poverty and obedience. Thus re-inviting the Roman Empire and Christianity back into the art form. The two historical stories included in the Epics (the Gesta Ottonis and the Primordia coenobii Gandeshemensis) have been lost.

Complete 2 tasks to move to the next century:
1) Read a play from the Book of Dramas or a legend from the Book of Legends.
PDF of Hrotsvitha's Work
2) Read a book by a German author.
3) Read a book with a church on the cover or in text. (Cite passage)
4) Read another book written or published in the 10th century or read a book with 1 & 0 in the page count.

Gallicanus by Hrotsvitha
Date Read: 1/19/21
Task: Read a play from the Book of Dramas
How it Fits: One of Hrotsvitha's plays

Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Date Read: 4/22/21
Task: Read a book by a German author
How it Fits: Goethe was a well-known German author

Congrats you made it and found a Lapis Lazuli!

(huffingtonpost)

The epic of Shahnameh by Abu ʾl-Qasim Firdowsi Tusi describes the history of pre-Islamic Persia. The title translates to The Book of Kings. The stories center around fifty Persian Kings, hence the title. According to the Library of Congress, it includes "62 stories, told in 990 chapters with 50,000 rhyming couplets." The collection is divided into three parts. The first is the mythical, the second heroic and third is historical. Regarded as a literary masterpiece by Persian natives because it embodies the national identity. It reflects Iran's history, cultural values and ancient religions. The author published Shahnameh in 1010 when the nation's independence was compromised. This piece of work even effected modern Persian language a thousand years later. Experts believe it was due to surviving works such as Shahnameh with it's profound cultural influence that effected how the language was preserved and developed.

Complete 2 tasks to move to the next century:
1) Read a book whose both author's initials can be found in: BOOK OF KINGS
2) Read a book or anthology of poetry.
3) Read a book that features royalty.
4) Read another book written or published in the 11th century or who has 11 in the page count.