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.*

Levels:

Captain - Complete all 4 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 task 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 all 4 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.

Task 1)

Book Read: Tuhat ja yksi yötä (337 pages) Eng.The Arabian Nights
Date Read: 15.9.2019
Task: Read tales from 1001 Nights
Explain How it Fits: Finnish collection of stories from 1001 Nights

Task 2)

Book Read: The Phantom Carriage (122 pages) by Selma Lagerlöf
Date Read: 8.11.21019
Task: Read a book that was originally published in another language.
Explain How it Fits: The Phantom Carriage was originally published in Swedish.

Task 3)

Book Read: Palatsikatu (574 pages) Eng. Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz
Date Read: 21.9.2019
Task: Read a book set in the Middle East.
Explain How it Fits: Events in this book take place in Egypt which is in the Middle East.

Task 4)

Book Read: Beowulf (213 pages)
Date Read: 7.11.2019
Task: Read another book written or published in the 9th century OR a classic book with 9 in the publication date.
Explain How it Fits: 9th century

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 4 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.

Task 1)

Book Read: The Plays Of Roswitha
Date Read: 15.1.2020
Task: Read a play from the Book of Dramas or a legend from the Book of Legends.
Explain How it Fits: I read all the plays of Roswitha

Task 2)

Book read: Pähkinänrusentaja ja hiirikuningas 110 pages (The Nutcracker and the mouseking) by E.T.A. Hoffmann
Date Read: 30.11.2020
Task: Read a book by a German author
Explain How it Fits: E. T. A. Hoffmann is german.

Task 3)

Book Read: Udolpho (752 pages) by Ann Radcliffe
Date Read: 23.2.2020
Task: Read a book with a church on the cover or in text. (Cite passage)
Explain How it Fits: "Every person, who heard the solemn chant of the anthem, and the peal of the organ, that struck up, when the body entered the church, and saw also the feeble steps, and the assumed tranquillity of Emily, gave her involuntary tears."