Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

June 2023 Old School group read nominations are now open! Please review the requirements below for book eligibility.

1. Books that have already been featured as group reads and currently on our bookshelf are not eligible to be nominated.

Bookshelf link: Bookshelf

In the interest of variety, please wait a month to re-nominate a book that has been in the poll. These are the books from April that did not win:

Lysistrata by Aristophanes
The Fortune of the Rougons by Émile Zola
Tales of the Alhambra by Washington Irving
A Harlot High and Low by Honoré de Balzac
Italian Journey by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The Real Charlotte by Edith Œnone Somerville

2. Only books that were published before 1900 are eligible to be nominated in this section.

3. A maximum of seven books, by seven different authors, will move forward to each poll. This will be determined by the number of seconds a book receives. The seven books with the most seconds move to the poll.

4. Only one nomination and one second per member will be allowed. A nomination can be changed only until it has been seconded. Once seconded, in fairness to the member making the second, the nomination will stand.

4a. A second can be withdrawn and placed on another choice. This change must in some way be noted in a post such as, "I am withdrawing my second for book A and placing it on book B." It will be easier for moderators to track changes.

5. Only one book per author, In the event of more than one book by the same author is nominated, only the first one to receive a second will be eligible. The nominator of the ruled ineligible book will be able to nominate a replacement or second another already in nomination.

5a. Same author-multiple categories. The same author may be nominated in multiple categories in a single month as long as the nominations are for different books. In the case of identical nominations, precedence will go to the first one to receive a second.

6. Availability Members nominating for a monthly Group Read will need to check that a copy of the text is reasonably available for members and is available in English. Moderators may disallow a nomination if a copy is not readily available.

Nominations will remain open until the 14th of the month. Polls will open on the 16th and run until the end of the month.

I nominate The Life of a Good-For-Nothing by Joseph von Eichendorff. First published in 1826, 124 pages.

This book is in the public domain in the U.S.A. and probably other countries as well. According to Goodreads, "This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it."

Kimberly wrote: "I nominate The Life of a Good-For-Nothing by Joseph von Eichendorff. First published in 1826, 124 pages.

This book is in the public domain in the U.S.A. and probabl..."

I second Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts - um, The Life ... um, this one.

June is the time to awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth;turn melancholy forth to funerals---
I nominate A Midsummer Night's Dream William Shakespeare 1595 240pp

I nominate Poor Folk by Fyodor Dostoevsky. First published in 1846, 167 pages

sabagrey wrote: "Kimberly wrote: "I nominate The Life of a Good-For-Nothing by Joseph von Eichendorff. First published in 1826, 124 pages.

This book is in the public domain in the U..."

Second this one too. ;)

I nominate The Art of Always Being Right by Arthur Schopenhauer, an acidulous and sarcastic treatise written in sardonic deadpan. 138 pages, pub 1831.

I nominate Medea by Euripides, 59 pages, first published in 432

I nominate The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle, first published in 1890.

I nominate The Symposium by Plato, about 100 pages, "First published January 1, 381" (?)

I second Medea by Euripides.

I nominate A Simple Story by Elizabeth Inchbald, 345 pages, first published in 1791.

I second A Simple Story.

I second "Poor Folk" by Fyodr Dostoevsky

I second "The Sign of Four" by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Jane wrote: "I second "Poor Folk" by Fyodr Dostoevsky"

Thank you, Jane.

I second a Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare

Seconding Medea by Euripides.

I second Medea.

The Life of a Good-For-Nothing by Joseph von Eichendorff, 1826, 124 pp
Kimberly, Sabagrey, Michaela

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare, 1595, 240pp
Sam, Darya

Poor Folk by Fyodor Dostoevsky, 1846, 167 pp
Piyangie, Jane,

The Art of Always Being Right by Arthur Schopenhauer, 1831, 138 pp
Klowey

Medea by Euripides, 432, 59 pp
Greg, EvenB, Cynda

The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle, 1890, 129 pp
Aprileigh, Klowey,

The Symposium by Plato, 381, 90 pp
J_Blueflower

A Simple Story by Elizabeth Inchbald, 1791, 345 pp
Mela, Wobbley,

Please double-check me and let me know if I have made and error or omitted anyone.

I nominate Alastor Or The Spirit Of Solitude by Percy Bysshe Shelley

first published 1816, 48 p

J_BlueFlower wrote: "I nominate The Symposium by Plato, about 100 pages, "First published January 1, 381" (?)"

I second

Darya Silman wrote: "I second a Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare"

Thank you Darya.

I second The Sign of the Four

Greg wrote: "I nominate Medea by Euripides, 59 pages, first published in 432"

SECOND

I second Poor Folk

I second The Life of a Good-For-Nothing. I also found it under the title Memoirs of a Good-for-Nothing. That happens with older books that have a few translations

I second A Simple Story.

I second Medea

Sam wrote: "June is the time to awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth;turn melancholy forth to funerals---
I nominate A Midsummer Night's Dream William Shakespeare 1595 240pp"

I second.

Janelle wrote: "I second Poor Folk"

Thanks, Janelle.

I second Medea.

Thans Paula.

Sam wrote: "June is the time to awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth;turn melancholy forth to funerals---
I nominate A Midsummer Night's Dream William Shakespeare 1595 240pp"

Second

I second Medea

Medea by Euripides, 432, 59 pp
Greg, EvenB, Cynda, RJ, Shaina, Jen, Chuck

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare, 1595, 240pp
Sam, Darya, Paula W, Heather L, Irphen

The Life of a Good-For-Nothing by Joseph von Eichendorff, 1826, 124 pp
Kimberly, Sabagrey, Michaela, Lynn

Poor Folk by Fyodor Dostoevsky, 1846, 167 pp
Piyangie, Jane, Janelle, Lorraine

The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle, 1890, 129 pp
Aprileigh, Klowey, Dave

A Simple Story by Elizabeth Inchbald, 1791, 345 pp
Mela, Wobbley, Laurie

Egil's Saga, 1240, 243 pp
Irphen, Marilyn, Katy

The Symposium by Plato, 381, 90 pp
J_Blueflower, AiK

The Art of Always Being Right by Arthur Schopenhauer, 1831, 138 pp
Klowey

Alastor Or The Spirit Of Solitude by Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1816, 48 pp
AiK



Please double-check me and let me know if I have made an error or omitted anyone.

I second Poor Folk.

Lorraine wrote: "I second Poor Folk."

Thanks, Lorraine.

I would like to nominate Egil's Saga, first published in 1240 by an anonymous author, 243 pages

And my second goes to A Midsummer Night's Dream

Updated through Message 39 Nominations Update

Tomorrow will be the last day for nominations or seconds.

I second Egil's Saga.

Marilyn wrote: "I second Egil's Saga."

I'll second this one also.

Moving the top seven to the polls:

Medea by Euripides, 432, 59 pp
Greg, EvenB, Cynda, RJ, Shaina, Jen, Chuck

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare, 1595, 240pp
Sam, Darya, Paula W, Heather L, Irphen

The Life of a Good-For-Nothing by Joseph von Eichendorff, 1826, 124 pp
Kimberly, Sabagrey, Michaela, Lynn

Poor Folk by Fyodor Dostoevsky, 1846, 167 pp
Piyangie, Jane, Janelle, Lorraine

The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle, 1890, 129 pp
Aprileigh, Klowey, Dave

A Simple Story by Elizabeth Inchbald, 1791, 345 pp
Mela, Wobbley, Laurie

Egil's Saga, 1240, 243 pp
Irphen, Marilyn, Katy

Thanks to all who nominated and seconded.