January 31, 2020—The Varieties of Religious Experience, by William James
February 28, 2020—Ecclesiastes, from the Bible
March 27, 2020—Vindication of the Rights of Women, by Mary Wollstonecraft
April 24, 2020—Essay on Man, by Alexander Pope
May 29, 2020—Stoner, by John Williams
June 26, 2020—The Trees, from Awakening Land Trilogy by Conrad Richter
July 31,2020—The Fields, from Awakening Land Trilogy by Conrad Richter
August 28, 2020—The Town, from Awakening Land Trilogy by Conrad Richter
September 25, 2020—The Consolation of Philosophy, by Boethius
October 30, 2020—A Madman’s Diary, by Lu Xun
December 4, 2020—Richard III, by Shakespeare
Sunday, December 8, 2019
Sunday, October 27, 2019
December 6, 2019 — The Ink Dark Moon, by Ono no Komachi & Izumi Shikibu
Meeting Content:
We'll be discussing The Ink Dark Moon, by Ono no Komachi & Izumi Shikibu.
We will also be creating the schedule of books for 2020. Suggestions of books may be sent to greatbookskc@gmail.com.
Please note the following links to assist in plans for preparing the 2020 schedule:
G.B. KC Categories of Books
G.B. KC What Makes a Great Book
G.B. KC History of Previous Books
Meeting Location & Time:
Location: Plaza Branch Kansas City Public Library
Small Meeting Room
Date: December 6, 2019
Time: 7:00 pm
Address: 4801 Main Street
Kansas City, MO
We will also be creating the schedule of books for 2020. Suggestions of books may be sent to greatbookskc@gmail.com.
Please note the following links to assist in plans for preparing the 2020 schedule:
G.B. KC Categories of Books
G.B. KC What Makes a Great Book
G.B. KC History of Previous Books
Meeting Location & Time:
Location: Plaza Branch Kansas City Public Library
Small Meeting Room
Date: December 6, 2019
Time: 7:00 pm
Address: 4801 Main Street
Kansas City, MO
Description of Book:
The two poets whose work is collected in The Ink Dark Moon are central figures in the only Golden Age in literary history in which women writers were the predominant geniuses: Japan’s Heian era, which lasted from 794 to 1185. Ono no Komachi (834?-?) served at the imperial court in the capital city of Heiankyo (present-day Kyoto) during the first half century of its existence. Izumi Shikibu (974?-1034?) wrote during the time of the court culture’s greatest flowering.
These two women, the first a pivotal figure who became legendary in Japanese literary history, the second Japan’s major woman poet, illuminated certain areas of human experience with a beauty, truthfulness, and compression unsurpassed in the literature of any other age.
These two women, the first a pivotal figure who became legendary in Japanese literary history, the second Japan’s major woman poet, illuminated certain areas of human experience with a beauty, truthfulness, and compression unsurpassed in the literature of any other age.
Saturday, September 28, 2019
October 25, 2019 — The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James
The next meeting of Great Books KC will be October 25, 2019.
We'll be discussing The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James.
Meeting Information:
Location: Plaza Branch Kansas City Public Library
Small Meeting Room
Date: October 25, 2019
Time: 7:00 pm
Address: 4801 Main Street
Kansas City, MO
The Turn of the Screw is an 1898 horror novella by Henry James that first appeared in serial format in Collier's Weekly magazine (January 27 – April 16, 1898). In October 1898 it appeared in The Two Magics, a book published by Macmillan in New York City and Heinemann in London. Classified as both gothic fiction and a ghost story, the novella focuses on a governess who, caring for two children at a remote estate, becomes convinced that the grounds are haunted.
In the century following its publication, The Turn of the Screw became a cornerstone text of academics who subscribed to New Criticism. The novella has had differing interpretations, often mutually exclusive. Many critics have tried to determine the exact nature of the evil hinted at by the story. However, others have argued that the brilliance of the novella results from its ability to create an intimate sense of confusion and suspense within the reader.
The Turn of the Screw is an 1898 horror novella by Henry James that first appeared in serial format in Collier's Weekly magazine (January 27 – April 16, 1898). In October 1898 it appeared in The Two Magics, a book published by Macmillan in New York City and Heinemann in London. Classified as both gothic fiction and a ghost story, the novella focuses on a governess who, caring for two children at a remote estate, becomes convinced that the grounds are haunted.
In the century following its publication, The Turn of the Screw became a cornerstone text of academics who subscribed to New Criticism. The novella has had differing interpretations, often mutually exclusive. Many critics have tried to determine the exact nature of the evil hinted at by the story. However, others have argued that the brilliance of the novella results from its ability to create an intimate sense of confusion and suspense within the reader.
In the century following its publication, The Turn of the Screw became a cornerstone text of academics who subscribed to New Criticism. The novella has had differing interpretations, often mutually exclusive. Many critics have tried to determine the exact nature of the evil hinted at by the story. However, others have argued that the brilliance of the novella results from its ability to create an intimate sense of confusion and suspense within the reader.
Saturday, August 31, 2019
September 27, 2019-—The Histories, by Herodotus
The next meeting of Great Books KC will be September 27, 2019.
We'll be discussing The Histories by Herodotus.
Meeting Information:
Location: Plaza Branch Kansas City Public Library
Small Meeting Room
Date: September 27, 2019
Time: 7:00 pm
Address: 4801 Main Street
Kansas City, MO
Information about the book:
The Histories of Herodotus is considered the founding work of history in Western literature. Written in 440 BC in the Ionic dialect of classical Greek, The Histories serves as a record of the ancient traditions politics, geography, and clashes of various cultures that were known in Western Asia, Northern Africa and Greece at that time. Although not a fully impartial record, it remains one of the West's most important sources regarding these affairs. Moreover, it established the genre and study of history in the Western world.
Saturday, July 27, 2019
August 30—Mask of Apollo, by Mary Renault
The next meeting of Great Books KC will be August 30, 2019.
We'll be discussing The Mask of Apollo by Mary Renault.
Meeting Information:
Location: Plaza Branch Kansas City Public Library
Small Meeting Room
Date: August 30, 2019
Time: 7:00 pm
Address: 4801 Main Street
Kansas City, MO
Information about the book:
The Mask of Apollo is set in the ancient Greek world during the 4th century BC. The novel is written as the first-person narrative of a fictional character, Nikeratos (or 'Niko'), an actor. Throughout his professional life and his work in Syracuse and Athens, Nikeratos meets several historical characters and becomes a witness (and sometimes a marginal participant) in the political conflicts of Syracuse.
Saturday, June 29, 2019
July 26, 2019 — "The Bull from the Sea," by Mary Renault
The next meeting of Great Books KC will be July 26, 2019.
We'll be discussing The Bull from the Sea, by Mary Renault.
Meeting Information:
Location: Plaza Branch Kansas City Public Library
Small Meeting Room
Date: July 26, 2019
Time: 7:00 pm
Address: 4801 Main Street
Kansas City, MO
Information about the book:
The story is a retelling of the life of mythological hero Theseus after his return from the Minoan palace of Knossos. The novel follows his later quests, his friendship with Pirithoos, and his liaison with Hippolyta and marriage to Phaedra.
Saturday, June 1, 2019
June 28, 2019 — "The King Must Die," by Mary Renault
The next meeting of Great Books KC will be June 28, 2019.
We'll be discussing The King Must Die, by Mary Renault.
Meeting Information:
Location: Plaza Branch Kansas City Public Library
Small Meeting Room
Date: June 28, 2019
Time: 7:00 pm
Address: 4801 Main Street
Kansas City, MO
Information about the book:
The King Must Die is a 1958 bildungsroman and historical novel by Mary Renault that traces the early life and adventures of Theseus, a hero in Greek mythology. Naturally, it is set in Ancient Greece: Troizen, Corinth, Eleusis, Athens, Knossos in Crete, and Naxos. Rather than retelling the myth, Renault constructs an archaeologically and anthropologically plausible story that might have developed into the myth. She captures the essentials while removing the more fantastical elements, such as monsters and the appearances of gods.
Saturday, April 27, 2019
May 31, 2019 —A House for Mr. Biswas
The next meeting of Great Books KC will be May 31, 2019. We'll be discussing A House for Mr. Biswas, by V.S. Naipaul.
Meeting Information:
Location: Plaza Branch Kansas City Public LibrarySmall Meeting Room
Date: May 31, 2019
Time: 7:00 pm
Address: 4801 Main Street
Kansas City, MO
Information about the book:
A House for Mr Biswas is the story of Mohun Biswas, an Indo-Trinidadian who continually strives for success and mostly fails, who marries into the Tulsi family only to find himself dominated by it, and who finally sets the goal of owning his own house. The book is a sharply drawn look at life that uses postcolonial perspectives to view a vanished colonial world.
In 1998, the Modern Library ranked A House for Mr Biswas number 72 on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. Time magazine included the novel in its "TIME 100 Best English language Novels from 1923 to 2005".
Saturday, March 30, 2019
April 26, 2019—The Tin Drum by Günter Grass
The next meeting of Great Books KC will be April 26, 2019. We'll be discussing The Tin Drum by Günter Grass.
Meeting Information:
Location: Plaza Branch Kansas City Public LibrarySmall Meeting Room
Date: April 26, 2019
Time: 7:00 pm
Address: 4801 Main Street
Kansas City, MO
Information about the book:
The Tin Drum is a 1959 by Günter Grass, a German novelist, poet, playwright, illustrator, graphic artist, sculptor, and recipient of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Literature. Critical reception has generally accepted it as a classic of post-World War II literature. The novel is strongly political in nature, although it goes beyond a political novel in the writing's stylistic plurality. There are elements of allegory, myth and legend, placing it in the genre of magic realism. The Tin Drum has religious overtones, both Jewish and Christian. The main character holds conversations with both Jesus and Satan throughout the book. His gang members call him "Jesus", then he refers to himself as "Satan" later in the book.
Saturday, February 23, 2019
March 29, 2019 — Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare
The next meeting of Great Books KC will be March 29, 2019. We'll be discussing Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
Meeting Information:
Location: Plaza Branch Kansas City Public LibrarySmall Meeting Room
Date: March 29, 2019
Time: 7:00 pm
Address: 4801 Main Street
Kansas City, MO
Description of Book (play):
The Merchant of Venice is a 16th-century play written by William Shakespeare in which a merchant in Venice (Antonio) must default on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. It is believed to have been written between 1596 and 1599. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is most remembered for its dramatic scenes, and it is best known for Shylock and the famous "Hath not a Jew eyes?" speech on humanity. Also notable is Portia's speech about "the quality of mercy".
Saturday, January 26, 2019
February 22, 2019—Acts of the Apostles
The next meeting of Great Books KC will be February 22, 2019. We'll be discussing Acts of the Apostles from the Bible.
Meeting Information:
Location: Plaza Branch Kansas City Public Library
Small Meeting Room
Date: February 22, 2019
Time: 7:00 pm
Address: 4801 Main Street
Kansas City, MO
Description of Book:
Acts of the Apostles tells the story of Christianity in the 1st century. It was written around 80-90 AD by the same anonymous author that wrote the Gospel of Luke. Acts is the 5th book in the Christian New Testament and, as with other parts of the Bible, has contributed to and influenced subsequent Western literature in many ways.
Meeting Information:
Location: Plaza Branch Kansas City Public Library
Small Meeting Room
Date: February 22, 2019
Time: 7:00 pm
Address: 4801 Main Street
Kansas City, MO
Description of Book:
Acts of the Apostles tells the story of Christianity in the 1st century. It was written around 80-90 AD by the same anonymous author that wrote the Gospel of Luke. Acts is the 5th book in the Christian New Testament and, as with other parts of the Bible, has contributed to and influenced subsequent Western literature in many ways.
Sunday, January 6, 2019
January 25, 2019 — The Golden Notebook, by Doris Lessing
The next meeting of Great Books KC will be January 25, 2019. We'll be discussing The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing, winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize for literature.
The Golden Notebook is a 1962 novel by Doris Lessing that explores mental and societal breakdown. It contains powerful anti-war and anti-Stalinist messages, an extended analysis of communism and the Communist Party in England from the 1930s to the 1950s, and an examination of the budding sexual and women's liberation movements.
In 2005, TIME magazine called The Golden Notebook one of the 100 best English-language novels since 1923.
Meeting Information:
Location: Plaza Branch Kansas City Public Library
Small Meeting Room
Date: January 25, 2019
Time: 7:00 pm
Address: 4801 Main Street
Kansas City, MO
Location: Plaza Branch Kansas City Public Library
Small Meeting Room
Date: January 25, 2019
Time: 7:00 pm
Address: 4801 Main Street
Kansas City, MO
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