May. 27, 2022—The Brothers Ashkenazi, by I.J. Singer

The next meeting of Great Books KC will be May 27, 2022.  We will discuss The Brothers Ashkenazi, by I.J. Singer

Meeting Date & Time:
Date: May 27, 2022
Time: 7:00 pm

 Zoom On-Line Meeting:
 — an email with link to join will be sent prior to meeting.
 — the link is sent to a limited mailing list of frequent attenders.

 — request mailing list addition, sent to GreatBooksKC@gmail.com.

Description of Book:

The Brothers Ashkenazi is a novel written in Yiddish, it first appeared serially in the Jewish daily Forward between 1934 and 1935, after Singer had left Poland and moved to New York. It was published in book form in Poland in 1936, the same year in which Knopf published an English translation by Maurice Samuel. It was at the top of The New York Times Best Seller list along with Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind. In 1980 a new translation was published by the author's son, Joseph Singer.

Availability of Copies:

If unable to find a library copy, the following are suggested alternatives:

1. Through Interlibrary Loan.

2. Hoopla.com has a audio format.

3. Used books can be purchased on various websites.

April 29, 2022—Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, and The Waste Land, by T. S. Eliot

The next meeting of Great Books KC will be April 29, 2022.  

We will discuss the following two poems by T.S. Eliot: 

• Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock 
• The Waste Land

Meeting Date & Time:
Date: April 29, 2022
Time: 7:00 pm

 Zoom On-Line Meeting:
 — an email with link to join will be sent prior to meeting.
 — the link is sent to a limited mailing list of those who have either attended a meeting in the past year or have requested that their name be included on the mailing list. Requests to be added to the mailing list may be sent to GreatBooksKC@gmail.com.

Description of the Poems (Links to Wikipedia descriptions):

Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

The Waste Land

Copies of Messages from group members:

From: Don Pepper
Subject: An Interpretation of The Wasteland
Hi Clif, 
Here is a web link with insight into Elliot's allusions and metaphors in "The Wasteland". 
https://web.jerichoschools.org/hs/teachers/lfischer/poetry/wasteland_notes.htm

From: Don Pepper
Subject: An analysis of "The Waste Land"
Hi Clif, 
This link is to a worthwhile analysis of: "The Waste Land" 

https://owlcation.com/humanities/Analysis-of-Poem-The-Waste-Land-by-TSEliot 

March 25, 2022— Ten-Thirty on a Summer Night, by Marguerite Duras

The next meeting of Great Books KC will be March 25, 2022. We will discuss Ten-Thirty on a Summer Night, by Marguerite Duras

Meeting Location & Time:
Date: March 25, 2022
Time: 7:00 pm

 Zoom On-Line Meeting:
 — an email with link to join will be sent prior to meeting.
 — the link is sent to a limited mailing list of those who have either attended a meeting in the past year or have requested that their name be included on the mailing list. Requests to be added to the mailing list may be sent to GreatBooksKC@gmail.com.

Description of the Book:

Ten-Thirty on a Summer Night is a 1960 novel by the French writer Marguerite Duras. It was adapted into the 1966 film 10:30 P.M. Summer. Marguerite Duras was a French novelist, playwright, screenwriter, essayist, and experimental filmmaker. Her script for the film Hiroshima mon amour (1959) earned her a nomination for Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards. Link to an analysis of the novel. 

Feb. 25, 2022— The Golden Ass, by Apuleius

The next meeting of Great Books KC will be February 25, 2022. We will discuss The Golden Ass, by Apuleius

Meeting Location & Time:
Date: February 25, 2022
Time: 7:00 pm

 Zoom On-Line Meeting:
 — an email with link to join will be sent prior to meeting.
 — the link is sent to a limited mailing list of those who have either attended a meeting in the past year or have requested that their name be included on the mailing list. Requests to be added to the mailing list may be sent to GreatBooksKC@gmail.com.

Description of the Book:
The Metamorphoses of Apuleius, which Augustine of Hippo referred to as The Golden Ass is the only ancient Roman novel in Latin to survive in its entirety. The protagonist of the novel is Lucius. At the end of the novel, he is revealed to be from Madaurus, the hometown of Apuleius himself. The plot revolves around the protagonist's curiosity and insatiable desire to see and practice magic. While trying to perform a spell to transform into a bird, he is accidentally transformed into an ass. This leads to a long journey, literal and metaphorical, filled with inset tales. He finally finds salvation through the intervention of the goddess Isis, whose cult he joins.

Jan. 28, 2022— The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Dr. Faustus, by Christopher Marlowe, and Volpone, by Ben Jonson

The next meeting of Great Books KC will be January 28, 2022. We will discuss two works, one by Marlowe and the other by Ben Jonson.

   — The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Dr. Faustus, by Christopher Marlowe

   — Volpone, by Ben Jonson

Meeting Location & Time:
Date: January 28, 2022
Time: 7:00 pm
 Zoom On-Line Meeting:
 — an email with link to join will be sent prior to meeting.
 — the link is sent to a limited mailing list of those who have either attended a meeting in the past year or have requested that their name be included on the mailing list. Requests to be added to the mailing list may be sent to GreatBooksKC@gmail.com.

Description of the Two Dramas:

— The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, commonly referred to simply as Doctor Faustus, is an Elizabethan tragedy by Christopher Marlowe, based on German stories about the title character Faust. It was written sometime between 1589 and 1592, and may have been performed between 1592 and Marlowe's death in 1593. 

— Volpone is a comedy play by English playwright Ben Jonson first produced in 1605–1606, drawing on elements of city comedy and beast fable. A merciless satire of greed and lust, it remains Jonson's most-performed play, and it is ranked among the finest Jacobean era comedies.

Links of Interest:

• Online text of Volpone at Project Gutenberg
• Doctor Faustus at Standard Ebooks
•  The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus public domain audiobook at LibriVox
• 1616 quarto online
• The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus From the Quarto of 1604 by Christopher Marlowe at Project Gutenberg
• The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus From the Quarto of 1616 by Christopher Marlowe at Project Gutenberg

Schedule for 2022

Our planned reading and discussion schedule of books for 2022 is as listed below:

Jan. 28, 2022— The Tragical History of the Life and Death of 

                           Dr. Faustus, by Christopher Marlowe 

                            and 

                           Volpone, by Ben Jonson

Feb. 25, 2022— The Golden Ass, by Apuleius

Mar. 25, 2022— Ten-Thirty on a Summer Night, by Marguerite Duras

Apr. 29, 2022— Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, 

                           and The Wasteland, by T. S. Eliot

                          

May. 27, 2022— The Brothers Ashkenazi, by I.J. Singer

Jun. 24, 2022— In Search of Lost Time, Swann's Way, 

                           by Marcel Proust

Jul. 29, 2022— In Search of Lost Time, In the Shadow of Young 

                          Girls in Flower, by Marcel Proust

Aug. 26, 2022— In Search of Lost Time, The Guermantes Way, 

                            by Marcel Proust 

Sep. 30, 2022— Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, by James Agee 

                            and Walker Evans

Oct. 28, 2022— A Non-Western Work of Literature 

                           (to be named later)

Dec. 2, 2022— Ezra and Nehemiah from the Bible

Dec. 9, 2022— Prepare Schedule for 2023

December 3 & 10, 2021—Story of David from the Bible

Great Books KC will meet two times yet this year: December 3, 2021 & December 10, 2021

Meeting Content, Dec. 3, 2021:

We will discuss Story of David, 1 Samuel 16-31, 2 Samuel, and 1 Kings 1-2.

Meeting Content, Dec. 10, 2021:

We will create the schedule of books for 2022. 

Suggestions of books may be sent to greatbookskc@gmail.com.

Please note the following links to assist in plans for preparing the 2021 schedule:

G.B. KC Categories of Books 

G.B. KC What Makes a Great Book 

G.B. KC History of Previous Books 

Meeting Time and Place:

Dates: December 3, 2021 & December 10, 2021

Time: 7:00 pm

Zoom on-line meeting

—an email with link to join will be sent prior to meeting.

—If you wish to receive an invitation and haven't attended a meeting recently, send request by email to GreatBooksKC@gmail.com. 

Description of Discussion Topic:

David is described in the Hebrew Bible as king of the United Monarchy of Israel and Judah. David is richly represented in post-biblical Jewish written and oral tradition, and is discussed in the New Testament. Early Christians interpreted the life of Jesus in light of the references to the Messiah and to David; Jesus is described as being descended from David in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. The biblical character of David has inspired many interpretations in art and literature over centuries. In the Quran and hadith, David is mentioned as a prophet-king of God. 

Those who wish for more can read The Secret Chord (2015), a novel about King David by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks. 

Oct. 29, 2021— Kakoro, by Natsume Soseki

The next meeting of Great Books KC will be October 29, 2021. We will discuss Kakoro, by Natsume Soseki.

Meeting Location & Time:
Date: October 29, 2021
Time: 7:00 pm
 Zoom On-Line Meeting:
 —an email with link to join will be sent prior to meeting.
 —the link is sent to a limited mailing list of those who have either attended a meeting in the past year or have requested that their name be included on the mailing list. Requests to be added to the mailing list may be sent to GreatBooksKC@gmail.com.

Description of Book:

Kokoro is a novel by the Japanese author Natsume Sōseki. It was first published in 1914 in serial form in the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun. The title, translated literally means "heart". The word contains shades of meaning, and can be translated as "the heart of things" or "feeling". The book deals with the transition from the Japanese Meiji society to the modern era, by exploring the friendship between a young man and an older man he calls "Sensei" ('teacher).

September 24, 2021—The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison

The next meeting of Great Books KC will be September 24, 2021. We will discuss The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison.

Meeting Location & Time:
Date: September 24, 2021
Time: 7:00 pm
 Zoom On-Line Meeting:
 —an email with link to join will be sent prior to meeting.
 —the link is sent to a limited mailing list of those who have either attended a meeting in the past year or have requested that their name be included on the mailing list. Requests to be added to the mailing list may be sent to GreatBooksKC@gmail.com 

Description of Book:

The Bluest Eye, published in 1970, is the first novel written by Toni Morrison. The novel takes place in Lorain, Ohio (Morrison's hometown), and tells the story of a young African-American girl named Pecola who grew up following the Great Depression. Set in 1941, the story tells that she is consistently regarded as "ugly" due to her mannerisms and dark skin. As a result, she develops an inferiority complex, which fuels her desire for the blue eyes she equates with "whiteness".

August 27, 2021—The Big Money (The U.S.A. trilogy) by John Dos Passos

The next meeting of Great Books KC will be August 27, 2021. We will discuss The Big Money (The U.S.A. trilogy), by John Dos Passos

Meeting Location & Time:
Date: August 27, 2021
Time: 7:00 pm
 Zoom On-Line Meeting:
 —an email with link to join will be sent prior to meeting.
 —the link is sent to a limited mailing list of those who have either attended a meeting in the past year or have requested that their name be included on the mailing list. Requests to be added to the mailing list may be sent to GreatBooksKC@gmail.com 

Description of Book:
The U.S.A. trilogy is a series of three novels by American writer John Dos Passos, comprising the novels The 42nd Parallel (1930), 1919(1932) and The Big Money (1936). The books were first published together in a volume titled U.S.A. by Modern Library in 1937.

The trilogy employs an experimental technique, incorporating four narrative modes: fictional narratives telling the life stories of twelve characters, collages of newspaper clippings and song lyrics labeled "Newsreel", individually labeled short biographies of public figures of the time such as Woodrow Wilson and Henry Ford and fragments of autobiographical stream of consciousness writing labeled "Camera Eye". The trilogy covers the historical development of American society during the first three decades of the 20th century. In 1998, the US publisher Modern Library ranked U.S.A. 23rd on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.