Part 8 (2/2)
Paul's, the different cathedrals of England and other famous buildings.
If possible add the famous buildings of Scotland, Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood, Stirling, and others. Wales has many famous ruins, notably Carnarvon, Conway and Harlech. Ireland has, among others, Ross Castle.
X--THE TAJ MAHAL
India has many notable temples and ruins, but for sheer beauty nothing can compare with the Taj Mahal, at Agra. Built in the seventeenth century by the Emperor Shah-Jehan as a mausoleum for his favorite wife and himself, it required the work of twenty thousand men for more than twenty years to complete it. It has been called a masterpiece of art, ”a poem in stone.”
A portico of red sandstone admits one to a long terrace built of white marble blocks, with wonderful gardens on each side and a ca.n.a.l reflecting the dark cypress trees. The tomb stands among these, reflected in the water. It is an octagonal building rising to a great dome, with smaller ones with minarets. All is built of marble and covered with exquisite carvings and inlays of flowers of turquoise and onyx, with sentences from the Koran in black marble. It is all simple, harmonious, and exquisitely beautiful. Within, in the bare central s.p.a.ce are the two plain tombs, covered with what is like a pall of carved, lacy marble. The whole forms one of the art treasures of the Orient.
CHAPTER IX
FOUR SHORT PROGRAMS
PART I
I--A GROUP OF FAMOUS BOOKS
Each of the six masterpieces of fiction suggested for this program must be read by the members of the club in preparation for their presentation at the different meetings. The plots and characters must be familiar, to have intelligent discussion.
When studying each book begin with a sketch of the life and work of the author; follow with an outline of the plot of the book and a description of each of the princ.i.p.al characters. Readings from all the books and criticisms upon them may be found in ”Warner's Library of the World's Best literature.”
FRENCH, GERMAN, RUSSIAN, AND SPANISH
A French book, ”Les Miserables,” is one of the best known books of history as well as literature, for it has to do with many vital social questions and reforms. Notice Victor Hugo's descriptive powers and discuss whether the book shows a knowledge of actual life or is largely theoretical. As it is the moral purpose of the book which has given it vitality, study the att.i.tude of society toward the outcast and the criminal as the author gives it. Does the artist in him at times overpower his moral sense? Compare the treatment of the criminal then and at the present time. In spite of the faults of construction, how does the book rank as literature?
Goethe's ”Wilhelm Meister” stands in the front rank among German novels.
Give an outline of the book. Is there a plot? Is the book an autobiography? If not, how far does Goethe give his own experiences? Is the book a study in realism or does it deal with the unnatural? In what does the power of the book lie? What has the author to say of education, religion and esthetics? Is there a moral purpose, and are any problems settled?
Tolstoy's ”Anna Karenina” is of the greatest literary importance, for its author was the founder of the modern realistic school. Have several papers on the leading characters. What is the mainspring of Anna's character? Is the comedy character, Oblensky, satisfactory? Is Tolstoy really capable of humor? Is Levin a mouthpiece for Tolstoy's own views of life? Study the social side of Russian life. Are the problems of Anna the same as those which confront women in other lands to-day? Notice what famous men have said of this book: Matthew Arnold declared it ”less a work of art than a piece of life.” In a final meeting discuss the subject of realism in fiction compared to idealism, with examples of each cla.s.s of work. Study and compare the writings of James, Howells, and Arnold Bennett with Tolstoy's.
”Don Quixote” is not only the masterpiece of Spain, but a book with unique qualities. Discuss, Does it give an unbiased picture of the people? Is Don Quixote a madman, or does the author intend to show under his extravagances some philosophy of life? What does the author satirize? Does he successfully combine the real and the grotesque, or lean too far toward the latter? Is the book a parable? If so, what does it teach?
ENGLISH AND AMERICAN
Among the greatest works in English fiction, ”Adam Bede” stands out conspicuous by setting forth the eternal question of moral values. In the study of the characters note that Dinah was drawn from life. Notice the development of character in Adam and Hetty.
How does the standard of morals differ in our day from that in the time in which the book is placed? Study the writer's humor and show how it serves to relieve the somberness of the book. Was George Eliot really a humorist? Above all, notice the great moral purpose which inspired the writer. Does her picture differ from that of d.i.c.kens in ”David Copperfield”?
”The Marble Faun” is worthy of serious study. It is the American masterpiece of fiction. Observe in this book that Hawthorne gave the story such a faithful setting that it may be used as a guidebook to Rome. The style of the book is remarkable; its exquisite simplicity deserves more than a pa.s.sing notice. Discuss the mingling of the real and the mystical. Note especially the effect of the murder on the different characters.
The remarkable character a.n.a.lysis in this work is one of the author's famous points. The main theme of the book--Is sin really an element in human education?--should be discussed. Does Hawthorne answer the question?
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