If you are a member of the Great Conversation Yahoo group,
here are your assignments, should you choose to accept them.
FIRST YEAR (827 pages, not counting the Bible)
December 2004: Read Vol. 1: The Great
Conversation. Introduce yourself to the group.
January:
1.
PLATO: Apology,
Crito
Vol. 7, pp. 200-219 (20 pages)
2.
ARISTOPHANES: Clouds,
Lysistrata
Vol. 5, pp. 488-506, 583-599 (19 + 17 = 36 pages)
3.
PLATO: Republic
[Book I-II]
Vol. 7, pp. 295-324 (20 pages)
February:
4.
ARISTOTLE: Ethics
[Book I]
Vol. 9, pp. 339-348 (20 pages)
5.
ARISTOTLE: Politics
[Book I]
Vol. 9, pp. 445-455 (11 pages)
6.
PLUTARCH: The Lives
of the Noble Grecians and Romans [Lycurgus, Numa Pompilius, Lycurgus and
Numa Compared]
Vol. 14, pp. 32-64 (33 pages)
March:
PLUTARCH (continued): The Lives of the Noble Grecians and
Romans [Alexander, Caesar]
Vol. 14, pp. 540-604 (65 pages)
7. NEW TESTAMENT: [The Gospel According to Saint Matthew, The Acts of the Apostles]
April:
8.
ST. AUGUSTINE: Confessions
[Book I-VIII]
Vol. 18, pp. 1-61 (61 pages)
9.
MACHIAVELLI: The
Prince
Vol. 23, pp. 1-37 (37 pages)
May—mid June:
10.
RABELAIS: Gargantua
and Pantagruel [Book I-II]
Vol. 24, pp. 1-126 (126 pages)
Mid June—July:
11.
MONTAIGNE: Essays
[Of Custom, and That We Should Not Easily Change a Law Received; Of Pedantry;
Of the Education of Children; That It Is Folly to Measure Truth and Error by
Our Own Capacity; Of Cannibals; That the Relish of Good and Evil Depends in a
Great Measure upon the Opinion We Have of Them; Upon Some Verses of Virgil]
Vol. 25, pp. 42-51, 55-82, 91-98, 115-125, 406-434 (10 + 28 + 8 + 11 + 29 = 86
pages)
August:
12.
SHAKESPEARE: Hamlet
Vol. 27, pp. 29-72 (44 pages)
13.
LOCKE: Concerning
Civil Government [Second Essay]
Vol. 35, pp. 25-89 (65 pages)
September:
14.
ROUSSEAU: The
Social Contract [Book I-II]
Vol. 38, pp. 387-406 (20 pages)
15.
GIBBON: The Decline
and Fall of the Roman Empire [Ch. 15-16]
Vol. 40, pp. 179-234 (56 pages)
October:
16.
THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, THE CONSTITUTION OF THE
UNITED STATES, THE FEDERALIST [Numbers 1-10, 15, 31, 47, 51, 68-71]
Vol. 43, pp. 1-3, 11-20, 29-53, 62-66, 103-105, 153-156, 162-165, 205-216 (3 +
10 + 25 + 5 + 3 + 4 + 4 + 12 = 66 pages)
November:
17.
SMITH: The Wealth
of Nations [Introduction—Book I, Ch. 9]
Vol. 39, pp. 1-41 (41 pages)
18.
MARX—ENGELS: Manifesto
of the Communist Party
Vol. 50, pp. 415-434 (20 pages)
December:
Month off! Consider rereading Vol. 1, The Great Conversation, and reflect back on the first year. Write to the group about it. Start on The Iliad if you have time.
My Great
Books of the Western World home page.
Alan Nicoll's Home
Alan Nicoll's email address is: Alan_Nicoll@Yahoo.com. Your comments are welcome.