ChillyPolly Posted May 3, 2015 Author Share Posted May 3, 2015 I keep adding to this. Latest additions were Mark Twain, Geoffrey Chaucer, Ernest Bramah and Longfellow.Still fishing for suggestions.I just finished Hodgson's THE NIGHT LAND. I found it rather unique and awesome. On the downside, its verbose and ideosyncratic style make it nearly unreadable. I suspect most who attempt it will be defeated by it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChillyPolly Posted May 3, 2015 Author Share Posted May 3, 2015 Other recent additions:ad1692: Robert Kirk. The SECRET COMMONWEALTH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Marquis de Leech Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 I just finished Hodgson's THE NIGHT LAND. I found it rather unique and awesome. On the downside, its verbose and ideosyncratic style make it nearly unreadable. I suspect most who attempt it will be defeated by it. Congratulations. The Night Land has one of the greatest setting in fantasy literature, but it is *not* light reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cubarey Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 Did not see them mentioned but George Orwell's Animal Farm, 1984. Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, and much of Herman Hesse's writings. As well as Miguel de Cervantes's Don Quixote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Marquis de Leech Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 Did not see them mentioned but George Orwell's Animal Farm, 1984. Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, and much of Herman Hesse's writings. As well as Miguel de Cervantes's Don Quixote. Too modern. The list is of fantasy from 1915 or earlier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seli Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 Thanks for the suggestions. Does TIRANT THE WHITE contain any fantastic or supernatural elements? No idea actually, never got around to reading my copy. But given the genre it belongs to I would assume it does to some extent. ah: I see you already got Varney. There is bound to be a lot of genre-ish stuff in the gothic and penny-dreadful age of the 19th century. I have no idea whether it is still worth reading though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChillyPolly Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 Congratulations. The Night Land has one of the greatest setting in fantasy literature, but it is *not* light reading. The HOUSE ON THE BORDERLAND is also quite good, but about a third the length and in (relatively) modern prose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChillyPolly Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 As well as Miguel de Cervantes's Don Quixote. I added this one, but with a [?] to indicate some reservation as to whether it qualifies as fantastic literature. I've added a similar notation to certain other entries. I'm in a bit of a quandry, because I don't want to limit it to JUST supernatural stories; but things get a little fuzzy when one goes beyond that point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VitaBrevis Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 They may not qualify, and only fragments remain. If you don't mind that, I would recommend the poems of Archilochus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PyroclasticFlow Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 Táin Bó Cúailnge early 12th century Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PyroclasticFlow Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 only knowledge of this comes from Ciaran Carson's The Tain which came out in 2007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChillyPolly Posted May 6, 2015 Author Share Posted May 6, 2015 Táin Bó Cúailnge early 12th century Thanks. I added it. Good find. only knowledge of this comes from Ciaran Carson's The Tain which came out in 2007 Apparently there are at least 2 older translations: 1904. Winifred Faraday, trans. The Cattle Raid of Cualnge. (Translating First Recension). 1914. Joseph Dunn, trans. The Ancient Irish Epic Tale Tain Bo Cualnge (Translating second Recension). In keeping with the general spirit of this thread, I like to refer people to older sources when possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChillyPolly Posted May 7, 2015 Author Share Posted May 7, 2015 They may not qualify, and only fragments remain. If you don't mind that, I would recommend the poems of Archilochus. Is there anything that qualifies as literature of the fantastic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VitaBrevis Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Not really, but maybe I'm mistaken. It's been a while since I read all the fragments. It's an easy and quick read, though, that helps appreciate the other ancient Greek works more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unworried well Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Your list is great, if a little intimidating. Thanks! Just a small disagreement. I understand why you prefer older sources. But older doesn't mean better. Not even for a thread like this. I like Andrew Lang's works, for example, but I couldn't finish his translation of the Iliad (1883). Lattimore's (1951) or Fagles's (1990) are much better (imo, of course). Or in Archilochos case, that my friend mentioned above (but doesn't really belong here...sorry Vita!) they are still finding fragments, so the newer editions are more complete. I guess it depends on what someone wants. And to add, and make this post relevant,Peace by Aristophanes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Tyrion I Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Byron, Lord George "Childe Harold to the Dark Tower came" It inspired Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChillyPolly Posted May 7, 2015 Author Share Posted May 7, 2015 Your list is great, if a little intimidating. Thanks!Just a small disagreement. I understand why you prefer older sources. But older doesn't mean better. Not even for a thread like this. I like Andrew Lang's works, for example, but I couldn't finish his translation of the Iliad (1883). Lattimore's (1951) or Fagles's (1990) are much better (imo, of course).Or in Archilochos case, that my friend mentioned above (but doesn't really belong here...sorry Vita!) they are still finding fragments, so the newer editions are more complete. I guess it depends on what someone wants.And to add, and make this post relevant,Peace by Aristophanes.I don't really disagree with what you are saying at all. Reading Homer can be a hurdle, so obviously one should go with a translation one feels comfortable with. The list above generally avoids specifying a particular translation. Sadly, translations are a necessity, as most of us (this parrot included) cannot read ancient Greek.On the other hand, neither am I claiming that "Varney the Vampire" is superior to "Salem's Lot". Just that one belongs on the list and the other does not. That's all I meant when I said that older translations were more in keeping with the "spirit of the thread". Not that it matters much, since I don't recommend translations separately anyway.I do not mean for the lack of an English translation before 1915 to bar inclusion on the list. On the other hand, I do mean to exclude post-1915 adaptations (though the distinction between them can get fuzzy, and every translation is to some extent an adaptation).My current instinct is to try older translations/adaptations first. Older translations DO have the advantage of being public domain (which means that no-one has a financial interest in promoting them). For instance, after many years trying to pick an "authentic" version of 1001 Nights to read, I finally realized that Galland's version, in the anonymous Grub Street English translation, really is THE best place to start; being a 300 year old classic of European/English literature in its own right; and having just as much or more claim to "authenticity" as the many subsequent versions. Nonetheless, I DID include the older 14th century manuscript on my list, even though a direct translation was not published until very recently.------------xJust checked a summary of "Peace". Yup, that qualifies. Will add it shortly. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChillyPolly Posted May 8, 2015 Author Share Posted May 8, 2015 Byron, Lord George "Childe Harold to the Dark Tower came"It inspired Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series.Byron's poem is called "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage.Robert Browning's poem "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came".The fairy tale "Childe Rowland" is included in one of Joseph Jacobs' collections. Jacobs' version contains a dark tower; and he apparently got this idea from Shakespeare and/or Browning, because his main source (Robert Jamieson) does not refer to the elf king's stronghold as a "dark tower".Shakespeare's KING LEAR contains the line "Child Rowland to the dark tower came", which is apparently a reference to an older version of the same fairy tale; justifying Jacobs' decision to restore the detail in his version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChillyPolly Posted May 8, 2015 Author Share Posted May 8, 2015 Added two suggestions from unworried well (the board member): Sara Coleridge's PHANTASMION and Jacques Cazotte's THE DEVIL IN LOVE. Thank You, unworried well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Tyrion I Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 Byron's poem is called "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage.Robert Browning's poem "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came".The fairy tale "Childe Rowland" is included in one of Joseph Jacobs' collections. Jacobs' version contains a dark tower; and he apparently got this idea from Shakespeare and/or Browning, because his main source (Robert Jamieson) does not refer to the elf king's stronghold as a "dark tower".Shakespeare's KING LEAR contains the line "Child Rowland to the dark tower came", which is apparently a reference to an older version of the same fairy tale; justifying Jacobs' decision to restore the detail in his version. Oh, yeah, you're right. I mixed that up. (And I know about the KL-reference. ;o) And the other implications.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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