Whether we love or hate Sigmund Freud, we all have to admit that he revolutionized the way we think about ourselves. Much of this revolution can be traced to The Interpretation of Dreams, the turn-of-the-century tour de force that outlined his theory of unconscious forces in the context of dream analysis. Introducing the id, the superego, and their problem child, the ego, Freud advanced scientific understanding of the mind immeasurably by exposi ...
This book is well-written and engaging, even 300+ years later. It stops in 1760, well before his involvement with the Revolution, but it covers in detail his youth, apprenticeships, the formation of his philosophy and ideals, and his path from poor roots to business and social success – the first telling of the American Dream, the idea that a poor young man could Find His Fortune in the New World through enterprise, wisdom, and work. <p> ...
Austens means of poking fun at Gothic horror literature are far from mean-spirited and, as a matter of fact, can be delightfully humorous indeed. Her heroine, Catherine Morland, is by no means the type of heroine to be found in the giant tomes of Radcliffe and her indulgent imitators, as Austen tells her reading audience directly from the very start. Almost attractive on a good day, this unintellectual tomboy has reached her fifteenth year witho ...
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) is considered one of the giants of philosophy, of his age or any other. It is largely this book that provides the foundation of this assessment. Whether one loves Kant or hates him (philosophically, that is), one cannot really ignore him; even when one isnt directly dealing with Kantian ideas, chances are great that Kant is made an impact. <p> Kant as a professor of philosophy was familiar with the Rationalists, ...
In this, the second Sherlock Holmes story written by Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes is called upon by a young lady who needs the great detectives help with a mystery. However, when this mystery leads to murder, Holmes must seek to uncover secrets that have lain hidden for many years, and have their roots in treacheries upon treacheries in far-off India. Theres a one-legged man who is at the center of this mystery, and he has a murderous fri ...
Joyce is about as challenging as they come in the literary world. However, since it seemed like Ulysses or Finnegans Wake would be a bit much to start with, you will find yourself reading A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man as an introduction to his work. <p> And although you will find this book about as easy to get into as Princeton, it was about as rewarding as well. Portrait is certainly anything but a light read. Joyces meanderi ...
There is only one other book that is so widely known, discussed, and debated, yet so rarely read: that other book is the Bible. To make my point, here is a little quiz: <p> 1) Which name is most closely associated with the theory of evolution? <p> 2) Which book did this person write on evolution? <p> 3) What claims are made in that book? <p> 4) What else is contained in that book? <p> With astonishing regu ...
On the surface, THE INVISIBLE MAN concerns a scientist named Griffin who has discovered the means to invisibility–but who has gone mad in the process. When frustrated in his efforts to restore himself to visibility, he determines to embark upon a reign of terror that will make him master of the world. It is worth noting, however, that Wells was very much a social writer and that his novels are inevitably commentaries on various social evils. Onc ...
Bleak House is long, tightly plotted, wonderfully descriptive, and full of memorable characters. Dickens has written a vast story centered on the Jarndyce inheritance, and masterly manages the switches between third person omniscient narrator and first person limited narrator. <p> In this book a poor boy (Jo) will be literally chased from places of refuge and thus provide Dickens with one of his most powerful ways to indict a system tha ...
