Harvard Classics - Reading Guide - April
Apr 1: BROWNING'S POEMS
Everyone knows the pangs of homesickness in the spring. Even
bright, sparkling Italy could not wean Browning's affection from
the green hedgerows of misty England.
Read: BROWNING'S POEMS ................. Vol. 42, pp. 1068-1074
Apr 2: Darwin's VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE
A Spoon Dances in the Moonlight
A huge spoon dressed in human finery, placed on a grave, appears
to become convulsed when the moon's rays fall on it and
dances to the tune of chanting natives. Weird sights, according
to Darwin, abound in the South Seas.
Read from Darwin's VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE ..... Vol. 29, pp. 462-471
Apr 3: Walton's LIFE OF GEORGE HERBERT
"As a conqueror enters a surprised city; love made such resolutions
as neither party was able to resist. She changed her name
into Herbert the third day after this first interview."
Read from Walton's LIFE OF GEORGE HERBERT ........ Vol. 15, pp. 392-404
Apr 4: SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER
The Mistakes of a Night
Genial and rollicking fun are provided in this highly entertaining
story of a man who mistakes a private house for an inn,
and who treats his host's daughter like a serving maid.
Read from SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER ........ Vol. 18, pp. 205-215
Apr 5: Hobbes' LEVIATHAN
You and Your Dreams
Dreams and their causes interested Hobbes. Without superstition,
the philosopher weighed the evidence of ghosts, goblins,
and witches.
Read from Hobbes' LEVIATHAN ................ Vol. 34, pp. 313-322
Apr 6: MARCUS AURELIUS' MEDITATIONS
Badness has many interpretations, a different definition has been
the dictate of each new generation. The solution of the eternal
riddle was earnesdy sought by Marcus Aurelius.
Read: MARCUS AURELIUS' MEDITATIONS ........ Vol. 2, pp. 243-253
Apr 7: WORDSWORTH'S POEMS
Wordsworth was so closely in touch with Nature that the simple
beauty of flowers, woods, and fields is reflected in his poems as
if Nature herself took up the pen and wrote.
Read: WORDSWORTH'S POEMS ................ Vol. 41, pp. 639-651
Apr 8: Aeschylus' THE LIBATION BEARERS
Orestes, holding an avenging sword over his mother, is told:
"Beware thy mother's vengeful hounds." How he pays for disregarding
his mother's warning is told in this drama where a
mother is slain to avenge a father's ghost.
Read from Aeschylus' THE LIBATION BEARERS ....... Vol. 8, pp.111-121
Apr 9: Bacon's NEW ATLANTIS
West of Peru there was reported to be a land where Truth and
Science were used to promote the happiness and freedom of man.
Here is Bacon's description of this ideal commonwealth.
Read from Bacon's NEW ATLANTIS ............... Vol. 3, pp. 145-155
Apr 10: First Charter of Virginia
Before English adventurers could attempt settlement in America
it was necessary first to get permission from the King . The
charter of King James to the oldest American colony is an extremely
important historical document.
Read: FIRST CHARTER OF VIRGINIA ................. Vol. 43, pp. 49-58
Apr 11: Goethe's FAUST
Danger in Being Young and Fair
The virgin beauty of Margaret enchanted Faust, who dazzled
her with the brilliance of many gems. Margaret innocently took
his gifts, believing that beauty should not "blush unseen"—but
unmindful of consequences to follow.
Read from Goethe's FAUST ................... Vol. 19, pp. 115-131
Apr 12: Berkeley's THREE DIALOGUES
The Perfect Argument
You would doubdess like to know how to hold your own in any
argument. Read what Leslie Stephen declares the finest specimen
in our language of the conduct of argument.
Read from Berkeley's THREE DIALOGUES ...... Vol. 37, pp. 230-240
Apr 13: CELLINI'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Michelangelo His Boon Companion
Kings, emperors, the greatest artists and sculptors of the Renaissance
at its most magnificent period, walk through the pages of
his autobiography—not as cold, austere, historical character,
but as the intimate friends of Cellini.
Read from CELLINI'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY ............... Vol. 31, pp. 23-35
Apr 14: Biggs' DRAKE'S GREAT ARMADA
A Raid on Spanish Treasure in America
Spanish towns in the New World were rich in treasure and tempting
booty for English soldiers of fortune, who were venturesome
and merciless. "Ho! for the Spanish Main!" was the rallying
cry for all freebooters and buccaneers.
Read from Biggs' DRAKE'S GREAT ARMADA ....... Vol. 33, pp. 229-242
Apr 15: WHITMAN'S POEMS
O Captain! My Captain!
The rugged, genuine Lincoln was idealized by Walt Whitman—
the founder of the new school of American poetry. Two of
Whitman's finest poems were inspired by Lincoln.
Read: WHITMAN'S POEMS ............... Vol. 42, pp. 1412-1420
Apr 16: Dante's DIVINE COMEDY
Inside the Gates of Hell
The city of Dis, within the gates of Hell, was guarded by monsters
and surrounded by a moat filled with the tormented. Dante,
protected by Virgil, entered the forbidden city, and viewed
sights never before seen by living man.
Read from Dante's DIVINE COMEDY ............... Vol. 20, pp. 32-39
Apr 17: FRANKLIN'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Benjamin Franklin—Book Salesman
In 1731 there were not many books in America. Franklin saw
the need for more books and by house-to-house canvassing persuaded
Philadelphians to aid him in founding a public library
which to-day stands as a lasting memorial to Franklin.
Read from FRANKLIN'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY .............. Vol. 1, pp. 66-77
Apr 18: Cervantes' DON QUIXOTE
Ready for Adventures and Conquests
Reading too many romances of knights and valorous deeds caused
a poor Spanish gentleman to polish up his great-grandfather's
armor, rechristen his old nag, and sally forth. "Don Quixote,"
besides holding a secure niche in literature as the work that
quashed the romantic school of knight-errantry, is at the same
time one of the most widely-read stories in the world.
Read from Cervantes' DON QUIXOTE ........... Vol. 14, pp. 17-28
Apr 19: Emerson's CONCORD HYMN
Battle of Concord
Dr. Eliot says of the opening stanza of the "Concord Hymn":
"In twenty-eight words here are the whole scene and all the
essential circumstances . . . what an accurate, moving, immortal
description is this!"
Read: Emerson's CONCORD HYMN .......... Vol. 42, pp. 1245-1246
Apr 20: BYRON'S POEMS
Byron Gave His Life for Freedom
England's romantic poet died while fighting against the Turkson
the side of the Greeks. His poems, "The Isles of Greece" and
"The Prisoner of Chillon," proclaim freedom.
Read: BYRON'S POEMS ...................... Vol. 41, pp. 801-815
Apr 21: INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH LITERATURE
Books as Windows to the Past
Through the pages of a book the reader sees the life of past days.
Carnivals, processions, battles, coronations, voyages—the whole
history of the world and its people is revealed in a stupendous
pageant. Taine was a Frenchman who wrote an unsurpassed
history of English literature; its introduction reveals the unusual
combination of an imaginative and an analytical style.
Read from INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH LITERATURE .... Vol. 39, pp. 410-418
Apr 22: FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF MORALS
Happiness as a Duty
Immanuel Kant, the most influential of German philosophers,
taught that it was man's duty to be happy, for an unhappy man
is tempted to sin. Seekers after happiness find aid and inspiration
in Kant's writings.
Read from FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF MORALS ........ Vol. 32, pp. 310-317
Apr 23: Shakespeare's KING LEAR
Shaken and disillusioned by the treachery of his elder daughter,
King Lear suspected even the faithful Cordelia of evil designs.
Her most tender efforts to comfort him failed to drive away the
insistent specter of his madness.
Read from Shakespeare's KING LEAR ......... Vol. 46, pp. 293-303
Apr 24: Darwin's ORIGIN OF SPECIES
At the rate at which elephants naturally increase, Darwin estimated
that in 750 years there could be nearly 19,000,000 elephants.
But did Darwin consider the ravages of civilization and circuses?
Read from Darwin's ORIGIN OF SPECIES ............ Vol. 11, pp. 74-86
Apr 25: Tacitus' ON GERMANY
Men who danced among sharp swords—who gambled with their
lives—who took their women to the battlefields to encourage the
brave and shame the cowardly—these were the primitive Germans
who made Roman emperors tremble.
Read from Tacitus' ON GERMANY ............... Vol. 33, pp. 106-120
Apr 26: Hume ON MIRACLES
Just what constitutes a miracle? Does Science indorse miracles?
One wonders why such marvelous things do not happen often
nowadays. Hume tells why.
Read from Hume ON MIRACLES .............. Vol. 37, pp. 375-385
Apr 27: Emerson's BEAUTY
The Puritan world feared Beauty. Emerson, great American
essayist and philosopher, declared that the world was made for
beauty, and openly worshiped at beauty's shrine.
Read: Emerson's BEAUTY ....................... Vol. 5, pp. 297-310
Apr 28: THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES
Three hundred years before Christ, a preacher in Jerusalem complained
that there was no new thing under the sun. Everything
considered new had really existed in the time of the fathers.
Sophisticated and modern is this writer of 2,300 years ago.
Read from THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES .............. Vol. 44, pp. 335-341
Apr 29: THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
Sindbad, a poor man, recited woeful verses before the magnificent
dwelling of Sindbad of the Sea. The great Sindbad, hearing him,
invited the poor Sindbad to a feast and told the wonderful story
of his fabulous fortune.
Read from THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS ..... Vol. 16, pp. 231-242
Apr 30: Washington's FIRST INAUGURAL ADDRESS
Washington's Dictum on Private Life
Washington declared that the strength of the new nation lay in
the "pure and immutable principles of private morality." A free
government, fortified by the virtues and affection of its citizens,
can command the respect of the world.
Read: Washington's FIRST INAUGURAL ADDRESS .... Vol. 43, pp. 225-228
