The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces: The Western Tradition (Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces)

Rating:
Summary: Avoid the Introductions
Review: As its name describes, this book contains many known works of famous writers from Europe, Asia, and a few from Latin America. I was to read Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert and I found in the introduction that the editors of this book gave away the ending in an attempt to summarize the plot. Thus I read over 200 pages knowing exactly what was the destiny of the main character!!! I do understand that many people do know the story, from beginning to end, but I also know that there are many others like me that have never read Madame Bovary. From now on I will avoid the introductions completely. It was cruel that editors from well known universities commit such atrocities. It clearly shows their lack of common sense and that even in the best universities people don't learn the basics.

Rating:
Summary: Avoid the Introductions
Review: As its name describes, this book contains many known works of famous writers from Europe, Asia, and a few from Latin America. I was to read Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert and I found in the introduction that the editors of this book gave away the ending in an attempt to summarize the plot. Thus I read over 200 pages knowing exactly what was the destiny of the main character!!! I do understand that many people do know the story, from beginning to end, but I also know that there are many others like me that have never read Madame Bovary. From now on I will avoid the introductions completely. It was cruel that editors from well known universities commit such atrocities. It clearly shows their lack of common sense and that even in the best universities people don't learn the basics.

Rating:
Summary: Strange Choices
Review: My own education was in the Great Books and I am familiar with both the literature and how to teach it. I used this book for the first time in the current semester because it is virtually standard where I teach.
I was puzzled by the many obscure selections in this anthology such as Thorstein the Staff-Struck and Marguerite de Navarre. I was frustrated by the selection of relatively unreadable translations like the Jowett "Socrates' Apology" and the apparently untranslated "Morte Darthur." This book is intended for contemporary college students who have had little experience reading classical experience and these choices were simply inappropriate to them.
Shakespeare is represented only by "Othello." Why not also one of the comedies or histories? Why not any other example of Elizabethan drama?
The editors left out important works such as More's "Utopia," anything by Aquinas, any of Aristotle except for a brief excerpt from "The Poetics," and anything by Martin Luther. The selections from the New Testament were also deficient.
They chose, correctly I believe, to include some Jewish and Muslim literature but did not choose well. Aside from the Old Testament the Jewish literature was limited to a few Medieval verses and not the best of them. Aside from a few selections from the Koran, they saw fit to include a tiny selection of verse and a little of "The Thousand and One Nights." The lack of possible choices that either affected or were affected by Western literature (Philo, Maimonides, Al-Gazzali, Ibn-Khaldoun) are an indication of timidity or ignorance on the part of the editors.
I detect an attempt at the kind of political correctness that wants to include authors aside from "dead, white, European males." That is not an unworthy aim, but they did it badly.
Finally the introductions, which were in almost unreadably small print, were filled with inaccurate information. These were not carefully written.
It's a shame that this anthology dominates the search engines at Amazon and at other online services. The reason would seem to be a matter of economics rather than quality. I'm already searching for a better anthology to use next semester.

Rating:
Summary: Strange Choices
Review: My own education was in the Great Books and I am familiar with both the literature and how to teach it. I used this book for the first time in the current semester because it is virtually standard where I teach.
I was puzzled by the many obscure selections in this anthology such as Thorstein the Staff-Struck and Marguerite de Navarre. I was frustrated by the selection of relatively unreadable translations like the Jowett "Socrates' Apology" and the apparently untranslated "Morte Darthur." This book is intended for contemporary college students who have had little experience reading classical experience and these choices were simply inappropriate to them.
Shakespeare is represented only by "Othello." Why not also one of the comedies or histories? Why not any other example of Elizabethan drama?
The editors left out important works such as More's "Utopia," anything by Aquinas, any of Aristotle except for a brief excerpt from "The Poetics," and anything by Martin Luther. The selections from the New Testament were also deficient.
They chose, correctly I believe, to include some Jewish and Muslim literature but did not choose well. Aside from the Old Testament the Jewish literature was limited to a few Medieval verses and not the best of them. Aside from a few selections from the Koran, they saw fit to include a tiny selection of verse and a little of "The Thousand and One Nights." The lack of possible choices that either affected or were affected by Western literature (Philo, Maimonides, Al-Gazzali, Ibn-Khaldoun) are an indication of timidity or ignorance on the part of the editors.
I detect an attempt at the kind of political correctness that wants to include authors aside from "dead, white, European males." That is not an unworthy aim, but they did it badly.
Finally the introductions, which were in almost unreadably small print, were filled with inaccurate information. These were not carefully written.
It's a shame that this anthology dominates the search engines at Amazon and at other online services. The reason would seem to be a matter of economics rather than quality. I'm already searching for a better anthology to use next semester.

Rating:
Summary: World Masterpiece
Review: Wide collection of works and translations. I really enjoyed the translation of Homer in the Iliad. Norton's Anthology has help transform literature from being boring to being fun.

Rating:
Summary: World Masterpiece
Review: Wide collection of works and translations. I really enjoyed the translation of Homer in the Iliad. Norton's Anthology has help transform literature from being boring to being fun.