Great Books 102: Renaissance to Modern

One of the glories of the human soul is the ability to write and understand literature. The greatest works of literature reflect the complexities of an unchanging human nature through a consideration of timeless truths in a dramatic setting. Reading a great work of literature broadens your understanding of the world and of the good, toward which all human action should be directed.

Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote is widely regarded as the world’s first novel. Dostoevsky remarked that it is “the final greatest utterance of the human mind.” Written by a poor veteran of the Battle of Lepanto, Don Quixote opens with a statement of the goal of the book: to destroy the authority and influence of books of chivalry. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that Cervantes’ view of chivalry is much more complex. The comedic adventures of Don Quixote de la Mancha and his squire Sancho Panza culminate in conversion and a profound turn to the everlasting.

The author T.S. Eliot praised Hamlet as “the ‘Mona Lisa’ of literature.” In this tragedy, Shakespeare explores the soul of a potential leader. Near the beginning of the play, Hamlet, the crown prince of Denmark, is told by his father’s ghost that he was murdered by his brother, Claudius, the current king of Denmark. As Hamlet attempts to fulfill the ghost’s commandment to seek revenge, tragedy ensues. The author of the play reveals that Hamlet lacks the classic virtues of temperance and prudence.

The Tempest—a work that carries the weight of all of Shakespeare’s talent, imagination, and genius—explores the indispensable human act of reconciliation. The play opens with a ship caught in a tempest at sea, which has been conjured by the powerful Prospero. Along with his daughter Miranda, Prospero has been trapped on a nearby island for twelve years. As the play unfolds, it considers the themes of political order and disorder, the execution of one’s duty in the world, and, more broadly, how the ability to act well rests on a foundation of proper contemplation.

One of the five great epic poems of the Western literary tradition, John Milton’s Paradise Lost expounds and greatly expands upon the biblical narrative of Adam and Eve. The poem considers in dramatic form broad themes of moral reasoning and free choice and offers a rich exploration of human nature and the ongoing struggle between good and evil. In addition, it boldly seeks to “justify the ways of God to men.” Milton elevates Satan as a seemingly heroic figure in the narrative, jolting the reader to realize his fallen state and to pursue an eternal understanding of the Divine.

Goethe’s Faust, one of the most famous legends of Western history, tells the tale of a scholar selling his soul to the devil in pursuit of a narcissistic and ultimately self-destructive transcendence. This verse drama is at the same time a manifesto and a critique of romanticism, a movement that sought transcendence not through the embrace of God or through reason, but by means of the intensity of passion. The poem fosters sympathy in the reader for the idea that humans can live a full life only when immersed in a profoundly personal experience of oneself, stimulated by the natural world. At the same time, it offers a cautionary tale about a life lived in pursuit of romantic exultations.

Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground is partly a response to an element of 18th century Western philosophy known as rational egoism, which suggests that people are products of external forces and free will does not exist. In other words, man is a purely self-interested being. Dostoevsky offers a harsh critique of the egoists in the form of the Underground Man, who describes himself as sick and spiteful, though he insists on his free will, even if the only expression of that will is spite. In part two of the work, he describes his youthful interactions with others, which fall short of the romantic notions of the sublime and the beautiful that he deeply desired. Dostoevsky ultimately points to Christ as the model for human interaction.   

In Albert Camus’ The Fall, the 20th century French writer explores the idea of responsibility and the human condition. Camus opposes the nihilism prevalent among existentialist contemporaries, such as Jean Paul Sartre, by attempting to maintain a radical freedom that resides in a responsibility to others. Camus vividly illustrates this concept in The Fall when the main character, Jean-Baptiste Clamence, rejects an urgent call to fulfill this responsibility to others and presents the reader with his rationalization for doing so. 

T.S. Eliot—an American by birth who later became a British subject by choice—was one of the preeminent poets of the 20th century. In his poetry, which took the form of free verse, Eliot attempted to combine the freedom of Whitman with the form of Baudelaire. In exploring this mastery, one discovers the rhythm, order, and structure of Eliot, which helped to revitalize contemporary poetry and secure a place for it in the great conversation of Western literature.

In the opening lines of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, she contrasts universal truth and worldly wisdom, compelling the reader to consider carefully prevailing views on marriage and wealth. The story concerns the social relationships involving the Bennet family, a family with five daughters, but no sons to inherit the family estate. The main character, Elizabeth Bennet, believes in the possibility of mutual happiness in marriage. She challenges the predominant view of marriage as simply a rational method of achieving financial security. Elizabeth and her ideals are put to the test as her relationship with Mr. Darcy develops, revealing the important connection between reason and love.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens—better known by his pen name, Mark Twain—is the father of American literature. He rejected the special privilege traditionally given to British culture in 19th-century America. Twain’s works, including especially The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, proved that the American language was aesthetically capable of beautiful prose, and in doing so challenged the genteel tradition of American literature. While its narrator, Huckleberry Finn, is unreliable and unsophisticated, the novel presents complex moral dilemmas and pushes the reader to explore the American sources of Huck’s character.