Monday, August 15, 2005

norton's

While finishing reading Gilley's Newman and His Age, I pulled out my old college volumes of the Norton Anthology of English Literature (3rd edition) and found several excerpts from Newman's writing in Vol II, as well as Hugh Lattimore's plowman sermon, Fox's description of Lattimore and Ridley's burning at the stake at Oxford, and excerpts from Hooker's treatise on ecclesiastical laws in Vol I.

When I was a student, Baylor required two semesters of sophomore level classes in British literature. Funny, that I never remembered so many references to Anglican divines -- and now I immediately start thinking of John Donne and Milton, and I wonder if George Herbert is in it. That old Norton's, by the way, only mentions Jane Austen as the most outstanding writer of novels of manners in an introductory essay, but has no excerpt of her writing. A great oversight.

2 comments:

Emily said...

Haven't thought about a Norton's anthology in years, but it does bring back memories.

Funny how some of the classic literature we were forced to read before now suddenly has more meaning and interest.

Don said...

Which is probably as it should be ... we can appreciate it better in someways after the passions and energies of youth have cooled down and life has taught us a few lessons. Nice to know that education continues to inform and help shape us many years later.

I read this weekend that Newman said as much in terms of youth reading great epics like the Iliad and only learning later in life how heart-breaking and moving certain passages are.