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The most amazing thing arrived in my email inbox today: the syllabus for my next library class with all of the reading assignments included. The class doesn’t start until next Monday. This is a first and a happy surprise. I’ve never had this particular professor before but I love her already. The class, collection development, has gobs of reading but since I have it all ahead of time I can get a jump on things and not rush to try to cram it all in early next week. There will also be four assignments, two of them group projects. I’m not thrilled about that but I had such a good group experience in my last class that I am not dreading it for once. I am so not ready to think about school again yet but I guess I have to. Sigh.
Before the intrusion of my class syllabus I was debating whether to write about finishing Sappho or being panicked over embarking on Carlyle’s Sartor Resartus. I think I will go with the panic and save Sappho for tomorrow when, presumably, I will be calmer.
Because I don’t know anything about Sartor Resartus I decided that reading the introduction of my Oxford edition would be a good idea; I could get some background and find out what to expect. Usually reading introductions before the book itself is a bad idea because they tend to give everything away and pardon me if I still like to read a classic and be surprised by the story. In this case, there is nothing to give away because the book has no real plot per se. What the introduction has done, however, is terrify me.
Sartor Resartus is going to be a weird and difficult book and I am concerned I am not going to “get it.” Even the introduction left me scratching my head at times and I hope that is just because I have not read the book yet. Still, as I prepare to embark on the book, I find myself wondering what the heck I was thinking. I’ve been wanting to read the book for some time because Emerson and Carlyle were friends, Carlyle was important, and I have run across references to the book in various other books. Amateur Reader’s Scottish Literature Challenge seemed the perfect opportunity to slip it into the reading lineup.
I think I must be a little crazy for deciding to read this book. My consolation is that Amateur Reader has read it and survived and might be reading it again for this challenge. I therefore am not alone in the undertaking. At this point, that is no small comfort.
Wish me luck. I will try to report regularly from the Carlylean front lines.
I’ve read excerpts from Sartor Resartus, but not the whole thing. I am curious, though, especially since Amateur Reader compared it to Walden, which I hate, but never thought of as a satire and maybe reading it that way would help me like it? But in order to read Thoreau like Carlyle I have first to read Carlyle. Whoa, crazy book lady!
Anyway, I will be very interested in your Sartorian reports.
No comment on Sartor Resartus as I’ve not read it, and it’s not really on my horizon in the near future – LOL. But, I do hope you enjoy collection development – it’s a great subject to get your teeth into!
I’ve never read anything by Carlyle, but you never know: it could be much better than you expected and after the event you’ll be saying, what WAS that introduction on about? And ah, the bliss of organised professors. If only more of them actually thought about student requirements, eh?
I know I would have a hard time sorting out the serious from the parody. (Confession: I had to read the Wikipedia entry.) When is the tailor and tailor, and when is he RE-tailored? lol
You are such an adventurous, brave reader. You’ve really inspired me. Right now I’m reading Vicar of Wakefield, which, while no Sartor Resartus, has been challenging.
I’ll have to experience Sartor Resartus vicariously through you. Hope your next class goes well. Collection Development? What does that encompass?
Some encouragement:
1. It’s quite short!
2. The book really is important. Carlyle is a Victorian touchstone, in England and the US. I can’t say I’m always happy about that, but it’s true.
3. Why “concerned” that you’re not going to get it? Why not “thrilled”? What’s the advantage of getting it?
I’m most serious about the last point.
I admire your courage re: Carlyle. I haven’t yet found the chutzpah to give it a shot myself.
But listen to Amateur Reader’s advice; I think it’s perfect.
Good luck! I’ve never read Carlyle, but trying different ( and when I say different I mean scary:) ) things is always fun, you can never know how they might surprise you
I will be looking forward to hearing your reports…
I’m not at all familiar with Carlyle (other than the Persephone book by Thea Holme, The Carlyle’s at Home–not even sure if it’s the same Carlyle–how’s that for pulling a book out of the hat). I admire that you’re reading it on your break (when I would be all about comfort reads!:) ). But it sounds like the type of book I would also be reading the intro to and anything else at all to help explain–some books need that I think. Good luck with it–maybe it’ll totally click once you start!
whisperinggums, I am looking forward to collection development very much. I am especially interested in the topic of electronic versus print collections so I am hoping we get to discuss that in class. It would be weird if we didn’t.
Litlove, you’ve not read Carlyle? isn’t he required reading in the UK like every student in the U.S. has to read Thoreau?
I’ve never had a professor so organized before, it is a wonderful thing. She even said in her email she was sending out the information early so we will know how to plan our schedules to fit everything in.
andalucy, I’m hoping the satire will be obvious. The introduction did lots of comparisons with Swift so I’m crossing my fingers. And what a nice thing for you to say! I have not read Vicar or Wakefield but I hope it turns out to be something you enjoy very much that spurs you on to even more challenges
Grad, who knows, maybe Sartor Resartus will turn out to be so good that you will find yourself wanting to read it too
Collection development is all about theory and practicalities of purchasing books and other resources for the library.
Amateur Reader, thank you for your encouragement! You make a good point with number 3. I think the fact that the book is important has got me rather intimidated. I probably should not have read the introduction because I was fine until I did. But I have been taking your advice, and the advice the book’s “editor” offers on how to read the book and have even laughed out loud a few times.
Colleen, I’m not sure I’d call it courage, more like ignorance is bliss
Lua, thank you! You are right, it is scary but also fun because I do want to be surprised and so far I have been.
Danielle, there’s only one Carlyle that I know of so it probably is the same one. Since my brain is so occupied with school during the quarter it is easier to read things that aren’t so hard and during break it sort of becomes a treat to challenge myself with something of my choosing. I am off to a good start in my reading so I am hoping it continues.
It certainly would be weird if you didn’t…it is what my group here has been immersed in right now! And will be over the next few weeks, from a number of perspectives. Enjoy. Librarianship is never boring …
I love Amateur Reader’s point about there being no advantage to getting it. I just read Litlove’s post about Zen, so why not be a little Zen about this? It’s an intriguing idea, at least. I read a short excerpt from this at some point (don’t remember why) and found it intriguing, but it’s an entirely different matter to read the whole thing. I’m very curious to hear your thoughts about it when you are finished.