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Events and classes > Read the Classics

Read the Classics

Lectures & book discussions at the library

"The books I always meant to read!" Read some of the best all-time classic books, with a professor leading the discussions. And no papers are due! The six series cover four literary eras, philosophy classics, and Russian literature. Each series takes place at a different branch of the library. Pick up your book(s) in advance of each program. Attend as many as you like. Registration is required and participation is free!

Information and sign up for the six discussion series:

Greece and Rome

Woodstock Library
Selected 1st Sundays
2–4 p.m.

  • 10/5 The Iliad, Homer
  • 12/7 The Odyssey, Homer
  • 2/1 The Aeneid, Virgil
  • 4/5 The Metamorphoses, Ovid

Middle Ages

Central Library
2nd Sundays, January–April
2–4 p.m.

  • 1/11Beowulf
  • 2/8History of the Kings of Britain
  • 3/8Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
  • 4/12Canterbury Tales, Chaucer

1600s & 1700s Novels

Hillsdale Library
Selected 3rd Saturdays
2–4 p.m.

  • 11/15Don Quixote, Cervantes
  • 1/17Robinson Crusoe, Defoe
  • 3/21Gulliver's Travels, Swift
  • 5/16Candide, Voltaire

1800s Novels

Hollywood Library
Selected 4th Sundays
2–4 p.m.

  • 11/23Frankenstein, Shelley
  • 1/25Moby Dick, Melville
  • 3/22Madame Bovary, Flaubert
  • 5/24Great Expectations, Dickens

Russian Literature

Gresham Library
Selected Sundays
2–4 p.m.

  • 10/19Collected Tales, Gogol
  • 12/14 Master and Margarita, Bulgakov
  • 2/8The Little Tragedies, Pushkin
  • 4/26Russian Poetry of the Silver Age
    bilingual poetry reading and discussion

Philosophy

Central Library
2nd Sundays, September–December
2–4 p.m.

  • 9/14  Plato's Republic
  • 10/12 Hume
  • 11/9  Kant
  • 12/14 Descartes

Printable Read the Classics flyer (pdf)

How can I participate?

  1. Sign up — Registration is required and participation is free! You can register and find more information by selecting one of the six program series links above.
  2. Pick up the book(s) at the participating library — limited supplies are available.
  3. Read the selected title, look at the preparatory materials under each series link above and browse the suggestions for further readings.
  4. Come to the discussion with your book(s) and have fun discussing and learning!

Call the Reference Line for more information 503.988.5234.

Appreciation goes to the professors from Reed College who are leading the discussions. A special thanks goes to Dr. Laura Leibman for her advice on the programs and assistance in recruiting the professors.

Made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities Fund of The Library Foundation.