I’ve been reading more literature with a capital ‘L’ lately. Recently, I’ve read Grapes of Wrath, Infinite Jest (some, I love/hated it and tapped out around p500), 100 Years of Solitude, Perfume, and just finished Blood Meridian. While reading these books, I sometimes wanted a breakdown of certain passages or to know more about other works they were alluding to. I refrained until I finished because I didn’t want spoilers or interpretations that would alter my own reading.
Now I’m thinking about tackling Moby Dick, as I really enjoy Mccarthy (I’ve also read The Road) and I know that’s a huge influence of his. It would be nice to have it under my belt when I continue with his works.
I think with a book like this, I don’t necessarily want to go all the way and then tie all the literary influences and framework together in the rearview mirror. I haven’t real much stuff like the Iliad, Paradise Lost, etc that are sort of foundational in the western canon. Shit, I haven’t read much of the Bible for that matter.
What do? Tough luck? I’m jealous of the folks that are seeing all the layers on their first reads.
by Jertok
6 Comments
> I haven’t real much stuff like the Iliad, Paradise Lost, etc that are sort of foundational in the western canon. Shit, I haven’t read much of the Bible for that matter
Because they’re *foundational*, and so many works reference them, I’m willing to bet you’re more familiar with the ideas and characters contained in them than you might think. You know Achilles and Patroclus, right?
If you’re willing to not read those foundational books then you should be able to accept that some references will go over your head.
Outside of actually reading those books, I’d highly recommend a book like *The Classical Tradition* by Gilbert Highet. It details the history of Western literature from about the 5th century all the way to the early part of the 20th century and how literature produced in that period was influenced by the Greco-Roman tradition; moreover, how said works influenced other works and so on.
While it doesn’t cover the likes of the *Blood Meridian*, *100 Years of Solitude* etc. (it was published in the 40s), you’ll be well-aquatinted with the tradition that influenced said books and be able to recognise more of those layers.
And of course, it could be a great compendium for if/when you decide to tackle those foundational works at a later date.
There is popular literature tackling foundational works like the *Iliad* and others, thus reducing the barriers to entry when it comes to developing a common literary-historical basis between the author and you as the reader. For example, Stephen Fry wrote some enchantingly accessible works in the last five years, *Mythos*, *Heroes* and *Troy*, which should give you some basic knowledge when it comes to Greek mythological references in Western literature which are quite numerous (he even did a lovely audiobook version with himself as the reader). His new work on Homer’s *Odyssey* is expected for 2024. I’d still recommend reading the original works but popular literature **is** an alternative.
You could read an annotated version–that would have footnotes with lots of references and explanations
It looks like Norton Critical Editions has an annotated Moby Dick:
https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393285000
Ever see the animated show Archer? There are so many classic literary references in the first two seasons it got me into wanted to read the classics. You’ll never catch every reference in other books, but the more we’ll read you are, the more you find and it’s still fun every time it happens.