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    On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books
    On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books
    On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books
    Audiobook8 hours

    On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books

    Written by Karen Swallow Prior and Leland Ryken

    Narrated by Lisa Larsen

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Reading great literature well has the power to cultivate virtue. Great literature increases knowledge of and desire for the good life by showing readers what virtue looks like and where vice leads. It is not just what one reads but how one reads that cultivates virtue. Reading good literature well requires one to practice numerous virtues, such as patience, diligence, and prudence. And learning to judge wisely a character in a book, in turn, forms the reader's own character.

    Acclaimed author Karen Swallow Prior takes readers on a guided tour through works of great literature both ancient and modern, exploring twelve virtues that philosophers and theologians throughout history have identified as most essential for good character and the good life. In reintroducing ancient virtues that are as relevant and essential today as ever, Prior draws on the best classical and Christian thinkers, including Aristotle, Aquinas, and Augustine. Covering authors from Henry Fielding to Cormac McCarthy, Jane Austen to George Saunders, and Flannery O'Connor to F. Scott Fitzgerald, Prior explores some of the most compelling universal themes found in the pages of classic books, helping readers learn to love life, literature, and God through their encounters with great writing. In examining works by these authors and more, Prior shows why virtues such as prudence, temperance, humility, and patience are still necessary for human flourishing and civil society.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateDec 25, 2018
    ISBN9781977339362

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    Reviews for On Reading Well

    4.5/5

    86 ratings5 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This book is a treasure. Author uses other books to illustrate virtues in a way that is unforgettable. She also provides precise language to grasp each of the virtues and their opposites.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Unique and creative presentation of virtue. An informative introduction to readings of several great literary works. Almost every chapter inspired me to be a better person.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Karen Swallow Prior takes the reader on a thoughtful journey through reading and mindfully captures the essence of virtue.

      She invites the book lover to grow in her love of reading, to expand in character and cultivate true virtue.

      This is one for keeps. Worth the read!
    • 5/5
      For anyone who loves literature and reading and has an appreciation of - or at least an openness to - the classics, I recommend this highly. It is terrific. So is Bobonbooks' review. My top impressions/observations:1) Through analysis of works of literature, this book gave me a lens for interpreting scripture that I'd never before thought of or read anything quite like.2) Deep exploration of 12 character virtues divided into three buckets (cardinal, theological, heavenly), each brought to life through a specific novel, helped me dial into, understand, and internalize those virtues in a fresh way. 3) The virtues that resonated with me the most were justice, courage, faith, hope, chastity, kindness and humility, but your virtue DNA may be comprised of different strands. They're all wonderful traits to exemplify.4) Several of the books showcased, I'd read many times before and this made me appreciate them anew (Huck Finn, The Road, Tale of Two Cities). 5) A few of the books, I'd read in high school and didn't have the life experience to really understand at the time. For years now, I've thought good riddance to The Great Gatsby and Persuasion, but now I think I owe them a second read as an adult. It's a miracle!6) A few have languished on my TBR for years without me ever getting around to them. They've just been rebooted to the top--looking at you, Ethan Frome, Silence, and pretty much everything by Flannery O'Connor!7) This is like the 'slow food movement' for readers - read and savor, quality over quantity. I mean, yes...that's especially hard to do when my TBR goals are high and climbing (another nod to the Protestant work ethic misdirected). It's not you. It's me.8) The mantra to read promiscuously! For real, if you don't love everything about that, I'm not sure we can be friends.9) Never read Karen Swallow Prior before, may never again, but this book is a treasure, I tell you. I love her mind and the three-way intersection of character, literature, and Christianity/spiritual. At my fantasy dinner party--she'll always have a seat saved at the table.
    • 4/5
      Liberty University professor Karen Swallow Prior discusses twelve literary works in light of Christian virtues portrayed in each. She utilizes other literature, theological and Biblical studies works, philosophy, and classics to reach her conclusions. The work is divided into sections for the cardinal virtues, theological virtues, and heavenly virtues. Contents include:Prudence: The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry FieldingTemperance: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott FitzgeraldJustice: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles DickensCourage: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark TwainFaith: Silence by Shusaku EndoHope: The Road by Cormac McCarthyLove: The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo TolstoyChastity: Ethan Frome by Edith WhartonDiligence: Pilgrim's Progress by John BunyanPatience: Persuasion by Jane AustenHumility: "Revelation" and "Everything that Rises Must Converge" by Flannery O'ConnorThese essays would create great discussions in classes covering those works, particularly in Christian liberal arts universities. They could also serve as models for writing essays on literary works. This review is based on an advance review copy received from the publisher through NetGalley with the expectation of an unbiased review.