Out of the Best Books: An Anthology of Literature,
Volumes One - Five
by Bruce Budge Clark
This five volume set of books is a magnificent collection of some of the greatest literature ever written. It was
compiled back in the 1960's by Bruce Clark to be studied for the cultural refinement lessons for the Relief Society
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day-Saints. Each short story, poem, and essay was carefully chosen to be
included in these volumes. I just finished Volume 1. My plan is to read all five volumes. I read one short story,
essay, or poem each evening, or several evenings a week, and Volume 1 (about 500 pages) has taken me about
five months to read. I am LOVING it. I am being introduced to the great authors and am learning so much. I feel
like I am taking a literature class and Mr. Clark is an excellent teacher, helping me understand what I would never
understand on my own. After each poem, essay or short story, he gives a synopsis and explanation of what was
just read. I admit, sometimes I have NO clue what I just read, until I read his help, then I go back and read again
and have an "Ah HA!" I love it. Some I still don't understand, but that's okay. I feel myself growing and learning. It's
impossible to adequately review a book like this, but I wanted to record some of my favorite "Ah Ha's!":
William Wordsworth:
"The world is too much with us- late and soon.
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers-" . . . we lay waste our powers. Ah Ha!
I loved "The Portable Phonograph", a futuristic short story by Walter Van Tilburg Clark about the four last survivors
of humankind and how they come out of their respective caves to listen to a salvaged phonograph, classical
music, their last shred of civilization(everything else was destroyed in the "explosion.") It teaches the need we all
have for beauty in our lives.
My Dad used to quote,
"Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink."
and I've heard all my life about the white albatross hung around the neck. I now know those were literary
references from "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Who knew? Probably everyone
and I've heard all my life about the white albatross hung around the neck. I now know those were literary
references from "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Who knew? Probably everyone
but me. Powerful stuff. Truly one of the greatest poems of world literature.
Donne's "Death Be Not Proud" and Rabbi Ben Ezra by Browning were favorites: I love the first line of the latter:
"Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,"
I think one of the most poignant is a short story I used in a speech I did in high school,"The Lament" by Anton
Chekhov. It's about a man, a "Cabby"(taxi driver) whose son has just passed away and he longs for somebody,
anybody to listen to him as he expresses his grief. No one will.
I love "Abou Ben Adhem" for two reasons: It's my neighbor's favorite poem (he wants it read at his funeral) and I
understand it! Without any help from Mr. Clark, I "get" that one.
Dickens, Dickinson, Wordsworth, Keats, Tennyson, Blake, and many, many others. . . all within the paperback pages
of one book, and that's just Volume 1. Stay tuned for about five months for the review of Volume 2. I can't wait to
get started!
Volume 2 Reviewed January, 2012
I just finished Volume 2. This volume's theme is Love, Marriage, and Family. Each section explores through
literature and art (this volume includes some beautiful paintings) character traits necessary for success in love in
family. They include: Understanding, Refinement, Humilty, Courtesy, Diligence, Virtue, and Wisdom. See? See? Just
reading the list makes you want to be a better person. As expressed in my review of Volume 1, it is impossible to
adequately review a 350 page book, crammed with some of the greatest literature ever written. That is
exasperated by the fact that it took me nine months to read it. Well, actually most of that time it was sitting in my
book basket, begging to be read. But I will mention a few of my favorites:
Understanding
In this section, I liked a short story called "Sixteen" by Jessamyn West. It's the story of an immature girl's discovery
that no matter our age, we are all the same.
Refinement
A sad, but revealing short story by Willa Cather, "The Sculptor's Funeral" contrasts the coarse townspeople and
family with a sensitive, artistic young man, that is persecuted for his differences.
Humility
I loved, loved, loved a short story in this section, "Mother" by Kathleen Norris. A young woman from a large, poor
family is now living in the city- eager to make something of her life. She becomes very interested in a young mana fellow employee. While at home one weekend, visiting her family, the young man shows up. She is mortified for
him to see where she came from, and is especially embarrassed by her overworked mother and her many younger
siblings. As she tries to apologize to him at the end of the visit, he responds with a speech worth recording:
"You know," continued John Tennison musingly, "in these days, when a woman thinks she is entitled to entirely
ignore the question of children, if she feels that way, or at most to bring up one or two , just the one or two that
the family income provides for luxuriously and easily, there's something magnificent in a woman like your mother,
who, instead of one destiny, starts eight! Responsibility- that's what people are afraid of! But it seems to me
there's no responsibility like that of decreeing that young lives simply shall not be. . . Miss Paget, after all, and it
seems to me that woman who stands there, as your mother will, whith a forest of new lives about her, and a
record like hers, will- will find she has a Friend at court!"
Courtesy
There were several good ones in this section, but I think my favorite was a little story by Ogden Nash, "The
Evening Out." It's about a husband and wife going out for the evening, but the wife is SO concerned about her
appearance that neither of them can have any fun.
Diligence
I liked a short story (Hmmm . .. I seem to prefer the short stories!) by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, "The Revolt of
Mother" (I also seem to like the "mother" stories!) Stop me if you've heard this one, because I've told the plot to
several people, as it made such an impression on me. Set in "olden times" a couple and their two children have
lived on a farm in an old, shabby home for many years. Though he promised his wife many years ago, he would
build her a new home, he instead builds a beautiful new barn in her dream home spot. Rather than nagging and
crying and complaining, she comes up with a plan: She arranges for him to be away for a couple of days- just
enough time for she and her children to move into the barn and begin the conversion of it to her much-deserved
build her a new home, he instead builds a beautiful new barn in her dream home spot. Rather than nagging and
crying and complaining, she comes up with a plan: She arranges for him to be away for a couple of days- just
enough time for she and her children to move into the barn and begin the conversion of it to her much-deserved
dream home. He comes home to find it's all done and then and only then, realizes what it meant to his wife and
humbly accepts. I just loved that she didn't nag or make life miserable. She just did what needed to be done.
"Sarah Penn's success does not come from insisting on her rights. It comes from serving so unselfishly and
consistenly that even her husband's work-hardened exterior is broken through."
I also loved a collection of letters written by Abigail Adams to her husband John Adams included in this section.
Abigail is one of my heroes. She and Barbara Bush are the only two women in history to have been both a wife
and a mother of an American president.
And finally, in the Wisdom section, was another short story by Anton Chekhov. His short stories are so memorable.
I enjoyed "The Lament" in Volume 1 and "The Bet" in this one. In it, a young man and an older man make a bet
that the younger man can stay in absolute solitary confinement for fifteen years. The older man will then pay the
younger two million. It tells how he spends his time, and the lessons learned by both of the men. It has a startling
ending.
Okay, so there you have it. Now, on to Volume 3!
|Started in volume 2, which was excellent, now working on #1.