Answering YOUR Questions to Celebrate 50,000 Subscribers (Thank You)

📚 Read the Great Books with Hardcore Literature: / about
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🎙️ open.spotify.com/show/70IZA24... (Subscribe to the Hardcore Literature Podcast on iTunes & Spotify)
🏫 hardcore-university.teachable... (Hardcore University, Exam Preparation Courses)
✍🏼 benjaminmcevoy.com My Personal Website
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Hardcore Literature Lecture Series
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📔Contents Page: cutt.ly/CmNhRY3
🎖️ War and Peace: cutt.ly/U3nzGma
🎭 Shakespeare Project: cutt.ly/B3nxHH7
🐳 Moby Dick: cutt.ly/K3nzVKf
☄️ Blood Meridian: cutt.ly/P3nz6Qp
🍂 Wuthering Heights: cutt.ly/N3nxxYt
🇮🇪 Ulysses: cutt.ly/x3nxQmN
🚂 Anna Karenina: cutt.ly/vmNhAWv
💀 Crime and Punishment: cutt.ly/rmNhFt5
⚓ Persuasion: cutt.ly/amNhX7b
☕ In Search of Lost Time: cutt.ly/5mNh8oD
⚔️ The Hero’s Journey: cutt.ly/UmNjrE3
🌸 Siddharta: cutt.ly/YmNjuzi
🎠 Don Quixote: cutt.ly/cmNjoK4
❤️Shakespeare’s Sonnets: cutt.ly/nmNlW7V
🇫🇷 Les Misérables: cutt.ly/J3YixoA
🕯️ The Turn of the Screw: cutt.ly/nToAQQ3
🖋️ Dickens Seasonal Read: cutt.ly/9ToAybt
📖 Middlemarch Serial Reading: tinyurl.com/45rv965c
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0:00 thank you for reading along
0:30 how to read to improve our lives?
4:30 what books have you reread the most?
5:07 most difficult books you’ve read?
6:00 your 5 top quotes/ideas from your reading?
13:00 are you reading McCarthy’s ‘The Passenger’?
14:14 what 3 books would you give to Shakespeare?
16:20 who is your favourite character, and why?
17:39 what are you favourite spiritual works?
19:31 appreciating a really lovely message
20:04 lesser known 19th century female novelists?
22:28 can you talk about reading with the seasons?
24:27 if you could read a book again for the first time?
24:44 balancing science and the humanities?
28:55 appreciating another lovely comment
29:08 how does the reading experience differ as we age?
31:52 objectively best work in the English language?
32:49 how will you answer all of these questions?
33:10 which canonical book did you not finish?
33:47 how does music complement your reading?
39:09 modern books you’ve added to your canon?
40:51 introducing literary themes to young readers?
42:09 how to read the eastern canon?
46:16 how to read Finnegans Wake?
48:00 your thoughts on fantasy?
48:55 favourite stories that aren’t books?
49:45 favourite films adaptations of books?
51:50 best William Golding novels?
52:03 discerning subjective vs objective worth?
54:37 thoughts on Barthes’ death of the author?
56:32 how do you respond to snobbery?
57:52 tips for finding advanced essay topics?
59:31 do you like Sir Walter Scott?
59:57 recommended non-fiction literary works?
1:00:30 any plans for author biographies?
1:01:22 is dramaturgy alive? And favourite playwrights?
1:03:25 have you learnt a language to read its literature?
1:04:37 how do you feel about translations?
1:05:20 have we exhausted Shakespeare analysis?
1:05:58 tips for managing test-taking anxiety?
1:07:47 Is there a poem that has impacted your life?
1:08:03 how does running relate to reading?
1:10:47 what is your favourite poem?
1:11:17 any plans to write your own book?
1:11:25 best time to join the book club?
1:11:59 what George Eliot have you read?
1:12:17 favourite contemporary writers?
1:12:30 what would you like to contribute to criticism?
1:12:39 why do you love Moby Dick?
1:13:57 your go-to stories when the world gets you down?
1:14:16 recommended novel for rural male students?
1:14:59 a heartfelt thank you to you all

[@mushfiquefahim141]

Your contribution in developing and improving the reading habits of so many people around the world is a matter of truly joyous recognition. I'm from Bangladesh, a country you probably wouldn't expect too many admirers from but here I am getting prepared to read Blood Meridian solely because of you. Thanks for the work you do, Ben. Congratulations!

[@shahrivarhossain]

Kemon achen bhai? I'm from Bangladesh too! 😊

[@maristarwars]

I’ve discovered your videos a 1/2 weeks ago… since then you kept me less lonely, and more loving of my passion for books and reading. Thank you for that :)

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Aw, that makes me so happy to hear that. Thank you so much for sharing your love of literature with me :)

[@criss8836]

I subscribed to your channel before you hit 20K subs. In this TikTok literature era, your channel feels like an oasis in the desert, refreshing and necessary to keep going. To understand why we read, what we read and what messages we should get out of classic literature. Thank you very much for guiding us. All the best to you, Ben.

[@vicente3j]

Tiktok literature 😭 very true

[@vicente3j]

Man it's so easy to get engrossed in these videos. At first I thought a 1 hour video was a lot but now I'm thinking it's not enough to get through everything 😂

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Vicente :) That's so lovely of you to say. I'm happy to have you here, my friend!

[@pthornburgh1]

An unexpected yet enjoyable rabbit hole

[@myramorgan4379]

Ben, Your channel stands like Mt. Everest above the abundance of drivel and mediocrity out there! Thank you so very much for your unlimited passion and knowledge of literature, AND your desire and effectiveness in sharing that impressive knowledge. Although an avid reader myself, I only discovered your channel in September and have enthusiastically shared this discovery with my many bookish friends. This Q &A has been another treasure trove of insights…thanks so much for all your terrific contributions to life’s enrichment. 🌹❤️

[@mihaigrts5976]

Amazing to see your chanel grow so fast lately. Imagine how many lives you’ve changed including mine. Thanks for the work you put out got us

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much 😊 I really deeply appreciate that!

[@thetruth4654]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy I just wanted to say that i agree with your take on training in regards to reading. And if you haven`t i would recommend trying martial arts as someone who has struggled with overthinking most of my life, martial arts lets my mind rest and be entirely present in the current moment. It is like an experience of Zen for me , highly recommend it i look forward to hearing you cover a wider range of literature(I look forward to hearing more about japanese, italian and religious\mythological literature)

[@GrrmPleaseWrite]

This channel has inspired me to vastly improve my reading habits. It’s also given me a giant list of classics to read! I just finished Wuthering Heights, and it was riveting and beautifully written. Next on my list is Dracula. Thank you for all you’ve done for this community. It’s wonderful to see your channel growing so quickly

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Wow. I'm so thrilled to hear that, Mason! Thank you so much :) And I couldn't be happier to hear that you loved Wuthering Heights. One I personally reread around this time each year! Do let us know what you make of Bram Stoker's Dracula! :)

[@terencemeikle534]

I'm simply bowled over by the insights and enthusiastic approach in these videos. I'm so glad the KZbin algorithm led me here. Utterly compelling viewing. 👌

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Terence :) I really appreciate that deeply, and am so grateful you're here!

[@caracarlson-roberts6325]

When I learned of Dr. Bloom’s death, I wondered who would pick up the baton and run with it - I think it could be you.

[@bethnoel1148]

Ben!!! Congratulations. It's great, isn't it? All of us collectively agree that you're changing our lives. I'm so happy. Thank you. You're improving my concentration, and making me an intentional reader and I don't feel bad for savoring books and reading slow.

[@marianapgar4409]

I have had a lifelong interest in reading the classic novels and have read quite a few. You are truly a gift to readers of literature. Thank you for your enthusiasm and for your outstanding discussions. It gives me hope that people such as yourself still exist.

[@motivationalenglish7802]

Hey man, I improve my British accent from your videos. Thanks for the videos.

[@dontravis5657]

Years ago I lost my desire/concentration to read long books, and eventually, books in general. I am thrilled to have found your channel Benjamin and am trying to remind myself of the joy I once had in reading. I just read, and loved, "The Great Divorce" by C.S. Lewis. I know it is not a large book, but it is a start. I read it in two days and that was part of the fun, remembering (and experiencing) the feeling of being hungry to continue reading something. Maybe this is a part of the start of a new Ark for my life. Thank you for creating enjoyable content.

[@michaelbenz8092]

I love a quote from Turgenev taken from a hunting narrative: 'We sit in the mud and aspire to the stars."

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I love that! So true.. 😂

[@lailapeak2363]

Such an amazing video! Thank you

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Aw, thank you so much! :)

[@gommine]

50,000! Amazing! I'm looking forward to signing up for your Patreon club. It will be my treat to myself for 2023. PS: I volunteer in a charity bookshop. Today I came across a copy of "Paradise Lost" with the iconic illustrations by Gustav Doré. I read Paradise Lost a few years ago but didnt' really absorb it. I saw the book today and thought, I'm going to buy it and listen to Ben's lectures on it and actually LEARN something. Thank you for everything you do, Ben.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Paola! How exciting to hear you'll be joining us for 2023 :) We've got some great works on the schedule that we'll be announcing a little later this month. And nice one on coming across a Paradise Lost with Gustav Doré's illustrations. One of my favourite artists. I love his illustrations for Paradise Lost, the Bible, Dante's Divine Comedy, Don Quixote, Coleridge's Ancient Mariner. I'm a bit obsessed with him actually :) And thank you so much for your kind comments and for being here!

[@gommine]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy The illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy are incredible. I'm Italian so I've grown up associating them with the Commedia (which in Italy is part of the high school curriculum). I have an antiquarian edition of the Commedia with Doré's illustrations, it belonged to my parents. I used to be terrified of lookig at those pictures when I was growing up - but you know children... every now and then I'd take a peek and then be traumatised for a whole week XD!

[@kellysober9352]

I just want to say thank you Benjamin. I am a newer subscriber and cannot get enough of your channel. You rekindled my love of the classics and I just bought a gorgeous edition of Anna Karenina. You and this community gives me hope for the world.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Kelly :) I really appreciate that so deeply. Thank you for being here, and I'd love to hear how your experience with your beautiful edition of Anna Karenina goes! :)

[@Tommy-xy1eh]

I still remember your joy when 5,000 Q+A Keep this good attitude even one day when your followers hit 1 million or 2 ….. Cause you are brilliant ❤ 🍀

[@strange.lucidity]

I think you'll love this quote by Niels Bohr: "The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth." Thank you for everything Benjamin and greetings from Austria 🙂

[@rosanna5515]

Yes, Don Quijote is my ultimate favourite character who embodies myriad human characteristics and is a great teacher and wise counsel in his persona. The second book is particularly poignant in its transparency through human behaviour, proving once more, for me at least, that a great writer must, perforce, also be a great philosopher. I read Don Quijote for the first time as an undergraduate in 1972. Since then, I have presented and discussed this wonderful work with my university students many, many times. I urge all who have not yet regaled themselves with this delightful and reflective creation to do so very soon. Enjoy. Buena lectura.

[@Fuhugawagah]

Here I am studying Ben's bookshelves in the background for hints of the coming reading schedule for 2023...

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I've definitely been dropping little clues.. ;)

[@MultiProudMother]

The Sopranos. Exactly.

[@felicityyoon2612]

The thing is even though this is Q and A video, there are load of things to learn from it. I am so grateful for your channel and what you're doing.

[@user-sz2ur9pz5g]

thank you for your support and time for us! i am from russia. you help to go through these hard times. i'm also a poet! thank you

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, my friend!!

[@lesterstone8595]

I'm glad you mentioned Jane Austen so many times. She is also a favorite of mine, but I was always reluctant to admit it out of fear of losing my man card. I really enjoy reading and re-reading Emma. Congrats on reaching over 50K. You're an inspiration. 😇

[@vicente3j]

Haha I picked up Northanger Abbey over the summer and immediately fell in love with the prose. But it wasn't my most testosterone filled reading 😂

[@lesterstone8595]

@@vicente3j lol

[@bjornjensen1309]

Ulysses broke me. Have had to re read it many times.. It's not even a book... It is experiencing a mind on a journey.

[@marnasorensen988]

Love Gaskell and Braddon, also Sackville-West, and hope to see some discussion on these authors. Your videos are a lifeline. Seems less lonely knowing you and your subscribers are out there reading.

[@LaurenceHuntKenora_Ontario]

Golding: To the Ends of the Earth, and a magnificent BBC film adaptation with Benedict Cumberbatch! I fell in love with the TV series.

[@benedict5850]

You've helped so many people. Your religious studies teacher would be very proud.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

That's so kind of you, Benedict. Thank you. I do wonder how she's doing these days.. :)

[@pleiades07]

Props to Ollie for reading such heavy books at that age. I started reading Oscar Wilde and Shakespeare religiously at 12 years old and fell in love with literature, though I didnt have the guts to read Dostoevsky or Dickens like Ollie 😂 I'm 17 now and graduated high school last year, but in those senior years my reading fell away in favour of homework. I'm really struggling to get back into the habit of reading, especially with the goal of tackling the untackleables and stepping out of my comfort zone with great literature. This channel is helping so much though with rediscovering that drive and hunger for great books! Lovely to see Ben's following has more than doubled a year after this video 🤗

[@32island11]

Congrats Ben! The focus on classical literature is what drew me to this channel initially and your commitment to exploring and talking about books with timeless messages has kept me watching every one of your videos since!

[@jonraymond]

After hearing your thoughts on Sopranos, I wonder if you've ever seen Mad Men. The creator/writer from Mad Men got his start writing on the Sopranos. In my opinion, Mad Men is the strongest writing of any TV show ever.

[@giarabito7171]

What an excellent channel. You got me at Shakespeare and The Sopranos!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate that :)

[@jasmin5246]

I absolutely agree with you that there is no eastern canon, Benjamin, as each country in Asia pretty much has its own canon. If you want to get to the root of Persian Literature for example I wouldn't start with Quran. Start with the Epic of Gilgamesh and then read about Persian History. Read about Zarathustra and Cyrus the Great to understand the roots of the stories to come. You can then move on to read Ferdowsi who wrote the epic of Shahnameh, Farid Attar, Omar Khayyam, Rumi, and Hafiz. Those were the poets who inspired works like 1001 Nights later on. Khayyam was a big inspiration for the Romanticism period in Europe as well. If you are looking for some modern works of Iranian literature, The Blind Owl (Sadeq Hedayat), My Uncle Napoleon (Iraj Pezeshkzad), Savushun (Simin Daneshvar), Prince (Houshang Golshiri), and Missing Soluch (Mahmoud Dowlatabadi) are among the few works in translation. Strange Times, My Dear is also a good collection of short stories by various authors.

[@Eyespy743]

Fabulous thank you. I’ve wanted to know more about Persian literature for a long time but didn’t know where to start.

[@jasmin5246]

@@Eyespy743 Glad to be of help!

[@animals646]

So very much appreciate the spelling of foreign authors. It is very frustrating when a foreign name is rattled off and you have no way of tracking it down.

[@toddm599]

Hey, I'm a fellow McEvoy from Canada 🇨🇦 and I enjoyed this video 👍

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Hey, Todd, my fellow McEvoy! I'm thrilled some of our clan made it over to beautiful Canada. A country I called home for quite a few years! :)

[@PennyBluebottle]

Ben, thanks to you I have started reading again xxx

[@chrissy1510]

Hello Ben! Each one of your videos feels like a gift, and this one is no exception. The Hardcore Literate Bookclub has literally changed my life. Thank you for everything you do, and huge congrats on the 50k!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Hello Chrissy! Thank you so much for such a lovely comment. We're so happy you're a part of the club and reading deeply with us 😊

[@GlennErikMathisen]

I was never much of a reader growing up. Individuals I respect and channels such as yours made me pick up the russian classics. In the last year I've read Crime and punishment, Notes from underground, some of chekhovs short stories, and I just finished Anna Karenina. This has been a transformative experience, and I am very greatful for your tips and advice on how to approach theese works. Thank you man! On a less serious note: I am actually surprised at how easy it was to picture Shakespeare watching the Sopranos! Big bowl of popcorn in his lap and everything... It is a great series after all!

[@von20808]

On the subject of snobbery, I read a book where one older lady told a young lady, "There will be people holding their breath waiting for you to fail. Make sure they suffocate." I LOVE that quote!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

That's beautiful :)

[@baileystork5909]

If you want recommendations for contemporary fantasy, Brandon Sanderson is one of the most popular writing currently. His books are usually quite long but he wrote a great novella called Emperor's Soul that won the Hugo award in 2013. I would recommend!

[@Just.a.random.guy22]

this video is a bit old, so I'm not sure if you're still looking for fantasy recommendations, but if you are, I have some recommendations of fantasy stories that are more... literary, not necessarily the best selling stuff (though some might stray into the lands of sci-fi): - anything by Guy Gavriel Kay - anything by David Mitchell, especially Ghostwritten - anything by China Mieville, especially Embassytown - Babel by R.F. Kuang - The Sandman by Neil Gaiman (especially since you're such a big admirer of Shakespeare) - Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons - Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe the last 2 are classics, but I consider them to be the peak of the genre (at least from what I've read) so I can't not mention them. I admit some of these aren't necessarily my top favorites, because I'm just as much into the commercial side of the genre (with authors like Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson), but as an English lit. major, I do appreciate some denser/more difficult literature too sometimes. And I do feel like sometimes sci-fi/fantasy often gets overlooked when people are discussing great literature just because the most popular books in the genre are not great literature. Anyways, thanks for your great work and I hope you keep making videos.

[@adrianasanchez3669]

¡Felicidades, Ben! 20 minutes, 40, minutes, 75 minutes... it doesn't matter, all your videos are such a pleasure to watch. Thank you for sharing your time with us. Looking forward for the 100k celebration video very soon :)

[@pamelatarajcak5634]

You had asked for some more sci-fi and fantasy recommendations. Based on what you like, here's a list. The Sparrow and Children of God by Mary Doria Russell (a duology) Anything Patricia McKillip Anything Octavia E. Butler (the sci-fi version of Toni Morrison) Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker In the Night Wood by Dale Bailey Hunters & Collectors by M. Suddain The Oxford Time Travel series by Connie Willis (which takes place on your old stomping grounds) Piranesi by Susanna Clarke Thessaly trilogy by Jo Walton

[@carolbresnahan1244]

So well deserved. You have bought so much to so many people and enriched our lives. I'm glad that you have proof of how much you are appreciated 🌻

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Carol. I'm so grateful for you 😊

[@baxtermaxtor]

So many good questions. I've only started classic literature in the past few years for empathy , pattern recognition and narrative description. Books are friends and these are the conversations you can have with the eminent dead.

[@brancellbooks]

I gotta say, as an aspiring Fantasy/Sci-Fi novelist, hearing you say that you expect the next great work of literature to be speculative fiction feels good. I have a number of ideas about things I want to write about, and I’m already crafting my ‘magnum opus’ novel in my mind. I’m not yet at a point where I can do it justice, so I’m writing novellas and other novels in the meantime. I’m almost as passionate about those as I am about The Big One!

[@suzannebousquet2710]

Congratulations on reaching 50,000 subscribers! Thank you for helping enrich our lives through your love of great literature. Thanks too for all the time and thought that you put into your videos. Before you know it, you will reach 100,000 and beyond......📚

[@erika20099]

🥇Congratulations!!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Erika 😊

[@BrandonsBookshelf]

Unbelievable man! I am so jealous and inspired!

[@freddyshaw1905]

Having been watching you from the start, glad to see you doing so well - your videos have deserved it for years. Onwards to 100k!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Freddy :) You really have been here since the very beginning, my friend, and I appreciate it so much 😊

[@vanessamay3689]

Wow. Awesome work Benjamin. So deserving as the best go to on literature as you make it engaging like the books themselves. So pleased to have found your Channel.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Vanessa! :) That's so kind of you to say. I appreciate you being here😊

[@susprime7018]

Congratulations! I have been rereading Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, dipping in and out occasionally, while reading Peter Matthiessen's Snow Leopard. Alan Sillitoe's Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner is a great short story. Red Comet mentioned the Sillitoes as friends of Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath. Enjoyed, thank you.

[@kendama99]

I'm really glad you mentioned Alice Munro. I'm Canadian (Vancouver), so I suppose I'm a little biased, but I think she is beyond brilliant. I was introduced to her in college with Lives of Girls and Women. I was recently in England and gave her book The Moons of Jupiter to a dear friend as thanks for letting me stay with her for a few days. I also gave her a copy of Ondaatje's In the Skin of a Lion, a book I adore and upon finishing it ran outside and kept running down the street, so filled with a feeling of joy. Regarding music and reading, I often have something classical on quietly in the background. I started this in my early 20s (I'm 63 now) because of my tinnitus. Finally, I'm really pleased that you mentioned Little, Big, a truly magical book that I first read when I was doing my teacher training in the mid-80s. And finally, finally have you read Andre Alexis' Fifteen Dogs? A slim read but absolutely delightful, especially for a fellow dog lover.

[@NeonRadarMusic]

Congratulations man! I thought you should know that I bought Moby Dick, Middlemarch and the first volume of In Search of Lost Time recently entirely thanks to your recommendations. 😊

[@Michajeru]

I am so thrilled to have found your channel. I have been delving into the classics for about seven years now. Oh how I wish I had started earlier. Your videos are very helpful in my reading journey. Thank you so much from Sydney Australia.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I'm so thrilled you're here too :) Thank you so much for reading! Keep up the great work deep reading the classics in Sydney 🇦🇺

[@toddbelanger1923]

No sound..lol..darn...was so looking forward to this video

[@andreabaird8950]

You are such a wonderful human Benjamin and I adore this project of Hardcore Literature that you are offering to the world! I came to your channel to get ideas for starting an in person Bookclub and now my TBR list is like decades long!!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Andrea :) I appreciate you being here! And I relate to the 'decades long' TBR. So many books, so little time...

[@nicholastoftemark7337]

Surprised you only have 50 you’ll def be at 500k in no time 😮

[@evansbowen6897]

I’m so glad you like Joseph Campbell. His personal library is housed at Pacifica Graduate Institute near Santa Barbara California. I’ve had the privilege of spending time with his books. They all have extensive marginalia- which he would write in whatever language the book was written in. He famously said “I don’t meditate, I underline”. One of my peak experiences was looking at Joseph’s personal copy of Jung’s last book, Mysterium Coniunctions-- in the margins were Jospeh’s thoughts -- for me it was experiencing a conversation between two of the greatest thinkers in the 20th century. What a legacy.

[@andreabaird8950]

My God! What an experience!

[@GoGoGirl22100]

would still love to see your video on “lessons learned from reading great literature” :)

[@brancellbooks]

THE Q&A IS OUT! As you’re looking for recommendations for modern fantasy & Sci Fi, I’d have to recommend two books: the first, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke. A delightful alternate history of magicianship in England, following the passionate but boring Gilbert Norrell, and his younger and more charming research partner Jonathan Strange; their relationships, their relationship with each other, how they come apart, and the interference of fairies in their lives, and the world. If you’re the type to listen to audiobooks, I highly recommend the one narrated by Simon Prebble; he captures the British wit and sardonicism flawlessly. The second is not a novel but a short story collection: Stories of Your Life And Others, by Ted Chiang. Ted Chiang is, I think, one of the finest living authors of science fiction, and I do not say that lightly, despite having *only* read one short collection by him. Every short story is dripping with thought and consideration, asking fascinating questions, sometimes with the presence of a clear answer, and sometimes not. Each story has made me think, from the larger 60-page types, to even his micro fiction of 2 pages or less. Ted Chiang is a master, and if you like this one, he has another collection called Exhalation, which I’ve heard similarly great things about. Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions!

[@rosanna5515]

Agreed. Science and art are inextricably entwined...ask any painter...

[@iraliolis518]

I’m a scientist as well. As I get older I’m interested to getting back to classic literature. I absolutely love your channel.

[@jamesbattista1466]

I am enjoying your comments and observations, as usual. Benjamin, have you read Loren Eiseley? He was an anthropologist, naturalist, biologist, sociologist, and paleontologist and had a poetic view of the natural world. His prose is just up your alley, and his poetry original (!) and quite different.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, James! I have indeed :) I adore the writings of Loren Eiseley. His essays are incredibly poetic and poignant. You’ve reminded me I really need to return to my Library of America editions of his works 😊

[@Roondawg_Valhalla]

Thanks so much for answering my question! I plan to read more George Elliott and appreciate these recommendations!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I'd love to hear how you get on with your Eliot journey :)

[@blackraven0513]

Hi Benjamin, there's no audio to this video. It's muted. I thought it was me but other videos work fine.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

4:56 So nice to hear you’re having a Jane Austen Phase. I’ve done my thesis on her with special emphasis on ‘Pride and Prejudice’. ‘Jane Austen for Dummies’ is a great resource if you’re interested.

[@kimmyk3640]

I just finished A Tale of Two Cities, my first book from Dickens!! I feel proud of myself and I loved the book. You have mentioned that this is not considered to be his best work, so I'm excited to read more. I love your channel!!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

You should be so proud of yourself, Kimmy! I'm proud of you :) A Tale of Two Cities is such a brilliant entrance to the world of Dickens. I would be very keen to hear which works you explore next. Thank you so much for your kind words and for watching :)

[@jimowen1262]

Definitely enjoyed this video and many others. You are an instrument of thy will, as we say. There is so much I would like to talk to you about I feel a bottleneck. I started reading Proust about a year ago due in part to you. I have now enjoyed the 7 volumes and 35 books in my local library system about Proust. I have also purchased the 7 volumes and intend to spend this winter rereading them. I have not heard you mention Yukio Mishima. His 5 volume set where he describes being reincarnated from life to life often with the same people is one of the most m eaningful things I have read in my 78 years of reading. Thank you so very much for all that you do.

[@juliasampaio3364]

Thank you for your answer Ben! And be sure that I will update you on my masters 😂 It's so nice to find someone who understand my obsession with Shakespeare hahah keep the amazing work! x

[@hegofuchino1104]

Just subbed! As an English major, I love this channel. Helps me procrastinate while still thinking about literature!😅

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, my friend! I'm so happy to have a fellow reader of English here :) I relate to your procrastination! I remember I used to put my essays off until the night before they were due and then be in the library all through the night... 😅

[@momcilomrkaic2214]

Almost 100k

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I can't believe it.. 😲🙏

[@CoolBeans45]

Bro…I’ve said it in a previous comment & I’ll say it again.. my anticipation for your 2023 book club plan is eating my soul alive😂 I’ve been religiously checking back on your channel cause I know it’s coming soon My personal reading plan is almost set in stone, but I’m waiting to see how much I can overlap/merge it with yours. Super excited to see what you have in store!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I'm so happy you're as excited as I am for the big reveal! We'll have the schedule video coming out later this week, so almost there :) I'd love to hear what you've got lined up for your personal reading plan for the new year - I'm sure there will be some overlaps, my friend! :)

[@CoolBeans45]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy to name the main ones I’m most excited about: - Dead Souls - Nicomachean Ethics - Mrs Dalloway - The Idiot - Faust - Canterbury Tales - Great Expectations - Hard Times - Paradise Lost/Regained (+ C.S. Lewis’s introduction to PL) - Brothers Karamazov - Don Juan - Ovid’s Metamorphoses - Gulliver’s Travels - House of 7 Gables …either East or Eden or Grapes of Wrath - Confessions of St Augustine - Alice in Wonderland/Thru the looking glass Non-classics: - Story of a Secret State by Jan Karski - a few of GK Chesterton’s short biogrpahies on people like Dickens, St Francis, and so on - Suttree (I actually used to live near Cormac McCarthy) - History of the Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan

[@karmaismyboyfriend8]

I remember in a first year exam we had the question 'Man, I feel like a women' - Shania Twain - Discuss. I regret to this day not choose to answer that question but truthfully I hadn't read enough on gender theory or feminisim at that point to do it justice. I was funny though to see the lecturers wink at us like that.

[@DressyCrooner]

Loved this Q&A session. I am glad to have inspired your rediscovery of Mahler :) the final movement of his 2nd makes me emotional every time I listen to it. My absolute favourite piece by him is the first movement of his 3rd, 'Pan Awakes', which represents for me the rising of everything within me long-dead and suppressed by this hostile world, my awakening to life and freedom, much as the god Pan awakes in the symphony and brings in the spring with its resurrection of dormant life. It is a symbol to me of my successful escape from a cult. Also, I love the first movement of Holst's The Planets - that has the same symbolism for me as the 2nd and the 3rd, that of a heroic struggle of the individual against the herd. I see Beethoven's Third and Fifth the same way. I was listening a lot to Beethoven's 6th this summer - a very appropriate piece of music for summer, a lot like Mahler's 3rd actually. I've also come to appreciate Stravinsky's Rites of Spring - it has the same idea of life as struggle, represented by the atonal chords, as the first movement of Mahler 3. I also enjoyed your answer to the question on dealing with snobbery. I have had my own unpleasant experiences with persecution from the herd, and as a result I am very socially isolated from my peers. I make no apology for being different and it is perfectly acceptable to drop people who mock and shame us for our passions from our lives. I made the same mistake as Bradbury - I gave in to pressure from the Marxist cult I joined and stopped reading Nietzsche and other thinkers I liked, and only read Marx, Engels, Lenin, Trotsky and Ted Grant. Eventually I saw the light, left the cult, dropped Marxism and went back to my old life, and I am much happier and healthier. I will never involve myself with such a satanic enterprise again. I have had great fun reading Nietzsche, Dostoevsky, Emerson and other 'heretical' authors that I would have been shamed by the cult for reading. Meanwhile, I have shoved all the cult's publications to my shed and have no intention of reading them again. It is always better for the individual to go his own way and let the herd be the herd, and bathe themselves in mediocrity. My go-to stories are probably the works of Dostoevsky. That man is utterly brilliant. I want to read The Brothers Karamazov for the third time this year this Christmas.

[@user-io9yh1in6c]

👍

[@momcilomrkaic2214]

I would recommend Dervish and the Death by Mesa Selimovic. It is Serbian literature of 20th century, great book we read it in high school.

[@kellyl5349]

I am so grateful for this channel. Every Xmas, I only ask for books, as long as I have one new book to read on Xmas day I am happy. However, each one of these videos feels like the perfect gift for me because they feed my soul. I will be watching some this holiday season as a little gift to myself.

[@amariah5673]

I’d love to see an essay dedicated to crafting essay topics in a non-academic setting. I constantly have an urge to write essays for fun but run into a bit of a struggle finding topics. Your tips were magnificent! Thanks for all the work you do dude.

[@MortalWeather]

Excellent! Nice job.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Kevin! :)

[@Fuhugawagah]

Congrats, Ben!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you :)

[@donaldkelly3983]

Congratulations on exceeding the 50,000 subscriber mark! I look forward to each of your posts. When you discussed promoting literary values to younger people, The Red Badge of Courage came to mind. The novel is accessible to adults and children and has a "rites of passage" element that would make it resonant with high schoolers. The idea of an Eastern Canon has often occurred to me. I'm reading as much Asian Lit. as I can and I wonder where the center is? Confucius? Tu Fu? Lady Murasaki? The Persian poets?

[@londondream]

Amazing channel. You spreading your love to the literature with so much passion that I can't help watching you. We all need love, and you are a pure concentrate of it. Congratulations and thanks.

[@dad102]

Congrats of 50K. You totally deserve it. I am happy for you. You have one of the coolest channels on KZbin. 100K is on the way.

[@MilesWilliams88]

Congratulations on 50,000. You deserve it. This channel has been a great resource for my reading. Keep it up👍

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Miles :) I really appreciate that! 😊

[@molocious]

I'm going to watch your video on how to read Clarissa to make up for not reading it as an assignment in college. Please consider making a video on how to read Spenser's Faerie Queene, another one I managed to not read.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I'm so happy to hear that! I've had it on my mind to do one for Spenser's Faerie Queene for a while. It defeated me in university, but so many of my peers loved it. Returning to it years later, I see why - but very difficult and would be worthwhile to have a guide!

[@krzysamm7095]

Awesome to hear that. It’s great that so many people are into great literature

[@paulflores490]

From the first question from ben….And if i may politely interrupt. Fahrenheit 451 page 81 “Would books help us?. Only if the third necessary thing could be given us. Number one, as i said, quality of information. Number two: leisure to digest it. And number three: the right to carry out actions based on what we learned from the interaction of the first two. ( and everything Benjamin has stated) 👍

[@melisabell7770]

Keep these coming! I love and grow so much from Al you share!

[@thomashewlett3166]

"If we're being honest about the great books, we're being very honest about ourselves." I really appreciate this take on the 'death of the author' question because it brings it back to the act of reading and what it means for the reader. It's no longer an abstract question but a question of reflection. So much of my reading has been more about questions than answers and I've come to value that experience.

[@skovvy7]

Wonderful to see that a student of literature is so open-minded that he is reading Ernest Becker and quoting stoicism. This only makes me wonder: have you also educated yourself in evolutionary biology by reading any Richard Dawkins or Robert Trivers. If not, then I would strongly recommend reading chapter 1 of Unweaving the Rainbow as a gateway into Richard Dawkins’ work. I think you would love it! Also check out The Folly of Fools by Robert Trivers. I notice in another video you say you prefer The Dharma Bums to On the Road and this makes me think that you will love the introspective nature of these authors and these books. Keep up the brilliant work!

[@thorngarden5252]

Yes, a part 2! Love the videos

[@hitarthjoshi3198]

42:09 from India, I would recommend Savitri: a legend and a symbol by Sri Aurobindo. This epic poem is written in English itself, so there would be no need for any translation.

[@VictorLaszlo46]

You rightly pointed out the difficulty of creating an Eastern or Asian canon, and my brain said, "Benjamin, challenge accepted!" What else have I got going on during my Spring Break at 1 am than to answer a question no one directly asked? Nothing. I have nothing better to do. My undergraduate degree in philosophy focused on Chinese philosophy, and my Master's Thesis was on the interplay between Japanese Ghosts and Feminism, so I have thought a little about the idea of an "Eastern Canon." If I were to attempt to develop a cannon, it would be notoriously difficult. It doesn't help the task because, in the West, we are very compartmentalized; we tend to define ourselves as either a Christian, Muslim, Jew, Wiccan, Atheist, etc., but never all of those things at once. In the parts of Asia I am most familiar with (China, Japan, Korea), strict division is usually non-existent. In Japan, you might have a Shinto or a Westernized wedding, conduct your business life as a Confucian, and have a Buddhist funeral, and there's no conflict. However, suppose I were to attempt the task. In that case, I think it would have to start with the Indian subcontinent, with core texts like "The Mahabharata," particularly "The Bhagavad Gita," and Buddhist Dharma talks. I would hit on ideas like impermanence, the cycle of life, death and rebirth, and the Four Noble Truths. I tend to trace the intellectual ideas in Asia from the southern reaches of the Indian Subcontinent, north through China, east to the Korean Peninsula, and on to Japan. If I were going to move north into China, I would look at what is written about Chan Buddhism since the Buddhist tradition of the subcontinent influences it. When Chan Buddhism arrived in Japan, it became known as Zen. I would also read "The Tao Te Ching" attributed to Laozi and the writings of the Taoist Philosopher Zhuangzi. These would help gain a sense of the metaphysical in North East Asia. I suggest reading "The Tao Te Ching" and the Four Books and the Five Classics of the Confucian tradition. Both works on deeper reading are profoundly political and appear to be a byproduct of the same political turmoil of the Spring and Autumn Period, which predates the Chinese Warring States Period. Still, since Laozi and Confucius follow the tradition of Socrates and Jesus in that they never wrote anything down, we may never know. I would also encourage one to examine the historical writings in Sima Qian's "Shiji." Sima Qian is to Chinese civilization what Herodotus was to the West. You may also want to read "The Mozi" and "The Han Feizi" to explore China's political world before and during the political unification under the Qin. However, these books are supplementary since Mozi's ideas never gained fruition, and Han Feizi's strict Legalism died with the Qin Dynasty. Sun Tzu's "Art of War" is useful if you are interested in military matters. Still, despite its acclaim, I don't think it is an essential piece of the puzzle for developing the cannon. Before leaving China, I would strongly suggest reading some other forms of Chinese literature, the iconic "Journey to the West," which dominated popular imagination to this day and influenced neighboring Asia in innumerable ways, from the architecture of Gyeongbokgung Palace in South Korea to be the inspiration behind the hit Dragon Ball franchise. "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" also helps explain the Chinese attitudes toward political shifts and interpretations of duty and warrior culture. Lastly, I think it is crucial to understand the poetic traditions of the Tang Dynasty. Japanese poetry in the Heian Period, the period in which "Genji Monogatari" was written, is a direct byproduct of Tang verse. Moving northeast to Japan and Korea, the role of Chinese culture in both countries is impossible to understate. Korea in the Choseon period was based on Confucian principles and modeled itself on China. In the literati and nobility of both Korea and Japan, classical Chinese is the North East Asian version of Latin. It served a similar function to the more elite and literate classes. In Japan and Korea, we see the adoption of Chinese characters and, conversely, the unique development of more colloquial writing systems like kana and Hanguel. Japan retains much of the Chinese writing system via kanji, whereas Korea has chiefly abandoned it outside of more formal instances. When we finally get to Japan and hear the writings of great Wakka poets found in the classic "Hyakunin Isshu" in conjunction with works like "Genji Monogatari," Buddhism is still very much at play. Hikaru Genji and his life are a Buddhist parable. Genji pines after women, and when he gets them, they don't bring him the satisfaction he thought they would. Genji follows the two out of the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism almost religiously: First, Genji's life is suffering; why does Genji suffer? Because his story is a parable, the other two truths may be up to the reader. Another facet of Genji that is reminiscent of the Heian Court culture of Japan, which was based heavily on China, is the importance of composing poetic verse. Genji composes poetry as a man of his rank and those above him would do, but so do the women in the book. The playful, flirtatious banter Genji engages in via poetry, while undeniably the mark of a cad, is also a staple for anyone wishing to consider themselves a cultivated person in the Heian period. This ability to compose poetry is also the mark of an educated person in Tang and later Song China. I would suggest reading the "Hyakunin Isshu" to understand Buddhist themes in Japanese poetry. There's often an underlying Buddhist pathos about the 5-7-5-7-7 stanza poems. The writers allude to the changing of the seasons and lost love, times long since forgotten but living on in these poets' minds that solidify that Buddhist problem of desire. Japanese poetry can drive the point of impermanence home because it depends so heavily on the season in a way that even Keats's "To Autumn" would envy. In these poems, we get a similar sense of the Japanese phrase that defines much of Genji's story, that being "Mono no aware," which, while having no direct translation, can best be rendered as "the pathos of things." I think that's how I would go about creating a canon. Thank you for sticking with me this long!

[@Dragon-ob8is]

love love LOVE your content, just had a really overwhelming and intense week (exams) and your videos helped me to get through this

[@linabenedict633]

Benjamin! I am enthralled by your thoughts and views on books. I have a renewed interest in re-reading some classic books, and reading some classics that I have not as yet read. My love for reading is intrinsic but was flamed by my father’s love of books. He instilled in me love for P. G. Wodehouse along with some other authors. I find Wodehouse’s books hilarious and well written.. my favorites being the Blandings Castle books. What is your opinion of Wodehouse? Thank you for what you do, you are priceless, Lina (new Hardcore Literature Patreon member)

[@solithecat]

Belated congratulations on 50k! Extremely well deserved! I would love to hear your thoughts on The Stormlight Archive sometime 🎉

[@julielynn86]

Wonderful video Benjamin! I thoroughly savored it. 😊

[@patd.3368]

Congratulations…very well deserved!!!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Pat!! :)

[@EduardoHenrique-nd1ro]

Congratulation on your 50k, Benjamin! Cheers from Brazil!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Eduardo :) I appreciate you!

[@HeyQuinton]

Hearing you speak so passionately about books is truly inspiring. I much prefer your style over some BookTokker doing it for the views

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Quinton :) That means a lot to me!

[@foxandscout]

Love to learn from you. Been following for several months now. I so enjoy how passionate you are about the books and authors you care about. Have you ever seen this channel? (Name below.) New content ended 2 years ago but there is an abundance of short and long videos (including full-length docs) posted over four years: plenty to enjoy. If I would have been able to ask a question in time, it would be this: Salman Rushdie talked about how he wasn’t moved by Don Quixote when he was a teen, but decades later he read it again and it was wonderful: the reason was the translation was vastly improved. My question would be about this, “Have you ever read 2 different translations that differ so greatly that you fell in love with a book you recently read that at a previous time you were completely unmoved?” In fact, I wonder which translation you read of Don Quixote: Rushdie really raved about ? (forgot her name but I would recognize it when mentioned). The person who created this channel wrote as explanation (you can read this in the description at the top) that lots of time was spent looking for rare videos and then improving the quality before posting. There are interviews with authors, artists, directors, architects; and there are writers reading from their own work (e.g., Robert Frost, or Allen Ginsberg reading Walt Whitman) or reading from books they enjoy, or someone else reading their work. I’m sure you know that once you open the channel, if you click on “Videos” at the top, it will put everything in chronological order of posting. Take a glance, here’s the link; the name of the channel is in the link: kzbin.info