What are the great patterning works of literature? In Book by Book, Michael Dirda presents a list of what he calls “patterning works” which he describes as books that “. . later authors regularly build on, allude to, work against.” and which he says “ . . . ought to lie at the heart of any structured reading program.” [more inside]
posted by jason's_planet on Sep 17, 2009 - 73 answers

Can anyone help me track down a documentary series called "Living Famously"? [more inside]
posted by crossoverman on Sep 3, 2009 - 2 answers

Good publisher of Italian classics? I ask only this: the text is as it was first written, the book is free from the pollution of study notes. I suppose I'm looking for the Italian equivalent of England's 'Oxford University Press', or Germany's 'Reclam'.
posted by vespr1610 on Jul 23, 2009 - 3 answers

I'll be starting a Ph.D. program in Classics in the fall. Protips requested---especially as regards the reading list. [more inside]
posted by Bromius on Jun 2, 2009 - 11 answers

Help me find classic English literature! [more inside]
posted by coolnik on May 10, 2009 - 16 answers

I'm a college senior who's minoring in Classical Humanities. How can I stay up-to-date in this field after graduation? [more inside]
posted by aheckler on Apr 13, 2009 - 4 answers

What were the movies that made you go WOW? [more inside]
posted by netbros on Jan 5, 2009 - 98 answers

I will soon be teaching a course on ancient Roman domestic spaces, and I am looking for primary source material to supplement readings in scholarship. Any suggestions of Roman texts (poetry, fiction, history, law, biography) that describe a Roman domestic space (domus, villa, insula, palace) would be much appreciated. Textual exempla of Roman domestic practices are also welcome (e.g., the account of Trimalchio's banquet in Petronius' Satyricon).
posted by sarahalisonmiller on Dec 28, 2008 - 8 answers

I want to acquire familiarity with famous works of German literature. What works would a typical person growing up in Germany have been exposed to as classics or as exemplary works? [more inside]
posted by philosophygeek on Jun 12, 2008 - 13 answers

What is the best English translation of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations out there, and why?
posted by ac on May 18, 2008 - 4 answers

Next Sunday is my friends son's 1st birthday, what can I get the little tyke that would be a great gift for about $50, it hopefully would be something that is not a stuffed animal, that will last until the time he has the ability to remember it.
posted by kanemano on May 12, 2008 - 27 answers

Please recommend some bog-standard classic children's music. [more inside]
posted by Bugbread on May 10, 2008 - 13 answers

Do you know any good sites in Spanish about literature, preferably with an emphasis on classic books or writers? Sites about both international and Spanish/Latin American literature are welcome. [more inside]
posted by ersatz on May 8, 2008 - 7 answers

I've been accepted to a Classics PhD program, and I can't decide whether to go or not. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 8, 2008 - 48 answers

Looking to make a list of famous artists, in all media, who "started it all." [more inside]
posted by Melismata on Mar 5, 2008 - 68 answers

What's the name of these sneakers? [more inside]
posted by nnk on Jan 10, 2008 - 4 answers

After months of research, we've finally discovered the film that was shown the night my theatre opened in 1919. The question is, how would I go about finding out if there are existing prints of this movie available? [more inside]
posted by Newbornstranger on Dec 9, 2007 - 11 answers

Oh man, I am a sucker for old romances. Your film recommendations, please? [more inside]
posted by sonofslim on Apr 15, 2007 - 48 answers

Which book would you consider a "universal" book? [more inside]
posted by Jaybo on Mar 14, 2007 - 57 answers

Who is buying music by Shostakovich, watching silent movies, and reading Thackeray? [more inside]
posted by grumblebee on May 10, 2006 - 33 answers

Any suggestions for classic literature that offers the hope of belly laughs? I'm looking for laugh-out-loud funny classic fiction, preferably pre-1900. Kind of like this question, but with books instead of movies. [more inside]
posted by mediareport on May 8, 2006 - 62 answers

Points for a comparison essay between Apollo and Dionysus? [more inside]
posted by northernsoul on Apr 26, 2006 - 6 answers

I want to read Plato in the original Greek. Unfortunately, I don't know any. [more inside]
posted by sid on Mar 6, 2006 - 27 answers

Which translations of western classics like the Iliad, Odyssey and Oresteia would you recommend? [more inside]
posted by adrianhon on Feb 28, 2006 - 41 answers

My mother has asked me if I can find a book for her for Christmas. She's after something on philosophy - the classical variety in particular. Any suggested titles? [more inside]
posted by edd on Dec 3, 2005 - 11 answers

Cinephiles and Filmhounds! Recommend some great comedies for me based on what I already like... [more inside]
posted by Robot Johnny on Nov 4, 2005 - 33 answers

What's that ancient Greek quote that goes something like, Give me a city/village and I can turn it into a great nation?
posted by stopgap on Oct 23, 2005 - 7 answers

What's the best way for an almost-college graduate to find a job teaching Latin and/or Greek? I'll have a BA in Classics from a good school, but limited teaching experience. I'm not particularly looking to get certified because I don't want to do this for more than a few years.
posted by rustcellar on Jan 27, 2005 - 7 answers

Here is an appeal to the Classics scholars out there. Some time ago I read an article that told a story in passing of the effects of live drama upon an unsophisticated audience in a provincial town in the Roman empire. The citizens had hitherto never been exposed to the particular form--it was on the comedic end of the scale and involved singing as I imperfectly recall--and reacted with a sort of mass hysteria: they went into a mass swoon, rioted and things fell apart and days later there were still people in the streets singing the choruses of the songs. I have tried to Google this a number of times and have yet to find anything resembling what I read. Does this ring a bell with anyone here ?
posted by y2karl on Jul 10, 2004 - 19 answers

I'm about to head off to London and I want to see some good, serious theatre. I'm VERY careful about what I see (theatre being expensive), and I like to read many reviews first. Instead of buying 30 newspapers and magazines, is there a site somewhere that collects or links to multiple reviews of each current show?

PS. I'm really looking for reviews, but if you want to recommend a specific show, please note that I prefer classics to modern plays. And I really like classics when they're done withOUT any obvious conceptual twist (i.e. I DON'T want to see "Hamlet" set on the moon.)
posted by grumblebee on Apr 30, 2004 - 8 answers

We've got quite a large DVD collection, but they naturally tend towards newer releases. This weekend I want to bolster the "classic" movie section. (more inside) [more inside]
posted by mr_crash_davis on Mar 18, 2004 - 62 answers