Reading Beyond the Classics cover

Reading Beyond the Classics

Rating 4.2
Word count
246K words
Chapters
27
ISBN
9787301296462

Tags

Summary

Every reader accumulates, through personal experience, a set of important works—books in which they find something that matters to them. Such works need not appear on any公认 list of classics, yet for the reader they can be just as illuminating and enlightening.

Editor's review

Xu Ben's book is not about "which classics to read" but about how each person builds their own list of important books through reading. It shifts attention from公认 reading lists to the reader's personal experience, emphasizing works that can produce an illuminating and enlightening effect in a concrete life. For readers accustomed to following authoritative lists, this is a shift in perspective: the value of reading does not depend on a book's fame but on whether it can meet your questions. The book mostly discusses the relationship between reading and judgment, and is suited to slow reading in quiet moments, recalling which books in your own experience those "important things" came from. It offers no quick method and no required reading list; it is more like a gentle guide helping you turn reading from knowledge accumulation toward self-understanding. For readers organizing their personal reading history or puzzled by "why read," this book offers a thread to look back on.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Readers with years of reading accumulation who want to sort out their personal reading history
  • Readers who feel pressured by classic reading lists and hope to regain autonomy in reading
  • Humanities and social science enthusiasts concerned with the relationship between reading, enlightenment, and judgment
  • Teachers and reading promoters, for reflecting on how recommended book lists are made

Not a good fit for

  • Practical readers seeking specific book lists or speed-reading techniques
  • Beginners who are new to reading and still need basic guidance
  • Academic readers who prefer systematic theoretical frameworks and require rigorous argumentation

Reading tips

  1. Before each chapter, write down one "important book" from your own experience, then compare it with the book's discussion.
  2. Keep a notebook and jot down the personal books and reasons that reading evokes.
  3. You need not read straight through; start with the chapters most relevant to your own reading experience.
  4. After finishing, compile your own "beyond the classics" list and note the meaning of each book.

About the publisher

Peking University Press China · Founded in 1979

Peking University Press is a comprehensive university press whose publishing areas cover classical literature, popular science, social culture, world history, Western philosophy, and culture. Its catalogue contains 6,031 titles, with representative books including A Dream of Red Mansions, Relativity: The Special and General Theory (15th Edition) (with Einstein's classic papers on unified field theory and other topics), Elements, Conics, The Aristocratic Families of the Eastern Jin, The Philosophy of Mythology (Volume I), The Philosophy of Mythology (Volume II), and The Origin of Continents and Oceans. Representative authors include Cao Xueqin, Zhou Ruchang, Albert Einstein, Euclid, Apollonius, Tian Yuqing, Schelling, and Xian Gang. The press has developed distinctive strengths in classical Chinese literature and in the translation of Western philosophical classics, while also covering scientific classics and social and cultural studies. As public information is limited, this description is based only on the books in the catalogue and offers no further extrapolation.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 序
  3. 前言 阅读的镜鉴——20世纪的恶与抗恶
  4. 第一辑 人性
  5. 1 沉默中有明白的声音——伊维塔·泽鲁巴维尔《房间里的大象》
  6. 2 人为什么自愿选择不自由的选择——乔恩·埃尔斯特《酸葡萄》
  7. 3 “赌文化”和“骰子人生”——约翰·赫伊津哈《游戏的人》、鲁汶·布雷勒《赌博与投机》
  8. 4 利他是一种怎样的“自然正当”——艾略特·索博、大卫·威尔逊《为他人:无私行为的进化和心理》
  9. 5 非人的妖魔化和异化——大卫·史密斯《非人:为何我们会贬低、奴役、灭绝他人》
  10. 6 伪善是人的宿命吗——罗伯特·库尔茨班《人人都是伪善者》
  11. 第二辑 梦魇
  12. 7 自由服从与无效常识——米尔顿·迈耶《他们以为他们是自由的》
  13. 8 纳粹统治下的日常语言与常理常识——维克多·克莱普勒《第三帝国的语言》
  14. 9 自由与奴役——阿道斯·赫胥黎《美丽新世界》《重访美丽新世界》
  15. 10 道德晦暗时代的价值选择——乔治·奥威尔《政治与文学》
  16. 第三辑 暴力
  17. 11 暴力古今谈中的政治变革史观——詹姆斯·佩恩《暴力的历史》
  18. 12 和平时代的暴力——斯蒂芬·平克《人性中的善良天使》
  19. 13 国家罪孽的重负——伊安·布鲁玛《罪孽的报应》
  20. 14 极权体制下的纳粹腐败和反腐——弗兰克·巴约尔《纳粹德国的腐败与反腐》
  21. 15 集中营:一个牲人和兽人的世界——劳伦斯·里斯《奥斯维辛:一部历史》
  22. 16 暴力的文明剧场与正义仪式——萨达卡特·卡德里《审判的历史》
  23. 第四辑 挣脱
  24. 17 自由主义与知识分子——雷蒙·布东《为何知识分子不热衷自由主义》
  25. 18 知识分子与政治犬儒主义——马克·里拉《当知识分子遇到政治》、托尼·朱特《责任的重负》
  26. 19 自由的智识生活与公共知识分子——托尼·朱特《思虑20世纪》
  27. 20 是人就不能没有的权利——米其琳·伊榭《人权的历史》

FAQ

Does this book provide a specific recommended reading list?
No. The book discusses how readers identify works that matter to them through their own experience, focusing on the relationship between reading and personal growth rather than offering a list to buy and follow. Readers need to use the book in conjunction with their own reading experience.
Can I read this book if I haven't read many classics?
You can, but the gain may be limited. The discussion builds on a certain amount of reading experience; if you already have several books you truly care about, it is easier to resonate with the argument. If your reading accumulation is limited, it is advisable to build up some complete reading experiences first and then return to this book.
Is this book suitable for book club discussion?
Yes. The book revolves around "which books matter to me," which easily brings out each participant's different books and reasons, making it a good starting point for book club topics. Organizers can ask members to prepare in advance one important "beyond the classics" book and exchange stories about it at the meeting.

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About the author

徐贲 Author

Xu Ben is a Chinese-language book author about whom limited public information is available. His works span the humanities education, reading, writing, and knowledge in the digital age, critical thinking, and philosophical reading, and are commonly categorized under education, social sciences, inspirational growth, philosophy, and Eastern philosophy. He has published five works, including Reading the Classics: Humanities Education in American Universities, The Humanities Internet: Reading, Writing, and Knowledge in the Digital Age, Reading Beyond the Classics, The Cognition and Ethics of Critical Thinking, and Beiguo Collection. Judging from the titles and categories, he cares about the value of classic reading and humanities education, examines the impact of the internet on knowledge acquisition and literacy, and emphasizes the cognitive and ethical foundations of critical thinking. His writing tends toward intellectual commentary and educational discussion and addresses readers concerned with reading, education, and public reason.

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