Common sense is actually a highly contradictory body of beliefs that combines elements from the Stone Age and principles of a more advanced science, prejudices from all past phases of history at the local level and intuitions of a future philosophy which will be that of the human race united the world over. Common sense is thus an amalgam of ideas on which the practical consciousness of the masses of the people is actually formed.
Because I am not creative enough to think up clever lists like, Ben, Loren, or even Mike; I just recycle their great ideas. I suffer from an acute case of 'standing on the shoulders of giants syndrome,' or SSoGS.
However here is a partial list of Literary Critics Essential for the Theologian:
I would love to see someone make a list for socio-rhetorical critics! And I am sorry the list is so dominated by male critics.
Ben Meyers' (a huge Bob Dylan fan) whose recent posts have been very delightful, has seemingly forgotten a very important category, popular music. Never fear I have seen this deficiency and have attempted to rectify it here on my blog.
Popular Music for the Apocalyptic Imagination
I am sure that there are some glaring omissions (like no Bob Dylan, but I will leave that to Ben), but I have a limited CD collection!
Ben Myers posted this awhile ago but for some reason it just now came up on my news reader. Since I really liked this post I thought I would make my own list, strictly from books that I have read.
1. A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
2. Sea Wolf - Jack London
3. Watership Down - Richard Adams
4. The Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison
5. Cats Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut
6. The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint Exupery
7. Barabbas - Par Lagerkvist
8. Old Goriot - Balzac
9. The Sybil - Par Lagerkvist
10. Martin Eden - Jack London (especially for those who have not published but would love to)
11. The Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov
12. The Life of Pi - Yann Martel
I should have added something by Graham Greene, or Robertson Davies, but I couldn't choose. And to be fair I am only half way through The Life of Pi but it so fascinating that I thought it warranted a spot, so perhaps it made the list by way of freshness. My list is very different than the one Ben posted, that may be a testament to the theologians we are? What would you add or subtract from this list?
UPDATE: Ben's post was a new post yet my news reader dated it 12-12-05.
It is not often that one comes across a website that is so beautiful and yet so powerful. The Snowsuit Effort is the genius of Ryan Keberly who takes pictures of the street community in the
