Great Books

In the spring of 2024, we’ll use the anthology titled The Penguin Book of the Modern American Short Story. It contains stories by well-known authors such as Grace Paley, Raymond Carver, Alice Walker, and Steven King, as well as stories by many other less familiar authors. This anthology is available in print form at Amazon and elsewhere, and also as an audio book.

Each story’s discussion is normally led by a volunteer member of the class, following the “Shared Inquiry Method” promulgated by The Great Books Foundation. Under the Shared Inquiry Method, the leader poses interpretive questions which class members then answer based upon evidence that they find in the text. There is no requirement that anyone volunteer, and it can be challenging to lead discussions, but many of those who have done so find it very rewarding.

The objectives for this class are to increase not only our understanding of the stories and the authors who wrote them but also our understanding of our own values and beliefs, and those of the other members of the class. In addition to being interesting, this increases the sense of community, which many of us value.