Reading great books ... for me ...

[Luanne]

I would like to start reading some classics/great books. I am trying to figure out how to tell which ones have a lot of violence in them. I don't do well with gorey or violent themes (causes me to have nightmares). Is there some place I can find out what is in the books or can you direct me to some that aren't that way?

[Nan in Mass]

You should definately avoid The Odyssey, The Iliad, The Aeneid, Beowulf, Ivanhoe, Poe, and Dante's Inferno. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Canterbury Tales, Morte D'Arthur, The Oresteia, some of the other Greek tragedies, Sherlock Holmes, and some of the Dickens I think there is a possibility that you won't like. I think probably The Republic would be ok. Jane Austen is fine.

Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.
-Nan

[Cedarmom]

There is a book called Invitation to The Classics which lists many of the great bokks and has a summary of them. The WEM also has a summary of many of the classics. You may find it difficult to do any of the ancient books...they typically contained a lot of violence.