2012: Year of Sin

[LadyLuck]

I posted this in my blog originally, but figure I'll share here for anyone who would like to join me.

My reading challenge this year is the "Seven Deadly Sins". So... sloth, gluttony, lust, wrath, envy, greed, and pride. One novel or play each as long as it is from a renowned author. The work should epitomize one of these as a major theme or driving force of the story. I have my first two picked, I think. For wrath I'm going to start easy and tackle Shakespeare's Titus, and I think that for pride I'm going to read Dorian Gray.

[JuniperWoolf]

Dorian Gray could work for a few of them. I'd use it for gluttony, just because it might be difficult for you to find another novel that fits with that one whereas with pride you could likely think of quite a few. Plus I think that Dorian Gray's bigger problem was with gluttony rather than pride.

[LadyLuck]

Dorian Gray could work for a few of them. I'd use it for gluttony, just because it might be difficult for you to find another novel that fits with that one whereas with pride you could likely think of quite a few. Plus I think that Dorian Gray's bigger problem was with gluttony rather than pride.

That one is just on my list for the year anyway. I love the general story, have watched multiple movie adaptations, but am ashamed to admit that I have never read the book. I figured I would remedy that this year, and it is coincidence that it will fit right in. I'll make final judgement after reading since I plan to write little mini essays on how each fit the challenge. I'll add them here and in my blog as I go along.

[Scheherazade]

A Confederacy of Dunces might cover couple of them as well... And a wonderful novel

[Dark Muse]

A Confederacy of Dunces might cover couple of them as well... And a wonderful novel

I had thought of that as a possibilty for Gluttony

[Adolescent09]

Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo would be good for envy methinks.

[Des Essientes]

Ivan Goncharov's "Oblomov" would be good for sloth.

[Charles Darnay]

Lolita!

[JuniperWoolf]

Envy = Phantom of the Opera

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

Lolita!

Ahh, beat me to it, Charles! Lolita would definitely be perfect for lust, and maybe a little apt for greed and wrath.

[JuniperWoolf]

Ahh, beat me to it, Charles! Lolita would definitely be perfect for lust, and maybe a little apt for greed and wrath.

And envy for the guy he capped!

Hmm, looks like the seven deadly sins come in bunches.

[Scheherazade]

I had thought of that as a possibilty for Gluttony

And Sloth and Pride, maybe?

Lolita also has elements of Pride too, I would say...

How about A View from the Bridge and The Crucible?


Is the movie "Se7en" based on a book?

[JBI]

Just read Dante and skip the rest.

[OrphanPip]

Gide's The Immoralist offers a modernist take on the idea of sin which works as a good counterpoint to the didactic moralism of other texts which accept that "sin" is inherently bad.

[Scheherazade]

Just read Dante and skip the rest.

What's the fun in that?