About the Hardcore Literature Live Reading Group - Shakespeare Tier Invitation (Patreon)

Friday 12th March 2021

Dear Book Club Readers, Patrons, and Friends,

You are cordially invited to join the Hardcore Literature Live Reading Group as part of the Shakespeare Patronage Tier. We will be discussing the Great Books and the Great Ideas in a small group of literature lovers. We’ll be following the Socratic Method of Discourse, asking leading questions and examining our assumptions about literature and the preoccupations of the human condition in context of our current Big Read, Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. 

The Socratic Method is the foundation of Western thought and is used to great effect in world-class universities like Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, and Yale. Indeed, it was in the tutorials of my alma mater of Oriel College, Oxford, where I first learnt the power of this method. After years studying and applying different principles of pedagogy, educational psychology, and curriculum design in my own teaching career, I’ve arrived at style of deep reading that helps us live the Great Books and make the poetic practical.

Why read the Great Books deeply, consistently, and with a group of like-minded peers? Well, the classical liberal arts program is the gold-standard of education. Humanities departments historically produced full-rounded humans with nuanced thought, endless curiosity, compassion, appreciation for art, and a strong direction in life. These departments were founded on solid principles, held themselves up to high standards, and sought to instruct readers not only in literature, music, and art, but also science, classical languages, theology, and much more. 

But what does one do beyond university? What does one do instead of or alongside formal education? How does one continue to expand one’s consciousness and character? I propose that we do this with the fulfilling style of reading and self-better underpinning the Hardcore Literature Book Club, and I’m amazed at the wonderful response it’s received so far. We’re a group of readers of all ages, from all over the world, working in wildly different careers, with true diversity of opinion, united by this shared love of deep engagement with literature and life. I’m grateful to have you here, and I believe we’re starting something special.

The Great Books aren’t difficult to read. They pose many challenges - intellectual, emotional, spiritual - but it’s always a pleasure to read them deeply. And the more we read them, and bring ourselves to them fully, the more enlightened we become. Great literature teaches us how to talk to ourselves, and, by extension, talk to others. Great literature helps us become more articulate and analytical, empathetic and energetic, aware of history, the present, and where we’re heading. Great literature is a comfort and a guide. Simply put: it’s a key to unlocking more enjoyment and engagement in your life.

I would love to have you join us in our first reading group next Sunday, 21st March, 3:00 PM UK time. Talking with current Shakespeare Patreons, this seemed to be the most viable time and day, with current Shakespeare Patreons being spread across Europe and the US. If you would find it difficult to make this time due to prior commitments, or being in a dramatically different time zone, let me know and we’ll figure out a way to accommodate you. This time is proposed as a hopeful sweet-spot given the multiple time zones patrons might be joining from. Once we’ve established a time that suits the group, we’ll work to keep it as a fixed monthly or twice-monthly meeting, depending on what everybody likes.

It’s not required, but I recommend you read the first few parts of Anna Karenina and dip into Tolstoy’s What Is Art? and perhaps Walter Pater’s short preface to Studies in the History of the Renaissance. There’s no obligation to read anything or join the meetings, but I heartily believe you’ll get out as much as you would like to put in. Engagement leads to enrichment, and this style of deep reading can be quite addictive. You’ll also hopefully find that an enjoyable chat with new friends will break up the month nicely and provide some accountability for your reading.

Date: Sunday 21st March 2021 at 3:00 PM UK time

Location: Zoom/Anywhere you have an internet connection

RSVP: Shakespeare tier patreons will receive a Zoom link closer to the time. Please let me know in a direct message if you can make it.

Agenda: Our first discussion will concern the nature of literature and art criticism and the first half of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. Bring your copy of the book, a hot mug of something delicious, and anything you might want to snack on (if this were in-person, I would be serving drinks and hors d'oeuvres).

Tolstoy, Shakespeare, Austen, Nietzsche, Proust - these names often strike fear into even the most intrepid reader’s heart. But their reputations as difficult or inaccessible are unwarranted. These are some of the best writers we have, and a slow, thoughtful, sincere reading of their works will be one of the most illuminating, instructive, and thoroughly entertaining endeavours you can undertake in your life. And I would be ecstatic for you to embark upon that with me.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do let me know. I’ll be more than happy to answer you. Thank you very much.

Yours sincerely,

Benjamin McEvoy