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Beowulf on the Beach: What to Love and What to Skip in Literature's 50 Greatest Hits [Paperback]

Jack Murnighan
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)

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Book Description

May 19, 2009
Feel bad about not reading or not enjoying the so-called great books? Don’t sweat it, it’s not your fault. Did anyone tell you that Anna Karenina is a beach read, that Dickens is hilarious, that the Iliad’s battle scenes rival Hollywood’s for gore, or that Joyce is at his best when he’s talking about booze, sex, or organ meats?

Writer and professor Jack Murnighan says it’s time to give literature another look, but this time you’ll enjoy yourself. With a little help, you’ll see just how great the great books are: how they can make you laugh, moisten your eyes, turn you on, and leave you awestruck and deeply moved. Beowulf on the Beach is your field guide–erudite, witty, and fun-loving–for helping you read and relish fifty of the biggest (and most skipped) classics of all time. For each book, Murnighan reveals how to get the most out of your reading and provides a crib sheet that includes the Buzz, the Best Line, What’s Sexy, and What to Skip.

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Beowulf on the Beach: What to Love and What to Skip in Literature's 50 Greatest Hits + The Naughty Bits: The Steamiest and Most Scandalous Sex Scenes from the World's Great Books
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Jack Murnighan’s enthusiasm for the great books–and his understanding of why they still matter–is genuinely infectious. Reading Beowulf on the Beach is like belonging to the most stimulating and hilarious book club you could possibly imagine.”
—Steven Johnson, author of Everything Bad Is Good For You

“Odysseus was a hero in his own way. But to me, a true hero? Jack Murnighan. He's ingested these 50 massive books and given us a ridiculously entertaining guide. Beowulf on the Beach is funny, smart, passionate and wise. Just having it on your shelf will raise your IQ.”
—A.J. Jacobs, author of The Know-It-All 

"Jack Murnighan unveils a lot more sexiness–and pleasure of all kinds–in classic literature than most people would ever dream of."
—Susie Bright, editor of the Best American Erotica series

About the Author

JACK MURNIGHAN has a Ph.D. in medieval and renaissance literature from Duke University. He is the author of The Naughty Bits and Classic Nasty and has written for Esquire, Glamour, and Nerve. He lives in New York City and teaches creative nonfiction at the University of the Arts.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 374 pages
  • Publisher: Broadway (May 19, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0307409570
  • ISBN-13: 978-0307409577
  • Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #111,136 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 31 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars An essential prelude to the classics May 20, 2009
Format:Paperback
Murnighan drains the swamp of any inhibition one may have to delve into these classics. He focuses us on the humor and insights to be derived and provides a fresh scaffold. A definite must read for all college freshman as well as for those now motivated to revisit these literary giants.
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35 of 37 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars THIS BOOK IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST SUMMER READ May 25, 2009
By l
Format:Paperback
Wow!! This is truly one of the best purchases I've made on Amazon, and I've been buying books online for years just waiting to find something so awesome!

Sit back, relax and enjoy the brilliance. Curling up with this book was like having a fantasy dinner party with every genius writer you skipped over in your youth. The author is an extremely talented writer, I guess his work spans a doctorate in medieval literature as well as trendy online blogs, and so he has this truly magical ability to breathe new life into these works, without making it a snoozefest. He reminds us how to read the great works, and does so with such a witty and hilarious flair, and wow, his lovingly selected quotes make you glad you waited for this book.

I'd especially recommend this a starter book for a book club, an excellent read just to take to the beach. It makes great summer reading, and especially perfect if you've been thinking about delving into some of the classics, but can't think where to start.

Really an instant classic.
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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars reactions from an avid non-classics reader May 24, 2009
Format:Paperback
This is a great, hilarious, mind-boggling book. It is funny, intense, and full of insights and ideas. How could anyone read all these tomes, be so delighted by them, and show us how we can enjoy them too? Only someone with a huge intellect and tremendous passion for great literature. It's a wonderful thing when your children impress you, and that is certainly the case here. Although Jack would like this book to push us all to read the originals, too many of us will simply delight in his summaries, love the humor, and act like we know more than we do when we steal the great quotes that he provides and act like we found them ourselves. For my money, the chapter on the Old Testament and the opening sentence on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice are worth more than the cost of the book. And these are only two of the many gems in this lively, entertaining read. Enjoy!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Nothing for me, but that doesn't mean you won't like this one
I did not think there could be a person on earth (1) who obviously loves reading as much as I do, yet (2) who has completely and totally opposite reading tastes from me. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Debnance at Readerbuzz
1.0 out of 5 stars Fatal Flaw
The guy is an English prof somewhere, and as I first browsed the book, I hit a spot where he misused the word "enormity" (which does NOT mean bigness, hugeness, amazingly... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Lee B. Jolliffe
2.0 out of 5 stars Laziness
Some parts were genuinely inciteful. In the right hands it can be a decent reference. I was offended by the fact that the author suggests skipping certain parts of these great... Read more
Published on July 14, 2010 by Kimberly
5.0 out of 5 stars Useful, well written, helps me pick my next books.
I had a great time reading this book. It helped me figure out what my next book would be (MiddleMarch and Brothers Karamazov). Read more
Published on January 20, 2010 by Diverse
4.0 out of 5 stars No TItle
I found this book very enjoyable to read and also very helpful and inspiring. But....I feel like some of the "What to Skip" suggestions might be a problem. Read more
Published on November 10, 2009 by great horse
4.0 out of 5 stars `What to love and what to skip in literature's 50 greatest hits.'
Jack Murnighhan states in his chapter on `Madame Bovary': `Read the wrong thing, and the damage is irreversible.' I agree. Read more
Published on November 6, 2009 by J. Cameron-Smith
4.0 out of 5 stars This is a new take on reading the classics
I've already read about 17 out of his list of 50 classics, but I can't say that I've enjoyed all of them. Read more
Published on October 22, 2009 by Neal J. King
5.0 out of 5 stars Encourages reading some of the classics which is a good thing
"Beowulf on the Beach" is actually too flawed to truly merit five-stars, but it has redeeming factors that bring up its score. Read more
Published on October 6, 2009 by Jerry Saperstein
4.0 out of 5 stars Beowulf
This was a very interesting book. It really helped to bring the classics to life and make them seem interesting to the casual reader. Read more
Published on October 2, 2009 by Joel
5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous
As an English Lit major in college, I had to slog through many of the 50 books on Mr. Murnighan's list. Read more
Published on September 15, 2009 by A. Trevisani
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