The Golden Thread: A Reader's Journey Through the Great Books

Geoff Hamilton, a former columnist for the Queen’s Journal, is a
freelance editor and writer living in Thunder Bay.

Based on the popular CBC Radio interviews Bruce Meyer conducted with
Michael Enwright, this book offers an introductory tour through the
Western canon. Beginning with the Bible and ending with James Joyce,
Meyer identifies major thematic patterns in canonical literature and
charts their recurrence through the ages. The 18 chapters focus on some
two-dozen authors, while frequent digressions tie in other relevant
masterpieces, as well as manifestations of canonical ideas in popular
culture.

Meyer’s popular take on the classics is highly readable and
gloriously free of the jargon and political cant that now dominate much
discussion of “The Great Books.” These are not essays for the
experienced student—who will be disappointed by the lack of
depth—but for the uninitiated and curious. As such, they emphasize
what matters most in reading: the ways in which great authors can teach
and delight us. Meyer’s obvious love for his subjects is often
infectious, and one finds here a great many helpful leads for exploring
favorite themes further.

Several of Meyer’s selections are puzzling—Giorgio Vasari’s Lives
of the Artists, for instance, seems hopelessly out of place amid such
distinguished company—and at times he seems to be straining to develop
links between texts that are not nearly as definitive or uncomplicated
as he would like us to believe. Moreover, many of his definitions—such
as his use of the blanket terms “comedy” and “tragedy,” and his
oversimplification of Freudian terminology—will trouble those who are
aware of the underlying complexities being avoided.

Caveats aside, Meyer is just as engaging an educator on paper as he is
on the radio, and readers interested in finding a way into the Western
canon will not be disappointed with the guidance he provides.