Favorite books: (Was: New poll for HPFGU-OTChatter)

[Carol]

Carol earlier:
> 
> > > I have reread and would recommend the Bible (must reading for
anyone who wants to be culturally literate with regard to Western
culture regardless of religion or the absence thereof, and for sheer
beauty and poetry and effect on Western culture, I would recommend the
King James version. If your concern is an accurate translation, try a
more recent one).
>  
Alla replied:
>  
> > Agreed about the Bible. I read and reread and reread at some point
in  my life, did not do it for several years now, but this book has
so> many beatiful stories.
> 
Geoff responded:
> I would agree that the KJV is a fine example of beautiful English
but, speaking as a Christian I would make two caveats:
> (a) The Bible is not written as fiction.
> (b) It /is/ written as a primer of life as it should be lived.
>
Carol responds:

Which is why I stipulated that those who read it for religious reasons
may prefer a more modern and accurate translation. 

But, just as a cathredral is at the same time the house of God to
Christians and an inspiring architectural monument, the King James
tranlation is a memorable and beautiful work of art, and the Hebrew
parallel poetry of some portions of the Old Testament was composed
*as* poetry, following certain conventions (just as the epistles are
letters and followed the conventions of letters composed in Greek at
that time). The Song of Solomon is a love poem, which can be read on
two levels, spiritual and erotic, and the imagery of a sheep-herding
culture ("Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the
washing") is best read, IMHO, in the highly poetic and old-fahioned
English of the King James version.

Phrases from the King James Bible (and some from Cranmer's Book of
Common Prayer, composed a few generations later in the same early
modern English that we associate with the earlier Elizabethan era)
have become embedded in our culture. Biblical allusions appear in
poetry and prose alike, and readers unfamiliar with the KJB are likely
to miss them if it is not itself part of their reading experience, and
if they encounter them only in a modern form, they will miss the sheer
beauty and power of the language (which can be, for some readers, an
aid to appreciating the spiritual nature of the various books of the
Bible).

Look at the twenty-third psalm in the King James version:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul;
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For thou art with me;
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table for me in the presence of mine enemies;
Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Beautiful. Memorable. It brings tears to my eyes every time I read it.
And no modern translation can create the same effect, that perfect
blend of imagery and language and meaning unique to the King James
Bible (except possibly the Begats :-) )

I'm not arguing with your perspective that the Bible is primarily a
religious work. I'm just stating that the King James Bible,
specifically, is a literary and cultural treasure even for those
outside the Christian faith, and its impact on British and American
language and literature is probably incalculable. I'm talking about
the beauty of the language and the importance of this particular
translation to Western civilization (I should amend that to the
culture and literature of English-speaking countries).

Carol, conceding that it's a bit of a jolt to see "the Bible" (no
translation specified) on the same list as "Catcher in the Rye" or HP,
for that matter