Have you ever wanted to read some of the world’s greatest authors of literature, philosophy, economics, political science, and psychology, but would like a context for discussing the content? The Great Books Discussion Group at the Transylvania County Library has been meeting for over 30 years and explores a wide variety of selections from works of classic and modern prose, poetry, and drama. The group uses the shared inquiry method of discussion, focusing exclusively on the assigned reading selection that allows every participant the opportunity to contribute. The selections are usually short to allow for the twice a month meeting schedule. The group meets from 10:30 am to noon on the first and third Mondays of most months in the Connestee Conference Room on the second floor of the Library (except when the Library is closed). They take the summer off and do not meet in June, July and August. Great Books Syllabus 2026-2027 From Great Conversations 3 Sep. 14 Preface & Chaucer's The Pardoner's Tale (1-26) Sep. 28 David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (27-45) Oct. 05 Percy Bysshe Shelley, A Defence of Poetry (47-64) Oct. 19 Honore de Balzac, The Unknown Masterpiece (65-89) Nov. 02 Leo Tolstoy, Second Epilogue to War and Peace (91-131) Nov. 16 Rudyard Kipling, The Man Who Would Be King (133-164) Dec. 07 Luigi Pirandello, Six Characters in Search of an Author (165-232) Dec. 21 No Meeting. Happy holidays! Jan. 04 Stephen Crane, The Open Boat (231-255) Jan. 18 Sherwood Anderson, Death in the Woods (257-271) Feb. 01 Jorge Luis Borges, The Garden of Forking Paths (273-285) Feb. 15 No Meeting - Library Closed for President’s Day. Mar. 01 Simone de Beauvoir, Introduction to The Second Sex (287-306) & Grace Paley, An Interest in Life (307-308) Mar. 15 Wislawa Szymborska, Selected Poems (325-334) Apr. 05 Michel Foucault, The Body of the Condemned (335-362) Apr. 12 Jhumpa Lahiri, Interpreter of Maladies (363-384) May. 03 Discussion Guide for Nic... Ages: Adults. Hosted by Transylvania County Library, Transylvania County Library.