☯Emily ’s Comments (group member since Jul 27, 2011)

☯Emily ’s comments from the Classics for Beginners group.

I agree with Jonathan.

I think it might become a classic, but I don't think it should be considered one right now.

Squire wrote: "I also have a particular love for Ancient Greekk literature: The Iliad, The Odessey, the plays of Sophocles, Euripdes, Aeschylus, et al. I have muliple copies of these works in various translations."

I have been wondering if we could have a monthly read of Greek playwrights. We could read one play from four different writers over the space of a month. We then could compare/contrast writing styles, themes, etc. Is that something that is possible?

Kenneth wrote: "There's always time for a short story. :)"

Maybe for you, but I am already reading four books!

I thought we had already done this. Are we to read another short story?

Interesting announcement: http://www.stylist.co.uk/life/jane-au...

Great review. Just one technical comment. You used a bracket or some other symbol when you tried to italicize some words and phrases. You should use the < symbol. (When I try to use the correct symbols to show you how it is done, they disappear and everything I write is italicized!)

I was debating whether to read this book or not. I looked at it when I was at the library and couldn't get past the first page, so I didn't check it out. I was hoping that reading the comments would help me decide whether to give it another try. It did!

These comments certainly helped: "a lot of concentration to comprehend most everything," "run-on sentences," "stream of consciousness style" (which I hate!), "when reading my mind tends to drift off more", "I'm reading as one would read poetry" (I hate poetry!), and the last great comment, "hallucinogen influenced poetry." Great critiques! Will skip this month's selection.

Elizabeth, did you ever read Moby Dick? That has to be the worst 'classic' book ever written. However, The Turn of the Screw is a very close second. Of course, that is the opinion of your humble servant.

There's nothing wrong with you if you don't like Shakespeare! Plenty of us don't. I don't like reading Dickens and I know people think he is the best novelist in the world. I think his contemporaries, Elizabeth Gaskell and Anthony Trollope, are 100 times better.

☯Emily wrote: "There are several books out that have Shakespeare's words on one page and the opposite page has the same lines in modern English. That is really great in helping to understand what Shakespeare is ..."

Barron's publishes the editions I am talking about. The series is called Simply Shakespeare and they are used in high schools to help the students understand what they are reading.

There are several books out that have Shakespeare's words on one page and the opposite page has the same lines in modern English. That is really great in helping to understand what Shakespeare is talking about. Whenever I am scheduled to attend a Shakespearean play, I will read the play beforehand using that technique.

I have loved all of Anthony Trollope's books. I'm told some of his first books weren't very good, but I haven't read those yet.

I personally think that this is Dickens best book. Dickens got paid by the word, so many of his books are super wordy. Great Expectations is not bad, so perhaps you can try that one next.

Aqueda, the book gets progressively more interesting. Don't be concerned if the first part drags a little. It is my favorite Dickens book.

Once you get past the first book, the story picks up. I didn't have a problem with the first section because of my interest in history, but I can see how many would find the beginning difficult.

I believe To Kill a Mockingbird was a classic before it hit the 50 year mark. It is a powerful book that had great impact at the time it was published and still resonates today. However, I don't think there are many exceptions to the 50 year rule.

It is very slow reading for me also, even though I loved this book when I was a child. Started part 2 last week; got one chapter done; have stopped for a while.

Amanda, your experience is so typical. I enjoy reading classics for pleasure. However, when I take a class in literature, there is always a "correct" way of analyzing the material. Usually the correct way is the instructor's way!

I haven't read this since I was a kid.

I have just finished chapter 11, "Experiments," which I found hilarious. I enjoyed Jo's attempts at cooking and the resulting chaos.