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Which of The Classics, in your opinion, should be read?
I wasn't sure where to post this but me and a friend are currently reading Dracula together. We are taking it chapter by chapter and its really fun! Reading a novel slowly is a change for me and makes me appreciate the details.Anyway - we post our recaps here and I'd love to talk about it with you guys too! http://noveltown.tumblr.com/
Dracula is one I've been planning to read for sometime. Can't manage it just yet as my reading schedule is very full, but feel free to post your progress on here :)
I'm enjoying it so far! I've only read the first four chapters and its fascinating to see all the vampire traits that we are now so used to, in their first form. A few people have told me that the second half of the novel is not as good as the first, but I shall try not to let that opinion cloud my judgement as I go!
This is a great novel. I read it only a few years ago, but before the current vampire obsession, and I just loved it. Truly spooky! The second half is less pacey, but no less good. Enjoy!
Dracula is actually amazing. My college roommate and I read it aloud to each other, and scared ourselves silly.
Since some have mentioned interests in Russian classics, we might consider Fyodor Dostoyevsky. He has many fine books to choose among.The Forsyte Saga is an excellent classic that I don't think has been mentioned.
Of course, I am on board for any classics. I am so excited that we are reading classics.
Mark Helprin's novel Winter's Tale is magnificent. The main character, I feel, is New York City, and a white horse soars into the sky to rescue a man who is part Moses, part Jesus, and all burglar. The novel is a combination of Dante's Inferno, Melville's Moby Dick and both the old and New Testament with a huge dose of Charles Dickens. Also, no one mentioned War and Peace, Anna Karinina, and Remembrance of Things Past. The New Yorker Magazine had a marvelous satire of the first chapter of Proust's novel 2 weeks ago. Happy reading everyone.
Although Gone with the Wind is considered a classic, I never liked it much, especially the character of Scarlett O Hara. I see also no one has mentioned Thomas Hardy and I'm not surprised, his books were so completely gloomy. Some of my all time favorites apart from the ones already mentioned by Linda, (her list is soooo close to mine it is almost identical) are Last of the Mohicans, She by Rider Haggard, Bride of Lammermoor by Sir Walter Scott. Also love Edgar Allan Poe.
Wuthering HeightsPhantom of the Opera
Les Mis
Tess of the D'urbevilles
Dracula
Frankenstein
Jekyll and Hyde
Picture of Dorian Grey
Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Rings (although not specifically a classic)
Moll Flanders
The Monk
The turn of the screw
Animal Farm
1984
Jane Austen's work
Shakespeare
These are classics I read and loved:Jane Eyre
Wuthering Heights
Picture of Dorian Grey
Treasure Island
Robinson Crusoe
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
A Wrinkle in Time
Ender's Game
Rebecca
Murder on the Orient Express
Great Expectations
Mutiny on the Bounty
Anne of Green Gables
Pollyanna
These are just some I loved-
"some are more modern classics"
I picked up a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird in the charity shop today. Very pleased. Looking forward to a re-read of this wonderful novel soon :)
I think all of Jane Austens books should be read. Thats just me...lol
Have to read The Iliad and The Odyssey. So many classical references in literature become clear when you have these two under your belt
I have just been reading through and was 'Astonished' that it was the 74th posting and Sherri before anyone mentioned the single must read.Homer 'The Odyssey' (Iliad is a good second option), but it is Odysseus and his wanderings that are supreme, elements of all those books suggested are found here in the original, as Sherri pointed out so many references are made clear.
The first English classic and one of the best books I have ever read is Beowulf. I also,love the first book on record, Gilgamesh.
I strongly recommend Barchester Towers - and if you can get hold of the audio book read by Timothy West, you are in for a real treat. My 5th time of listening and I think it approaches perfection!
I agree Emma - Timothy West's reading is superb. I've heard "The Small House at Allington" and "The Last Chronicle of Barset" as complete audio books read by him so think he may have done all six. Quite a commitment for an actor!
My personal favourite classics, both ancient and modern:The Lord of the Rings
To Kill a Mockingbird
Love in the Time of Cholera
The Sun Also Rises
A Farewell to Arms
1984
The Pickwick Papers
A Tale of Two Cities
Pride and Prejudice
Mansfield Park
The Grapes of Wrath
Metamorphoses
Hamlet
Othello
A Midsummer Night's Dream
The Merchant of Venice
The Tempest
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Revolutionary Road
Moby Dick has my vote as one of the greatest books ever written.
Mod
My 5th time of listening and I think it approaches perfection!"
Emma and Jean, I must get my hands on another one of these Timothy West Trollope audiobooks. He clearly has a way with Trollope!
I am currently listening to him read "The Way We Live Now" and the character and humour he injects into what might otherwise be something of a ploddy read by anyone else is incredible. I have my iPod plugged in as I do the chores around the house and regularly my kids give me very funny looks as I laugh out loud or make other such noises listening to his glorious reading.
The Lord of the RingsThe Count of Monte Cristo
Dracula
Tess of the d'Urbervilles
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Lady Chatterley's Lover
The Monk
Sense and Sensibility
Wuthering Heights & Jane Eyre
Metamorphoses by Ovid. I have just downloaded Monkey:Journey to the West and am hoping this is the book William recommended back in June. I didn't realise that "Mankayyyyyy" was based on books. One of my favourite shows ever :D
I would have to agree with A.L. that The Iliad & The Odyssey are wonderful--but do be sure to get the Robert Fagles translation. We used his great version of The Odyssey in the Coursera class on Greek and Roman Mythology, and it was amazing.I found a site that lists their idea of the top 100 books of world literature; I like that it includes many cultures. http://thegreatestbooks.org/lists/28
Love FD and yes I have read Ulysses. Clever but overrated in my opinion.
Perhaps overrated was the wrong word. I have a thing about artists trying to be too clever and I think Joyce was doing that here. It is very difficult to read, I am a fast reader and it took me a few weeks, but for me this was more of a frustration than anything else. Joyce uses a lot of linguistic tools, including stream-of-consciousness writing which is tough to deal with. I was quite young when I read it and had no appreciation for Dylan at the time. He is now one of my favourite artists so I understand this style much better now. Maybe it is time for me to give Ulysses another go.
Not quite sure where to put this, but I thought some of you might enjoy it: apparently the 10 most read books in the world. I've only read three of them! (Lord of the Rings, Gone with the Wind, and The Diary of Anne Frank.)http://pewinternet.tumblr.com/image/6...
Which ones do you think are classics?
I've read The Diary of Anne Frank, Gone With The Wind and Harry Potter.Bits of the Bible don't count - must be cover to cover. I wonder how many people have really done that - just sat and read it right through?
I'm not sure any of them are classics really. The closest I suppose would be Anne Frank, but I tend to see that as more an historical document than anything else.
Sales figures are not the same as reading figures - we've all got at least one book we bought but never read. It is interesting, though, isn't it? I suppose library borrowing figures are fairly accurate. I tend to read what I borrow.
True...I read the fine print! It is the top 10 books printed and sold over the last 50 years. It's kind of interesting to see that Gone With the Wind still makes that many sales.
I've read the Bible all the way through - gives quite a different perspective from reading little popular bits here and there. But yes, I find most people haven't - including plenty of devout Christians.I wouldn't automatically call bestsellers classics - although I'd say the Bible counts as a classic, because of its longevity, and also because of the extent to which it is referenced and alluded to in literature.
As for the original question, I'm not sure I'd say that any of the classics 'should' be read - everyone has different tastes and will respond differently to what they read. But a personal favourite of mine, mostly for the sheer whimsy of it, is The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman.
After I posted that comment I remembered my late uncle. He was an avid reader, and he would pick up and read anything that interested him. He wasn't religious but was fascinated by religions. He read the bible from cover to cover, as you would a novel. I suppose it would be quite different from just picking out the popular bits to quote. But we had better leave that discussion there. Not really supposed to talk about religion on here :)
Oops - sorry, I didn't realise I was talking about religion! I was answering your question, and Betty's question, because I found it interesting. :-) For future reference (as I'm a newbie to this group, and didn't know about this) are we not supposed to mention the Bible (or any religious text - Koran, Book of Mormon, etc.) at all? Not in terms of their influence on novels or authors? What about religious themes in novels? Is it the same with politics?
It's fine Gail - what you said was ok, and well within the rules. What I meant was that we shouldn't expand upon any religious discussions beyond saying that we had read the Bible. We try not to discuss religion on here as its own subject, as it could become a heated topic. It's a very personal thing.
Obviously if it is a main theme of a book which is in discussion on here then that is different. For example, we had a group read of The Color Purple by Alice Walker, and each letter Celie writes is addressed to God.
It's ok to mention religious texts, but be aware that members of this group are of different religions and so that's why we do try to keep religious discussions off this group.
So, anything which is a subject/theme within a book under discussion on here is ok - religion, politics etc, but should be kept on topic.
Hope that explains it?
Ah yes, that makes sense - thanks for clarifying. I would expect most groups to have people from a variety of different religions, as well as non-religious people, so it's not a topic I would bring up, except in relation to books being read.
How about something by James Joyce?
I guess it depends how you define hard - as in difficult subject matter (emotionally or cognitively), or dense reading, or hard to understand what's going on. There is this list of '50 incredibly tough books for extreme readers': http://flavorwire.com/423424/50-incre...
A book that stands out to me as difficult (as in I had very little idea what was going on, or what the point of the story was) is a novel translated from the French, called The Planetarium by Nathalie Sarraute. I remember having to do a presentation on it when I studied English at uni. I did well in my presentation, but I'm not sure how, as I never felt I really 'got' what the book was about - although perhaps that was part of the point of the book! All that sticks in my mind is furniture and confusion!
I read For Whom the Bell Tolls recently and definitely think everyone should read it, mostly because of its message about how wars waste so many lives.Here is my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Yes - a great book, Sally. Haven't read it for a long time and you've inspired me to re-read. Thank you.
Mod
If I've inspired anyone to read or re-read this amazing book, I'm a happy camper :-)
Definitely Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.
Jude the obscure. A must to understand the struggles of the 'new woman' at the turn of the 20th century. If not just to enjoy the pleasures of such a complex female character as Sue Bridehead.
All quiet on the Western front. Our book club read it years ago. None of us had read it before. It is simple, easy to read, and excellent. Poignant too with all these references to war ATM.
I would recommend:
To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smithand a more modern classic...
Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs
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Books mentioned in this topic
The Great Gatsby (other topics)Wuthering Heights (other topics)
Jane Eyre (other topics)
Great Expectations (other topics)
Tess of the D’Urbervilles (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Betty Smith (other topics)William S. Burroughs (other topics)
Harper Lee (other topics)
Kate Chopin (other topics)
Fyodor Dostoevsky (other topics)
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I adore Nancy Mitford's novels too. And Alan Bennett's writing is just divine.