Episode 61; A Classics Callout

[Marie]

The book that instantly springs to mind for me is The Picture Of Dorian Gray. It's the first classic I remember reading after leaving school and it really opened my eyes to the fact that classics don't have to be dry and dusty, and can actually be witty with a little bit of debauchery thrown in.

I have The House Of Mirth sat unread on my shelf so I must pick it up soon after hearing how much you've enjoyed it!

[Russell]

Hi Simon -

Take a look at the following.

O'Pioneers by Willa Cather
- this is the story of a strong independent woman
in the American Midwest at a time where this was
not the norm. I think you will like it
Excellent Women by Barbara Pym
- Pym is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. She
wrote from the 50's - 70's in Britan. She is witty
like Jane Austen, but her main characters are
"spinster women". I love this book.

Russell

[Ruthiella]

What would be a stereotypical storyline in a classic book, I wonder? I think they are as varied as modern books, aren’t they?

For the most part, I actually have fond memories of books I read in high school, but I had really, really great English teachers. The only book I remember really disliking was The Trial, by Kafka.

I have a couple of suggestions, how about something away from the English/American canon and instead read something from Zola or Balzac? I read Germinal and Cousine Bette in college and liked them.
P.S. I am currently reading Middlemarch and really enjoying it.

[Chris]

Hi Simon,

I'm glad you started this, sometimes I feel like I am the only one who reads classics! Here are some great ones. I also second Russell's recommendation of Cather, all her books are fantastic! I realize this is a list written by dead white guys, but these are my favorites.

Granted, aside from Tolstoy, these are American writers. But I do love Hardy, Austen, Wharton, and Eliot, too! Too many to count!

"The Great Gatsby"-Fitzgerald (I reread this every few years or so and still find something new) And it has the BEST last line of any book out there.

"East of Eden," "Grapes of Wrath" and "Cannery Row"-Steinbeck--he is a genius

"To Kill a Mockingbird"-Lee-one of my all-time favorite novels.

"Anna Karinina"-Tolstoy-Don't be fooled by the length, this book is fantastic and a great romance.

Chris

[pam]

like you, i loved "house of mirth". it was the first of the classically challenged books i could get through without putting down.

thinking of classics always makes me wonder - how old does a book have to be to be considered a classic? i'm from south florida, and so "their eyes were watching god" is a classic for me. please give it a go (it's short!). i also love most of hemingway, but far and away my fav. is "garden of eden".

now dearest simon, i know you may have returned "frankenstein" to the library without reading it, but you might have to just take yourself back there and get it again. it's an absolute hoot and worth the read.

another one i love, love, love is "100 years of solitude".

looking forward to seeing what other folks recommend!

pam

[Salliewt]

I'd recommend Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson. Have read it many times over the years. Nathaniel Hawthorne, particularly The Marble Faun, and anything by Thomas Hardy. Some others that might be of interest are:

The Monk - Matthew Lewis
Evelina - Fanny Burney
The Virgin and The Gipsy - DH Lawrence
Ivanhoe - Sir Walter Scott

[Kate]

I second the recommendation of The Picture Of Dorian Gray. Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea blew me away. Also I really enjoyed both The Scarlet Letter and The Good Soldier when I read them for my degree. Oh, and there's a minor French classic that's less well known over here called The Confessions of Dan Yack by Blaise Cendrars and it's completely brilliant.

[Ruthiella]

Salliewt wrote: "I'd recommend Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson. Have read it many times over the years. Nathaniel Hawthorne, particularly The Marble Faun, and anything by Thomas Hardy. Some others that might be of ..."

Ooh, I should read Ramona. It is performed here in Southern California near where I live every year at a Festival, I think.

[Salliewt]

Ruthiella: Yes, there's a Ramona festival in Hemet, CA. They've been doing it since 1923.

Ramona has been reprinted/reissued more than 300 times; directors have filmed the story for large and small screens. The book has never been out of print. I've read some memorable books through the years but it's still my favorite.

[Elizabeth☮]

What about Watership Down
The Grapes of Wrath
and i can't remember if you like hawthorne or not, but i would also recommend The Scarlet Letter

[PJ]

I add my votes for:
*The Picture of Dorian Gray
*The Old Man and the Sea
*The Mayor of Casterbridge
*Frankenstein...there is so much more to this story than you will ever see in any movie/television adaptation
*Northanger Abbey...if you liked "Persuasion", you might like this one (even if it is a typical classic)

[Becky]

I just finished The Grapes of Wrath and did really like it, but I was completely blown away by East of Eden. . .