Practical Classics: The Clubhouse discussion
Priorities, People! What classic would you like to reread first?
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Kevin
(new)
Feb 21, 2013 10:05AM
Mod
reply
|
flag
Am currently on another month of re-reading Nightwood (yes, I'm taking my time and yes, it disappears on me every once in a while - I believe it's just trying to slow me down :) ). Gorgeous, gorgeous prose.
"The Great Gatsby," I read it in high school, though is was not required reading. Even then, I thought his prose was incredible and understood why the beauty of his words was difficult to convey on film. New movie version due later this year.
Mod
Could you tell us what Nightwood is? I have (probably stupidly) missed that one.
Mod
Yes, the next of many adaptations. Have you seen any of the ones of the past?
"Nightwood" is Djuna Barnes' wonderfully light, dense novel depicting Europe in the 20's (published mid 1930's, feels very lost generation). It's written on a poetry prose style, it was praised by TS Eliot, and it has this gloriously larger than life set of characters of disturbed artistic backgrounds and shifting sexual identities. It's pretty gorgeous, and it ebbs and flows through my reading life at its own pace. I think you'd like it.
Location, shelves, timing...most books find me, I find. Especially the good ones.
Mod
Most of my books are physical entities (ebooks annoy me, yes, I'll own that admission), and the way I encounter books is, therefore, usually serendipitous. I just sort of happen into them, and/or vise versa.Hope that clarifies somewhat.
Mod
You're probably more open hearted about such things than I am :)
As a fellow classics lover, I think you give your intuition far too little credit. :)And, as a woman no longer in my twenties with a lifetime of reading under my belt, I pretty much know what appeals to my aesthetic, and pretty quickly.
Recommends, however, are always welcome. Talking books is part of the joy of them.
Three come to mind: Ethan Frome, The Grapes of Wrath, and Tess of the D'Urbervilles.
Because I am a high school English teacher, I've had the chance to reread most of what I read as a youngster. These three works, however, I have not yet made time for.
Probably Ethan Frome . It's shorter than the others and I've read Steinbeck and Hardy more recently.But Tess is tempting; I really liked it when I was 17. I read The Return of the Native for the first time just a couple of months ago and LOVED it. I hope to eventually read all of Hardy's novels, but will probably read his works I haven't yet read before I reread Tess .
And you, Kevin?
Sean wrote: "Probably Ethan Frome . It's shorter than the others and I've read Steinbeck and Hardy more recently.Okay, I'm definitely reading Ethan Frome next. I'm reading Portrait of a Lady now, but when I finish, it's Frome time. I was leaning toward Wharton's House of Mirth as my post-James read, but am opting for this classic high school work instead.
I have you to thank for pushing me in this direction and helping me with this decision - just by asking a simple question! And sometimes choosing what to read next can be so difficult! Thanks!
