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Are Classics A Must Read?
I quite agree, most also provide a great deal of historical detail about the period in which they were set. They give you a sense of where you came from.
Most classics have lasted simply because they are entertaining. Try reading Austen, Trollope, Thackeray or Dickens; they are at least as enjoyable as any contemporary novel, much more so than most. I'm currently working my way through Trollope's Barsetshire novels - I'm halfway through Dr. Thorne, the third of them - and the writing is so effortlessly good and often amusing that the reading experience is pure pleasure. Does reading them do me any good as an author? Well, constant exposure to stuff that's well-written can't be bad. But basically I read classics because they are, reliably, a damn good read.
Depends on what you want to be. If you want to be able to judge modern literature on their merits and quality, it's important to read classic literature, so you have reference material.Also, depending on your background and circumstances, you might find yourself lost among your 'peers' if you have no knowledge of classical literature.
On the other hand, to enjoy reading fiction, you do not necessarily have read any literary fiction. Just being able to read will be enough.
So it all depends on your goals.
If you want to be considered 'well-read', you'd have to have knowledge of literary fiction. Not just the content, but also the structure. In that case, the classics are a 'must-read'.
I firmly believe you have to know what came before to move forward. You have to have some kind of foundation to spring forth from. Otherwise you may just be reinventing the wheel.Even Picasso had formal art education before finding his own path.
Justin wrote: "It got me thinking, are these must reads?..."Of course, they are.
Justin wrote: "I mean surely we don't have to read all of them but shouldn't a person indulge themselves into reading at least ten of these classic books?..."
Not sure 'indulgence' is the right term. They're challenging, and you accept the challenge.
Justin wrote: "What would be the purpose?..."
Self-improvement.
Justin wrote: "Would reading them accomplish anything?..."
Make you a better person.
Justin wrote: "Some could read these for enjoyment, some to re-create one or because they wish to be inspired by some of histories greatest writers and works..."
#1 and #3..#2 is something one can never be confident in.
Justin wrote: "Surely Moby Dick played a part in someone's quest to write or The Raven made a least a few horror authors. ..."
It probably used to; not sure how often it happens anymore. And the more that books are marginalized, made trite and trivial in the digital age the less young people ever will find that inspiration.
Justin wrote: "Classic literature in itself should be defined as it's own genre given all it has given us over the years and the simple fact that these books share many qualities such as great authors who've written them along with creativity, page length, lesson, content, etc..."
Well..these criteria are not those which would determine a 'genre-label'. But classics already have long since been set off from contemporary fiction. Nothing really needs to be done in that area.
Justin wrote: "As someone whose only read a very few of these I must say I feel as though I should read more of these to at the very least, enlighten myself...."
Yes indeed.
It is always best to learn from the masters. Classic books have endured for a reason. Fundamentally, it is because they are well written and worth reading. Most of my favourite books were written a long time ago, and are included in the list of Classic Literature. The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer, Paradise Lost by John Milton, The Tempest by William Shakespeare, Beowulf, The Elder Edda, Crime and Punishment by Fyordor Dostoevsky, David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, to name a few of them. It is interesting that you mention The Count of Monte Cristo, Justine, another one of my favourite books, which is now considered a classic. As an adventure story, one that dazzled my mind while I was reading it, I do not think it can be surpassed. If a runner wants to win a race, he studies those who have won an Olympic gold medal,not just those who train with him in the gymn. A writer who wants to write well should study those books that are now considered to be classics, not just those written by their contemporaries. The reading of literature, however difficult and high, is supposed to be a pleasure. So when reading a book, whether it is considered a classic or not, it should be, at root, for the pleasure of doing so, not so much for how you think it may influence or improve your own writing.
Thanks for answering all the questions individually Feliks. Philip, your absolutely right, It can imrpove ones writing and all those classics you mentioned were also free and listed on book in Google Play Store.
I'll go with the purported Mark Twain quote here:A Classic is something everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read.
Haha, nice Kevin. The irony of that quote is that some of Twain's work falls under that very saying.
OOOh Mark Twain is one of my all time favorites! Read "The Mysterious Stranger!! Its great.
A classic work is still a classic, even if it happens to be in disfavor, forgotten, disparaged, or deemed-unworthy. Classic works are definitions of a form which is not subsidiary to any other form; but from which other forms derive. In western literature, 'The Odyssey' and 'The Iliad' occupy the hierarchical positions they do because of their entropy: the fact that so much subsequent literature stems from them and relies on them for their traits.
Kevin wrote: I'll go with the purported Mark Twain quote here:
A Classic is something everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read.
Never trust the sayings of a man who writes under a pseudonym.
A Classic is something everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read.
Never trust the sayings of a man who writes under a pseudonym.
I have to say. I'm not sure what you would get out of a comic book version of a classic. It kind of defeats the purpose.if you don't want to read it then don't but a comic book version won't give you anything about the writing, the flavor the intrinsic value of the classic...just well I don't know... A run down? You can always find blurbs of classics by googling the title I would think.
Agreed. I recently read a comic version of Dorian Gray where his incident is actually a curse plagued upon his family. His great great grandson is trying to avoid falling into wickedness.I was totally thrown for a loop and turned off...Not sure what ole Oscar Wilde would think but I'm thinking he's slowly turning and cringing in his grave.
Chris wrote: "Never trust the sayings of a man who writes under a pseudonym."On the other hand, since people 'can't handle the truth', it makes sense to tell the truth using a pseudonym as not to heap antipathy onto your shoulders.
Arabella wrote: "I have to say. I'm not sure what you would get out of a comic book version of a classic..."Justin wrote: "Agreed. I recently read a comic version of Dorian Gray..."
I also vote 'thumbs-down'. This kind of thing is merely work for 'Grub Street' authors. Horrible.
Feliks wrote: "Arabella wrote: "I have to say. I'm not sure what you would get out of a comic book version of a classic..."Justin wrote: "Agreed. I recently read a comic version of Dorian Gray..."
I also vote ..."
I'm thinking of starting a GR group called Grub Street now, Feliks. Thanks!
The Scarlet Pimpernel! Yes!Did you know she wrote a ton of other books based on the Scarlet Pimpernel? the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel, Lord Tony's Wife...there's a bunch.
And if you haven' t: read Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini...( also the basis for the greatest motion picture ever made (lol) starring Errol Flynn. )
Of course you gravitate to what you like. I haven't read a ton of classics.What I was saying is a comic book may give you bare bones minimum information about the plot...but it is by no means giving you the experience which makes the novel a classic.
I'm old I remember Illustrated classics. But I never considered them a substitute for the real thing
I will have to go through my shelves...
I absolutely love the classics. I was a dreamer, a visualist, and would get lost in these classics while reading under my old Weeping Willow. Reading the classics help to round me out as the writer I've become, and the writer I strive to be. I agree with you, Justin; Poe, Twain, Dickens, Hawthorne or Shakespeare - read their work, take it in and enjoy it for all it's worth.
One of my favorite memories from high school is of my tenth grade lit teacher who mentioned one day that he was thankful for a month long sojourn in the hospital because he got to reread much of Dickens. Most of the class reacted with dull stares...myself I am forever thankful that it struck a chord....One of the great themes of other posts on other threads is the importance of the preservation of great literature, having to do with traditional formats and newer formats. This beat up old lit teacher of mine said something else I'll never forget..."Literature in a book is just a bunch of words...true literature lives in your heart, in your mind, and in your soul...read, read and, most importantly, truly learn to read."
It's not about the difficulty of classics, or evolving formats, or mandates in public education. It's about truly inspirational teachers, and parents, and friends...it's word of mouth, it's folks who give others recommendations, and it's about the many folks who jump right in to the classics, not because it's some onerous duty, but because they're darn good stories, and very often written at the peak of the language of the day .
Yeats, and other poets made the comment that poetry needs to be read aloud...sometimes, and very often, this applies to classic prose, or most especially, in my view, to Shakespeare. Try blurting out the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet with your eight year old daughter. The two of you might be terrible at it, but thirty years later I'll betcha she's reading late into the night, and going to see every Shakespeare play that comes to town, usually with her own kids in tow.
Reading doesn't require much in the way of preconceptions...and if you keep it that way you can be forever surprised. You can read Shakespeare in the AM and Terry Pratchett at night, and never feel like your head is scattered....and doing so you will surely find each is enhanced by the other.
Dominae wrote: "Not all comics are low literature."I've been an avid collector of European 'comics' since I was ten, although the term 'graphic novel' would often be more appropriate for the works of Hugo Pratt, Milo Manara, and Jean 'Moebius' Giraud. All their work is aimed at an adult audience.
I'm a big fan of the classics, both English and French. To the extent that I'm considering jacking in the writing all together and sticking to translating obscure French classics instead!
Oh gosh, I love the classics! I find the language so much richer. The classics are where all of today's modern fiction/movies/music glean their ideas from. i.e. Dracula. Look how many ways the vampire epidemic exploded after Bram Stoker's original tale. Classics I recommend: The Count of Monte Cristo, The Last Days of Pompeii, Crime and Punishment, Dracula, Les Miserables, The Bell Jar, To Kill a Mockingbird, Fahrenheit 451, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, East of Eden, The Good Earth, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Metamorphosis, The Jungle Books, and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Robin Hood.
I love the classics, although as with modern books there are some I don't find interesting. I think it helps liking history, as many of these offer a view of the past. Think about it, how have these books influenced us and our current books - The Odysseyfor example - heroes fighting against monsters, overcoming adversity and the notions or loyalty, honour and courage. Not only that look at works such as Dracula and Frankenstein etc., it would be unlikely there would be as much horror/paranormal fiction if it wasn't for the likes of Bram Stoker, Shelley and Stevenson. The count of Monte Christo is a supremely written novel of revenge and redemption, it also offers a view of France in the troubled times of Napoleon.
Shakespeare too, history, tragedy, love, revenge, murder he offered us it all.
I'm. Alreading a classik, Isaac Asimov's Prelude To Empire. and, I'm reading it on my "Air".
I am so glad to see all your positive comments regarding classics.
I recently saw a tweet on Twitter to the effect that classics are simply classics because we are told they are. Hardly an accurate observation. Classics have withstood the trial of time and continue to be enjoyed by so many. Sadly, many modern readers do not appear to have the desire or concentration span to read them. One report recently stated a high percentage (well over 50%) of those who downloaded a classic never finish it. In fact they stop quite early on. I could say so much more but will stop.
I love the classics and besides enjoying the stories also find the historical observations on society and life interesting and informative.
I recently saw a tweet on Twitter to the effect that classics are simply classics because we are told they are. Hardly an accurate observation. Classics have withstood the trial of time and continue to be enjoyed by so many. Sadly, many modern readers do not appear to have the desire or concentration span to read them. One report recently stated a high percentage (well over 50%) of those who downloaded a classic never finish it. In fact they stop quite early on. I could say so much more but will stop.
I love the classics and besides enjoying the stories also find the historical observations on society and life interesting and informative.
I was asked to join a book club, called the classics, all the book I'm too mortified to admit I haven't read. I'm reading Huckleberry Finn for the first time, free on kindle and am so glad I am taking the time to step back and see what made this book such a great book.Lara O'Brien
www.laraobrien.com
For me reading a classic novel is a lot more work than reading most contemporary novels. But the reward always surpasses the effort. I try to read a classic after every two or three contemporary novels.
I love reading classics. There is something about reading words that were written so long ago, versus a year or maybe twenty, that makes you feel connected to that author, and that time. It shows how words can last through time, and continue to speak in different eras. I might not end up being a Twain or Dickens, or an Austin, but that doesn't mean I don't want to strive to write books that are as well written as theirs.
I usually enjoy classics more than contemporaries, to be quite honest. There is something about the tone, the setting, the use of language, and the art of the story that isn't quite like our stories are now. Whatever I feel lacking in inspiration, I pick up a classic.
I usually enjoy classics more than contemporaries, to be quite honest. There is something about the tone, the setting, the use of language, and the art of the story that isn't quite like our stories are now. Whatever I feel lacking in inspiration, I pick up a classic.
The reason a classic is a classic is that lots and lots of people, over many years, have read and admired the work. Over time, the cream does rise to the top. Want proof? Go here: http://www.kruegerbooks.com/books/bes...
The best sellers, 1930-1939. How many of those books have you even heard of? I have read perhaps four of them, no more. Most of them have been utterly forgotten.
So: if a book is still being read, decades later, it's got legs.
As an author I feel it is imperative to read at least a cross section of the classics. Though not completely relevant to contemporary writing they do allow an author to understand the basics and evolution of each genre. Most author's goals I think are like those of Jerry Salinger - to right the very best novel. Rory Church
Excellent comments. I have also found that when I am tired of reading a traditional or self-published book, I look toward the classics. It gives me a old/fresh perspective if you will; and gives me an idea of how writing has come a long way from where it was then to what it is today.
I suppose I'm not saying if the classics are necessary but I enjoy them. A couple of years ago I got into Wilkie Collins's books. He was a friend of Dickens, an early mystery writer. I love the language of older books, and enjoyed reading stories from the time before the conventions of the modern mystery had developed. Some people attribute the genre's growth to Collins.Slightly off-topic:
I spent ten years working in theater so I learned to speak Colley Cibber's and Susannah Centilivre's English. There was some translation involved at first, though.
Funny things happen when people don't know how the language has changed. Audiences would misunderstand "make love" in 18th century plays. Back then, it meant to flirt, not to have sex. Dialog could sound even racier than it was.
There are a lot of shade-tree mechanics out there who never read a book on auto repair, but that is all they will ever be: shade-tree mechanics. If you want to be the best at what you do, you have to study your craft. Reading the masters helps you understand the literary history of our society and culture. If you only write for yourself and your followers, you will never reach the larger audiences where your work can make a difference.
Yes.1) Lets you know what's been done and where ideas might be coming from.
2) Not all "classics" are fantastic for everyone, so it allows you to see where you fall in the mix; if you're right about your self assessment is another thing. :)
3) If it's forgotten, reading it may allow you to bring back into fashion things already done—but with a twist; which if it works as it so often does in the fashion industry, might really help you work today.
Well said John and Wade, very good points.
In response to David's comment 4 months ago regarding a lit. teacher and the great and true love for the literary greats including such ones as Yeats, fine works as these should be read aloud and savored. To sit down at one serving of such fine food, -seconds and even -thirds- must be allowed for it to be palatable and digested properly in efforts to glean the bone and the marrow, so to speak, of a truly great piece of classic work as it was intended by its original artists. Those contemporary works of today do well to rediscover such timeless thought and ceaseless creativity in efforts to study, learn and ponder. Doing so will add life and depth to a true piece of writing that may be, at present, honed and crafted in hopes of it lasting forever for others to truly appreciate. Read the piece aloud throughout the creative process. Test out your own ears and search for the message carved inside.
E. wrote: "I quite agree, most also provide a great deal of historical detail about the period in which they were set. They give you a sense of where you came from."which is why they don't really speak to me in the here and now. I like contemporary fiction. I can recognise these books as the works of supreme stylists and for their undoubted literary qualities, but apart from the handful I was made to study at school, I haven't read any of them.
The classics are fantastic in their own right. However, the modern world and our perceptions of that as written by living authors has an immediate connection with readers. Personally I don't want to read another take on Pride and Prejudice.
Are classics a must read?That's a good question. I don't know if I'd say their are a "MUST" read. However, I would say it is highly advisable to check out some of the classics. Especially if they happen to be in the same genre you are working in.
I say this because sometimes it's important to see what's already been done before, this can give you ideas of where to take things in the future. This way you don't get the old "...sigh... another rehash of an old plot idea...yadda, yadda..." reaction. You can also get new ideas of how to maybe put a new twist on the topic.
I know I got heavily inspired by HP Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos. I'm not working in that specific subject, but the concepts gave me ideas for how to build a 'mythos' or series of my own. I learned how to build the reality I've created with each book, expanding on the ideas and introducing the audience to new aspects one story at a time.
I also find classics can give a writer ideas for tone or characterization. Again, seeing what's been done before and getting ideas for characters that are the kind that usually sit in the background and bring them to the front as the protagonists or antagonists.
Looking at where writing has already been can give you lot's of ideas of where to go next. It certainly doesn't hurt.
I like the classics. Not all of them of course but that is true of any large set of books. Often they are a good reflection of an era. It is also interesting to see how writing and reading tastes change, and how they stay the same. I re-read a lot and classics are among the books I re-read.
This discussion has me thinking about classics from Japan and China that haunt me. The Tale of Genji, especially. I feel it calling me for a re-read. I need to look at Dream of the Red Chamber again, too.
I do not think anyone may dictate: 'everyone must read the classics'. We are all individual and unique and have different tastes; whether we like it or not. Reading is subjective after all. However, I would 'encourage' people to read them.
After reading a classic I always feel uplifted, informed and enlightened. I must not forget entertained. After all this sort of reading is supposed to be recreational and relaxing. The incidental historic/cultural/social is a bonus!
After reading a classic I always feel uplifted, informed and enlightened. I must not forget entertained. After all this sort of reading is supposed to be recreational and relaxing. The incidental historic/cultural/social is a bonus!
I just think that reading without having rad the classics is like growing up without having parents.
Sure if you have the time and patience for them :)
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Would reading them accomplish anything? Perhaps; perhaps not, it depends on if you have an agenda. Some could read these for enjoyment, some to re-create one or because they wish to be inspired by some of histories greatest writers and works. Whatever the reason, it is a testament to reality as to how many of these books have truly been read and have inspired a generation. Surely Moby Dick played a part in someone's quest to write or The Raven made a least a few horror authors. It goes without saying for what these books stand for and what they will always stand as.
Classic literature in itself should be defined as it's own genre given all it has given us over the years and the simple fact that these books share many qualities such as great authors who've written them along with creativity, page length, lesson, content, etc. As someone whose only read a very few of these I must say I feel as though I should read more of these to at the very least, enlighten myself. We as writers know we can never be Poe, Twain, Dickens, Hawthorne or Shakespeare so why not at least do the next best thing? Read their work, take it in and enjoy it for all it's worth. After all it's some of these very authors whose imaginations were just as wild as ours.