The Sun Also Rises question

Just as I suspected. You're trying to make to far a leap from the scores of juvenile, plot-centric contemporary books (titles you've read haphazardly, either for the purpose of entertainment/peer approval...jumping all the way over to difficult, slower, challenging, no-spoon-feeding, 'character-based' novels from the adult literary tradition of previous decades, previous centuries.

You've got no clear 'direction' in your reading goals. You need to choose classics in a much more effective manner, you've got to find lighter classics which will gradually lead you into these more difficult-styles of writing.

Not every classic is for every reader. For example --regarding myself--even though I know I ought to try to read Aldous Huxley I can't tolerate his writing style so I know I will never read him. I've read tons of other classics so the omission isn't hurting me.

My point is, you need to find the classics suited for you; find the ones you are bound to like; find the ones which contain a 'modern sound' to them until you get your sea-legs. Don't just read the proscribed classics like 'Huck Finn' or Shakespeare.

Sometimes I think your place in live and mindset have a great deal of influence on how you accept or reject a novel. I hated lit class in high school and didn't really enjoy The Old Man and the Sea. Maybe that is why I studied math. It wasn't till my 30's that I went back to the classics to read. I loved TSAR, but after having read For Whom the Bell Tolls. I fell in love with Hemingway's writing.

I find, just like with movies, I gravitate to novels that make you think about life and what you realize about it more than an interesting plot. Classics usually stand the test of time because they inspire evolution of the current status quo.

I think many have already given you good advice on classics to read. My suggestions would be within Hemingway's works, try his short stories or For Whom the Bell Tolls.

Possibly destined to be a classic, but not there now. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy.

If you didn't enjoy any of the above, I'd avoid James Joyce or Faulkner. I still can't get into either of them.

I must say that Fiesta may not be the best classic to pick for some action. I found it boring too.

If you want to read another Hemingway I'd advise you to read For Whom the Bell Tolls. I read it when I was your age and I liked it. It's a much thicker book but I did not find it boring, whereas it was painstaking to read through Fiesta.

Somebody mentionned Steinbeck. I really liked The Grapes of Wrath.

I have only read one Dickens book so far, but I absolutely loved it: A Tale of Two Cities. It really made me want to read more!

Among the books on your to-read list, I believe you may enjoy The Picture of Dorian Gray. I'm not sure you'll like The Stranger so much. (That's for the classics from your list). I am a big fan of Wuthering Heights, but I can't say whether you 'll like it or not. Give it a try if you like dark novels.

As for the newer fiction, I must say I loved The Silence of the Lambs and Interview with the Vampire (Let me advise you reading The Queen of the Damned also).

Other titles that are coming to my mind are Orwell's 1984 and Bradbury's Farenheit 451. [edited: Oops, I didn't see you had read them already...]

I know someone told you to avoid Shakespeare but A Midsummernight's Dream is really worth a try and so is Hamlet.

I just finished reading a novel and I believe you may like it if you liked Da Vinci's Code. It's entitled The Einstein Enigma and it's great. Not a classic, but a fantastic read!

"Classic" covers so many different books- it's a broad term that has many different time periods. I would recommend testing the waters with a few different authors that were part of different times and movements. If your issue is with Hemingway, maybe the time period or his style just doesn't work for you. That's perfectly understandable- everyone has authors they don't like. For example, I don't really get into Ernest Hemingway or F. Scott Fitzgerald much, but I love authors like Oscar Wilde. I think you as a reader should have the freedom to explore what there is out there- and take your time! Leaping from teen novels to classic literature is an ambitious move, but I commend you for having the motivation to do that! Remember that you have the freedom to pick whatever book you want (unless you're forced to read for classes).

Read what you want to read, and do it however fast or slow you need to. Honestly, find your sweet spot as far as the classics go. Maybe Hemingway isn't your thing, but you expressed an interest in Arthur Conan Doyle. Explore his time period! Explore his specific genre! You are bound to find your favorite authors/playwrights/poets if you search within time periods that you like. And if you don't like what you're reading, don't pressure yourself into finishing. You may get a lot of recommendations for books, but you don't have to read them in your spare time if you don't end up connecting with it.

Good luck!

Ross wrote: "So, I am an avid reader of fiction, so of course I have tried reading many classics (and liked some, like Sherlock Holmes) but others that are raved about I can't get into, it seems like most of th..."

You won't like every classic. I can thank some dedicated lit teachers for helping me understand the context of many classic works because it made their themes more accessible to me. It's funny you used The Sun Also Rises because it's my favorite Hemmingway book and a favorite piece of classical literature, too, although I liked it for reasons different from authorial intent (Brett is a critique on the 'free' women of the 1920s, but screw that, she's the best female character Hemmingway ever wrote).

Some classics are good; some aren't. Some where really great when they first came out but they lost something along the way. Some changed the world and have really deep meanings but are really boring. Some are great but just not for you. You probably don't like every book that is popular today, even if they're well-written, just because you don't like the subject matter or the style of writing. Yeah, it's good to read the classics and challenge yourself every once in a while, but don't feel like you have to read everything. And know that's it's okay to read newer books too. Any kind of reading is good.

We started reading some of "the classics" in high school and of course college. I remember a list one summer of about a hundred books we were supposed to try to make a dent in. Some you'll love, most you'll not love, and it's best to approach them with an open mind. I never commit to reading anything..especially after age 40, my life remaining is too short and suddenly began to feel finite. I "try" classics. I enjoyed War and Peace, but wanted to throw myself under a train with Anna Karenina, and resorted to Cliff Notes for the only time in my life. Loved Great Expectations. Liked East of Eden, hated The Pearl. Try an author, and maybe try them again. Then move on. Read for pleasure, too. Life is short, and sometimes we need to have a little fun. I am familiar with Homer's "rosy fingered dawn" but got as much pleasure from James Lee Burke's beautiful descriptions of the bayou in all his Dave Robicheaux novels. I'm no more proud of having read the Iliad and the Odyssey than I am of reading all 20 or so of Burke's bayou stories. That said, I did enjoy the references in the movie "O Brother, where art thou?" much more than my less well-read husband. If you read classics read them for you; the authors are mostly dead.

I find that something I've had to let go of is the pressure of "being supposed to" read, understand and enjoy the classics. Reading is such a gift and labor of love, and I think it's okay to accept the fact that some books have been adored by the masses for decades or centuries, but just aren't a fit for you right now--or perhaps ever.

Ironically, the past couple of days I read The Sun Also Rises. I'd tried to finish this book in the past, but just couldn't stay focused. This time, inspired by a recent trip to Key West, I found myself drawn into Hemingway's style of description rather than giving into my frustration of there not being a clear plot. And I ended up finding a story along the way. The story here, to me, is basically the untidy human experience on a journey...the journey to a bullfighting fiesta in Spain serving as a microcosm of the larger, open-ended journey upon which we have each embarked. We are good, bad, neat, and messy, and hopefully we learn things along the way and bring positivity to others and the world.

I think that some classics are meant for the world of academia. They are used for teaching tools..seriously because some classics I have tried to read on my own and just doesn't capture my interest minus a literature teacher or something sparking your interst..weird..

Many of these books focus on internal conflicts between the main characters, the authors at the time thought that would be enough to keep their readers interest, little did they know how social media of the next millennium would change reading habits.

These books are difficult for us to read given the types of reading that we predominantly do (short web, newspaper, magazine articles). I remember when reading 'The Secret Agent' by Joseph Conrad, multiple pages were spent on one characters internal dialogue in response to a question that had just been asked. The level of character development and interplay between characters is often far more significant all be it at the same time far subtler.

If you want to read these books you will. I am currently making by way the works of Charles Dickens', it takes time and effort at first, with practice it becomes like reading anything except much better.

I had read a couple of classics, and can agree that there are some authors that appeal to my tastes better than others. My lure is usually to see what the fuss is about. in example, I didn't read Hemingway because I found anything he wrote about particularly interesting, but that I wanted to see what this literary 'genius' had to offer. I wasn't impressed. Then again Ive also read other classics for the same reason and rather enjoyed myself.

I used to get pretty down on myself when I couldn't get into one of these famous pieces of literature, but now I realize that every book/ story is going to have a different effect on different readers.

If you don't like it don't feel bad about it; just close the book and move on. You'll find something you will enjoy or at least bare if your bound and determined to read classics.

I think people read classics because they feel they are supposed to. This is BS. Read what you want. Personally, I love A Tale of Two Cities, but that is mostly because I was drawn in by the character of Sydney Carton. Others, like Hemingway, I find pretentious. Somewhere some time ago someone said we need to read certain books and society leached on. Read what you like, life is to short to be bored.

Quite often, the lessons on human nature that originated in one of the classics will get absorbed by society, and will appear obvious or unremarkable to a modern reader.

A good example is Crime and Punishment: the notion that a person can be haunted by crime they have gotten away with is unsurprising to the modern reader, who has grown up amidst cultural works that themselves were informed by Dostoevsky.

A "classic" novel should not be read as a modern novel, for entertainment only -- the reader should always keep an eye out for the qualities that made the book endure over the centuries.

Some books are dependent upon your age or life at the time you read them. This goes for classics as much as anything else. Sometimes you'll revisit a book you didn't "get" or rather feel emotionally connected to and it doesn't mean you're not clever or not doing it right if you didn't like it the first time. And some stuff is just not ever going to be your thing or you'll have missed the window where it was enjoyable.

Just keep trying books that look interesting to you, you'll begin to understand what you find enjoyable and what is for someone else. But, definitely some books you may like you'll have to work for as a reader--but if and when you want to do that is individual to you.

I've read some really tedious material that I feel really glad to have read but the material itself wasn't something I would recommend to everyone simply because it was an adventure I set for myself (Anais Nin's diaries to be specific). The adventure was to explore what this writer chose to share with me as a reader and the point at the end was to reach that mountain at the end and look back over the experience. A bit like mountain climbing, there isn't an inherent point. It is an adventure you plan for yourself.

Hope that helps in any way.

I'm with you, most of the 'classics' that I've read have been very dull although as has been said they do say something about the times. Whether that makes them 'good' or not is a different question. I would ask for 'classics' recommendations amongst your friends to see what they've enjoyed.

I found a great quote the other day by Mark Twain - 'classic' - a book which people praise and don't read.

Start with a contemporary writer that you admire and google to find out if they have written any book reviews that include 'classics.' They may be able to communicate to you why a 'classic' book is worth trying and get you to engage with it differently. I guess I can't help much because we read Shakespeare, Dickens and Hardy when I was in high school and I liked them immediately. Then Fitzgerald, Maugham, etc. Dostoevsky, Tolstoy.

Just keep reading and keep an open mind, Ross. Throw in a "classic" every now and then like a helping of vegetables. Modern novels tend to have fast-paced, action-packed plots with a short take off that grabs the reader by the throat. The modern reader gets easily bored with old fashioned narrative summary, digressive discourse and descriptions of scenery. Many readers skip actually skip these sections (say it aint so, Joe). It's really hard to slow down and trudge through a Victorian novel, A Hundred Years of Solitude, or Swift's Tristram Shandy. Perhaps you should consume them in moderation until you've built up some tolerance. I'm always surprised when I actually "like" a classic and find it an enjoyable read. Don't give up on the classics, but don't beat yourself up if you don't always enjoy the experience.

Ross wrote: "So, I am an avid reader of fiction, so of course I have tried reading many classics (and liked some, like Sherlock Holmes) but others that are raved about I can't get into, it seems like most of th..."

That is the beauty of the classics. It wasn't about the plot. It was about the culture, the characters, a place in time. The writing is incredible. Not all reading has to keep you in suspense. Sometimes it's nice to simply read about a time in history, especially if it's as well-written as the classics.

-Andrew
andrewjfrischer.com

I think that you might find some of John Steinbeck's books an interesting dip into character-driven stories. In particular, you might try Cannery Row, which has a sort-of sequel called Sweet Thursday.

These are light and amusing books, but are still driven largely by their characters.

I am in the same situation as you, as being a lover of great literature, that includes being able to read classic older books like Dickens, Tolstoy, Cervantes, Bronte, etc. Of course, I started off slow by reading thin books and s-l-o-w-i-n-g down on my reading. I am generally a fast reader and I think authors back then wrote during times when there was no television or even radio, so the written word was THE entertainment! So, I had to appreciate how books were written back then! I am going on and on, sorry about that. I just approached those books from a different perspective!

From looking at your list of books read it seems to me that you have read a good amount of classics for your age. There are many classics that I didn't enjoy and wonder why they are considered classics. I read to learn and I have a broad range when it comes to literature. I would suggest that you just continue reading what you enjoy. I noticed that someone mentioned For Whom The Bell Tolls. I am not particularly a Hemingway fan but I listened to that one on cd and I am glad I did.

Ross wrote: "Any suggestions on overcoming this?."

Surrender all expectation and just go where the author takes you. A classic is a classic typically for what it says about a life and time through archetypal characters, not necessarily the artistic skill of the writer. A modern example would be The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton a first-novel set in the mid-1960s Midwest written in the crude vernacular of a 16 year-old. Neither To Kill a Mockingbird nor Lord of the Flies got rave literary reviews, but they spoke to vital universal issues like racism and the threat of fascism.

Typically, the older the book the more inaccessible the language; so be patient and allow extra time to get used to the word flow. It will come. Examples: Don Quijote and anything by Dickens.

Do some research on the book to understand how people reacted to it. Perhaps read a biography to understand what the author stands for, what drove him/er to take on the onerous task of a novel.

Read something that stretches your mind, takes you places you have never been, something you might not like. I took on Atlas Shrugged knowing that I dislike and mistrust Ayn Rand intensely. It is torture, but I have to finish it to help me understand the toxic political movement that uses it like a Bible. It is important to know why so many people think it is a good book.

Intellectual growth rarely comes from staying in your comfort zone. But some people like life that way.

I guess the problem is with the word "classic". Some consider contemporary works like "The Life of Pi" to be one. I don't, although I liked the book. A classic should be able to withstand the test of time. And some of us take away from high school Lit class a distaste for any work with that moniker. I think Fitzgerald and Hemingway - and Joyce - are way, way over-rated and other gifted writers are ignored. If you want a wonderful work - once considered a "classic" - that will absorb your attention, I recommend Frank Norris's "The Octopus". Another work I always recommend is Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front". Try these and always ask for recommendations from true readers. We tend to know what works are pretentious or are just plain bad. Some popular "new" writers (unfortunately promoted in high school) are not only bereft of any talent, ignorant of basic sentence structure and grammar, but fail to research their topic! One wonders: Who do they know?