Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
Progress Posts 2016
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8: A classic book with less than 200 pages
For this week I am reading Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. The edition that I am reading is just under 100 pages but there are 50 plus pages introducing the book and another 50 plus in an appendix which I won't be reading (although I may skim some).Generally, I do enjoy classics (Jane Austen is one of my favourite authors) but, for the most part, I read more contemporary literature. For this particular classic, I had a really difficult time getting into it; I re-read the first two pages three nights in a row before I gained some momementum and made it half way through. Unfortunatlely, I have stalled again and finished another novel I was in the midst of; luckily, I have a few more days to finish it before I start next weeks topic book.
I feel that reading classics enhances is important if you want to understand the development of literature over-time and it can also enhance you enjoyment of more contemporary culture by giving you a background to understand allusions to classics (same goes for mythology) that are embedded in stories, books, movies...
What are you reading this week?This week I will be reading The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. Though he was writing in the first half of the 20th century rather than in the 1800s, I am assured by Wikipedia that "many of his works are considered classics of American literature".
How long is the book?
99 pages - probably the shortest book I will read this year!
Do you enjoy classics?
I do enjoy classics generally although sometimes the language can be a little clunky. Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy both spin a very good yarn.
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo is a tremendous read - I do think he could have benefitted from a good editor but he was also clearly a genius so probably didn't feel he needed one. Also while I remember, Bel-Ami by Guy de Maupassant is an absolutely fantastic read and surprisingly contemporary in style for a book written in 1885.
I have however been disappointed with some classics - Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad I found a real chore (though it is mercifully short), and I was surprised to be underwhelmed by Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights.
Do you think it's important to read classics?
Yes it serves as a useful reminder that our favourite contemporary authors can only have got to where they are because they are standing on the shoulders of giants.
I do as a rule prefer contemporary fiction, partly because it is usually more 'relevant' to modern life, but also because modern authors have many literary devices developed over time that they can draw on. However, reading Tess of the D'Urbervilles recently really knocked me for six, so I can only imagine how it was received in straight-laced Victorian England.
What are you reading this week?Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
How long is the book?
106 pages!
Do you enjoy classics?
I haven't read many classics, but this year i'm hoping to read more!
Do you think it's important to read classics?
I don't think it is necessarily important, but they can be very eye opening, and show you a whole other side of literature.
(I am doing this in order, and I still haven't finished the books for the last two weeks, oops!)
- What are you reading this week?Persuasion by Jane Austen (It is the current selection for a book club in which I am a member)
- How long is the book?
The Kindle version I am reading is 180 pages.
- Do you enjoy classics?
Short answer: giant yes. Longer (real) answer: Who gets to determine what makes a book "classic"? There are so many issues with potential elitism in establishing a canon. I have adored some "classics," others I have tolerated (such as this one), and some I very much disliked.
- Do you think it's important to read classics?
Using the most common criteria of standing the test of time and literary quality as a working definition, absolutely yes. As others have already commented, there is a depth and sharing of cultural togetherness that comes from immersing oneself in where our common stories and their elements have been. Also, I have a graduate degree in literature, so I might be in a lot of trouble if I didn't answer this question in the positive ;-)
Lisa wrote: "What are you reading this week?This week I will be reading The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. Though he was writing in the first half of the 20th century rather..."
Very well said.. I enjoyed reading your thoughts.
What are you reading this week? Breakfast at Tiffany'sHow long is the book? 178 pages
Do you enjoy classics? I enjoy some of them but some leave a lot to be desired.
Do you think it's important to read classics? I didn't think so until the last few years, but now I'm trying to read as many as I can.
What are you reading this week?
Frankenstein
How long is the book?
The edition I read was 174 pages
Do you enjoy classics?
Sometimes, it depends on the book. I loved Dracula as a classic but some of them I really struggle through. I find it easier to listen to audiobooks for classics.
Do you think it's important to read classics?
I'm going to disagree with almost everyone and say no it's not. I think it's important to read, but that the books you read should be you're choice and not because people think it's important to read them
- What are you reading this week? Lord of the Flies- How long is the book? It was 182 pgs
- Do you enjoy classics? I read them sometimes.
- Do you think it's important to read classics? I think if you enjoy them then go for it. Some of them are outdated and are hard to get into.
Progress Post:- What are you reading this week?
The Stepford Wives by: Ira Levin- How long is the book?
123 pages
- Do you enjoy classics?
When the mood strikes me.
- Do you think it's important to read classics?
I do think it's important. I don't think every book that is considered a classic is important to read, but many are, and are chosen as classics because they can change our perspectives on life, love, and the human condition.
What are you reading this week? Death of a Salesman by Arthur MillerHow long is the book? 140 pages
Do you enjoy classics? The only time I ever really read classics were in school, so I don't think I appreciated them as much as I should have. I always felt forced to read them, so I never took the time to enjoy the story. I hope to read more books that were "required reading" in both high school and college. I'm curious to see how I will view them when there isn't an assignment attached to them.
Do you think it's important to read classics? Absolutely. I hope to read more!
What are you reading this week?Alice in Wonderland
How long is the book?
160 pages
Do you enjoy classics?
Yes. I've been trying to read more of the classics lately.
Do you think it's important to read classics?
Definitely. They are classics for a reason.
- What are you reading this week?Night
- How long is the book?
115 pages
- Do you enjoy classics?
Yes, but I do find that I need to be in the right mood or sometimes just determined to start them, or read enough of them until I really start enjoying them.
- Do you think it's important to read classics?
Yes. Even if I don't personally enjoy the story, it's always enlightening.
What are you reading this week?Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Do you enjoy classics?
I'd say that I do, I have read quite a few in the last few years and overall I can see how and why a book becomes a classic. there have been a few which I didn't like but they tend to be the exception.
Do you think it's important to read classics?
For me, personally, yes. I would like to be able to say that I have read the classics and have an opinion on each. But I have just as much respect for anyone who prefers modern books. If I met someone who read a lot but didn't like books older than a couple decades, I would simply accept that as their opinion. There are benefits to both new and old, but I tend to find it safer to read the ones that have lasted, as they are more likely to be good.
What are you reading this week?A Christmas Carol
How long is the book?
162
Do you enjoy classics?
Actually, yes. The language is more interesting to me. Especially old english.
Do you think it's important to read classics?
Absolutely! Some of the greatest books ever written are classics and define the way books are written now a days.
- What are you reading this week?The Time Machine by H.G.Wells
- How long is the book?
109 pages
- Do you enjoy classics?
Yes, they are classics for a reason - they stood the test of time and there is something in them that makes people read them.
That said, tastes differ and some classics I adore and others I don't like. For example, I find The Time Machine very dated, in language, plot and writing - it is rambling and boringly written. Yet it is no denying that the ideas were revolutionary when they were written.
- Do you think it's important to read classics?
Yes, just like it is important to study history. Pieces that everyone knows form our common understanding of our own culture, we quote them, know the stories, references. Many are for our enjoyment, many for our betterment, many to bring us closer to each other.
What are you reading this week?Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton.
How long is the book?
99 pages.
Do you enjoy classics?
I used to read them a lot more before I started library school. Then my interest dwindled and I mostly read YA for work (I'm a Youth Services Librarian). Easing back into classics with a short work made me want to get into them a bit more; I miss the super intense yet chaste romantic tension and the fact that most people end up dead/maimed/miserable. Reading this book definitely made me appreciate the increase in options for women in modern novels.
Do you think it's important to read classics?
I do; it's intriguing to me to see what has changed about human emotion and how we treat one another versus what has stayed wholly the same. I also like to visualize what daily life in the past was like, and the descriptions of their lives available in classics makes that possible. Classics also remind me about long-lost vocabulary words and sharpen the mind a bit, since sometimes they take a bit more concentration and, for me at list, don't allow much skimming.
I read Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka and hated it. I don't generally enjoy classics although I read far more of them in high school and tended to enjoy them then. I think it is important to read books you enjoy and to try to stretch yourself past your typical reading boundaries from time to time and if classics do that then great...reading classics just because they are "classic"? Meh.
Progress Post:- What are you reading this week? Fahrenheit 451
- How long is the book? 186 pages
- Do you enjoy classics? Yes I do, I wish that I had appreciated them when I was forced to read them in school.
- Do you think it's important to read classics? I think that it is very important to read the classics.
What are you reading this week?Animal Farm by George Orwell (it is a pen name! had no idea)
How long is the book?
70ish pages because I keep a landscape format with two pages per spread on reading apps. OverDrive shortens the number this way, which is psychologically helpful.
Do you enjoy classics?
Yes, when I'm in the mood. The language can be heavier and concepts more challenging to figure out. So far I've read three chapters and the allegory plus satire is exhausting. History isn't my forte so I've read the Wikipedia page to figure out who is who in Russia.
Do you think it's important to read classics?
Absolutely. They are our history. On one of my challenges I've put Homeros and Vergilius, Gilgamesh etc., just to see what the thousands of years old fuss is about!
What are you reading this week? The Awakening by Kate ChopinHow long is the book? This paperback edition is 190 pages.
Do you enjoy classics? Yes, very much. I'm often struck by how the story, moral, theme, etc., is usually still relevant in modern times and the message is sometimes more articulate in the classics than today's novels.
Do you think it's important to read classics? Sure. We can't go forward without reading what came before us. But sometimes the prose in what's considered a classic is just too dated or way too pretentious (like Nightwood, which I read unrelated to the challenge and found awful).
I read Le Malade imaginaire and I really loved it!!! SO funny and full of witticism!! It was my first Moliére, but I really want to read more!!!My version has something like 225 pages, but it is the french/italian version, so I think it is 100 pages long, more or less!
I quite enjoy classics, but not the ones written in the XIX century, they bore me to death :(
What are you reading this week?The Great Gatsby
How long is the book? My copy was 213 pages.
Do you enjoy classics? Some more than others.
Do you think it's important to read classics? Yes, it gives us a sense of what life was like then.
- What are you reading this week?Anthem by Ayn Rand
- How long is the book?
105 pages
- Do you enjoy classics?
I haven't read many classics, but I don't tend to think of them any differently than anything else. I'm just as likely to pick a classic as anything else if I'm in the mood.
- Do you think it's important to read classics?
I think it is more important for some people than for others. For example, English Lit professors might need to know more about classic literature than a nurse. I think if you're just a recreational reader then it's just up to personal preference.
- What are you reading this week?The Bridge of San Luis Rey, by Thornton Wilder
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
How long is the book?
My edition is 138 pages
- Do you enjoy classics?
I love them, they are classics for a reason. They are generally very well written with wonderful characterization and have stood the test time, as Debra has said.
- Do you think it's important to read classics?
Absolutely, there is often a universality of themes which transcends time and geography, and you can learn so much about a particular historical period and human motivations.
- What are you reading this week?The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- How long is the book?
177 pages.
- Do you enjoy classics?
Classics can be a bit hit and miss for me. I have enjoyed many but there have been some that are just so boring and hard to read... I'm looking at you Moby Dick.
- Do you think it's important to read classics?
I think it is important because they are part of our heritage and history. Some classics are just timeless and I will always try to read more of them.
What are you reading this week? The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling.How long is the book? It seems to vary quite a bit from edition to edition, but the copy I am reading is 177 pages.
Do you enjoy classics? It's hit or miss. There are some I adore and others I just don't really see the appeal.
Do you think it's important to read classics? I think it is important to seek out classics that are within your frame of interest. They give you perspective and some are surprisingly relevant even today.
What are you reading this week?The Invisible Man
How long is the book?
148 pages
Do you enjoy classics?
Occasionally. Some times you'll find it hasn't aged well, but others you find why they are classics.
Do you think it's important to read classics?
I values good stories above all. If the story survives, then I am happy. What I don't like is pretention, "this book must be respected and apprecitiated because I tell you it is".
Progress Post:- What are you reading this week?
I am reading The Age of Reason
- How long is the book?
With the intro: 140, just the meat of the story: 126
- Do you enjoy classics?
I have moments where I like them
- Do you think it's important to read classics?
Absolutely
- What are you reading this week?Night
- How long is the book?
115 pages
- Do you enjoy classics?
It depends. There are some I can not stand or are just not my cup of tea. That being said, some of the books that could be considered classics, which I was made to read in school, became some of my favorites.
- Do you think it's important to read classics?
That is hard to answer. I believe classics are important. They are a part of history. Do I think everyone should read them? No. Give them a try, but don't force it.
What are you reading this week?Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
How long is the book?
176 pages
Do you enjoy classics?
Some of them!
Do you think it's important to read classics?
Yes. Reading the classics in school was a great foundation for my love of fiction. I haven't been as good about reading the classics as an adult...
Progress Post:- What are you reading this week? The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells
- How long is the book? 160 pages
- Do you enjoy classics? Not always - trying to read through some of them, but haven't LOVED them, except for Tarzan. I loved Tarzan.
- Do you think it's important to read classics? I think people should read what they want to read and not feel pressure to read "the classics".
- What are you reading this week?Peter Pan & Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens by J.M. Barrie
- How long is the book?
The complete book is 269 pages, but both stories are shorter as 200 pages.
- Do you enjoy classics?
Depends on the book some books I like others I don't, the same with "new" books
- Do you think it's important to read classics?
It is good to experience how things used to be different for me, but most important is to enjoy reading :)
Since I'm reading multiple books for some categories I already answered these questions above, but in short: I'm reading Animal Farm, I like to read classics even though I don't enjoy some of them and yes I think it's important because they are a part of our heritage and culture. I think it's important to know what was made in the past and survived the test of them like movies, paintings or music. You don't have to know them all, but some of them is nice.
- What are you reading this week?
- How long is the book?
99 pages
- Do you enjoy classics?
Yes I do. I should read them more often.
- Do you think it's important to read classics?
Not necessarily, but for everyone who does it's an awesome insight into the past and you can learn of them. That's one thing I love about them and the messages that come along with most of the stories, how they never go out of age.
- What are you reading this week?Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
- How long is the book?
123 pages.
- Do you enjoy classics?
Depends on the classics, you can't generalize in any genre.
- Do you think it's important to read classics?
Yes, it's important: they are classics because they represent quality, and so have survived time.
- What are you reading this week?Silas Marner
- How long is the book?
186 pages
- Do you enjoy classics?
I do generally enjoy classics. I have quite a few of them on my shelf right now, both on Goodreads and in real life.
- Do you think it's important to read classics?
Yeas, because they can give us a different perspective of how society was then what can be read in a textbook.
What did you read?The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
How long is the book?
117 pages
Do you enjoy classics?
Yes, for the most part
Do you think it's important to read classics?
Absolutely.
What are you reading this week?Persuasion by Jane Austen
How long is the book?
I'm actually going to be reading this in a bound anthology and I have yet to check so I don't know for sure... But the stand-alone novel is normally hovering around 200 pages so I am guessing it is less than 200 pages in my book.
Do you enjoy classics?
I have realized lately that I am enjoying them less and less as I grow older... I think my patience is wearing thin! :(
Do you think it's important to read classics?
Most definitely, yes!
I just want to say that I love the replies on the last question in particular. There is true appreciation for the old texts to be found in this group, and I'll try harder to recall that many of them aren't dusty at all, but clever, wise and funny. I wonder why they feel so laborious at times?
I generally enjoy classics, but some of them really are hard work. I sometimes feel guilty when I come across one that I really don't like, but then I figure it's just like anything, I can't love them all!
Jody wrote: "I generally enjoy classics, but some of them really are hard work. I sometimes feel guilty when I come across one that I really don't like, but then I figure it's just like anything, I can't love t..."Me too, in a way. I think for me, the guilt comes from the idea that the book must be a classic for a reason. When I can't get into it, I feel like I'm missing something.
- What are you reading this week?
A Christmas Carol
- How long is the book?
104 pages.
- Do you enjoy classics?
Some, others not so much. I think classics are like any other genre where there are some authors and stories I enjoy and other I just don't.
- Do you think it's important to read classics?
I think it's important to read in general. Other than that I don't think it matters what you read as long as you enjoy it.
- What are you reading this week?Pippi Langstrumpf by Astrid Lindgren.
- How long is the book?
I am cheating: My edition has 206 counted pages - 6 too many.
- Do you enjoy classics?
Yes, I usually do. But the only classics I have still on pile with less than 200 pages are Das Stundenbuch by Rilke and two volumes with haikus. I guess I won't get into the mood for poetry this year, so I opted out and chose the ultimate children's classic.
- Do you think it's important to read classics?
Absolutely. Though I think you do not have to like everything that is considered to be a classic. Fot instance, I tried to read Frankenstein for number 10, but I had to give up after about 32%. It bored me to pieces.
What are you reading this week?Animal Farm
How long is the book?
102 pages
Do you enjoy classics?
Not all classics. There are classics which I couldn't compete
Do you think it's important to read classics?
Yes, I know so many people who enjoy reading classics and some books like Animal Farm are must read.
- What are you reading this week?This week, I read Around the World in Eighty Days
- How long is the book?
I read it on my kindle, so I'm not entirely sure, but it was on the list!
- Do you enjoy classics?
It depends on the classic, but I think I enjoy them more often than not.
- Do you think it's important to read classics?
Definitely. They're stories that stand the test of time. They also help develop vocabulary, understanding of other times, appreciation for good writing, and the ability to read even while being challenged.
What are you reading this week?A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
How long is the book?
My edition is 107 pages
Do you enjoy classics?
Most of them, I do enjoy. But usually only when I choose to read them on my own. (As opposed to high school when I didn't have a choice of what to read).
Do you think it's important to read classics?
Yes, in general I do think it is important to read classics. There is a reason why most of them have stuck around for so long. However, I wish that high school teachers would pick less depressing classics for kids to read; why do we read all of Shakespeare's tragedies and none of the comedies? I think if kids learned that classics could also be "fun" they would have less of a stigma attached!
What are you reading this week?Things Fall Apart
How long is the book?
My edition is 166 pages
Do you enjoy classics?
I used to, now I enjoy them less
Do you think it's important to read classics?
Yes.
What are you reading this week? Of Mice and MenHow long is the book? 112 pages
Do you enjoy classics? Not really. I'm usually more curious about the setting and the character/author mindset. Sometimes they surprise me.
Do you think it's important to read classics? Yes! They provide a unique look into history that's much more appealing than reading about the time period from a history textbook.
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
A Christmas Carol (other topics)Of Mice and Men (other topics)
Sula (other topics)
The Importance of Being Earnest (other topics)
Of Mice and Men (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Charles Dickens (other topics)Jane Austen (other topics)
Henry James (other topics)
F. Scott Fitzgerald (other topics)
Arthur Miller (other topics)
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Lady Susan
How long is the book?
80 pages
Do you enjoy classics?
I find many of them difficult to understand but always feel good when I've read one!
Do you think it's important to read classics?
Yes, over the years people have decided these books are important. There are some classics I'm never going to read (e.g. War and Peace) but I hope to read a few per year.