Erin's 2018 Classics Bingo Challenge

[Erin]

I've filled in books already chosen for my Old & New Classics and Quest for Women Authors challenges. I will add more after looking into winners of literary prizes, etc.

B1: Written by Nobel Laureate: Snow Country (Feb 25th)
B2: Children’s Classic: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass (Feb 6th)
B3: A Book Banned by a Government: Frankenstein (Oct 10th)
B4: Classic Made into a Film/TV: The Princess Bride (Jan 4th)
B5: Winner of a Foreign Literary Prize: The Street of Crocodiles (Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger 1974) (Mar 26th)

I1: 20th Century Classic: The King of Elfland's Daughter (Jan 16th)
I2: New-to-You Author: My Cousin Rachel (Feb 10th)
I3: Mystery or Crime Classic: Murder on the Orient Express (Jan 26th)
I4: Classic of More than 500 Pages: The Three Musketeers (Apr 16th)
I5: 18th Century or Earlier Classic: The Art of War (Apr 7th)

N1: North American Classic:: The Bell Jar (Oct 4th)
N2: Classic Short Story: The Pit and the Pendulum (Feb 10th)
N3: FREE SPACE: If on a Winter's Night a Traveler (Mar 1st)
N4: Classic Play: Prometheus Bound (Feb 20th)
N5: African Classic: Woman at Point Zero (Mar 7th)

G1: 19th Century Classic: Jane Eyre (Jan 21st)
G2: Finest Works of Fiction: Pride and Prejudice (Dec 14th)
G3: Adventure or Action Classic: The Scarlet Pimpernel (Jan 14th)
G4: Group Read: Persuasion (Mar 12th)
G5: 21st Century Potential Classic: Purple Hibiscus

O1: Literary Prize of Your Country/Region: A Wizard of Earthsea (Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction 1969) (Apr 28th)
O2: Lesser Known Work by a Famous Author: The Machine Stops (Feb 14th)
O3: Australia, Antarctica, or Oceania Classic: The Garden Party: And Other Stories
O4: A Classic that You Have Put Off Reading: Dune (Sep 4th)
O5: Classic by a Female Author: Wide Sargasso Sea (Mar 3rd)




_G5
_O3_

[Erin]

The Princess Bride was, I am sorry to say, a disappointment. I LOVE the movie and Peter Falk is a much more lovable narrator than William Goldman’s fictional self (I think I found two of his intrusions amusing but the rest were irritating). There are other points too but maybe I shall get around to writing a review...

The illustrations in the 30th anniversary edition that I bought are lovely.

[Erin]

The Scarlet Pimpernel was an enjoyable read and I LOVED both The King of Elfland's Daughter and Jane Eyre (how did I not read this book sooner?!)

The King of Elfland's Daughter... how shall I describe it? Neil Gaiman describes it well as a fine wine to be savored.

[Luffy Sempai]

The King of Elfland's Daughter is a precursor to Tolkien's fantasy influence.

[Erin]

Luffy wrote: "The King of Elfland's Daughter is a precursor to Tolkien's fantasy influence."

Yes, and it is a shame that his work is not better known!

[Renee]

Erin wrote: "Luffy wrote: "The King of Elfland's Daughter is a precursor to Tolkien's fantasy influence."

Yes, and it is a shame that his work is not better known!"

I had never heard of this one before. I just added it to my ever growing to read list!

[Leni]

Erin wrote: "The Scarlet Pimpernel was an enjoyable read and I LOVED both The King of Elfland's Daughter and Jane Eyre (how did I not read this book sooner?!)

The King of Elfland's Daughter is amazing! Glad to see it get some love. I also recommend A Dreamer's Tales. Dunsany is a very rich wine, and he is nice to ingest in short story format. "Idle Days on the Yann" is in that collection, and it is pure magic.

[Susie]

Looks like The King of Elfland's Daughter needs to go on my tbr shelf...

The thoroughly enjoyed The Scarlet Pimpernel too!

[Erin]

Leni wrote: "Erin wrote: "The Scarlet Pimpernel was an enjoyable read and I LOVED both The King of Elfland's Daughter and Jane Eyre (how did I not read this book sooner?!..."

Thank you for the recommendation! Definitely on my to-read list! :)

[Erin]

Curiouser and curiouser! I enjoy having read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass more than I did the reading of it! Perhaps that is because I was obliged to (in the linear fashion of our world) start at the beginning and go on until I got to the end. Now in my head, it may exist all at once as it does beyond the looking glass...

[Kathleen]

Erin wrote: "Curiouser and curiouser! I enjoy having read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass more than I did the reading of it! Perhaps that is because I was obliged to (i..."

Ha! What a perfect comment, Erin. :-) Makes me want to read this. I read some when I was young, but think I would enjoy it more now.

[Erin]

Kathleen wrote: "Erin wrote: "Curiouser and curiouser! I enjoy having read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass more than I did the reading of it! Perhaps that is because I was ..."

Thank you! I agree, you should read it! :)

I just finished My Cousin Rachel and very much enjoyed it!

I am looking forward to the buddy/group-read of Dune in May!

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Erin wrote: "The Scarlet Pimpernel was an enjoyable read and I LOVED both The King of Elfland's Daughter and Jane Eyre (how did I not read this book sooner?!)
..."

All three of those books are marvelous IMO! Love them.

[Erin]

Katy wrote: "Erin wrote: "The Scarlet Pimpernel was an enjoyable read and I LOVED both The King of Elfland's Daughter and Jane Eyre (how did I not read this book sooner?!..."

Agreed! =D

I recently read The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster — very interesting and very prescient!

[Erin]

I just finished Snow Country by Nobel laureate Yasunari Kawabata. I feel that there are aspects that I missed and will have to re-read it. It was definitely interesting and had some beautiful and brilliant passages.

[Veronique]

Some great titles! I agree with you regarding The Machine Stops - very modern and not what I was expecting at all! Du Maurier’s books are always favourites, but I had never heard of Snow Country. Sounds very good

[Erin]

Veronique wrote: "Some great titles! I agree with you regarding The Machine Stops - very modern and not what I was expecting at all! Du Maurier’s books are always favourites, but I had never heard of Snow Country. S..."

There were lovely descriptions and I enjoyed the glimpse of life in the Snow Country of Japan. 🙂 There were times that I was not exactly enjoying the book and was frustrated with the characters, but then I felt this was intentional. I feel it is a novel to reflect on; I am glad that I read it and will definitely be reading more of Yasunari Kawabata’s work!

[Erin]

I’ve counted If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino for my Free Space. I loved it — especially the first three chapters (or first two chapters and first beginning) — delightful surprises and several passages made me laugh! Highly recommended!

For my classic by a female author, I read Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. I’m sorry to say that I was disappointed by it. I expected well-developed characters (view spoiler)[and perspective on what happened between Mr. Rochester and Bertha Mason, created by Charlotte Brontë in Jane Eyre (hide spoiler)]. Instead the characters felt insubstantial and the motives or logic of many actions lacking. I feel there was a lot of potential there and glimpses of potentially interesting characters and cultures and certainly the descriptions of the land were lovely. Then too, while I thought this work was supposed to have a more feminist perspective, I felt it had rather the opposite(view spoiler)[, especially in the implication that Antoinette fell apart because Mr. Rochester did not love her. For that matter, it is entirely unclear why she agreed to marry him in the first place: unlike many women in this period it was not for want of money or other security. She doesn’t want to, in fact, and let’s herself get pressured into it by a step-brother she hardly knew, although what the advantage is to him, one is left to guess at (hide spoiler)].

[Erin]

For my African classic, I read Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El-Saadawi. Very powerful book.

[Luke]

Erin wrote: "For my African classic, I read Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El-Saadawi. Very powerful book."

El-Saadawi's one of my picks for the upcoming Nobel Prize for Lit. I've read WaPZ, and I have her Love in the Kingdom of Oil waiting for me.

[Kathleen]

Ooh. Thank you, Erin. I have to add that one.

[Erin]

Another African classic that I just finished, I would highly recommend So Long a Letter by Mariama Bâ. It at once illuminates specifics of time and culture and universal themes.

[Kathleen]

So I'm adding another one--I can't resist your description. :-)

[Erin]

I read Persuasion for my group read and really loved it! I confess that it had not been high on my TBR list and I started off predisposed to dislike the heroine for rejecting love in favor of duty and monetary concerns, which is the opposite of what I did, but of course I live in a different time and society... but I digress. Austen won me over and I came to be in sympathy with Anne and really enjoyed her story and growth over the course of it. Additionally, I enjoyed the exploration of various themes of character explored through the many parallels and contrasts in the book! 🙂

[Erin]

I read Sun Tzu’s The Art of War for my “18th century or earlier classic.” I have noticed some reviews dismissing the advice as obvious, but I don’t think that any of it would have been regarded as novel even when it was written; its power and timelessness are, I believe, in finding the core truths and basic principles and stating them succinctly as this helps clarify them in the mind. I may be wrong — I have absolutely zero firsthand knowledge of war nor can I claim to have studied it in depth — but I found this book very interesting and am glad to have read it.

On another note, how many more books can I read without getting a bingo? Lol! 😂

[Tammy]

You do have a diagonal Bingo!

[[deleted user]]

I am glad you liked Persuasion. I think Austen's style is in its full maturity with this novel. Anne is dearer to me than Elizabeth Bennett or Emma. Its great that you have Pride and Prejudice on your challenge to compare.

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Erin you are really getting your board filled quickly this year. Nice reading.

[Kathleen]

You really are doing an amazing job with this challenge, Erin--the bingos will come. Anne is my favorite Austen heroine so far too, but I still have Mansfield Park before I can say for sure. :-) Glad you enjoyed it!

[Veronique]

I’m happy to see you enjoyed Persuasion. I’m a fan too - well I like all of Austen’s novels but Anne has a special place :0)

[Erin]

Tammy wrote: "You do have a diagonal Bingo!"

Oh! I didn’t realize that counted! 😁

Kathleen wrote: "You really are doing an amazing job with this challenge, Erin--the bingos will come. Anne is my favorite Austen heroine so far too, but I still have Mansfield Park before I can say for sure. :-) Gl..."

Thank you! 😊 I know; focusing on filling the board is much less daunting than my lengthy to-be-read lists! 😅 I am enjoying my reads and looking forward to reading more by Jane Austen!

Katy wrote: "Erin you are really getting your board filled quickly this year. Nice reading."

Thank you! I have been enjoying most of them too and am glad for this challenge as it led me to seek out books that I might not otherwise have known about! 😊

[Erin]

Kt wrote: "I am glad you liked Persuasion. I think Austen's style is in its full maturity with this novel. Anne is dearer to me than Elizabeth Bennett or Emma. Its great that you have Pride and Prejudice on y..."

I am so glad to have read it and definitely appreciated the depth of a her writing! 😊 As you said, it will be good to have Pride & Prejudice to compare — I did read most of it I think in 2012 and should feel dreadful to confess to abandoning a novel I loved except for that it was a cross-country move in between finishing my bachelors and starting grad school! 😱 Well, now it is time to re-read it and in full! 😊

Veronique wrote: "I’m happy to see you enjoyed Persuasion. I’m a fan too - well I like all of Austen’s novels but Anne has a special place :0)"

[Erin]

Just finished The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas for I4 — book of more than 500 pages — thus completing the row! 😁

More than that, I am glad to have finally read this classic and, while it did take a while for me to get into it, once I did, I really enjoyed the story!

[Veronique]

Yippee :0)

[Erin]

I finished Dune (posted my thoughts in my Classics Old and New Challenge thread), for a column 4 Bingo. 😁

[Erin]

I reviewed the books I’ve read so far this year to see whether any could fill the spots I still have open and found that Frankenstein was banned in South Africa, A Wizard of Earthsea won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction and The Street of Crocodiles won the Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger Award so that leaves me with three spaces left, which should be doable, and all books I’ve wanted very much to read. 😁

[Kathleen]

Good job making it all come together, Erin!

[Erin]

Kathleen wrote: "Good job making it all come together, Erin!"

Thank you, Kathleen! 😊

I finally read Pride and Prejudice and loved loved loved it! I had enjoyed it when I was reading it in 2012 (only didn’t read it entire due to finishing my B.S. and then immediately moving across the country to start graduate school) but loved it even more now!
Perhaps when I have recovered from my raptures I can write something of a more informative nature but truly, what could I add to this already deservedly beloved and well-known classic?