Classics and their Authors

[Carol]

This thread is for discussing classics you are reading, classics you recommend, questions about translations/translators, essays and long reads about any of the above ....

For purposes of this thread, each reader determines for herself/himself whether a work qualifies as a "classic".

LitHub published this intriguing article today, of interest to Jane Austen fans (and who isn't one?):

On Jane Austen, Elizabeth Warren, and the Legacy of the Stoic Woman

https://lithub.com/on-jane-austen-eli...

[lethe]

Carol wrote: "Typically, classics are defined as books first published in their original language at least 50 years before today."

Shouldn't part of the definition be that the books have to be critically acclaimed/still read by new generations? There are many older books that have faded into obscurity, or that never were considered good literature.

[Carol]

lethe wrote: "Carol wrote: "Typically, classics are defined as books first published in their original language at least 50 years before today."

Shouldn't part of the definition be that the books have to be cri..."

lethe, I'll put more effort into the criteria, but always struggle with this component when it is raised. Critical acclaim has historically, typically been meted about by white men applauding the works of other white men, so I resist that criteria at every turn. But there are ways to get there that have less of a majority-race-and-gender-blessing aspect. Thanks for the challenge to examine further. My tendency is to edit my original post to delete a definition completely, since that isn't the point of the thread.

[Carol]

Carol wrote: "lethe wrote: "Carol wrote: "Typically, classics are defined as books first published in their original language at least 50 years before today."

Shouldn't part of the definition be that the books ..."

This 2017 Book Riot list remains one of my favorite resources, FYI:

https://bookriot.com/2017/03/10/100-m...

[Anita]

Another great resource Carol. I would agree with you about leaving off the definition. One of my own favorites, Zora Neale Hurston was nearly lost to obscurity until revived by Alice Walker. Here's an NPR article on Ms. Walker's essay about the journey:
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...

The article is at the bottom but there are some audio selections at the beginning if you're interested. I first fell in love with her enormous strength of character when I read "Sweat" in college, though she's known for Their Eyes Were Watching God.

I plan to read Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston by Valerie Boyd first thing next year when I begin a personal "read women by women" challenge.

[Liesl]

I am currently reading The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot and, to be honest, I am finding it a struggle to motivate myself to pick it up. I am around the half-way point at the moment and hoping that it gets better.

For me, it does not come close to Middlemarch or Daniel Deronda.

[Carol]

Liesl wrote: "I am currently reading The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot and, to be honest, I am finding it a struggle to motivate myself to pick it up. I am around the half-way point..."

I have not tried Mill, Middlemarch or Daniel Doronda, because my memory of slogging through Adam Bede remains fresh in my mind, notwithstanding the fact that I was 20 when i read it, :)

I hope Mill changes course and becomes less of a slog for you, Liesl.

In my relatively casual classics queue, one of these is likely to be started in December; La Femme de Gilles by Madeleine Bourdouxhe, The Living Is Easy by Dorothy West, The Expendable Man by Dorothy B. Hughes, Bedelia by Vera Caspary, something by Rumer Godden...

[Ozsaur]

Carol, thanks for the link. I grabbed several books from that list!

[Carol]

Ozsaur wrote: "Carol, thanks for the link. I grabbed several books from that list!"

You’re welcome. It’s one I’ve returned to several times because of its diversity and inclusion of translated Asian classics, in particular. Happy reading.

[Laurie]

Liesl wrote: "I am currently reading The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot and, to be honest, I am finding it a struggle to motivate myself to pick it up. I am around the half-way point..."

I've started Mill three times and have never made it far. I loved Middlemarch but it took quite a while to get into, so I feel like I should persevere with Mill at some point. I know it is not as well loved as most of her other books.

[Liesl]

Thanks for the support Carol and Laurie. Part of me wishes that I could just walk away (it would be better for my reading list) but I have this innate hope that it must be going to get better and so I can never just put down a book (or walk out of a film) and leave it. It has some nice moments but I think the problem is that it is too autobiographical so there is a lot of waffling on about things that are not really important to the plot. To me, it could be improved by a good editor.