How to Read a Classic?

[Nettle]

If you're reading the Kindle version, it has an option to dictionary-search weird words for you, I've found that very useful, and Wordsworth Classics (among others, I suppose) often have a section at the back for obscure references.

Other than that, I tend to push on and just enjoy the language, even if I've forgotten who half the characters are and what's going on. It'll become clear eventually, no point worrying over it. If you can't even do that though, try a different book, I couldn't get through Moby Dick at all.

I do stop every now and again and summarise it in my head. These books were written when people had a lot less to do, and therefore would put up with a lot more wordyness. 20 pages of language and development can generally be summarised down to one sentence, something like: "Phillip is moaning again, don't much like his new girlfriend"

[Danielle The Book Huntress]

Very good points, Visi. I enjoy using the dictionary feature on Kindle, both for classic and newer books.

[Danielle The Book Huntress]

Welcome, Dena. I think you'll find Little Women to be very enjoyable. But I'm biased since it's a long time favorite of mine! :)

[Heather L]

A Long Fatal Love Chase was pretty good, though I did not like the ending. It left me feeling let down and quite honestly ruined the book for me.

[Danielle The Book Huntress]

Hi Dena. I think I prefer the version with Jane Wyman as Jo.

[Richard]

If reading on my iPad (Project Gutenberg ebooks) I make a point of looking up any words (or real people mentioned) that I don't know, or have only encountered a few times. I read the whole definition including the derivation to give me the chance to "weigh up the word" and give it a better chance to enter my vocabulary. I highlight these words/phrases and any passages that I particularly like, with the intention of rereading a few after finishing the book to help me with the review. I find writing a review, even if I don't post it publicly, helps me organise my thoughts and feelings about the book, allows me to reflect, and makes me conscious of my shortcomings as a dissecter/appreciator (as while I may feel strongly that I agree with and fully understand well-written expert reviews, I usually find I'm just under the illusion of appreciating the reviews and the book with as much clarity and suporting knowledge). I would be loathe to deface a paper book with my highlighting, so the iPad comes into its own for this type of reading.

Most people wouldn't feel the need or desire to do anything so involved, and might even consider it obsessive behaviour, but I'm a serial underachiver who has now decided to aim high and succeed, and this is how I am "going back to school". I feel like I'm making explosive progress and hope to write something of my own within the next few years.

[Danielle The Book Huntress]

Way to go, Richard!

[Squire]

My first expereince with reading a classic was in college. The reading I did in high school wasn't really reading, it was listening to the instructor expound upon the work or following along with a BBC rendering of the full text of a Shakespearean play.

I was lost for the first month in my first literature survey course, but I found my way eventually. The first rule of reading literature my instructors taught me was:

If you think you see a sexual reference or inuenndo, you probably do, and it was probably intended by the author.

I always thought this intructor was a little strange, but it got me thinking about literature on a level my 18-year old brain could relate to. It also got me thinking about literature as more than just a superficial story.

The second guideline I used in reading literature was to read the classics (told me by the same intstructor--and one I still use today, occasionally) is:

If you find a passage difficult to understand, read it aloud. It helps sometimes to hear the author's thought as opposed to just reading it.

I found this particularly useful when I was reading Henry James, where the subject and verb of his sentences will be separated by 200+ words. I also found it useful for poetry. But sometimes the language is such that you are compelled to read it aloud. Of course, people will look at you funny and will think you're a loony, but it does help.

And, of course, having a dictionary/encyclopedia close at hand helps, too.

The important thing is to enjoy the book you're reading. Deeper analysis can come post mortem, if you want more.

[Danielle The Book Huntress]

That is good advice, Squire. Thanks!

[Cecily]

Richard wrote: "...Most people wouldn't feel the need or desire to do anything so involved, and might even consider it obsessive behaviour, but I'm a serial underachiver who has now decided to aim high and succeed, and this is how I am "going back to school". I feel like I'm making explosive progress and hope to write something of my own within the next few years. "

Clearly not an underachiever any more. I admire you tenacity and wish you continued pleasure in your journey.

[Marla]

My daughter just had to read The Scarlet Letter for her high school Literature class and she was struggling with the language, but her friend recommended a No Fear version of the text.

It reminds me of different translations of the Bible, similar in meaning but not the same phrases. It may be helpful for anyone who wants the gist of a classic who is having difficulty with the language.

I am sort of a purist, so I don't know if this is "cheating" or not, but it is much easier. Anyway, I thought I would put this out there for you all to consider for yourselves.

[Marla]

Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress wrote: "I can totally believe Dickens was paid by the word. I don't care for verbose writing and his is way too wordy for my tastes. I will try some other stuff by him, and go back to Great Expectations a..."

Try A Christmas Carol. I really enjoyed it, it's short and I could say that I read a book by Dickens :)

[Danielle The Book Huntress]

I loved A Christmas Carol. Hopefully I will have time to read it again this year. :)

[John]

Maria wrote: "When it comes to classic novels and poetry, just pick up a book that deals with subject matter that interests you and look up all the words you don't know."

I started doing that several years ago (looking up unfamiliar words as I was reading). One of the benefits I noticed was that I actually was able to watch Jeopardy without feeling alienated.

[[deleted user]]

I think personally, that the reason tht a lot of people might not like the classics is because they think there is something there that they should see, and when they don't they feel stupid, but one of the things I love about the classics is that it treats you like a competent reader, no matter what kind of understanding you have. You can read Animal Farm and enjoy the story, enjoy the language or enjoy the political issues without being a "bad" reader, no matter what some people say. People who think there is only one way of reading books, I think only see a part of the book and not the whole thing they can be.

This is not the same as saying you have to like all classical books, you also have personal taste like in everything else.

And if you want to try Russian books, the culture is to have like 20 names for each character, so just have a pen and paper ready, write them down so you know who they are and don't take it personally. :)

[Lauri]

Marie Marcelle wrote: "I think personally, that the reason tht a lot of people might not like the classics is because they think there is something there that they should see, and when they don't they feel stupid, but on..."

Marie, I like what you say about Russian books. Right now I am reading War and Peace, and I am finding it difficult to keep up with some of the characters. I am going to take your suggestion and write down the names. Good idea.

[Danielle The Book Huntress]

Marie Marcelle wrote: "I think personally, that the reason tht a lot of people might not like the classics is because they think there is something there that they should see, and when they don't they feel stupid, but on..."

Very good points. I agree that there are very subjective meanings to every story that each reader will interpret differently based on their own experiences. I am completely okay with that.

[Marla]

I have been trying to read a couple of classics each year and I find without being in class, I'm lazy reading them or I just don't see very much.

My daughter uses SMOOP to help her analyze books she is reading for her lit class. I've seen some good ones and IMO not helpful guides. Similar to the old "Cliff Notes" or more modern Spark Notes, this might be a useful aid in reading classics for someone who wants a light and funny touch. The chapter-by-chapter and character summary, etc. are nice references.

[Denise]

I have a question and can't figure out which discussion to post it to. On the group reads, how does the pacing work? Does the moderator say "ok, now we can discuss chapters 1-10" or does each person try to avoid spoilers even if they've read the whole book? Discussion works better if there's a common frame of reference, but before I get into my first group read, I wanted to know what to expect. Thanks so much!

[☯Emily , moderator]

Not everyone might agree with me, but I think if we are discussing a small section of a book, like we are with Gone with the Wind, you don't need spoilers if you are discussing just that section. You would need to put in spoilers if you wanted to reference something from a later chapter that others might not have read. I assume that anyone reading or commenting on that thread have read it or don't care if they read spoilers.

If you have read the whole book, you need to be careful when discussing small sections of the book. For instance, if you know Ralph dies in chapter 19, you won't mention it if we are discussing Ralph in chapters 1-9. I remember a group discussion somewhere about Jane Eyre where people were discussing (view spoiler)[Rochester and his wife BEFORE he had even been introduced in the novel. (hide spoiler)] That is a major spoiler!

[Denise]

OK, so I'll just wait and watch for the opening posts to set the guidelines. I had looked into a few and hadn't seen obvious instructions so I wanted to get this out of the way before I start with my first group read.

[Lee]

When I join a group read and I'm not sure about the rules I always try to exercise caution. It's always best to hide a spoiler you don't need to than ruin a book for someone else.

I usually start off by declaring which chapter I'm on and then use a spoiler for my comment.

[Heather L]

☯Emily has reviews on Booklikes wrote: "I remember a group discussion somewhere about Jane Eyre where people were discussing Rochester and his wife..."

And now you just ruined it for anyone who hasn't yet read the book. ;)

[☯Emily , moderator]

Heather L wrote: "☯Emily has reviews on Booklikes wrote: "I remember a group discussion somewhere about Jane Eyre where people were discussing Rochester..."

And now you just ruined it for anyone who ha..."

What did I spoil for you? I think that most people know that (view spoiler)[ Rochester marries Jane Eyre. LOL.

This group has already read the book, but still I didn't think I revealed any spoilers. The point was that we were supposed to be discussing Jane's childhood experiences and people were talking about her adult experiences. (hide spoiler)]

[Heather L]

☯Emily has reviews on Booklikes wrote: "Heather L wrote: "☯Emily has reviews on Booklikes wrote: "I remember a group discussion somewhere about Jane Eyre (view spoiler)[where people were discussing Rochester and his wife... (hide spoiler)]"

And now you just ruined it..."

(view spoiler)[Most people may know he marries Jane, but most people DO NOT know about the deranged wife in the attic to whom he is already married when he proposes to Jane. Your mentioning "Rochester and his wife" is indeed a spoiler. (hide spoiler)]

[☯Emily , moderator]

Heather L wrote: "☯Emily has reviews on Booklikes wrote: "Heather L wrote: "☯Emily has reviews on Booklikes wrote: "I remember a group discussion somewhere about Jane Eyre where people were discussing Rochester and ..."

(view spoiler)[But which wife am I referring to? (hide spoiler)]

[☯Emily , moderator]

Heather L wrote: "☯Emily has reviews on Booklikes wrote: "I remember a group discussion somewhere about Jane Eyre where people were discussing..."

And now you just ruined it for anyone who ha..."

I created a spoiler for the original post. You have the spoiler mentioned in this comment.

[Heather L]

☯Emily has reviews on Booklikes wrote: "Heather L wrote: "☯Emily has reviews on Booklikes wrote: "I remember a group discussion somewhere about Jane Eyre where people were discussing..."

And now you just ruined it for anyone who ha..."
..."

There wasn't a "spoiler" when I originally responded, but the point is moot now. ;)

[☯Emily , moderator]

Sorry, I thought you were concerned about "spoilers," so I changed my posting for future readers. My comment is quoted in your 131 message.