How many of you like reading old classics?
By cobradene
@cobradene (1171)
India
14 responses
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
30 Dec 09
Hi cobradene, I was brought up reading the classics and my favourite authors from that genre remain the Bronte sisters, especially Jane Eyre, Thomas Hardy, George Eliot (who of course was a woman, D.H.Lawrence,Evelyn Waugh (for comedy), Jane Austen, Tobias Smollet, the list goes on. Emile Zola is a great French classical writer, and from the Russians I'd go with Tolstoy, but recommenend 'Resurrection' as his best book, set amidst the Russian prison system.
1 person likes this
@allyoftherain (7208)
• United States
23 Dec 09
To be honest, I've really hated a lot of classics I've been forced to read. We're forced to read a ton of classics in school. The only two that I actually remember liking were "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Pride and Prejudice". I've read a few other classics outside of school like "The Secret Garden", "The Chronicles of Narnia", and "The Lord of the Rings" and liked them, but none of my English teachers saw those as classics. :( I've started reading other books considered classics in order to find one I may actually like, but no luck yet. They didn't write enough fantasy back in the day.
@cobradene (1171)
• India
24 Dec 09
I have the book "To kill a mocking bird" with me. I just read the first few pages and haven't moved further.
@allyoftherain (7208)
• United States
24 Dec 09
"Lord of the Rings" isn't children's literature ("The Hobbit" is, but "Lord of the Rings" is not.) , and I had a teacher who outright told me that it didn't have any literary merit. I know about the epic fantasies like "Beowulf" and "The Odyssey", but those are much older than most of the things we were forced to read. We never covered "Beowulf" in school and we only went over parts of "The Odyssey".
I'm sorry but I've already heard of "Lady Chatterly's Lover", and I have no plans to read it. It is not my type of book.
@Amigone (43)
• United States
24 Dec 09
Its not that your teachers didn't think those books were classics, it was that they were children's lititure classics and they probably wanted you to read something a bit more advanced.
The wrote tons of fantasy back in the day. The problem is that most of the fantasy was written in very poetic languge (it would be called purple prose these days probably) and is often over looked by people looking to read novels.
Try "Lady Chatterly's Lover" by D. H. Lawrence. It's not fantasy but it's a fun read.
@Farside604 (870)
• Canada
27 Dec 09
I love the classics I just finshed reading A farewell to arms by Hemmingway, and am starting The bonfire of the vanities by tom wolfe.
@seeths (413)
•
23 Dec 09
Hi,
I am not into more of old classics but I love reading Indian Authors like Jumpha Lahiri,Anita Pratap,Jaishree Mishra etc.
Regards
@cobradene (1171)
• India
23 Dec 09
I have read Jhumpa's Namesake. Was very nice. But somehow, I saw she gives the female character a little more steady mind, compared to the male character in the book. I mean, she seems to support women more.... I guess that's natural.
1 person likes this
@Sandra1952 (6047)
• Spain
26 Dec 09
Hello, Cobra. I like DH Lawrence, but I'm not a great fan of Dickens. I also like rereading Jane Austen's books, and those of Elizabeth Gaskell and George Eliot. Every now and then.I decide I'm going to go back to Victorian literature for a while. After two or three classics, I go back to more contemporary books.
I like Graham Swift's books as well. I think he's one author who will become a 'classic' with time. He's written some great stuff - 'Waterland' and 'Last Orders' are my favourites.
@cobradene (1171)
• India
26 Dec 09
Wow, that's great information to me.. Thanks a ton... I will surely look it up in the future. Unfortunately, I never got a chance to read Jane Austen, and the Bronte sisters....
I did read parts of Lady Chatterley's Lover, but could never complete it. It was really beautiful though. I have seen a movie on DH Lawrence's life.
@eddify (412)
• Pakistan
25 Dec 09
I love reading and old classics are worth a million. One of these days I am reading crime and punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. its a book with two novels the second one is called The Idiot
I have read all of Shakespear, Plato, Oscar Wilde, George bernard shaw etc
@cobradene (1171)
• India
25 Dec 09
That's great... Thanks for letting me know. I shall look for this one. I had forgotten about Dostoevsky.
@squaretile (3778)
• Singapore
23 Dec 09
I like victorian literature.
charles dickens' great expectations is one of my favourite. I also like George Elliot's Middlemarch and the usual Jane Austen.
On russian literature, I ploughed through Crime and Punishment and the Brothers Karamozov before but didn't quite enjoy them.
@raynejasper (2322)
• Philippines
23 Dec 09
..hi.. I do love reading.. and old classics are not an exemption.. as long as I like the story, I read the book.. I love fiction materials.. I love to imagine myself being part of the story so I can enjoy reading.. Thru reading, I try to imagine the places illustrated there.. this way, I feel like I've already visited the place also..
@alienvspredator01 (121)
• Nepal
23 Dec 09
Actually i am not so much in reading books but sometimes i like to read classics..
@jinran113 (2)
•
23 Dec 09
I think classics are called classics for certain reasons, and that's why they enjoy such good reputation. Classics are worth reading, and can make people think.
Of course some classics are hard to understand such as ancient philosophical works. But i think realistic fictions are great.Fictions by Charles Dickens are interesting to read.
And my favourate writer is Edgar Allen Poe who wrote gothic short stories.I strongly recommand!
@karen1969 (1779)
•
18 May 10
I have read quite a lot over the years. I did Russian at Uni so read Tolstoy, Turgenev, Dostoyevsky, etc. (in English) and enjoyed a lot of that. I love Shakespeare and Jane Austen, I have read all of Austen's novels. I read Bleak House by Charles Dickens at school, but hated it! I have also read George Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm, some of the Bronte girls' novels, D H Lawrence, lots!!
