I know there are some people out there that wholeheartedly devour classics and probably don't understand people that don't enjoy them as much as they do. And I should say that that is wonderful! There are all sorts of readers and the classics are classics for a reason, right? I know others where classics just wouldn't be for them at all, and that's also completely fine. I think I fit somewhere in the middle of the scale. There are some classics I find brilliant and some I would have been okay with never reading, not necessarily because of poor writing but I think most of it boils down to a style thing. Or an I-can't-stand-your-character thing (Here's looking at you Madame Bovary). Even the greatest of stories can be ruined if it's not your style.
I may get in trouble for this, but even if you can't manage to make it through one of these books that has stood the test of time, there are some pretty decent movie representations of many of them. (Confession: I thoroughly enjoy the movie adaptation of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn starring a young Elijah Wood much more than I enjoyed reading the book. Go watch it!)
For further thoughts on what makes classics the classics and to know that I'm not the only English major/reading enthusiast that hasn't read many classics, check out this post on the Scholastic blog. There are some good points on there as to why we may be hesitant to read some of the classics.
Here's the moment you've all been waiting for! The number of classic books is quite extensive, but here are just a few that I think are worth your time should you get up the courage to read a classic. (Yes, I do think that reading some classics takes courage and perhaps a very good attention span.)
Okay, just kidding, one more side note. I'm looking at lists of classics to refresh my memory and feeling a little ashamed at how few I've read, not to mention how many I only know because of movies or episodes of Wishbone. Now, on to the list for reals!
Pride and Prejudice by Jane AustenFor some reason I feel like I'll get some eye rolls for this one. Maybe not... Anyway, it may be interesting to note that the first time I read this one I actually didn't like it at all. I felt that Darcy turning up everywhere was too coincidental. However, I was only around 13 when I read it the first time. I didn't read it again until I was around 20, and that time I absolutely loved it. I could appreciate the story and style so much better by that point. The other thing to take from this is that sometimes we aren't quite ready for a book. This is now one of my favorite stories.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
I finally read this one around the same time I had that second reading of Pride and Prejudice. An interesting note is that this is one of those books that has ended up on the list of the most frequently challenged books.The movie adaptation has also become a classic in the world of film. One of the things I love about this book is just a look at everyday life through the eyes of children. I enjoy the writing style. Not only that, but of course the difficult situation of Atticus Finch is compelling and thought provoking.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Ironically, this is another one that has been challenged. I've read this one a couple of times, written papers on it, even watched the movie. It's a classic dystopian novel where books are illegal. I've enjoyed it each time I've read it, and it's worth a read. In fact, I need to give this one another read. It's been awhile.
Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Specifically, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. I don't know that I've ever thought of these stories as being a classic, but I found it on one of the random lists of classics I looked at. So there! Plus, I thought it would be good to include this on the list because this is a classic that even those who are anti-classics can read and enjoy.
Okay, so I didn't actually see this one on any of the lists, but I figure someone will agree with me that Tolkien deserves to be among the classics. This is another book that took me a couple of reads before I could appreciate it for what it is. I first read in in middle school for an assignment and I thought it was awful. The funny thing is that some of the things that annoyed me on that first reading are now things that I really enjoy about it now. I guess tastes change over time, right? Tolkien isn't always the easiest to read, but The Hobbit is a good introduction to his style. It's not quite as difficult to read and enjoy. It's a great fantasy that fits right in with the hero's journey. Dwarves, elves, a dragon that would eventually be voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch--what's not to love?
So there you have it. That's a short list of classics you can choose from. There were more I considered putting on the list, but I didn't want to make it too long for you. So don't worry. There are other classics worth reading. If you want to see another list of classics you should read and why, check out this one from Abe Books.
What classics do you think are the most worth reading? Or perhaps more fun would be to share which classics you think don't necessarily need to be read ever. I can think of a couple...
Until next time!
One thing I think that’s important to note is that classics are just books that have stood the test of time. If you were alive when they were written, they would just be books, and you would like some, and you wouldn’t like others, just like with books you read today. So it would be weird if I met someone who loved every single piece of classic literature just because it was classic. I can see respecting them and the authors, but a person who genuinely loves them all probably isn’t very picky.
ReplyDeleteI love a lot of classics because I love the language. They’re a lot more poetically written than a lot of modern novels. I actually have a really hard time finding books I enjoy reading for various reasons (I’m picky), but classics are classic for a reason, and I’ve really enjoyed many of them.
Some classics will contain long conversations about the politics of the day or other long drawn out sections of whatever. I have no problem flipping through to get back to the meat of the story. I believe I skipped a chunk of The Picture of Dorian Gray. I also skipped the end of The Jungle because it was a lengthy political rant and no longer part of the story. I enjoyed both of those books, but only because I skipped the rants. Not every political agenda is as seamlessly interwoven into the story as it is in Fahrenheit 451.
Thomas Hardy is one of my favorite classic novelists. I haven’t read all his books, but I’ve really enjoyed the ones I’ve read. He does some of the very coincidental meetings too, but I don’t mind. I don’t know if it’s supposed to be funny, but it just amuses me as if it were a spoof on other cliche meetings and I keep reading. He has some strong female characters too that were probably ahead of his time especially being written by a man.
And in Tess of the D’urbevilles, Thomas Hardy really seems to sympathize with the plight of a woman in her circumstances, and while it’s a heartbreaking story, he’s really reflecting on some of the backwards morals of society at the time, and some of those mindsets still exist to some extent today. We may not entirely shun a woman who’s had a baby with no daddy in the picture, but people can still be judgemental, and a person’s story could turn out completely different if we would all lift each other up instead of tear each other down. It’s really a feminist novel. But not in a burn-your-bra-and-walk-around-topless kind of way. The classy kind of feminism where it’s just human beings caring about human beings.
Anyway, you know I could go on forever about this topic. I haven’t even mentioned the classics I don’t like (here’s looking at you Count of Monte Cristo). But I’ll stop there. Also, I don’t enjoy Mark Twain either. Ok. The end.
You make some great points! I've only read one Thomas Hardy book, and it's not one of the ones you normally hear about. It was called "A Pair of Blue Eyes." I've always meant to read more by him because even though it's a tragic story I enjoyed the telling of it.
ReplyDeleteI do recall that you aren't a huge Mark Twain fain, especially if it's about a certain Yankee in King Arthur's court. I recently read "Huckleberry Finn" for the first time a couple of years ago, and I will say that I would much rather watch the movie adaptation starring a young Elijah Wood than read the book again. It's one of those rare cases where I think the movie is better than the book.