Classic literature question

[lisamarie]

I am not a big reader of classic literature. I mostly read fluff and the occasional non-fiction. I would like to start reading more classics, but after reading through the summaries given in The Well Educated Mind, most of the books sound HORRIBLE or boring as heck!:ack2:

 

Are there any classics out there that don't involve people killing people, everyone dying in the end, page after page of detailed descriptions that make me want to gouge my eyes out, or is just a commentary on relationships and nothing happens? I like a happy ending but I also want SOME action in there. I was 4 chapters into "The Scarlet Letter" when I read the summary of it and realized that every one dies in the end and that the ending sucks. Eventually I will get around to reading all those tragedies, but I want to start out with a book that I will actually enjoy reading.

 

Any suggestions???

[Garga]

Little Women?

 

I always like to read O. Henry stories. They're classics, right?! He always has a twist in his stories. He wrote that Christmas one where the wife sells her hair to get her husband a watch chain, and he sells the watch to get her a barrette for her hair. Or the one about the bad guys who kidnap a holy terror of a child and then beg the parents to take back the kid. Or the sad one where the sick person says they'll die when the last leaf falls off the vine, so their artist friend paints a leaf onto the vine (it's against a building) so that the sick person keeps their will to live, but then the artist dies from bronchitis for staying up too late in the freezing cold painting a leaf. (Ok--that one is sad...but it's still a good story.) I love O. Henry.

[newlifemom]

Well, I like Jane Erye but that might be too much description for you. It does have a pretty happy ending.

 

Or, Stoker's Dracula. Sure there is death and sadness, but it also a lot of action and repressed victorians as well. ;)

 

Shakespeare's comedies? I love, L.O.V.E. Much Ado About Nothing

 

Don Quixote A long one, but boy howdy the parts I have read [about 1/3] are funny

 

Some poetry?

 

The Canterbury Tales [You get funny, bawdy and most assuredly not boring all at once]:D

 

Those are a few off the top of my head.

[Dayle in Guatemala]

I just don't think you can go wrong with Jane Austen--start with something familiar like Pride and Prejudice or Emma.

[*~Tina~*]

Start small and work up or perhaps try alternating between something dense and something short or alternating between reading and audio version. :)

 

Animal Farm is a "classic". . .I laughed and laughed reading this one, yet it has a very interesting point!

 

Of Mice and Men is also a short read, but very poignant. I read it, then rented the movie.

 

To Kill A Mockingbird is also a good one. I also read this one this year and then watched the movie as well.

 

Just wanted to see how the movies compared to the book. Books won ;)

 

I don't go by anyone's list per se, just starting reading ones that I've heard of over the years. . .to see what I was missing.

[Mom-ninja.]

Little Women?

 

 

 

But someone dies.

 

 

I just don't think you can go wrong with Jane Austen--start with something familiar like Pride and Prejudice or Emma.

 

Jane Austen always has happy endings.

[Little Nyssa]

Alessandro Manzoni The Betrothed (I promessi Sposi) may be just what you are looking for!

[LibraryLover]

Little Women?

.

 

 

Wah! That is a tear-jerker.

 

Is Rebecca a 'classic'. ;) (I love Rebecca)

 

OK, stop throwing tomatoes. It's a good book. It's gothic...

[elise1mds]

They're wordy, but I am a HUGE fan of Alexander Dumas. LOVE him. Sure, people die, but it's all in good revenge, and everyone gets their comeuppance. Then there's Poe. Poe's works are classics, right? Oh, I like Jules Verne, too, though I can't let myself get bogged down in all the scientific mumbo-jumbo he throws in, especially in 20,000 Leagues. Oh, and Robert Louis Stevenson and Daniel Defoe are also high up on the list.

 

I'm a huge fan of the classics.

[Onceuponatime]

I'll put in a plug for Mark Twain. Plenty of humor and action in many of his works.

[Onceuponatime]

Wah! That is a tear-jerker.

 

Is Rebecca a 'classic'. ;) (I love Rebecca)

 

OK, stop throwing tomatoes. It's a good book. It's gothic...

 

I used to own most of DuMaurier's books. I read them over and over and over.

 

Then I took them to a used bookstore and traded them in for Landmark history books. I still check one out of the library now and then. There is something about a good gothic novel that pulls me in.

[Chris in VA]

I was 4 chapters into "The Scarlet Letter" when I read the summary of it and realized that every one dies in the end and that the ending sucks.

 

You read a summary that did not tell you the whole story! How can you say it sucks? I think it's got one of the best endings, ever!

 

But I get it, I really do. It takes patience to read the Great Books (which is what you are talking about, right?).

I can only read them with a guide beside me.

[Skadi]

How about Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol? It's a great time of year to read it.

 

Elizabeth Gaskell is one of my favorite authors, and I'd recommend starting with North and South. Her style is similar to Jane Austen.

 

Louisa May Alcott's An Olde Fashioned Girl is very enjoyable.

 

Anthem by Ayn Rand is short and easy to read.

 

Good luck!

[Violet Crown]

I dislike the usual lists of "must-read classics," and have been directing dd14 off the beaten track a bit.

 

Try skipping The Scarlet Letter and read A Blithedale Romance instead; about a utopian commune in early America, and featuring (spoiler alert!) a mummified body dragged out of a peat bog, frozen into a hideous contorted position. I can't believe they don't give kids in high school the fun Hawthorne.

 

Find a good translation of Rabelais' Gargantua and Pantagruel. Hilarious high weirdness. For a first reading, skip the notes and just read through.

 

Tristram Shandy is a modern novel inexplicably transported to the eighteenth century. Give it a go. Lots better than the stickily sentimental Dickens.

 

Dd14 is currently reading through Pamela. I hear snorts and snickers coming from the comfy chair as she goes through it. Meant seriously in its time, but fantastically funny now.

 

Mrs Radcliffe's gothic classics are for quick reading, but essential if you're going to really enjoy Northanger Abbey (essentially a parody of Radcliffe) later.

 

There is so much else out there! Close TWTM (forgive the heresy) and look up the reading list for an upper-division English class at a good university. If you see anything you haven't heard of, give it a try.

[Mejane]

Is Rebecca a 'classic'. ;) (I love Rebecca)

 

OK, stop throwing tomatoes. It's a good book. It's gothic...

 

Tomatoes... say what?! Rebecca is fierce (according to my kids, the new word for awesome.) :001_smile:

[chiguirre]

I was 4 chapters into "The Scarlet Letter" when I read the summary of it and realized that every one dies in the end and that the ending sucks.

 

Keep chugging, the ending is decades later and at least one character dies of old age. There's even some supernatural action in there. And, in the future, try not to peak at the summary, because it ruins the ending. :lol:

[Beth in OH]

Since you have a 10 yo, my suggestion is to get a jump on the logic stage classics listed in TWTM. I think it takes practice with the language, pace, and themes to really enjoy classic literature. The retellings suggested for the logic stage, such as Garfield's Shakespeare Stories are also an excellent beginning. The language is rich, but the plot of the story comes through more easily than just diving into the original work.

 

Another suggestion is to listen to books like A Tale of Two Cities on audio. Dickens has terrific, fun characters, and a good reader really brings them to life. When you can grasp the story easily, your brain stays interested while it becomes accustomed to the vocabulary and style of language.

[elise1mds]

I'll put in a plug for Mark Twain. Plenty of humor and action in many of his works.

 

I can't believe I forgot him and Jack London! Yay American authors! ;)

[Guest]

Since you have a 10 yo, my suggestion is to get a jump on the logic stage classics listed in TWTM. I think it takes practice with the language, pace, and themes to really enjoy classic literature.

 

I started doing this. (And not sure why I stopped!:tongue_smilie:) I loved Treasure Island, Sherlock Holmes, and some of the biographies on one of the lists.

 

My favorites are Jules Verne & H.G. Wells (although I think they are somewhat of an "acquired taste"?).

 

And I did love Little Women. Not a big fan of Jane Austen, though.

[lisabelle]

The summer before my senior year in high school, I was given a reading list for AP English. I read most of the things I was supposed to, but I steadfastly *refused* to read Crime and Punishment (Dostoevsky). I read the first few paragraphs, I hated the names, I hated the writing, I hated the whole darn thing.

 

Fast forward to the start of school. It wasn't the first of the books we discussed in class, but it was discussed say, after the first month. I was ignorant and I didn't care that I didn't know a thing about the book. This was just one book I was going to keep my mouth shut about in class. I figured I might buy the Cliff's Notes before we had to write a paper or take a test.

 

But listening to the other students talk about the book...it sounded...dare I say it...interesting! So I gave it another try. And I loved it! It was one of my favorite books ever.

 

I went to college pre-med. Actually, I went to college announcing my major as International Relations because it was even more competitive than pre-med at the time and I was a showoff. But my intention was pre-med. I came out with a BA in Russian Literature. I couldn't stay away from the great Russian writers after Crime and Punishment. It's not a degree that's served me well professionally, but it was a degree I had a great time getting.

 

More generally, when attempting to read the classics, I think it's hugely important to find a version that is pleasing to the eye. So many of the classics are in the public domain, so publishers print cheap copies--small type crowded on small pages--that make the great books *look* more intimidating than they really are. You've gotten some good suggestions here--when you're at the bookstore or the library--look inside the book before you get it. Look for something with a nice typeface and good spacing. It's a silly thing, but it really does make classic reading more pleasant if you're reading something that has the look and feel of a contemporary novel.

 

Also, consider something that's annotated, or has some critical essays bound with the novel. Annotations can definitely enrich the reading experience. Reading a good critical essay before the book can give you things to look for and appreciate while you're reading the novel.

[katilac]

Mark Twain is laugh-out-loud funny at our house, and Jane Austen is good for giggles and amused grins, along with romantic sighs (Pride and Prejudice and Northhanger Abby are both quick, easy reads; Emma is also lots of fun).

 

Poe can be good for mystery/horror lovers.

 

If you enjoy reading plays, many of the classics are great for comedy and scathing social commentary, and pretty accessible. I have loved, loved, loved The Misanthrope since first reading it in high school, and I think most WTM-ers can truly identify, lol. You can also get audio versions to listen to if you don't enjoy reading plays.

 

You just have to sample here and there until you find stuff you like - but do remember the classics will take a bit more effort. If you really dislike any violence or character deaths, that does make it a bit harder! But Twain and Austen pretty much fit the bill.

 

Do not, on any account, read The Jungle, lol, you'll never venture near the classics again. Pretty much stay away from the Russian greats, as well ;). I was always ready to slit my wrists if my teacher lingered in Russia for too long.

 

Sharon in Austin, thanks for the lesser known recs! They have piqued my interest.

[persephone43]

ANY Jane Austen book.

 

East of Eden.

 

Jane Eyre.

 

The Woman in White.

[mrsrevmeg]

I just don't think you can go wrong with Jane Austen--start with something familiar like Pride and Prejudice or Emma.

 

The first Jane Austen I read was Persuasion and is still my favorite!!! Her stories always end so happy.

[lisamarie]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have put in a request for quite a few from the library. Hopefully I'll fall in love with some great classics.:D

 

You read a summary that did not tell you the whole story! How can you say it sucks? I think it's got one of the best endings, ever!

 

 

It was the whole pastor dying after confessing his sin, the husband dying because he doesn't have the "cat and mouse game" to interest him anymore, Hester dies from old age. Pearl is the only one who doesn't die. Blah. Everyone dies! I know there's a lot more to it, but the summary kinda killed it for me. I did read it in high school so I'm not completely ignorant of the book, but that was over 13 years ago and I don't remember much about it.

 

And I did love Little Women. Not a big fan of Jane Austen, though.

 

I'm not a big fan, either. She is very long winded on the relationships and it bores me to tears. I've read Pride and Prejudice and Emma and I just couldn't get into them.

[Ester Maria]

Lisabelle, I loved reading your post. :) It made me smile, I had some similar experiences with books I was quite prejudiced about at the beginning, but later they proved to be great and became quite dear to me.

 

Ontopic, you might enjoy reading some drama as literature, exploring the genre of comedy throughout history: from its ancient origins (Aristophanes, Plautus, etc.) to Moliere, Shakespeare or Goldoni, to modern plays.

[katilac]

I'm not a big fan, either. She is very long winded on the relationships and it bores me to tears. I've read Pride and Prejudice and Emma and I just couldn't get into them.

 

You are dead to me now :glare:

[Skadi]

You are dead to me now :glare:

 

Yes, I think we should shun her.

 

 

 

 

Shunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.

[Little Nyssa]

Also: Evelina by Fanny Burney

[Violet Crown]

 

Also: Evelina by Fanny Burney

:iagree:Burney rocks. The title of Pride and Prejudice, btw, comes from Burney's Cecilia.

[Mommy22alyns]

This might be random, but how about Gulliver's Travels? I thought it was laugh out loud funny.

[fleischdoc]

Love Willa Cathers novels - easy to read,good character studies , and a good dose of early 1900 American pioneer life.

Lisa

[Hunter's Moon]

I didn't read all the responses, but you can't go wrong with The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain :)

[lisamarie]

Yes, I think we should shun her.

 

 

 

 

Shunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.

 

LOL! :lol::lol::lol: Sorry. My old college roommate LOVED Jane Austen, so I read a few of her books. They just dragged on. Maybe I need to work on my attention span.:D

 

My DH wishes he could shun me, too, because I don't want to read any of his suggestions.;) I get nightmares quite easily from violent/suspenseful books, and all his suggestions would keep me up at night. But he really wants me to get out of my romance rut and read something that he can stomach so we can read it together and discuss it. Hence my quest to find classic lit that I will actually enjoy and not just drudge through.

[Spy Car]

 

Are there any classics out there that don't involve people killing people, everyone dying in the end, page after page of detailed descriptions that make me want to gouge my eyes out?

 

ONE PERSON survives at the end of Moby Dick. Otherwise you're hosed :D

 

Bill

[Mrs Mungo]

If you have a short attention span, maybe it would be better to start off with classic kid books and build from there?

 

Start with Mary Poppins, Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, A Wrinkle in time. Move on to The Hero and the Crown, Rats of Nimh. From there you are ready for The Eagle of the Ninth, Horatio Hornblower and books in that category. Lord of the Rings could be a graduation of sorts. ;)

[lisamarie]

I am 107 pages into "Pamela" and was starting to wonder if anything was ever going to happen beyond beating the same situation to death over and over. So I cheated out of desperation and looked it up online and apparently something is going to happen eventually. I got a good laugh out of a review on amazon which was exactly what I was thinking myself:

 

"Pamela is a lovely tale, but how the girl does go on about her virtue...and virtually everything else." :lol:

 

Now that I know that something is going to happen, I am much more content to finish reading it. And it is interesting from a historical perspective being the first "best seller" in the history of English fiction (according to the back of the book).

[Violet Crown]

I am 107 pages into "Pamela" and was starting to wonder if anything was ever going to happen beyond beating the same situation to death over and over. So I cheated out of desperation and looked it up online and apparently something is going to happen eventually. I got a good laugh out of a review on amazon which was exactly what I was thinking myself:

 

"Pamela is a lovely tale, but how the girl does go on about her virtue...and virtually everything else." :lol:

 

Now that I know that something is going to happen, I am much more content to finish reading it. And it is interesting from a historical perspective being the first "best seller" in the history of English fiction (according to the back of the book).

When you're done with Pamela, it's time for Henry (Tom Jones) Fielding's contemporaneous satire Shamela. Even in Richardson's time, some readers tired of Miss Pamela's "vartue."

[flyingiguana]

The Moonstone (long, but the first two sections are hilarious)

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (short, and funny -- and there's a Disney cartoon version which actually does a good job)

The Autobiography of Ben Franklin (OK, I haven't finished it yet, but the beginning has been interesting)

The Importance of Being Earnest (if you can stand a bit of gratuitous nudity, the recent movie version is good - so you don't even have to read)

or read Pygmalion and then see My Fair Lady (because it's fun to see what they did with the play)

Sherlock Holmes

Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries (Ok, maybe only I think they're classics)

Much Ado About Nothing (but don't read it - get the movie version with Branagh)

The Sword in the Stone (by White - the first book of The Once and Future King is just delightful. If you go on to read the rest of it, people do start dying. The rest is still a great book, but the midsection can be a bit of a downer. And the end is depressing. Unless you're in the right state of mind.)

Jeeves and Wooster -- and once you've read a couple, you could watch the Wooster and Jeeves series, which isn't totally true to the books, but they do such a good job with the characters that it's really a hoot (and then you get to see House in an earlier and better incarnation)

 

 

Seconding:

To Kill a Mockingbird

Crime and Punishment (although people do die)

My Antonia (Antonia looks like one of those characters who really ought to die in the end, but, well, you'd have to read it)

 

Pride and Prejudice is hilarious. Emma is a bit of a snooze, in our opinion. Little Women? I know people say they LOVE this book -- and I did too, until I read it again. My book club read it too, because they remembered LOVING it, but they discovered it was a bit dull and moralizing. And, yes, someone does die. My kids couldn't get through it.

[stripe]

Are there any classics out there that don't involve people killing people, everyone dying in the end

...

 

I was 4 chapters into "The Scarlet Letter" when I read the summary of it and realized that every one dies in the end and that the ending sucks.

Well, not to put too fine a point on it, but doesn't everyone die in the end in real life? I read the Scarlet Letter in high school and my (dim) memory of it doesn't fixate on everyone dying.

I love Crime & Punishment. There's a lot of gore, but at least only a few people (and animal) die.

 

How about Walden?

[Guest Erick Tait]

Well, here’s a book that I’m sure you’ll enjoy - 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. If anything, it will make you think and reconfirm your faith in human nature. This is the story of a white lawyer, Atticus Finch, who defends a black man wrongly accused of raping a white woman. Mind you, the setting is the era before the Civil Rights Movement in America began. There is no `good’ against `evil’ in the usual sense of the terms. What we have is one man’s perseverance to act according to his conscience, despite the odds against him. That takes courage. In a sense, the story is about believing in yourself and acting accordingly. I won’t reveal too much of the storyline. But I’m sure you’ll like the book. And if you have any trouble, just go to Shmoop( like I did!) and get a clear understanding of the different aspects of the novel.

[HLDoll]

First, put away that Well Trained Mind book. A friend of mine raved about it and I checked it out from the library. I was so disgusted that she gave away the ending of EVERY book - I'm so glad I didn't buy it. The first half of the book was great, but glue the rest of the pages together!

 

Jane Austen is a great place to start - you can't go wrong with Pride and Prejudice. Wuthering Heights, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, The Count of Monte Cristo, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, Crime and Punishment, Jane Eyre, To Kill A Mockingbird, Picture of Dorian Gray, My Antonia, and The Call of the Wild are all books I've revisited over the years.