Classic Literature
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Leiali
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AuntiePam said:Beleg, you mention the Bronte sisters. I tried to read Wuthering Heights, but the edition I had was punctuated so badly, it was unreadable.
I plan to try it again someday, but this time I'll have the book in my hands so I can make sure the semicolon demons aren't included.
I found that the yorkshire accent was the problem as Ms Bronte insisted on writing in the dialect. But then being in the UK, I was able to meet people with the accent and found it much easier to read after that! I prefer Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.
There are far too many good classics out there for me to list, so I'll stick with my favourites:
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
All of Jane Austen. Everything.
um...my mind has gone blank now. How about poetry? I have to say I prefer classic poetry to a lot of novels:
William Blake (Romantic)
John Donne (Metaphysical)
Walt Whitman (American. Not sure what style)
EE Cummings (Same again)
I like dipping in and out of good poetry collections. My favourite is The Rattlebag.
Shehzad
High Priest of Cainism
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No-one seems to have mentioned War and Peace here, so I'll rectify the lapse heretofore. Oscar Wilde is a must-read for lovers of satire and sarcasm. Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels is a wonderful satire of the then-current state of British politics, and is best read with annotations and explanations.
And then, of course, there is Shakespeare.
And then, of course, there is Shakespeare.
Priestvyrce
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Shehzad said:
There's a lovely and charming novel by T H White titled Mistress Marsham's Repose that comtinues Swift's story on the Lilliputians(sp?). If you can find this novel I highly recommend that you read it. It is a real charmer.
Read Madame Bovary and War and Peace looks positively lively in comparison. Anyway if you're interested in the Napoleonic era War and Peace would have to be a must read. That aspect alone had me turning the pages but there are also a lot of incisive observations on human nature in the book. I was expecting a tougher time considering the Charlie Brown movie that depicted it as this monstrous weight of a book. But after reading it I'd say the only dramatic novel I've read I think I prefer more would be Les Miserables.
By the way, I don't get the love for Jane Austen, and it isn't for lack of trying. I can appreciate the distinctiveness of her conversational salaciously class conscious gossiping style but I've always preferred Oliver Goldsmith's The Vicar of Wakefield which is pretty much the exact same story as Austen's but told in a more straightforward way. It's a girl thing isn't it?
By the way, I don't get the love for Jane Austen, and it isn't for lack of trying. I can appreciate the distinctiveness of her conversational salaciously class conscious gossiping style but I've always preferred Oliver Goldsmith's The Vicar of Wakefield which is pretty much the exact same story as Austen's but told in a more straightforward way. It's a girl thing isn't it?
Archren
BookWyrm
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I can't believe I forgot Les Miserables ! Highly, highly recommend that one. It's my all-time favorite piece of western literature.
BTW, the PBS "I, Claudius" series does do justice to the two books, "I, Claudius" and "Claudius the God," but as always the books have much more background and depth to them. Derek Jacoby as Claudius is really perfect, however. Worth seeing if you can.
BTW, the PBS "I, Claudius" series does do justice to the two books, "I, Claudius" and "Claudius the God," but as always the books have much more background and depth to them. Derek Jacoby as Claudius is really perfect, however. Worth seeing if you can.
AuntiePam: I know, I had that feeling too. To make it worse, last time I read it, it took me about two days (almost one sitting) and I had a fever, so at the end I had some serious problems getting my head out of the novel (or the novel out of my head; hmm, I'm getting confused again...).
On another note: Did you ever get around to reading 'The Dwarf'? (Hope you don't mind me asking...)
On another note: Did you ever get around to reading 'The Dwarf'? (Hope you don't mind me asking...)
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
On Human Bondage by W Somerset Maugham
Johnny Got his Gun by Dalton Trumbo
War And Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Lost Horizon by James Hilton
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain
Three Soldiers by John Dos Passos
A Tales of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Oxbow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark
The Star Rover by Jack London
Vathek by William Beckford
On Human Bondage by W Somerset Maugham
Johnny Got his Gun by Dalton Trumbo
War And Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Lost Horizon by James Hilton
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain
Three Soldiers by John Dos Passos
A Tales of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Oxbow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark
The Star Rover by Jack London
Vathek by William Beckford
Last edited:
Decrepit&Senile
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- Aug 5, 2009
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- 322
A while back, I watched a YouTube video highlighting the career of Jack Sheppard, a real-life British criminal known nowadays, to the limited extent he’s remembered at all, for numerous escapes from seemingly inescapable incarceration. I then visited Project Gutenberg, where I found a small selection of titles about him. I selected a romanticized account of his misadventures, authored by William Harrison Ainsworth, available as either a single download or three separate novellas. I chose the latter, which contains illustrations that the single download lacks.
I think them an easy-to-read, enjoyable romp. Almost every character is in some way corrupt, an out-and-out criminal, or both. The few who aren’t exist primarily as victims. Bad things happen to them. Not an out-and-out masterwork, but a good read. Here’s the cover I made for volume three which, as such, does not represent the product as downloaded from Project Gutenberg:
I think them an easy-to-read, enjoyable romp. Almost every character is in some way corrupt, an out-and-out criminal, or both. The few who aren’t exist primarily as victims. Bad things happen to them. Not an out-and-out masterwork, but a good read. Here’s the cover I made for volume three which, as such, does not represent the product as downloaded from Project Gutenberg:
Decrepit&Senile
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- Aug 5, 2009
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- 322
Finished 07/30/2025: 2018
“The Life of Lazarillo of Tormes and His Fortunes and Adversities” by an Anonymous 6h Century Spanish author, English translation by Sir Clements Markham (1830-1916)
This Project Gutenberg download is a well-written, good read. Banned by the Spanish Crown and included in the Index of Forbidden Books of the Spanish Inquisition, Wikipedia credits it with launching the “picaresque novel” genre, its protagonist being a lowly mistreated servant who survives by outsmarting his masters. Its closing chapter, with Lazarillo having garnered some success in life, brought a smile to my face and had me shaking my head at the same time. I enjoyed it. Recommended.
Finished 02/2025: 0855
“The Red Badge of Courage: An Episode of the American Civil War” by Stephen Crane (1871-1900) – Project Gutenberg ebook
Once considered an American classic and, so far as I know, still is. I swear I read it half a century ago, yet nothing this read rang a bell, other than generalities. A good read but not, I think, a must-read for non U.S. Civil War buffs. (I prefer both U.S. Civil War titles recently reported on in our non-fiction thread.)
These past few months, I've been creating replacement "covers" for most Project Gutenberg titles in my possession (including the two titles above). I claim no talent for cover design, but it's an enjoyable project and, for me, better than the plain-text covers PG often supplies. (Ironically, PG itself recently began paying more attention to its covers.) Here are two recently self-created covers I'm particularly fond of:
First up, an obscure title, “The Subjection of Women” by John Stuart Mill.
Second, a not-so-obscure title, Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” in the Maude translation.
(Note that I have not yet read either of these.)
“The Life of Lazarillo of Tormes and His Fortunes and Adversities” by an Anonymous 6h Century Spanish author, English translation by Sir Clements Markham (1830-1916)
This Project Gutenberg download is a well-written, good read. Banned by the Spanish Crown and included in the Index of Forbidden Books of the Spanish Inquisition, Wikipedia credits it with launching the “picaresque novel” genre, its protagonist being a lowly mistreated servant who survives by outsmarting his masters. Its closing chapter, with Lazarillo having garnered some success in life, brought a smile to my face and had me shaking my head at the same time. I enjoyed it. Recommended.
Finished 02/2025: 0855
“The Red Badge of Courage: An Episode of the American Civil War” by Stephen Crane (1871-1900) – Project Gutenberg ebook
Once considered an American classic and, so far as I know, still is. I swear I read it half a century ago, yet nothing this read rang a bell, other than generalities. A good read but not, I think, a must-read for non U.S. Civil War buffs. (I prefer both U.S. Civil War titles recently reported on in our non-fiction thread.)
These past few months, I've been creating replacement "covers" for most Project Gutenberg titles in my possession (including the two titles above). I claim no talent for cover design, but it's an enjoyable project and, for me, better than the plain-text covers PG often supplies. (Ironically, PG itself recently began paying more attention to its covers.) Here are two recently self-created covers I'm particularly fond of:
First up, an obscure title, “The Subjection of Women” by John Stuart Mill.
Second, a not-so-obscure title, Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” in the Maude translation.
(Note that I have not yet read either of these.)
Decrepit&Senile
Registered User
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2009
- Messages
- 322
My latest "classic literature" read is L.M. Montgomery's "Anne of Green Gables", a free Project Gutenberg download read on my Paperwhite. Though known primarily as a classic of children's literature, I think it suitable for all ages. Ms. Mongomery writes compelling characters, character development, and character interactions. It played with my emotions throughout. A page-turner.
I attempted the second Anne Shirley book, "Anne of Avonlea", but stopped at 25%, finding it not as engrossing as book 1. That said, I suspect I'll return to it at some point.
Here's the cover I made for Anne of Green Gables, utilizing the book's first illustration:
I attempted the second Anne Shirley book, "Anne of Avonlea", but stopped at 25%, finding it not as engrossing as book 1. That said, I suspect I'll return to it at some point.
Here's the cover I made for Anne of Green Gables, utilizing the book's first illustration:
Ive not read the first book but I have read War and Peace and I will say this, Tolstoy rocks ! This is an amazing book and well worth reading !Finished 07/30/2025: 2018
“The Life of Lazarillo of Tormes and His Fortunes and Adversities” by an Anonymous 6h Century Spanish author, English translation by Sir Clements Markham (1830-1916)
This Project Gutenberg download is a well-written, good read. Banned by the Spanish Crown and included in the Index of Forbidden Books of the Spanish Inquisition, Wikipedia credits it with launching the “picaresque novel” genre, its protagonist being a lowly mistreated servant who survives by outsmarting his masters. Its closing chapter, with Lazarillo having garnered some success in life, brought a smile to my face and had me shaking my head at the same time. I enjoyed it. Recommended.
Finished 02/2025: 0855
“The Red Badge of Courage: An Episode of the American Civil War” by Stephen Crane (1871-1900) – Project Gutenberg ebook
Once considered an American classic and, so far as I know, still is. I swear I read it half a century ago, yet nothing this read rang a bell, other than generalities. A good read but not, I think, a must-read for non U.S. Civil War buffs. (I prefer both U.S. Civil War titles recently reported on in our non-fiction thread.)
These past few months, I've been creating replacement "covers" for most Project Gutenberg titles in my possession (including the two titles above). I claim no talent for cover design, but it's an enjoyable project and, for me, better than the plain-text covers PG often supplies. (Ironically, PG itself recently began paying more attention to its covers.) Here are two recently self-created covers I'm particularly fond of:
First up, an obscure title, “The Subjection of Women” by John Stuart Mill.
Second, a not-so-obscure title, Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” in the Maude translation.
(Note that I have not yet read either of these.)
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