Classics for Beginners discussion

Hey, guys. I just joine the group. I’m currently reading twenty thousand leagues and am about to read count of Monte Cristo with someone. I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on some classics to go for. I’ve mostly just read the ones I had to read in school. I’ve read Twain, Frankenstein, Scarlet letter, Shakespeare, Arthur Miller, Poe, I’m almost certain that I read to kill a mockingbird but don’t remember it at all. I usually read nonfiction, fantasy, some sci-fi, and young adult. But, I really wanna read more classics, so I’m gonna go for that for a while.

To Kill A Mockingbird is an incredible read. Especially if you have the opportunity to listen to it via audio book. Cissy Spacek reads it. I know that might sound strange, but she nails the characters. One of the best audio books I have listened to and I am always reading one book by audio and one regular book at the same time! Another suggestion is the Charles Dickens books. I have not read them all, but my husband believes that David Copperfield is one of the best!

Thanks. I’ll do that with to kill a mockingbird. On dickens, which one would you go for first? Only one I’ve read is a Christmas carol.

If you listen to "To Kill a Mockingbird", I promise you will never forget it!

My hubby says David Copperfield first with Bleak House a close second from Dickens.

Hope you enjoy!

Has anyone read any of the Russian classics? If so, how hard are they to read? Another question is, how romantic are Jane Austen books or books by the bronzes or withering heights, etc?

Hi Steven.
Jane Austen I would describe more as a comedy of manners with an element of romance. 'Pride and Predjudice' is the most accesable, but you might enjoy 'Northanger Abbey' more, with it's gothic subplot.
The Brontes I found easy to read. I loved 'Jane Eyre' and 'The Tennant of Wildfell Hall'.I found Wuthering Heights easy enough, but while I appreciate the writing, I didn't like any of the characters.
I have read 'War and Peace' , personally, I found it a bit of a slog. I didn't enjoy all the battle scenes. It wasn't hard, but it is very long and not enough to interest me. It's still good. 3* from me.
Hope this helps and happy reading.

Steven, you might want to start with Russian short stories, which I find more interesting than the books. I did like Crime and Punishment. Some ideas for short story authors can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Russian Classics — the translation makes a big difference. Brothers Karamazov is the best book I’ve ever read, and I read it 30 years ago. Crime and Punishment is high up there. I am not as much of a Tolstoy fan, but read Anna Karenina and DNF’d War And Peace. Other readers strongly prefer Tolstoy. AK is where I recommend starting for Tolstoy, of his novels.

One thing to consider. Each of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Turgenev, and Gogol wrote short stories as well as the novels for which they are famous. You may want to read some short stories, decide whose style you like, and then commit to a novel by the author you like. There are a ton of great discussion threads around GR that might help you pick the best translation, too.

Many Russian short stories are available free online.

Good luck!

☯Emily wrote: "Steven, you might want to start with Russian short stories, which I find more interesting than the books. I did like Crime and Punishment. Some ideas for short story authors can be found here: http..."

Great minds !! Lol

☯Emily wrote: "Steven, you might want to start with Russian short stories, which I find more interesting than the books..."

That's a great tip.

I tried to read The Idiot last year and got nowhere. I kept feeling like I was missing something fundamental, because I didn't understand the context... Maybe short stories are a good way to start.

I haven't read much by Russian authors, but I remember someone far more well-read than myself saying that it's helpful to read the major works in chronological order, as they tend to build on each other more directly than perhaps canon of other countries do.

I'd always recommend the classical classic, The Iliad. I read the Robert Fagles translation in college, which was very modern and accessible without foregoing the poetical essence, but there are more lyrical translations and more workaday translations out there to suit all tastes. The New Yorker did a nice comparison of popular translations that gives a sense of the varying styles available.

It's interesting to me, and often surprising, to see what different people find romantic (in the small-r, twoo-wuv sense). Austen is satire first and foremost; society itself is silly, and the romantic leads are nearly as silly, but with careful mental editing many readers find them as perfectly romantic as the movie adaptations. I have a suspicion that anyone who finds Wuthering Heights romantic has probably slashed an ex's tires in the name of love—or at least is on such people's sides when they end up on "Judge Judy." Jane Eyre I do see as a love story, but it's also about female independence and dignity and staying true to oneself. I remember Dr. Phil telling a troubled woman many years ago that love is unconditional, but that doesn't mean you can't put conditions [e.g., sobriety or nonviolence] on living together—that kind of sums up Jane Eyre to me. A woman should not allow herself to be sacrificed on the altar of love.

Ray Bradbury is an interesting author. Definitely soft sci-fi—it's about people and ideas and atmosphere, not science—but he writes some oddly thrilling stuff.

I'd read anything by John Steinbeck or Thomas Hardy. Both can be downers, but in a good way!

Thomas Hardy is a good option. They are easy to read and understand, but are definitely depressing. It is somewhat similar to reading Shakespeare's tragedies.

Hi Steven,

I'm going to second (third?) the recommendation for Mockingbird. It's my all-time favorite book and a very, very fast read.

In terms of the Russians, I agree that the translation does make a huge difference. I found Anna Karenina fairly easy to follow but disliked most of the characters; Ivan Turgenev and Fyodor Dostoyevsky can depend on the translation but I felt were much "better" books in terms of content.

For Dickens, my favorite is A Tale of Two Cities, which is about the French Revolution and not his usual setting. I'll echo what others have said about both Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters (and what has been said about Wuthering Heights). I finished my first Thomas Hardy a couple of weeks ago and while it was a little bit of a downer, I enjoyed it.

There are many good sci-fi classics out there; definitely look into HG Wells if you haven't already. As someone mentioned, Ray Bradbury is very good. You may also like We. And don't forget authors like Arthur Conan Doyle or J.R.R. Tolkien if you haven't made your way there already!

My advice is to try a little bit of everything. I've been bouncing around the classics for about 10 years now, and while I do come back to certain authors (I adore Oscar Wilde for his humor and brilliant use of language), it seems like there is always someone who is new to me. Enjoy!

Meghan wrote: "Hi Steven,

I'm going to second (third?) the recommendation for Mockingbird. It's my all-time favorite book and a very, very fast read.

In terms of the Russians, I agree that the translation does ..."

Thanks, Meghan. I’ll look into those. I really like hg wells. I’ve only read the hobbit by Tolkien and hounds of the Baskerville by Doyle. There aren’t any books that you’d want to read together are there?

Steven wrote: "Meghan wrote: "Hi Steven,

I'm going to second (third?) the recommendation for Mockingbird. It's my all-time favorite book and a very, very fast read.

In terms of the Russians, I agree that the tr..."

At this time, things are really hectic so I can't really plan ahead what I'm reading.

I will say that I prefer Doyle's short stories (though Baskervilles was great) to most of his longer novels. You may want to try those.