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Jan
26
A Book Lady First: Weekly Geeks 2009-03
2009 at 11am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
I’ve been watching the Weekly Geeks fun for a while now and think it’s about time to join in. So, here we go.
In the third Weekly Geeks of 2009, let’s have fun with the classics. For our purposes, I’m defining a classic as anything written over 100 years ago and still in print. (If your memory needs jogging, see: Classic Literature Library for examples.)
Here are the questions I chose from this week’s topic:
1) How do you feel about classic literature? Are you intimidated by it? Love it? Not sure because you never actually tried it? Don’t get why anyone reads anything else? Which classics, if any, have you truly loved? Which would you recommend for someone who has very little experience reading older books? Go all out, sell us on it!
3) Let’s say you’re vacationing with your dear cousin Myrtle, and she forgot to bring a book. The two of you venture into the hip independent bookstore around the corner, where she primly announces that she only reads classic literature. If you don’t find her a book, she’ll never let you get any reading done! What contemporary book/s with classic appeal would you pull off the shelf for her?
I’ve always been an English geek. I loved most of my assigned reading in high school and college, and though I majored in psychology and minored in English, I realized almost immediately after graduation that I should have done things the other way around. I generally enjoy classic literature, especially within the context of a class or discussion group, where I can learn more about why the book is important and what makes it perpetually relevant for readers through the years. I haven’t really been intimidated by classic literature except for The Sound and the Fury, which my professor told us would be virtually unintelligible, but which I enjoyed once I finally “got it.” I haven’t yet tackled Ulysses, which has also always seemed intimidating, but I’m sure I’ll do it someday.
There are several classics I truly love. The Scarlet Letter is the first book I really fell in love with. It has scandal, mystery, romance, and beautiful writing. Next came The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald makes the feelings of longing, desire, disappointment, and unrequited love so vivid you can almost taste them, and I continue to find new things to love about this book with each reading. I love it so much that I used a passage from it as a reading in my wedding. Gatsby is relatively short as classics go, and the language and story are universal and accessible; it would be a great place to start for someone who has little experience reading older books (and it’s really not that old yet!).
I also love Dickens, particularly A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations, and have developed a taste for Russian literature. My favorites so far are Anna Karenina and Crime and Punishment. Once you get past the fact that everyone has like fifteen different names and nicknames, the stories are engrossing and powerfully told. I also really love some of the more modern classics like The Catcher in the Rye, Fahrenheit 451, and Catch-22. And I guess I’ll just go ahead and confess that though I enjoyed Jane Austen, I’ve never understood the seemingly ubiquitous fanatical love for Pride and Prejudice. It does have a great first line, though.
For dear Cousin Myrtle, I would suggest Michel Faber’s The Crimson Petal and the White, which is a chunkster but well worth the read. Again with the romance, mystery, conflict, adultery…it has everything. I’d also recommend The Thirteenth Tale and The Shadow of the Wind, which really are classic gothic tales in the shape of modern stories. Love in the Time of Cholera would also be a great choice for someone who enjoys magical realism and a timeless love story. And we mustn’t forget The Remains of the Day, which was one of my favorite reads of 2008, along with The Time Traveler’s Wife, which has a very unconventional format but appeals to the same sensibilities as many of the classics.
I could go on with this for a while, but instead, I’ll ask you to share your suggestions with me and hop over to Weekly Geeks for more talk about the classics.
No related posts.
Great answer! I loved Gatsby too. I’m a big Classics fan.
You’ve named so of the classics that have worn well. I love Anna Karenina, knowing that it unfolds itself as not only a marriage drama but personal journey to love. I agree on Love in a Time of Cholera, which will keep a vacationer occupied for a day.
The Sound and the Fury has been sitting at home for a long time but I have shied away from it. The experimental form could be taking a toll on my brain. I’m ready to tackle if anyone would read along with me!
Welcome to Weekly Geeks!
Your suggestions for Cousin Myrtle include some of my favourite ever books!
Great post. And you have taken such good care of cousin Myrtle! Those are all engrossing reads. I hesitated about reading The Thirteenth Tale for the longest time until it was literally placed in my lap. Then I could not put it down. A real bibliophile indulgence.
Wonderful to have you as part of Weekly Geeks! I’m pondering your suggestions of The Time Traveler’s Wife. Not an obvious choice, IMO, but as I mull it over I’m thinking Myrtle just might adore it. Such a lovely book.