I'd like to start reading the classics. How should I begin?

[crich70]

For a classic horror story you can't beat "Frankenstein" and Well's "The Time Machine" is also a classic book. His description of 'space-time' even predates Einstein's theory by several years.

[pwalker8]

There are a number of guides to Shakespeare. The one I have is by Asimov.

Shakespeare is theater, so it's made to be listened to. Watching a good version of the play before reading can clear up a lot. I would guess that you can understand the vast majority of the English. There is a bit of slang from the time, plus, like many modern movies, there are various references that would be well understood by audiences of the time, but for the most part, once you get in the mindset, it's easy enough to understand.

[piperclassique]

You might also try Goethe, his Faust in translation is very accessible, and of course there is a whole pile of French writers with modern translations. Personally I would avoid Camus and Sartre unless you want to feel suicidal, though.

Someone already said Dickens, try The Signalman as a taster, then try something longer if you like that. Then there are easy reads like Tess of the d'Urbevilles, ( Thomas Hardy) pretty much anything by Trollope, The Canterbury Tales (Chaucer). A Journal of the Plague year (Defoe), Gulliver's Travels (Swift)
You can enjoy all of these on several levels, and the language isn't too daunting. You might want to try the Chaucer in a modern english version, though.

Have fun!

[Mivo]

Admittedly, I find many of the classics to be efficiently sleep-inducing and painfully archaic, but I'll nevertheless share three recommendations (looking at this thread, you already have plenty of reading material as is!):

Dracula is a must read, partly because it's simply entertaining, and chiefly because of how the author managed the viewpoints. There are very few writers who took this approach and actually made it work. It's excellent for studying purposes.

H.G. Wells wrote a large number of short stories, covering a wide variety of genres, and although they are lesser known (everyone remembers him for The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds and The Island of Doctor Moreau, all of which are solid recommendations), they are among those classic short stories that actually engaged and captivated me. The Magic Shop is one of my favorites. There's a ~900 pages collection of all of his short stories, though many can also be found in smaller collections or as individual texts.

On the literary fiction side, there are the short stories by Guy de Maupassant. As far as non-genre fiction goes, he's perhaps my most appreciated classic short story writer. The individual pieces are a little hit and miss, but quite a few of them have made a lasting impression on me (Boule de Suif being the most notable example). All of them are in the public domain and there are several "complete collection" e-books.

Originally Posted by ficbot

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a wonderful, whimsical fantasy story, even if it was written for kids You might also like the 14-volume Wizard of Oz series, books by Robert Louis Stevenson and short stories by Poe.

Hi ficbot. I read Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland as a child and I recall thinking that it was just okay. I never got around to reading Through The Looking Glass. I might consider both of them, but other novels that I haven't yet read will take precedence for quite a while. As far as The Wizard Of Oz is concerned, I can't stand the movie and absolutely refuse to watch it - so I don't think that I'd enjoy the series.

Originally Posted by crich70

For a classic horror story you can't beat "Frankenstein" and Well's "The Time Machine" is also a classic book. His description of 'space-time' even predates Einstein's theory by several years.

Welcome back, crich70 - thanks for your great contributions to the library here; I've downloaded quite a few! I definitely want to read Frankenstein, I've been in love with the concept of Frankenstein's monster ever since I was a child! (When I say "in love", I do mean it in the most apprehensive manner, of course!)

Originally Posted by pwalker8

There are a number of guides to Shakespeare. The one I have is by Asimov.

Shakespeare is theater, so it's made to be listened to. Watching a good version of the play before reading can clear up a lot. I would guess that you can understand the vast majority of the English. There is a bit of slang from the time, plus, like many modern movies, there are various references that would be well understood by audiences of the time, but for the most part, once you get in the mindset, it's easy enough to understand.

Hi pwalker8. Thank you, I'll look into finding a guide by Asimov. I've seen the Baz Luhrmann film of Romeo & Juliet, and it was terrible - but, I have seen at least most of the Hamlet film starring Sir Ian McKellan. That was ... it was good, but it wasn't what I was expecting. I've heard that The Lion King is Hamlet for children?

Originally Posted by piperclassique

You might also try Goethe, his Faust in translation is very accessible, and of course there is a whole pile of French writers with modern translations. Personally I would avoid Camus and Sartre unless you want to feel suicidal, though.

Someone already said Dickens, try The Signalman as a taster, then try something longer if you like that. Then there are easy reads like Tess of the d'Urbevilles, ( Thomas Hardy) pretty much anything by Trollope, The Canterbury Tales (Chaucer). A Journal of the Plague year (Defoe), Gulliver's Travels (Swift)
You can enjoy all of these on several levels, and the language isn't too daunting. You might want to try the Chaucer in a modern english version, though.

Have fun!

Hi piperclassique! Thanks for the advice about the French translators - I'll be sure to stay away from Camus and Sartre! That being said, now we're getting into the realm of authors I've never even heard of. I'll research all of these authors (well, except Dickens - I've heard of him!) a little, and then add your recommended books to my list! I've looked at Tess of the d'Urbevilles briefly, and it looks like something that I'd enjoy immensely.

Originally Posted by Mivo

Admittedly, I find many of the classics to be efficiently sleep-inducing and painfully archaic, but I'll nevertheless share three recommendations (looking at this thread, you already have plenty of reading material as is!):

Dracula is a must read, partly because it's simply entertaining, and chiefly because of how the author managed the viewpoints. There are very few writers who took this approach and actually made it work. It's excellent for studying purposes.

H.G. Wells wrote a large number of short stories, covering a wide variety of genres, and although they are lesser known (everyone remembers him for The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds and The Island of Doctor Moreau, all of which are solid recommendations), they are among those classic short stories that actually engaged and captivated me. The Magic Shop is one of my favorites. There's a ~900 pages collection of all of his short stories, though many can also be found in smaller collections or as individual texts.

On the literary fiction side, there are the short stories by Guy de Maupassant. As far as non-genre fiction goes, he's perhaps my most appreciated classic short story writer. The individual pieces are a little hit and miss, but quite a few of them have made a lasting impression on me (Boule de Suif being the most notable example). All of them are in the public domain and there are several "complete collection" e-books.

Hi Mivo. I'm sure that some of the classics will lull me to sleep, but hopefully not a vast majority! I started The Monk last night after a few responses to this thread, and so far I adore it.

I'll be adding Dracula to my list. It strikes me as peculiar that I haven't read it on my own watch yet, since it's such a well-renowned classic. I haven't even managed to have it spoiled for me - I have no idea how it ends!

Despite my misgivings about HG Wells earlier in this thread, based on the sheer number of recommendations for his works, I may well just bite the bullet and approach him with the expectation of his works being alright after all, heh. In any case, reading his works would be an introduction to the realm of short stories as well. I've never read one of those, either!

I've never heard of Guy de Maupassant, but I do enjoy literary fiction, so I'll be glad to tackle his works - I'll begin with Boule de Suif, as that's what you've named as one that made a better impression upon yourself.

[poohbear_nc]

Wherever you decide to start, be sure to check our own MobileRead Patricia Clark Memorial Library (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/ebo...&sort=dateline) first for a free copy. Many classics in the public domain have been formatted and uploaded by MR members for all to enjoy.

Those books uploaded by HarryT are particularly well done - with extra careful proofreading and formatting.

[xg4bx]

I've been reading nothing but classics for the past few months and I started with things that matched my interests i.e. I like science fiction so I started with Wells and Verne. Those branched me out to things like Dracula and Frankenstein, which then lead me to Sherlock Holmes. Enjoying Arthur Conan Doyle lead me to read The Lost World which gave the interest to read authors like Edgar Rice Burroughs, whom I'm currently fixated on. I already like Lovecraft so it wasn't much of a stretch to check out his inspirations and peers like Arthur Machen, Algernon Blackwood, or William Hope Hodgson.

I love the movie Apocalypse Now which inspired me to read its inspiration Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, and now I am a fan of Conrad.

So for me it was pretty much just following a trail of things I already enjoyed and branching out, I really didn't go in thinking ''Hmmm I want to read x,y, and z''. It just happened lol.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Wherever you decide to start, be sure to check our own MobileRead Patricia Clark Memorial Library (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/ebo...&sort=dateline) first for a free copy. Many classics in the public domain have been formatted and uploaded by MR members for all to enjoy.

Those books uploaded by HarryT are particularly well done - with extra careful proofreading and formatting.

And if the MR library doesn't have it Feedbooks and Manybooks are good resources as well.

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Wherever you decide to start, be sure to check our own MobileRead Patricia Clark Memorial Library (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/ebo...&sort=dateline) first for a free copy. Many classics in the public domain have been formatted and uploaded by MR members for all to enjoy.

Those books uploaded by HarryT are particularly well done - with extra careful proofreading and formatting.

Thanks, poohbear_nc - in my (probably a bit too) verbose first post I did mention that I'm looking in the library offered right here for all of the books, and that I'd like all suggestions to be books which are available here.

[Namekuseijin]

don't forget poetry, dude. Shakespeare's sonnets are awesome. Then, there's Milton's epic Paradise Lost, and Byron, Percy Shelley, Coleridge, Wordsworth, Blake, Longfellow, Keats... well, you get it. and that's only poets in english.

Originally Posted by Namekuseijin

don't forget poetry, dude. Shakespeare's sonnets are awesome. Then, there's Milton's epic Paradise Lost, and Byron, Percy Shelley, Coleridge, Wordsworth, Blake, Longfellow, Keats... well, you get it. and that's only poets in english.

Hi Namekuseijin. I've been discussing Shakespeare earlier in this thread, and I'm still not very sure that I'd like to proceed with reading his works at all. I've wanted to try Paradise Lost for some time. I'll look into the other poets you've mentioned as well. Thank you.

[Istvan diVega]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

No-one's recommended Kipling yet. I strongly recommend Kim - the version I uploaded here has a very clean text.

Let me second Kipling and specifically my favourite The Man Who Would Be King. I have no knowledge of the version available on-site, but I'm certain it will be excellent.

Well, I've jumped right in and am currently reading Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace. At 1,707 pages, it's considerably longer than Stephen King's IT, to date the longest book I've read at 1,376 pages. Though I haven't yet made any significant progress with the book (I only opened it this evening!), I'm quite enjoying it thus far.

I've had a few exciting deliveries from Book Depository come in, so after War and Peace, I'll be reading a few new releases ... But then I'll jump right back into things; hopefully with Anna Karenina or Don Quixote. Thank you all so much for your kind suggestions! You've truly set me on a literary adventure.

[cortman]

First, good for you for wanting to improve your mind by reading classical literature!
Some that I would recommend:

- Victor Hugo, Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame
- Honore de Balzac, Pere Goriot
- Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo
- Charles Dickens, virtually anything but especially A Tale of Two Cities and Nicholas Nickelby
- Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace, Anna Karenina, The Death of Ivan Illyich
- Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Idiot, Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamozov
- Anton Chekhov, The Cherry Orchard
- Nikolai Gogol, Dead Souls
- Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis
- Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
- Anything by Ernest Hemingway
- Anything by John Steinbeck (probably my favorite author)
- William Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury
- James Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans

It goes without saying that these should all be unabridged. Just a few off the top of my head.

[caleb72]

Originally Posted by Neverwhere

Well, I've jumped right in and am currently reading Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace. At 1,707 pages, it's considerably longer than Stephen King's IT, to date the longest book I've read at 1,376 pages. Though I haven't yet made any significant progress with the book (I only opened it this evening!), I'm quite enjoying it thus far.

I've had a few exciting deliveries from Book Depository come in, so after War and Peace, I'll be reading a few new releases ... But then I'll jump right back into things; hopefully with Anna Karenina or Don Quixote. Thank you all so much for your kind suggestions! You've truly set me on a literary adventure.

Have heaps of fun. I've certainly been enjoying my own journey with the classics. Just finished The War of the Worlds by H G Wells.