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ficbot · 06-07-2011, 10:53 PM

Following some time with the Harvard Classics this week, I have become very interested in reading more of the 'great works' out there. I know that, even though I was an English major and am fairly 'well-educated' in the traditional sense, there are many gaps in my knowledge. Added to that, too, has been my disappointment with some of the 'commercial' modern books I have read lately. They have been expensive, riddled with typos and errors (moreso than previously!) and just---forgettable. I think I am looking more for an experience of being 'transported' somehow, and of bettering my mind and of understanding where our literary culture has come from.

So, with best intentions, I loaded up all the Harvard Classics onto my Kindle, and...well, it's been a mixed bag to say the least. I've loved the poetry, once I figured out it actually looked okay on the smaller font setting. I've enjoyed some of the drama too. But then, I always have enjoyed Shakespeare, so between that and Palgrave's poetry selections, this hasn't been so much 'expanding my mind' as it's been 'wallowing in my English major comfort zone.'

So then I tried some Plato. Blah. I tried Benjamin Franklin. And...blah again. None of this is resonating with me. So I sampled a few Kindle titles on 'how to read the classics' and got the following tidbits:

- Reading the 'classics' is not worthwhile unless you schedule it (no more than 4 times a week to avoid over-tiring yourself) and journal about it

- Also, you should read everything three times (even the Cervantes? Damn!) Because that's the 'truvium.'

- Also, you should read chronologically. As in, start with the BCE era, and finish ALL of it before you are allowed to move on.

- And if you haven't read the Bible yet, do that first or else you'll be screwed later.

- And finally, understand that all of this is futile anyway because it's all about dead white guys and unless you read women and Hispanic writers, you lack a true global perspective.

So obviously, reading for 'fun' I could just read the poetry and the Shakespeare and the occasional Dickens and Conan Doyle and tra la la. But if I want to read for 'education' then does that really mean I have to slog through Plato if I don't really want to? And how important is it to read chronologically? Can't I just pick something interesting and see where it takes me?

I welcome your thoughts. Obviously, I am quite prepared to be less educated and choose more enjoyable books

But if I do want to incorporate some necessary but less 'fun' books, I would like some techniques for doing so effectively without turning this into a slog--or a job.

06-07-2011, 10:53 PM	#1
ficbot Wizard Posts: 2,409 Karma: 4132096 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: Kindle Paperwhite/iOS Kindle App	Strategies for reading the classics? Following some time with the Harvard Classics this week, I have become very interested in reading more of the 'great works' out there. I know that, even though I was an English major and am fairly 'well-educated' in the traditional sense, there are many gaps in my knowledge. Added to that, too, has been my disappointment with some of the 'commercial' modern books I have read lately. They have been expensive, riddled with typos and errors (moreso than previously!) and just---forgettable. I think I am looking more for an experience of being 'transported' somehow, and of bettering my mind and of understanding where our literary culture has come from. So, with best intentions, I loaded up all the Harvard Classics onto my Kindle, and...well, it's been a mixed bag to say the least. I've loved the poetry, once I figured out it actually looked okay on the smaller font setting. I've enjoyed some of the drama too. But then, I always have enjoyed Shakespeare, so between that and Palgrave's poetry selections, this hasn't been so much 'expanding my mind' as it's been 'wallowing in my English major comfort zone.' So then I tried some Plato. Blah. I tried Benjamin Franklin. And...blah again. None of this is resonating with me. So I sampled a few Kindle titles on 'how to read the classics' and got the following tidbits: - Reading the 'classics' is not worthwhile unless you schedule it (no more than 4 times a week to avoid over-tiring yourself) and journal about it - Also, you should read everything three times (even the Cervantes? Damn!) Because that's the 'truvium.' - Also, you should read chronologically. As in, start with the BCE era, and finish ALL of it before you are allowed to move on. - And if you haven't read the Bible yet, do that first or else you'll be screwed later. - And finally, understand that all of this is futile anyway because it's all about dead white guys and unless you read women and Hispanic writers, you lack a true global perspective. So obviously, reading for 'fun' I could just read the poetry and the Shakespeare and the occasional Dickens and Conan Doyle and tra la la. But if I want to read for 'education' then does that really mean I have to slog through Plato if I don't really want to? And how important is it to read chronologically? Can't I just pick something interesting and see where it takes me? I welcome your thoughts. Obviously, I am quite prepared to be less educated and choose more enjoyable books But if I do want to incorporate some necessary but less 'fun' books, I would like some techniques for doing so effectively without turning this into a slog--or a job.