Quote:
Originally Posted by Luffy
I can't quote the 'offending' lines now. But some sentences simply hinted at things that I didn't get. This happened once every 5 pages, I think. I've no problem with post War books. These are thoroughly modern. But the true classics and I have an uneasy truce.
|
Fair enough. I love the classics, but I've spent 30+ years reading 19th century literature, so I am now thoroughly familiar with what can be a description of a very different world. One simple thing that can be confusing is the "technical" vocabulary relating to the bewildering range of horse-drawn transport that people used then: words that were everyday words at the time, but which are unfamiliar to people today. That kind of thing is what I find the Kindle's dictionary very useful for.
It can be useful to read versions with good footnotes that explain things. The "Penguin Classics" series is excellent for that.