Quote:
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.
Quote:
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.
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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!)
Quote:
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.
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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?
Quote:
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!
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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.
Quote:
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.
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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.