Am I bad at reading or what?

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by FinancialWar

how am I going to get the story without reading the text?

"Story book"/junior/child library versions, movies, abridged versions, contemporary versions, summaries, talking to a friend about their reading (as I mentioned above), etc. There are many ways of learning about a story without reading the text.

[taosaur]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

"Story book"/junior/child library versions, movies, abridged versions, contemporary versions, summaries, talking to a friend about their reading (as I mentioned above), etc. There are many ways of learning about a story without reading the text.

+1

Even if you haven't seen fifteen different versions, derivatives and homages, you probably have half the story on hearsay alone.

[FinancialWar]

I'll just read wikipedia plot summery.

[RolandD]

Originally Posted by FinancialWar

how am I going to get the story without reading the text?

Classics Illustrated

My Parents had a set of encyclopedias called 'Masterplots'. A two or three page overview of the characters and plot of all the great works of literature. They still publish it. Salem Press Masterplots I saw a set just like I had in the used book store just yesterday.

[Wordivore]

Originally Posted by FinancialWar

I tried reading "Moby Dick", I found it extremely difficult to understand and three chapters into the book I gave up. The style is just too ancient for me.

Does anyone else have difficulty reading old classics?

No.
But then again - I am an old classic so probably have an advantage.

[caheaton]

It's been a long time since I've read true classics, but count me as another who enjoys Dickens. I'm also a fan of Poe and Twain (now there's a combination ). One writer I DO NOT enjoy is Hawthorne. I found the Scarlet Letter to be quite a slog and it turned me off from his works.

For a real challenge, try Beowulf in it's original English

Craig

[BenG]

Why Read Moby Dick?
http://www.amazon.com/Why-Read-Moby-...=AG56TWVU5XWC2

and a review of the book:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/bo...pagewanted=all

[ApK]

Originally Posted by SeaBookGuy

I used to think that, too, but I've since enjoyed many as audiobooks.

Audible has a really good unabridged audiobook of Moby Dick. That was the only way I've been able to get through it and I really enjoyed it. There is indeed a lot more to the book the high-concept story you'd get from cultural osmosis.
Ishmael's relating the value of whale oil comes to mind.

[Mobile_Reader]

Originally Posted by ApK

Audible has a really good unabridged audiobook of Moby Dick. That was the only way I've been able to get through it and I really enjoyed it. There is indeed a lot more to the book the high-concept story you'd get from cultural osmosis.
Ishmael's relating the value of whale oil comes to mind.

Ok, but WHICH ONE on Audible? As there are 12 abridged versions there (plus around 10 unabridged ones)... and the narrator matters a lot in audiobooks.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Mobile_Reader

Ok, but WHICH ONE on Audible? As there are 12 abridged versions there (plus around 10 unabridged ones)

The one I have and like was narrated by Frank Muller.

I see he narrates the first of the unabridged results, so I assume it's the same one, but when I actually click the link to the item in my Audible Library (which I bought in 2001) it says that product is not currently for sale. I'm sure it must just be a SKU change. Surely Frank Muller didn't narrate that massive sucker TWICE.

and the narrator matters a lot in audiobooks.

Sure does. Props to Susan Erickson and Lou Diamond Philips for doing a fantastic job on some books I've listened to recently.
ApK

[solitarywolf]

Harry said it best. Slow down when reading the classics. I have struggled through many this way. Moby Dick had its ups and downs for me. In the end it was very rewarding for me. What I do with a classic is also research the author (bio's, wikipedia, etc), read cliffs notes after reading each chapter or section. What I find is where I might have missed something or misunderstood it, my research fills in the gaps. Another thing I do is read the introduction again after I have read the book. It also makes more sense after you know what the introducer is talking about.

I have found struggling through the classics has been very rewarding in itself. From this I have learned to appreciate a slower life and to enjoy all those silent films that soon came after the classics. But that is another story...

[CJJ]

Moby Dick seems almost modern compared to Gulliver Travels. Worth the effort though, as the social commentaries are true to this day.

[solitarywolf]

I have discovered that since my absorbtion of the classics has made my understanding of film/movies better (not to mention more modern writings). There are so many subtle references to classic characters in movies that many go unnoticed.

[RolandD]

Originally Posted by solitarywolf

I have discovered that since my absorbtion of the classics has made my understanding of film/movies better (not to mention more modern writings). There are so many subtle references to classic characters in movies that many go unnoticed.

Yes, but it's those same subtle references that make the classics so hard to read. We aren't steeped in the culture of the time they were written and therefore, much of it makes little sense.

[RolandD]

Originally Posted by solitarywolf

I have discovered that since my absorbtion of the classics has made my understanding of film/movies better (not to mention more modern writings). There are so many subtle references to classic characters in movies that many go unnoticed.

btw, This is known as cultural literacy as discussed in an excellent book, by the same title, written by E.D. Hirsch, Jr.

Cultural Literacy