Challenging Classics Needed

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by BookCat

Thank you so much for these recommendations.
Here are my thoughts about some of them, and a little more clarification.

D H Lawrence is a great recommendation; I've only read a couple of his books and that was a very long time ago. I wasn't sure he was PD.

War and Peace and Kim are rather longer than I'm looking for at the moment. I read lots of Russian shorts at uni. The plot of Kim does appeal, if only Kipling had edited the book a little!

While I love Dickens' novels, I'm not looking for non fiction. His novels are fairly easy to read imho. Thanks anyway.

Treasure Island is one of those books I've always intended to read, but never got round to. I might try it. As it was written for children, I don't imagine that it's very challenging.

I read Jekyll and Hyde one summer about 20 years ago when I had fun reading lots of classic horrors (including Dracula) in a sunny garden, just for perverse contrast! It might be worth revisiting.

A Modest Proposal is an essay I've had to study twice: for A level and at Uni, all that metaphorical baby eating! I've also read Gulliver several times. I might have a look at his other books.

I've never read a James Fenimore Cooper, but I've been under the impression he wrote westerns (an upmarket Zane Grey). Is he really that painful?

For some reason, I just don't get on with Austen; I've tried several of her books: Emma, Pride and Prejudice .. but find her writing a bit like wading through glue. Imho she needed an editor!

I've read a few Bronte novels: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall; Jane Eyre; and what I later discovered was an abridged version of Wuthering Heights. I do like the Brontes, so might try some of their other works, including the full version of WH.

Thanks for the Jack London recommendation, I haven't read anything by him. I'll take a look at The Signalman too.

I have the pbook of Gone With the Wind but have always been put off by the length. I would love to immerse myself in the story sometime. I've read Little Women.

Thank you.
By 'challenging' I mean in writing style and reading difficulty. The use of complex English grammar and a wide vocabulary. Many self-published, especially romantic, novelists, write poor ungrammatical English and use a very narrow vocabulary - often incorrectly.
I want to avoid authors like Thomas Hardy, who had a gloomy outlook, and find well-written, but positive books (and I love happy endings).
I'm going to cease downloading freebies from Amazon and stick to classics for a while. More recommendations for well-written classics would be very welcome.
I hope I haven't offended anyone with my reactions to the recommendations.

I cannot blame you on the last part.
In a very independent study a couple of years ago or maybe more now, it was found that about 85% of self-published freebies were not worth the bytes.
Oh wait, I forgot this very independent study was done two years in a row. Regrettably, the survey found that self-published freebies (well paid ones too) were getting worse not better.
The person conducting the study has chosen not to torture herself farther and redo the study.
The person was and is all for self publishing, she has found some very good authors that self publish. The flip side is she found more bad than good.
On that one, she could probably write a book on the good, the bad and the ugly of the self publishing world.
*But since she doubts it would sell very many copies, she doesn't want to make the investment.

[Luffy]

I'm going to cease downloading freebies from Amazon and stick to classics for a while.

Yay! Good decision.

[JSWolf]

Give Finnegans Wake by James Joyce a go first. If you can actually finish it and understand what you've read, then you can read anything.

[AnotherCat]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Give Finnegans Wake by James Joyce a go first. If you can actually finish it and understand what you've read, then you can read anything.

But it cannot be finished because the end becomes the beginning again .

[Greg Anos]

Originally Posted by AnotherCat

But it cannot be finished because the end becomes the beginning again .

Yes and no. . .

Personally I prefer Winnigan's Fake But it's not in PD. . .

[Greg Anos]

The OP might want to try some Balzac (in translation).

[gmw]

Originally Posted by BookCat

[...] While I love Dickens' novels, I'm not looking for non fiction. His novels are fairly easy to read imho. Thanks anyway.
[...]
I hope I haven't offended anyone with my reactions to the recommendations.

I agree that Dickens' novels are fairly easy reading, which was why I suggested some non-fiction as they do present more of a challenge. (Well, that and the assumption that you'd probably read at least some Dickens's fiction.) But, non-fiction is something I definitely have to be in the mood for, so I can easily understand it not being what you want.

I wonder if you might like to try: The Little White Bird by J.M. Barrie. (1902)

(The edition I read was off Project Gutenberg, because I read it long before GrannyGrump's kind addition to the MR library.)

Don't be put off (or otherwise) by its associations with Peter Pan, there is much more to it than that. It's probably not that challenging in the grammar or writing style sense (you probably have to go older than 1902 for much of that), but there are depths to the story and characters that I found wonderfully well portrayed. There is a particular charm, I thought, in the early chapters and again in the last.


If you haven't already read any of Wilkie Collins (eg: The Woman in White, The Moonstone) then you may find interest the writing style of these and other novels of his. I enjoyed these very much. Again, there are good clean editions here on MR.

[litemotif]

Anything by Henry James should be right up your alley, challenge-wise.
I also second the Wilkie Collins recommendation.
(Fine editions of both authors available here on MR.)

[pdurrant]

I'm surprised you think "Kim" is long. The Penguin paperback is only 132 pages. (While the Penguin War and Peace is 1403 pages...)

[BookCat]

Thank you for the recommendations.

The only Joyce I've read was Portrait of the Artist, more years ago than I care to remember. Finnegan's Wake sounds almost as intriguing as Ulysses, without the length. I'll give it a try.

There are three novelists I get confused: Flaubert, Zola and Balzac. I think I've read something from Balzac, but can't remember - I thought he wrote Germinal, but it turns out that was by one of the others! So if he's available either free or very inexpensively in translation, I'll read him.

I read A Woman in White and loved it, I've also read The Dead Secret, but I'm all too willing to try another Wilkie Collins. Thanks for reminding me about him.

The only Henry James I've read is Turn of the Screw, and, so long ago that I can't remember what it was about, I read Portrait of a Lady. I was very young when I read the latter and unimpressed; but I'll try something else by him.

You're right about Kim: I just checked the word count on manybooks: 110,567 which isn't too bad. Thanks for pointing this out.

Some great recommendations. I'm making a list of them. More are always welcome. Thank you.

[Greg Anos]

Originally Posted by BookCat

Thank you for the recommendations.

The only Joyce I've read was Portrait of the Artist, more years ago than I care to remember. Finnegan's Wake sounds almost as intriguing as Ulysses, without the length. I'll give it a try.

There are three novelists I get confused: Flaubert, Zola and Balzac. I think I've read something from Balzac, but can't remember - I thought he wrote Germinal, but it turns out that was by one of the others! So if he's available either free or very inexpensively in translation, I'll read him.

I read A Woman in White and loved it, I've also read The Dead Secret, but I'm all too willing to try another Wilkie Collins. Thanks for reminding me about him.

The only Henry James I've read is Turn of the Screw, and, so long ago that I can't remember what it was about, I read Portrait of a Lady. I was very young when I read the latter and unimpressed; but I'll try something else by him.

You're right about Kim: I just checked the word count on manybooks: 110,567 which isn't too bad. Thanks for pointing this out.

Some great recommendations. I'm making a list of them. More are always welcome. Thank you.

Various Balzac books are available on MR and also on Project Gurtenberg.