TLDR: Am I actually missing out by not reading some classics? Which are actually still good to read? Not in an educational sense but just for the joy of reading an engaging story?
Moby Dick does not sound appealing at all. I somehow BS’d my way thru that part of class as a young person.
But it’s regarded as a classic and I’m not sure if that’s because it’s still a good read or because we’ve all been told it’s a classic and no one cares to challenge that lest they look like a pleb.
I did read Catcher and the Rye, Slaughter House 5 and didn’t really enjoy either.
I have a copy of The Master and Margarita that I’ve yet to crack and there’s a couple of Dostoevsky novels that sound intriguing but I’d want to research the best translations. I found a copy of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in a pile at a free book exchange.
I read mostly fiction. Not opposed to nonfiction if the subject interests me. I read more of that in the past.
Not opposed to poetry though it does often make me feel like I’m not reading it correctly. Recently read the Descent of Alette and it was absolutely incredible. Seriously wonderful to experience once I got past the use of quotation marks.
by newgreyarea
5 Comments
Yes you are missing out. Full stop. The thing about the classics is that they are simply exactly like modern books – some you will love, some you will hate, and some will change your life forever. I can’t tell you what those will be for you. But yes, classics are worth reading.
Depends on the novel. Can be hard to relate to some of the topics, and language can be a but stiff compared to modern day.
My go to classics are both Oscar Wilde
Dorian Gray, and (easier read) the Importance of Being Earnest.
I genuinely liked reading Moby-Dick and Slaughterhouse 5. I guess there are parts of Moby-Dick I wouldn’t call “entertaining,” but I can enjoy things even if they aren’t entertaining, if that makes any sense.
Some classics I read because they’re important, but mostly I try to find out why they’re important and see whether that, and the story (if applicable) meets my interests. I enjoy most classics that I read, and they’ve broadened my horizons in surprising ways – I probably never would have read a single romance book if it wasn’t for *Pride and Prejudice*, for example.
It all depends. I love the genre classics like Sherlock Holmes, Frankenstein, Dracula, Count of Monte Christo and so on. They are good stories that lay a lot of the foundational tropes and forms.
Classic just means a book that is still relevant after 50 years. I hear Lord of the Rings is now in that camp.
Frankenstein and Dracula are my two favorite books of all time, but admittedly you as the reader would have to be okay with narratives written in diary entries and shifting perspectives. My partner is a huge Vonnegut fan but isn’t into diary entry narratives. He also adored Don Quixote and I could not get through the first chapter for the life of me. Depends on your preference really.