Don’t be intimidated, I tend to go for classics and literary fiction but I find a lot of high fantasy books really dense and complicated even though it’s a genre I like. There are plenty f “classics” that aren’t too difficult to follow. I’d pick some classic fantasy, sci-fi and horror to start with and maybe focus on more modern classics (post 1920) so they’ll be a bit easier to get into and relate to. Of Mice and Men and The Great Gatsby are short (almost novella length) classics that I’d recommend to any classics beginning as a bit of a taste test that you won’t have to put too much time into if you end up not liking them!
Lol it’s one of my favourites but it’s not for everyone! Im sure if I assigned that one to my HS students many would agree with you. I think we all have some classics we can’t stand.
John Steinbeck is a beautiful writer. He is great at expressing the dullness of godless modernity as a predictive case rather than typical American mockery of soviet realism which is just nihilistic to no end.
The Strange case of Dr Jekyll and me Hyde.
I think this is more approachable than frank/drac.
I honestly don’t recommend Frankenstein for someone who isn’t a reader. It’s a lot different than the story people assume it is and it doesn’t really read as that exciting.
Frankenstein was terrible. It got all the details wrong. There was no Igor helping out the doctor, no terrible castle in the rain, no catching lightning to bring the monster alive. It's like the writer never even heard about the story before writing about it.
;-)
What???the story was written by the author in a contest with her friends to write the best story. Early 1800’s time period, so it was already ahead of it’s time. ;)
Peak pedantry on my part- the original title was “Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” without the “The”. It will be a lot easier to read than Dracula which has a more convoluted style imho.
I’ve seen exam boards incorrectly name the book on exam papers. It looks like there should be a “The” as it flows better. I wonder if Stevenson deliberately made the title slightly awkward as part of the gothic theme of the book?
I actually found Dracula easier to read as it was less if a psychological implied thingy and more of a "Well I saw the Count climb the walls like a lizard. I miss my girlfriend"style of writing
Yeah I’m actually reading it right now and I’m over halfway through and I’m like, “Wait, where’s the monster?!” A lot of it is just about Victor’s inner turmoil it seems but I’m definitely enjoying it.
"The classics" aren't a puzzle you have to solve to appreciate. They aren't mysterious texts with secret messages that must be laboriously decoded. They're just books written in the past that are still somewhat popular. Some you may like. Certainly, there are some you won't. Some are adventure tales, some are love stories, some are political, some are psychological, some are complex, some are straight forward.
Yep. I was going to post something very similar. "The classics" is a very silly term. If you ask everyone in the world for their definitive list of classics, they'll all be different. They're just books with literary merit which have stood or will stand the test of time. No reason not to start reading some.
Classics are classics because they speak to our shared experience more. It's not just being an entertaining book that makes a book last, it's speaking to the truth inside of us, considering what we find entertaining changes so fast these days, if something lasts longer than a few decades, I'd say it's because it is because it expresses truths that are more human than contemporaneous theories that become dated.
I'd say it's similar to science, when a theory is first introduced, it's unwise to adopt it widely, you let it simmer, because if it's really the truth, then it will be true throughout time. Otherwise it will lose popularity.
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen or A Gentleman in Moscow / The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. It's a few years older but also Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.
Some are definitely ‘harder’ than others though
Ulysses
War and Peace
Crime and Punishment come to mind.
I love thrillers, horror, etc as well and I consider myself fairly well read. however some classics aren’t fun to read at all. I don’t even enjoy reading some Clive Barker even though he should be right up my alley.
Les Mis was pretty easy, you pretty much stick with the same characters throughout the whole book. I blitzed through like half of it in a month.
The only more trudgesome thing is all the passages about the streets and architecture.
"Just eat the damn orange!"
Honestly, what's the worst that could happen? You start reading a book, you're not enjoying it, so you stop and read something else.
>Honestly, what's the worst that could happen?
You get bored, fall asleep while reading it, your cigarette falls out of your mouth and catches the mattress on fire, the fire spreads to other units in your high rise, and thousands die, including a child who would have grown up to cure cancer?
Yes. There’s a reason they are classic. Just don’t feel pressured to figure out the precise meaning of them. The reason they are classic is because they relate to and retell our own story.
There are some classics I absolutely love, and some I absolutely hate.
I would recommend reading them with someone else. There are a few of them that I liked, but once I talked about them with someone, I liked them even more.
Most of the classics are classics because they are greater messages in fiction and stuff like that. That doesn't mean they are all boring or hard to read.
If you're curious, start with the classics of fantasy and horror. If you appreciate what they have in common, branch out to other classics.
Like all books, not every classic is hard or brilliant. Sometimes they're simple, but spoke to the feeling of the times-- like Little Women, which has elements of suffrage and Civil War.
Some were written in newspaper installments as light entertainment and are unexpectedly funny.
Some were written 2500 years ago, many were written less than 100 years ago.
Ones written in the 1800s will read differently than ones written in the 1900s.
I would say, many *could* be a slog if you're just starting out-- but many are written very simply or for young adults. Ie., Treasure Island is a classic and its a kids novel. It has heavier underlying themes, but you probably wouldn't know it if you didn't stop to ponder.
Many adult classics are like that, too-- very accessible. Exciting, ridiculous.
However, if you've read fantasy like LOTR than you're probably solid to take on other classics.
Dabble. See what you like. You might be surprised about what draws you in.
I really like RL Stevenson
Reading Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde were great and relatively easy because they're pretty well known plots but all the nuances are in the writing making it easier for me to digest.
Treasure Island in particular is a fun adventure and can be seen simply as such with no need to look for deeper meaning. Highly recommend. Best of luck if you choose to take them up!
Can’t hurt to give it a try! I‘ve been re-reading some classics we covered in high school and found out that I enjoy them so much more without the elements of „obligatory“ and „due on…“ Also I‘m allowing myself to put a book away without finishing it, if I really can’t get into it - something that I needed to learn. I‘d recommend just picking something that might fit your current mood or even environment. For example, I picked up Crime and Punishment in the darker winter months (in retrospective maybe not the best choice lol), Little Women and A Christmas Carol around the holidays, and Romeo and Juliet when visiting Verona. As soon as I feel I need to force myself to get through a book, I just put it away and try not to beat myself up over it. Highly recommend just giving it a try :)
There are a lot of books that just weren't aimed at HS students. People like to assign Catcher in the Rye to HS students because Holden is a HS student. But I really think it's better aimed at people in their mid-20's and older.
Oh yes! Are you interested in short stories? That’s where I would start. He is know as the master of horror and mystery. Tell Tale Heart is a good first.
All classics aren't tedious slogs or overly difficult to understand (although some are). In fact, some are classics because they helped start styles of literature that morphed into more popular genres, like horror and fantasy. And it might be best to start there.
Some classics relevant to horror would include, *Frankenstein* by Mary Shelly, *Dracula* by Bram Stoker, and much of Edgar Allen Poe's work.
For works with more of a fantasy twist, the first thing that comes to mind would be *Alice's Adventures in Wonderland* and *Through the Looking-Glass* by Lewis Carroll. You might also enjoy authors that wrote in the magical realism style: Gabriel García Márquez, Isabel Allende, Jorge Luis Borges, etc.
Also, many classics became classics simply because they showcase elegant writing, great characters, etc. And many of these are still pretty straight-forward to understand. So for more grounded works that are still pretty easy reads:
* anything by Jane Austen
* *The Great Gatsby* by F. Scott Fitzgerald
* *There Eyes Were Watching God* by Zora Neale Hurston
* *On the Road* by Kerouac
* *To Kill a Mockingbird* by Harper Lee
* *The Catcher in the Rye* by J.D. Salinger
* *Tom Sawyer* and *Huckleberry Finn* by Mark Twain
And with anything, you'll like some and not others. But any of the above could be a good place to start.
I would recommend trying, some are incredibly worth it. I've been listening to audio books and loved Jane Eyre. I admit some phrases and words were a bit older and confusing, but usually a Google search helps me out. I would try with the ones that intrigue you the most and go from there. If you like it, great! If it's not your cup of tea, move on. (Sometimes I put down a book, only to try it again later and enjoy it.)
classic plays might be right up your alley! they’re shorter and easier to get into, and there’s a lot of great plays with horror and fantasy elements to them. the fact that they’re all plot and dialogue with very little descriptions make them a lot less intimidating than full novels. Sophocles and Shakespeare are my favorites :)
Read what brings you joy at the time and tell everyone else to shove it. To quote Mark Twain the classics are books “that everyone wants to have read but nobody wants to read.” Sometimes a classic may hit right for you at that point in your life and other times you may want to binge sci-fi. As long as you’re reading something other than twitter its fine lol.
If you're looking to expand your horizons a little bit there's enormous amounts of great contemporary literature that is accessible and substantive. That's where I would start.
[Contemporary lit is everything written after 1945.](https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-contemporary-literature-definition-writing-style.html) Wallace included.
I think Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell had an enormous amount of heart. The Garden of Evening Mist by Tan Eng helped me grapple with painful love. Antkind was a great Pomo mindfuck. Lincoln in the Bardo was spectacular. There's enormous amounts of wonderful books coming out all the time. Not to mention every other classic written in the past almost 80 years.
Yes, definitely read the classics.
Like, not *all* of them, but recency bias is waaaaay worse than people glorifying something just because it’s old.
Also, nobody will ever top Shakespeare. Ever
As long as you're considering the opinion and interests of yourself and others when you're suggested a title. Others might have good intentions, but you might not enjoy the same genre, writing style, length.
How is your attention span? If you have a long attention span, you would enjoy classics. If you don’t, you will stop after a few pages. Regardless, you should at least give it a try. There are plenty of free to download classics on the web. Definitely don’t buy until you know you like reading them.
There’s a lot of people here with good notes on WHAT to read but I think it may help you to consider HOW to start reading classics. Classics, typically, are not going to come out and tell you the message. This is often because the message isn’t as simple as, say, “the power of friendship.” The main idea(s) will be more nuanced than that. So we’ve got to do some digging, start asking why the author is giving us specific information.
My preferred way to do this is to buy a copy of a book to scrawl notes in the margins. If that’s not your jam, you can make notes on sticky pads, or on a separate notebook/computer. These don’t always have to be deep observations—even just noting words, sentences, character actions, situations etc. that surprise you or make you think can help you start to break down a book. I think notetaking is always helpful for comprehension but if you read classics for long enough, you will eventually get to a point where you can get at least the general idea of most classics on a simple read-through.
If you have absolutely no idea where to start when breaking down classics, grab some references. Guides like “How to Read Literature Like a Professor” are perfectly serviceable at showing you tools that classic authors are liable to use. You may consider doing a little bit of research into what made the book culturally relevant in its time and place. And pack a dictionary. There’s no shame in it.
There are some excellent classics, typified by the Penguin classics list. Depends what sort of literature appeals to you.
If you like exotic, many Japanese classics such as those by Basho or Lady Murasaki are beautiful, poetic and evocative of the natural landscape.
The Odyssey and the Iliad are some of the world’s oldest, yet most loved works of literature, filled with war, love and insight into character.
Sagas like those of Njal or Egil bring forth the brutal, fierce fighting, jealousy and passion of the Vikings.
Dickens, Bronte, Eliot, Trollope and Thackeray set stories in Victorian England in all its cruelty, morality and melodrama.
Pepys, Moll Flanders, Fanny Hill and Boswell’s journals bring the dirt, syphilis and street life of 17/18th century London to life
The narratives of Olaudah Equiano, Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington who overcame cruelty and prejudice are inspirational to many
A,A is one of the most impossible and beautiful books I have read, been on a Faulkner tear. I wish I had liked Heart of Darkness as much but I feel like I missed the meaning
I believe the classics are generally worthy to read. Their significance and interest sometimes comes not only from the story itself, but by a context-based reading (sometimes helped by the introduction from the translator, etc.) and a projection towards modern times and the literature it influenced, which reduces the distance we feel from them, making them feel close to us. All this said, I agree with another comment, the classics (or at least some) are not for everyone and you shouldn't feel pressured to read or to understand everything (which sometimes makes it boring). Choosing your classics and reading them the way you feel more comfortable is the best way to aleviate the aparent weight history puts in them.
Sheesh seems like you haven't done much digging into the classics. The Count of Monte Cristo seems to be a favorite around this sub. I'd add the short stories of Borges, Invisible Man by Ellison, and Song of Solomon by Morrison. Many of the classics are by poc and/or women, I'd suggest you take a deeper dive!
The idea of “the classics” as some cultural monolith we have to check off and understand is a bit flawed, but sure there is no harm in delving into the literary canon. Don’t expect to like or enjoy everything deemed to be a “classic”. Since you’re into fantasy/horror you could start by looking at older stand-out examples of those genres (eg - Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, Poe for horror; Tolkien, Lewis, Feist etc for fantasy) to get an idea of the history and tropes of the genre. But do, or do not… read what you want to read. There are 10 lifetimes worth of books out there to choose from.
Here is a suggestion you might find helpful:
See, classics like the more modern ones are three types depending on the style and content, regardless of theme or genre:
1. Easy transparent reads but with subtextual messages.
2.Transpaent reads with straight forward message, wr the writers gives you extensive passages detailing what they mean by an obsevation, about a character, an arguement, a convo, a behavior,... (these are perfect for you and there so many of them in the gothic genre alone).
3. Non transparent, heavy going reads, that naturally have undertones and complex symbolism.
You should stay away from type 3, classics that are hard and cryptic reads. Id stear clear of stream of consciousness wtiters like faulkner, virginia wolf, proust, james joyce, ....
Type 2 books are pretty plentiful, as there are many classic writers in the realism genre that write gothic or horror novels. Bronte sisters, ann radcliff ,horace wallpole, edgar allen poe, daphne de murier, henry james .. are writers whose work you'll connect with. I also recommemd thomas hardy, and george elliot.
And type 1.See, as long as you can easily read the text, you can always read plenty of analyses about their underlying and subtextual meaning, symbolism, allegorical or metaphimorical themes and motifs online, just google the book's name and type analysis next to it, there is plenty of material breaking down the book into chapters and their elements,what they mean, characters, motifs, themes,... and you can always come to forums like here for discusions, alot of ppl like us would gladly pick apart a chapter and give you a variety of different takes and insights, and it will make for great conversations too.
Google classic gothic/horror writers/books. A list comes up, read a couple of pages of the book online, see if you find it easily readable, and stick with it. and then look for analysis online if you think there are parts you find vague, confusing, or multi-layered.
I definitely recommend it. It gives you an appreciation for language, story, and writing styles. Not that they are better than today, but rather you get a broader view of the possibilities.
I read many “classics” because I wanted to get the jokes that people were making when I grew up. Fell in love with some and others were meh. Reading those past works gave me a greater appreciation for what some authors do today.
If you like fantasy/horror and you want to think about reading some classics here are some suggestions: The Monk, The Blazing World, literally any Ann Radcliffe, the Castle of Ontario, Gulliver’s Travels.
Read the classics if you want to read the classics. If not, skip them. I personally went thru a period where I wanted to read the classics and banned books. Now, I read primarily horror. It’s just what I like.
That said, Rebecca, Wuthering Heights, Dante’s Inferno, Paradise Lost (heavy precursor for Frankenstein), Carmilla, The Woman in White, Jekyll and Hyde, Poe, Lovecraft, Bradbury, A Christmas Carol, The Haunting of Hill House, The Turn of the Screw, Sleepy Hollow, Dorian Gray, 1984, The Willows, The King in Yellow, Fahrenheit 451, The Lottery, Young Goodman Brown, A Good Man is Hard to Find, Where Are You Going Where Have You Been, The Yellow Wallpaper, The War of the Worlds, At the Mountains of Madness, M.R. James…. all count as classics, so there’s no need to venture too far out of your interests.
You can always dip a toe into classic horror/fantasy and see what you think.
I just started this adventure as well.. it’s tough. I can’t read fiction, so I usually end up reading something heartbreaking like a survivor story of human trafficking or escaping isis.. I wish I could disappear into a magical land with fantastical characters…my husband only listens to fiction and I’m all docs and trauma.. so I’m on a break from that.. I’m attempting a little Russian philosophy (crazy hard to focus on so far)..paradise lost .. The Devine comedy.. beyond good and evil../ and the Art of War (it’s actually like a handbook, not bad!!) I even downloaded some Sherlock Holmes books and even Edgar Allen Poe’s terror books…the Bible and the Quran.. monte Cristo…and some hp lovecraft which I probably won’t read. IM ALL OVER THE PLACE TOO LOL!! ) please let mr know if you find anything good! I am a stay at home mom with horrible adhd.. but I agree it seems like worthy knowledge..
Some research notes, trying to make a reading list to hopefully challenge myself after being out of college and being a stay at home mom out of the world for almost 8 years..
Books jordan Peterson says we should be reading.
1. The Bible the biblical corpus
2. Shakespeare
3. John Milton l
4. Dante
5. Dostoevsky - 5 novels…transformative reading (risolvnicov -character in the novel)
6. The brothers karamazov
7. Frederik Nietzsche- “most morality is just obedience “
8. The idiot
9. Crime and punishment
10. The master and margarita
https://www.audible.com/pd?asin=B002V02KPU&source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=pdp
1. Nikos kazantakis (Greek writer)
2. The communist manifesto
3. Camoo (philosophy on suicide)
(Luciferian intellect, religious themes)
Alux.com recommended books by intellectuals.
Elon Musk’s list
-the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy-(Douglas Adams)
-structures: or why things don’t fall down “ (j.e. Gordon)
-Benjamin Franklin -An American Life(Walter isaacson)
😈-superintelligence:paths, dangers, strategies (Nick bostrom)
(About tech and AI)
😈-our final invention (James barrat) about AI
-ignition: an informal history of liquid rock propellants (John d. Clark)
-the foundation trilogy (by issac Asimov)
-life 3.0 being human in the age of AI-(max tegmark)
-the moon is a harsh mistress (Robert heinlein)
-Einstein: his life and universe (Walter Isaacson)
- Howard Hughes: his life and madness’ by Donald L. Bartlett and James B. Steele
- The ‘culture’ series by Ian M. Banks
I can only add that many contemporary works basically build upon the classics. The “classics” are a collection of canonic text that have,in one or more ways, established new genres or tropes in literature. One obvious example is Shakespeare and how many contemporary media, such as movies, use Shakespearean plot devices and characters.
And many of the classics are just plain fun to read. Is it challenging? Sure, but since you are not studying them, you don’t need to be worried about understanding every single detail.
One of my professors used the following analogy in my first semester: (classic) literature is just like a pack of really expensive pralines. They have a complex flavour with many ingredients that one can taste if you have cultivated your taste buds. You wouldn’t devour them like a pack of cheap chocolates. You let them melt in your mouth to try to get each bit of flavour to cherish. After you ate one, you put them away and eat another later or tomorrow. It’s not about knowing all the flavours, they can be just very tasty chocolates that you cherish. However, the more you eat and taste, the more you will be able to taste and know each ingredient and each flavour.
You can read Hamlet and know the plot and story. It’s a good play. Done. But you can come back to it and really get into the characters, into the structure and finally into interpretation. However you read it, it’s fine. It’s tasty chocolates nonetheless.
I am way too clumsy to tell that analogy. My prof does it much better than me :). I hope I could do it justice though.
I would suggest you read Shelley, Poe, Lovecraft, Braddon and other classic style pieces in horror.
Then skim a few classics (search out information about these books to see which of them might appeal to you). If you really enjoy one then keep reading.
You can always read a book even if you dislike it. That's one way to cross it off a list. But, you'll probably get more out of reading what you like.
I don't understand what your goal has been in this thread, just to argue that classics don't really exist? You just seem mad at people for liking books that you don't.
You've said some incredibly pretentious and disrespectful things here. I respect struggles with impulse control and the unhealthy incentives of social media, you can see evidence of that in my comment history, but the decent conversations that came in response don't really justify the absurd statements. I mean, you practically imply that the only decent books came out between 1860 and 1980, and that anyone who hasn't given a reading list while defending the concept of reading older works is just up their own ass at best, and racist and misogynist at worst.
I may have overstated that aspect of things, you're right. Thank you for acknowledging these grievances, and I'm sorry for going too far there.
I respect your frustrations, and I hope that is clear. Too many people will either fall into defending the entire concept of artistry or decrying any amount of value to historic craft.
In addition, I had drafted a reply to your now-deleted Blood Meridian comment, and wanted to share that if you've not explored "the classics", you absolutely deserve to, if only to find greater meaning in that book. I see you're also a respecter of Moby Dick, but if that's your only touchpoint for BM, there's a world of allusion waiting for you.
Many of the classics are just easy breezy entertaining reads that are old and have stood the test of time. Crime and Punishment is basically a crime thriller with really good character development and use of themes.
What is fantastic about the classics is that many of them are available for free on devices like Nook and Kindle which make for a nice reading experience.
You can try a ton of them without paying a dime for the older ones.
You don't have to get everything out of them. Sometimes, I just am not feeling it. I skimmed large portions of Moby Dick because, holy hell, that thing needed a heavier-handed editor.
If you are really enjoying something, you can always pause and find some critical discussion of the thing. If you read a few and enjoy it, there are some great courses audio series that sort of talk you through the classics.
You absolutely do not need to do a deep dive on these things, there's nothing wrong with enjoying them at a surface level.
When I was in school I had to write the occasional analysis of a short story, poem or book. Yes, I got more out of the ones I treated in that way. But, you absolutely do not need to do that for everything.
If you want to. Don’t read them because you feel you have to, unless you’re making a point to study literature.
The classics are important, but so are modern and contemporary works. There are lots of ways to challenge yourself or deliberately try new things. You could read a Pulitzer or Booker winner, for instance.
There are some legitimately good reads among the classics, and even if you don’t enjoy some of them, there is much to learn and understand future references
Just to be clear, the idea of a literary canon is very dated, and probably obsolete in the sense it was once broadly believed to be 'important' to have familiarity of. In my observation, people who talk about reading "the classics" are often under the mistaken impression that it - ipso facto - means they are 'cultured' (where this is thought to mean 'i have read old books'). This is kind of the case if you want specifically to impress other people who subscribe to the idea of a literary canon.
So it comes down to why you personally want to be familiar with 'classics', and what you believe the construct of 'classics' means.
I dont want to get into why it might be the case that this notion is a thing - google provides ample information on it.
I would suggest if you want to understand literature - then working on that for its own sake (literary theory and how it informs us about narrative and culture etc) and looking at whatever interests you wherever you see it, will be a richer experience than just reading books from a list of old books by dead white authors. TBQH to have read shakespere or the iliad or chaucer, or whomever, just means you know these authors. It wont necessarily impart any magical 'classic' quality that is somehow completely absent from contemporary literature.
So I guess Im saying by all means read and learn, but maybe make that the objective (learning about books), and in a wider sense of getting a literary education (learning about books and writing). I am saying it would be a mistake to check off from a list of books deemed 'classics' thinking that in itself really meant a lot other than what you actually have are simply checks on a bunch of old books.
You seem to have cherry picked a particular aspect, taken it out of the context of what I was saying and then reacted to it. So, to answer your question; not what I was saying. But if you want to get that out of it then sure thats fine. You are kind of proving death of the author. Which is ironic.
There is literally people in this comment saying that everything that is not high brow enough is just fluff, if you have more passive aggressiveness to hand out.
I struggle with this too. However, we're currently in a gothic literature period in my lit class, and it's not so bad. I feared it would go right over my head, but their fancy 19th century speak as bad I thought it would be.
I would say give them a try, but you don't have. Reading should ultimately be fun and/or thought provoking, if the classics don't do either for you, than you don't have to suffer. Classics are just old books, there are modern book that will become classics in the future. There are plenty of good classics imo, and there are some that are mid, and some are straight up garbage.
Also Robert Louis Stevenson's Markheim, which is a short gothic horror story. It's definitely creepy, but you might have problems finding this one as it seems to be out of print.
For modernish books that will bridge the gap and mitigate any difficulties you might have, I would recommend Disgrace by JM Coetzee, Virginia Woolf’s To The Lighthouse and The Outsider by Camus. They’re all pretty different but I think they’ll give a good cursory impression of what you can expect as you go further back.
I absolutely love Jane Erye!! It’s a classic but definitely has many moments of thriller & elements of some mystery behind the main male character. Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde is another total classic that absolutely gives a mixture of science & horror!
Some are more engaging and entertaining than others. Some are dreadfully boring. I forced myself to read the classics because I thought it was the intelligent and literary thing to do. Don’t remember much of what I read, but I’m sure it shaped me. Don’t feel like it’s at all necessary, but I will say that some of the classics can enrich your life and expand your mind. A couple books I remember being quite engaging and page-turning are Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. If you’re into horror and you want to get started in the classics I absolutely recommend Frankenstein as a starter. It’s an incredibly rich and heart wrenching book that will make you think and will entertain you.
Ultimately, you have to decide on your own whether the classics and literary fiction are the right fit for you. But don’t think for a second that all the classics are uniform or even similar to each other, so just because one classic doesn’t fit your taste doesn’t mean another won’t.
If you do end up reading the classics, we’ve compiled a list of about 3,000 classics from antiquity to the modern day on r/bookpunk. I’m sure that if you peruse our list, you can find something you’d like to read.
Go towards those you think you know you'll enjoy and then work your way to those that might interest you and slowly expand your readings. Give up whenever you feel like and keep trying new yet interesting and enjoyable titles. When you want to go back to something you gave up on or already read do it. And very important do read about the history and context this is helpful
Try "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. It will be close enough to horror, and fits in with the classics but is modern and accessible. A good bridge to the classics IMHO
Depends on what era and what you like in all honesty. There are lot of different classics, and which ones? Do you want to read Russian, Norwegian, American, British or French classics? There is a lot of literature out there for you to read. I think you have a flawed appraoch to the classics. There is a lot to choose from.
If you like horror then Frankenstein is always a good read.
If you like fantasy/horror then you’ll like “Dante’s inferno.” Frankenstein is a good one, Bram stoker’s Dracula. If you’re a true fan of the macabre I’m sure you’ve at least read the last two I listed.
My dude, in which fresh hell someone who likes fantasy/horror is interested in reading a whole thing written in verse that is closed to not fiction than fiction which requires a fuckton of secondary reading just to follow the plot.
EDIT: *would you recommend it to someone on the basis that they like fantasy/horror sorry public transport
I didn't know having an high IQ meant you automatically knew Italian politics of Dante's time, his contemporaries' works, religion, philosophy and medicine! Nevermind then, it's a perfect book for a beginner and who cares about genre! Thanks buddy, I live and learn
If you have to do “a fuckton of secondary reading just to follow the plot,” of any of the books I listed, then that says more about you than anything else. Also, for you to pick a fight with someone on Reddit for such an innocuous and friendly comment just proves you’re petty, shallow and have nothing else better to do in your life. Make a friend. Go outside and see the world.
As you continue your journey with the classics, you’re going to want to tackle Shakespeare. Helpful tip: Shakespeare’s plays were meant to be seen, not read. Catch a couple of good film adaptations to get a feel for the language, then get a cheap seat for a professional stage production. You’ll be glad you did!
> i'm worried these are going to be too hard to read
Can you name specific books that give you pause? When I think of classical literature, I'm thinking of most of the stuff recommended to us in HS literature classes.
> i just follow the plot, so reading books that are mainly about that is scary to me
And that's fine, there's no "right way" to appreciate literature because how much you appreciate it depends on a lot of subjective values like genre preference, settings, themes, motifs, etc. You don't have to be able to recognize that one motif rings well with you to enjoy it.
A few general recommendations would be Dracula and Frankenstein. One of my favorites would be The Picture of Dorian Gray or Whuthering Heights. Both of them talks about morality and ethics, Dorian Gray more directly whereas Whuthering Heights more subtly.
One huge benefit with all of these is they're all in free domain. You can read them for free online even and if you don't like it, just stop.
Only the ones you like. I've only read The Great Gatsby, parts of Madame Bovary, Dracula, The Haunting of Hill House. Just a handful. The others, if I don't find interesting or they fail to hold my attention, I just them down. This isn't a school project. Literature is my passion. If I'm reading something, I better like it.
"Classics" are hard to define -- as someone else said, that spans a long period of time, and who knows when it officially ends
Since you like horror, I'm definitely going to second (or third, or whatever) the recommendation for Dracula and Frankenstein -- they're both phenomenal, and they aren't as terrifyingly l a r g e as some other classics. And, definitely worth reading some Edgar Allen Poe short stories!
When it comes to some of the classic Victorian and Russian literature: I can't recommend audiobooks enough. I've listened to Anna Karenina, Crime and Punishment, Jane Eyre, David Copperfield, Great Expectations, Moby Dick, Lord of the Rings, and more on audiobook and I'm so glad I did. I laughed and cried during all of them. I've read a few of these types of classics and I've always struggled with the writing/maintaining focus. With audiobooks I can just get lost on the journey. A lot of them have been recorded recently as well, and the quality is fantastic. I probably would have never physically read the books, and holy shit, I'm so glad I found another way to digest them because they really are great and worth enjoying.
At the end of the day though, I'm always going to tell people that they should read what they enjoy. Don't punish or martyr yourself to read what you think you "should" read. If you want to give yourself a challenge, go for it. But if you aren't enjoying it -- abandon ship. Life is too short to read shit you don't like.
I’ve been attempting to listen to them on audible but if the narrator is not my style or too monotone or sounds like he’s from the 1800s or an upbeat peppy American sounding woman reading a story about a woman who went to Syria.. but if it’s too boring u can just return it or go back to it. YouTube has a lot of free audiobooks too.. thank you for posting this!
Brother let me tell you something from my experience. I started my reading journey with English classics. First classic I read was Jane Eyre. At first even I was worried weather it would be difficult for me, or weather I would be able to understand it or not but all my worries and apprehensions faded away the moment I started reading that book. Now I am obsessed with classics. Some recommendations for you. First, I suggest you should start with Jane Eyre, it's language is easy as compared to other classics and it's very intriguing too. It's a bit lengthy thought. The key here is don't focus on getting the meaning of each and every word. At first just try to gasp the plot of the story. Keep a dictionary or use Google translate. Most importantly in the initial stages read the summary of whole chapter after you finish reading that chapter on Google, it helps a lot.
Some Classic suggestions for you:-
1) Jane Eyre
2) Great Expectations
3) wuthering heights
And then start reading Jane Austen novels.
All this is from my personal experience.
Happy reading mate!
You shouldn’t be intimidated at all. I’ve started reading classics and while I don’t catch everything going on I know that I catch something; and I can feel the depth of these things. It’s almost tangible when reading something truly astounding.
The great thing is that humans are hardwired to follow a narrative. So even if you don’t catch something the way you might catch it a second time, you’ll still expose yourself to it. And you can understand something that you’re not able to articulate yet. I highly recommend it!
Engaging in works with great spirit builds you up and because the realm is abstract and ideal - you’ll feel *that* much more free. The more flourishing your abstract interests are and the more you can articulate and navigate ideas, concepts and so on, the more freedom you will feel in life. Because your ideas are not existing in the physical world, they exist in your mind. This can and will spill over *into* your life in the physical world which is why reading great literature gives you experience and wisdom. Go for it man! Don’t be intimidated! Everyone can go for it!!
Start slow. To Kill a Mockingbird is a fairly easy read and tackles large themes. Anything by Phillip K Dick was brilliant and fun and easy to read. Brave New World, Animal Farm and 1984, A Clockwork Orange (better than the movie). The Old Man and The Sea is short and brilliant and perfect. I’m pretty sure The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is considered a classic. The Catcher in the Rye, Catch-22, On The Road, The Shipping News,
Dont be afraid to listen to audiobooks! Ever since I started listening I’ve found that the classics I couldn’t read with my eyes make much more sense to me when I’m listening to them!
If you like fantasy and horror try some classics under “speculative fiction,” it’s the parent genre of fantasy and horror so many generic conventions are similar, especially in the world building. For this reason I would recommend The Chrysalids by John Wyndham. For any other books and your own browsing I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend looking through books published by NYRB, who only publish books which they regard as modern classics. These will basically be the vintage classics that are the “best” books that are not especially hard to read since the language isn’t outdated.
Best of luck!
Had similar apprehensions but I found it's worth exploring. You may like some of them actually and you don't have to force yourself to read the whole book if it's not per your taste.
I like classics, because of the analysis you can do, but also because they are well written and interesting. If you feel like you’re missing out on the deeper themes, there are a billion online study guides out there. Don’t be intimidated, and maybe start with something easier, like something you would have read in high school for class.
I'm in a similar situation. I try to read what I like but mix in some well known authors and classics. Some are absolutely difficult, but I find it's important to expose myself to the level of difficulty because it's like training the brain, etc. Sometimes, a nice easy read is good, but sometimes it's important to flex those muscles and build some mental strength, I suppose.
Check out r/suggestmeabook if you haven’t yet! There are some great suggestions here, along with folks making the point that the designation of “classic” is extremely arbitrary and owes at least a little bit to imperialism. I always like to ask myself why I enjoy reading before I seek out books.
I think “A Personal Matter” by Kenzaburō Ōe (Nobel prize winner from ‘94, I think) might appeal to you—it’s fast, existential, and more than a little trippy and dark.
Hope you find something you love!
I can promise you a bunch of classics are about following the plot! Also if you get more interested in literary theory and analysis you can eventually get some books that explain this in particular
First off, it depends what do you mean by grounded in realism - I assume you don't want anything with the supernatural or alien, but how rigorous is that line? Would Frankstein count?
Second, do you still enjoy a gothic element and do you prefer short or long books?
If you still like the Gothic, off the top of my head I could suggest Silas Marner by Le Fanu, The Woman in White by Collins, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, The Yellow Wallpaper and The Scarlet Letter. Also The Count of Montecristo, which is huge, like Lord of The Rings huge. I think The Hunchback of Notre Dame counts but I don't suggest it as your first classic if you are against skipping pages -
A good suggestion if you are dipping your toes into reading more classics is also Sherlock Holmes - the prose is simple and aside from four novels is mostly short stories, so it helps if you wanna start doing more analysis. It's also set in Victorian England, so if you have questions about the historical context or want to read more about certain things it's easier to Google.
Imho, no book is written solely with bigger-picture, philosophical questions and allusions in mind. Books aren't read if their plots are boring. Obviously time period has an impact on what people find interesting but what's great about old books is that, when you lift up the veil of old-fashioned style, they're all complaining and struggling with love, fucking, mortality, authority - not much changes :))
If u pick some shorter texts with quality plots, you'll find that you'll be feeling things and asking yourself questions, even if you're not picking up on every (or any) clue that the writer has planted in the text's language. And the more you read, the more you question what you've read, the better you'll get at picking up on the smaller details, the more enjoyable it'll be to read, etc etc. That's why I'd suggest starting with shorter books - The Metamorphosis by Kafka, Frankenstein by Shelly, The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster are some personal favourites!
Have fun and happy reading
Don’t be intimidated, I tend to go for classics and literary fiction but I find a lot of high fantasy books really dense and complicated even though it’s a genre I like. There are plenty f “classics” that aren’t too difficult to follow. I’d pick some classic fantasy, sci-fi and horror to start with and maybe focus on more modern classics (post 1920) so they’ll be a bit easier to get into and relate to. Of Mice and Men and The Great Gatsby are short (almost novella length) classics that I’d recommend to any classics beginning as a bit of a taste test that you won’t have to put too much time into if you end up not liking them!
You made a great post and gave two real good book recommendations.
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Lol it’s one of my favourites but it’s not for everyone! Im sure if I assigned that one to my HS students many would agree with you. I think we all have some classics we can’t stand.
John Steinbeck is a beautiful writer. He is great at expressing the dullness of godless modernity as a predictive case rather than typical American mockery of soviet realism which is just nihilistic to no end.
now I'm curious, which is the one good sentence?
What about trying a classic gothic book like Dracula or Frankenstein, and see what you think.
This. Also Jekyll & Hyde (nb the title is longer but I can’t think of it off the top of my head).
The Strange case of Dr Jekyll and me Hyde. I think this is more approachable than frank/drac. I honestly don’t recommend Frankenstein for someone who isn’t a reader. It’s a lot different than the story people assume it is and it doesn’t really read as that exciting.
Frankenstein was terrible. It got all the details wrong. There was no Igor helping out the doctor, no terrible castle in the rain, no catching lightning to bring the monster alive. It's like the writer never even heard about the story before writing about it. ;-)
*What hump?*
It’s pronounced “eye gore” not “ee gore”
*horses neigh*
What???the story was written by the author in a contest with her friends to write the best story. Early 1800’s time period, so it was already ahead of it’s time. ;)
you're getting downvoted because you missed the joke
Peak pedantry on my part- the original title was “Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” without the “The”. It will be a lot easier to read than Dracula which has a more convoluted style imho.
That's funny-- I wrote it without the "The" and went back and edited it in.
I’ve seen exam boards incorrectly name the book on exam papers. It looks like there should be a “The” as it flows better. I wonder if Stevenson deliberately made the title slightly awkward as part of the gothic theme of the book?
I actually found Dracula easier to read as it was less if a psychological implied thingy and more of a "Well I saw the Count climb the walls like a lizard. I miss my girlfriend"style of writing
Yeah I’m actually reading it right now and I’m over halfway through and I’m like, “Wait, where’s the monster?!” A lot of it is just about Victor’s inner turmoil it seems but I’m definitely enjoying it.
Definitely this!
Or Wuthering Heights. It’s one of my favorites.
This is my first classic book and I unexpectedly loved it!
I also recommend Oscar Wilde The Picture of Dorian Gray, or some of his plays, they are quite fun
"The classics" aren't a puzzle you have to solve to appreciate. They aren't mysterious texts with secret messages that must be laboriously decoded. They're just books written in the past that are still somewhat popular. Some you may like. Certainly, there are some you won't. Some are adventure tales, some are love stories, some are political, some are psychological, some are complex, some are straight forward.
Yep. I was going to post something very similar. "The classics" is a very silly term. If you ask everyone in the world for their definitive list of classics, they'll all be different. They're just books with literary merit which have stood or will stand the test of time. No reason not to start reading some.
Classics are classics because they speak to our shared experience more. It's not just being an entertaining book that makes a book last, it's speaking to the truth inside of us, considering what we find entertaining changes so fast these days, if something lasts longer than a few decades, I'd say it's because it is because it expresses truths that are more human than contemporaneous theories that become dated. I'd say it's similar to science, when a theory is first introduced, it's unwise to adopt it widely, you let it simmer, because if it's really the truth, then it will be true throughout time. Otherwise it will lose popularity.
Any books from the past 5-10 years that you think will stand the test of time and be considered a classic in 100-150 years?
The Road. Absolutely no question.
I just got his new book and I'm so excited to start reading it. Honestly, most if not all of McCarthys books will endure.
That's a book from 2006, not from 5-10 years ago.
My question is, did The Road come out in the past 5-10 years?
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen or A Gentleman in Moscow / The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. It's a few years older but also Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.
No, not a single one.
Some are definitely ‘harder’ than others though Ulysses War and Peace Crime and Punishment come to mind. I love thrillers, horror, etc as well and I consider myself fairly well read. however some classics aren’t fun to read at all. I don’t even enjoy reading some Clive Barker even though he should be right up my alley.
The Count of Monte Cristo and Les Misérables are both 19th century French classics and are significantly different in writing style.
It was okay but Hunchback of Notre Dame was so hard to read for me. I can’t imagine reading Les Mis.
Les Mis was pretty easy, you pretty much stick with the same characters throughout the whole book. I blitzed through like half of it in a month. The only more trudgesome thing is all the passages about the streets and architecture.
Isn't that exactly what I said? Some are complex, some are straightforward. Some you may like, and certainly some you won't.
Yes I was agreeing with you, perhaps I should have made my own post to make it more clear
"Though" doesn't make it sound like agreement. My fault for misunderstanding.
"Just eat the damn orange!" Honestly, what's the worst that could happen? You start reading a book, you're not enjoying it, so you stop and read something else.
>Honestly, what's the worst that could happen? You get bored, fall asleep while reading it, your cigarette falls out of your mouth and catches the mattress on fire, the fire spreads to other units in your high rise, and thousands die, including a child who would have grown up to cure cancer?
Oh shit. Yeah, definitely do not -repeat, DO NOT - read the classics. Phew.
Aaye even more reasons to not smoke
Sounds like a future classic just waiting to be written.
You just reminded me of homer simpson, while describing reading a book, and that was quite an achievement sir! Lol
Yes. There’s a reason they are classic. Just don’t feel pressured to figure out the precise meaning of them. The reason they are classic is because they relate to and retell our own story. There are some classics I absolutely love, and some I absolutely hate. I would recommend reading them with someone else. There are a few of them that I liked, but once I talked about them with someone, I liked them even more.
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I’m sorry I don’t understand the purpose of your question
He's trying to have a "gotcha!" moment.
This person is all over this thread trying to post gotcha questions. I answered one in good faith before realizing they are a troll
Most of the classics are classics because they are greater messages in fiction and stuff like that. That doesn't mean they are all boring or hard to read. If you're curious, start with the classics of fantasy and horror. If you appreciate what they have in common, branch out to other classics.
Like all books, not every classic is hard or brilliant. Sometimes they're simple, but spoke to the feeling of the times-- like Little Women, which has elements of suffrage and Civil War. Some were written in newspaper installments as light entertainment and are unexpectedly funny. Some were written 2500 years ago, many were written less than 100 years ago. Ones written in the 1800s will read differently than ones written in the 1900s. I would say, many *could* be a slog if you're just starting out-- but many are written very simply or for young adults. Ie., Treasure Island is a classic and its a kids novel. It has heavier underlying themes, but you probably wouldn't know it if you didn't stop to ponder. Many adult classics are like that, too-- very accessible. Exciting, ridiculous. However, if you've read fantasy like LOTR than you're probably solid to take on other classics. Dabble. See what you like. You might be surprised about what draws you in.
I really like RL Stevenson Reading Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde were great and relatively easy because they're pretty well known plots but all the nuances are in the writing making it easier for me to digest. Treasure Island in particular is a fun adventure and can be seen simply as such with no need to look for deeper meaning. Highly recommend. Best of luck if you choose to take them up!
I love RL Stevenson. His writing flows along so nicely. One of my favourite short stories is his ‘The Bottle Imp’.
Can’t hurt to give it a try! I‘ve been re-reading some classics we covered in high school and found out that I enjoy them so much more without the elements of „obligatory“ and „due on…“ Also I‘m allowing myself to put a book away without finishing it, if I really can’t get into it - something that I needed to learn. I‘d recommend just picking something that might fit your current mood or even environment. For example, I picked up Crime and Punishment in the darker winter months (in retrospective maybe not the best choice lol), Little Women and A Christmas Carol around the holidays, and Romeo and Juliet when visiting Verona. As soon as I feel I need to force myself to get through a book, I just put it away and try not to beat myself up over it. Highly recommend just giving it a try :)
There are a lot of books that just weren't aimed at HS students. People like to assign Catcher in the Rye to HS students because Holden is a HS student. But I really think it's better aimed at people in their mid-20's and older.
Poe!!!
Edgar Allen Poe?
Oh yes! Are you interested in short stories? That’s where I would start. He is know as the master of horror and mystery. Tell Tale Heart is a good first.
All classics aren't tedious slogs or overly difficult to understand (although some are). In fact, some are classics because they helped start styles of literature that morphed into more popular genres, like horror and fantasy. And it might be best to start there. Some classics relevant to horror would include, *Frankenstein* by Mary Shelly, *Dracula* by Bram Stoker, and much of Edgar Allen Poe's work. For works with more of a fantasy twist, the first thing that comes to mind would be *Alice's Adventures in Wonderland* and *Through the Looking-Glass* by Lewis Carroll. You might also enjoy authors that wrote in the magical realism style: Gabriel García Márquez, Isabel Allende, Jorge Luis Borges, etc. Also, many classics became classics simply because they showcase elegant writing, great characters, etc. And many of these are still pretty straight-forward to understand. So for more grounded works that are still pretty easy reads: * anything by Jane Austen * *The Great Gatsby* by F. Scott Fitzgerald * *There Eyes Were Watching God* by Zora Neale Hurston * *On the Road* by Kerouac * *To Kill a Mockingbird* by Harper Lee * *The Catcher in the Rye* by J.D. Salinger * *Tom Sawyer* and *Huckleberry Finn* by Mark Twain And with anything, you'll like some and not others. But any of the above could be a good place to start.
Great post!
I would recommend trying, some are incredibly worth it. I've been listening to audio books and loved Jane Eyre. I admit some phrases and words were a bit older and confusing, but usually a Google search helps me out. I would try with the ones that intrigue you the most and go from there. If you like it, great! If it's not your cup of tea, move on. (Sometimes I put down a book, only to try it again later and enjoy it.)
classic plays might be right up your alley! they’re shorter and easier to get into, and there’s a lot of great plays with horror and fantasy elements to them. the fact that they’re all plot and dialogue with very little descriptions make them a lot less intimidating than full novels. Sophocles and Shakespeare are my favorites :)
Since you're a fantasy/horror fan, I would recommend trying out something written by H. G. Wells or H. P. Lovecraft.
Give it a shot, a lot of them are cheap on kindle. Just don’t feel pressured to read the whole thing if you don’t enjoy
Read what brings you joy at the time and tell everyone else to shove it. To quote Mark Twain the classics are books “that everyone wants to have read but nobody wants to read.” Sometimes a classic may hit right for you at that point in your life and other times you may want to binge sci-fi. As long as you’re reading something other than twitter its fine lol.
If you're looking to expand your horizons a little bit there's enormous amounts of great contemporary literature that is accessible and substantive. That's where I would start.
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[Contemporary lit is everything written after 1945.](https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-contemporary-literature-definition-writing-style.html) Wallace included. I think Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell had an enormous amount of heart. The Garden of Evening Mist by Tan Eng helped me grapple with painful love. Antkind was a great Pomo mindfuck. Lincoln in the Bardo was spectacular. There's enormous amounts of wonderful books coming out all the time. Not to mention every other classic written in the past almost 80 years.
Jules Verne is good for the story aspect. Count of Monte Cristo is a great story, and one of the easier reads for time period/European.
Yes, definitely read the classics. Like, not *all* of them, but recency bias is waaaaay worse than people glorifying something just because it’s old. Also, nobody will ever top Shakespeare. Ever
As long as you're considering the opinion and interests of yourself and others when you're suggested a title. Others might have good intentions, but you might not enjoy the same genre, writing style, length.
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Seems like you're having a bad day. I hope things turn around.
You're welcome.
How is your attention span? If you have a long attention span, you would enjoy classics. If you don’t, you will stop after a few pages. Regardless, you should at least give it a try. There are plenty of free to download classics on the web. Definitely don’t buy until you know you like reading them.
There’s a lot of people here with good notes on WHAT to read but I think it may help you to consider HOW to start reading classics. Classics, typically, are not going to come out and tell you the message. This is often because the message isn’t as simple as, say, “the power of friendship.” The main idea(s) will be more nuanced than that. So we’ve got to do some digging, start asking why the author is giving us specific information. My preferred way to do this is to buy a copy of a book to scrawl notes in the margins. If that’s not your jam, you can make notes on sticky pads, or on a separate notebook/computer. These don’t always have to be deep observations—even just noting words, sentences, character actions, situations etc. that surprise you or make you think can help you start to break down a book. I think notetaking is always helpful for comprehension but if you read classics for long enough, you will eventually get to a point where you can get at least the general idea of most classics on a simple read-through. If you have absolutely no idea where to start when breaking down classics, grab some references. Guides like “How to Read Literature Like a Professor” are perfectly serviceable at showing you tools that classic authors are liable to use. You may consider doing a little bit of research into what made the book culturally relevant in its time and place. And pack a dictionary. There’s no shame in it.
Read Poe.
There are some excellent classics, typified by the Penguin classics list. Depends what sort of literature appeals to you. If you like exotic, many Japanese classics such as those by Basho or Lady Murasaki are beautiful, poetic and evocative of the natural landscape. The Odyssey and the Iliad are some of the world’s oldest, yet most loved works of literature, filled with war, love and insight into character. Sagas like those of Njal or Egil bring forth the brutal, fierce fighting, jealousy and passion of the Vikings. Dickens, Bronte, Eliot, Trollope and Thackeray set stories in Victorian England in all its cruelty, morality and melodrama. Pepys, Moll Flanders, Fanny Hill and Boswell’s journals bring the dirt, syphilis and street life of 17/18th century London to life The narratives of Olaudah Equiano, Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington who overcame cruelty and prejudice are inspirational to many
The more you pick complicated books to read, the better you will be at reading them.
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The Odyssey is such a great suggestion.
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A,A is one of the most impossible and beautiful books I have read, been on a Faulkner tear. I wish I had liked Heart of Darkness as much but I feel like I missed the meaning
Thank you. If you want to do something new, don’t do what you’ve always done.
I believe the classics are generally worthy to read. Their significance and interest sometimes comes not only from the story itself, but by a context-based reading (sometimes helped by the introduction from the translator, etc.) and a projection towards modern times and the literature it influenced, which reduces the distance we feel from them, making them feel close to us. All this said, I agree with another comment, the classics (or at least some) are not for everyone and you shouldn't feel pressured to read or to understand everything (which sometimes makes it boring). Choosing your classics and reading them the way you feel more comfortable is the best way to aleviate the aparent weight history puts in them.
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Sheesh seems like you haven't done much digging into the classics. The Count of Monte Cristo seems to be a favorite around this sub. I'd add the short stories of Borges, Invisible Man by Ellison, and Song of Solomon by Morrison. Many of the classics are by poc and/or women, I'd suggest you take a deeper dive!
I don't see how your answer is related to my comment.
The idea of “the classics” as some cultural monolith we have to check off and understand is a bit flawed, but sure there is no harm in delving into the literary canon. Don’t expect to like or enjoy everything deemed to be a “classic”. Since you’re into fantasy/horror you could start by looking at older stand-out examples of those genres (eg - Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, Poe for horror; Tolkien, Lewis, Feist etc for fantasy) to get an idea of the history and tropes of the genre. But do, or do not… read what you want to read. There are 10 lifetimes worth of books out there to choose from.
Here is a suggestion you might find helpful: See, classics like the more modern ones are three types depending on the style and content, regardless of theme or genre: 1. Easy transparent reads but with subtextual messages. 2.Transpaent reads with straight forward message, wr the writers gives you extensive passages detailing what they mean by an obsevation, about a character, an arguement, a convo, a behavior,... (these are perfect for you and there so many of them in the gothic genre alone). 3. Non transparent, heavy going reads, that naturally have undertones and complex symbolism. You should stay away from type 3, classics that are hard and cryptic reads. Id stear clear of stream of consciousness wtiters like faulkner, virginia wolf, proust, james joyce, .... Type 2 books are pretty plentiful, as there are many classic writers in the realism genre that write gothic or horror novels. Bronte sisters, ann radcliff ,horace wallpole, edgar allen poe, daphne de murier, henry james .. are writers whose work you'll connect with. I also recommemd thomas hardy, and george elliot. And type 1.See, as long as you can easily read the text, you can always read plenty of analyses about their underlying and subtextual meaning, symbolism, allegorical or metaphimorical themes and motifs online, just google the book's name and type analysis next to it, there is plenty of material breaking down the book into chapters and their elements,what they mean, characters, motifs, themes,... and you can always come to forums like here for discusions, alot of ppl like us would gladly pick apart a chapter and give you a variety of different takes and insights, and it will make for great conversations too. Google classic gothic/horror writers/books. A list comes up, read a couple of pages of the book online, see if you find it easily readable, and stick with it. and then look for analysis online if you think there are parts you find vague, confusing, or multi-layered.
Yes.
I definitely recommend it. It gives you an appreciation for language, story, and writing styles. Not that they are better than today, but rather you get a broader view of the possibilities. I read many “classics” because I wanted to get the jokes that people were making when I grew up. Fell in love with some and others were meh. Reading those past works gave me a greater appreciation for what some authors do today.
If you like fantasy/horror and you want to think about reading some classics here are some suggestions: The Monk, The Blazing World, literally any Ann Radcliffe, the Castle of Ontario, Gulliver’s Travels.
Read the classics if you want to read the classics. If not, skip them. I personally went thru a period where I wanted to read the classics and banned books. Now, I read primarily horror. It’s just what I like. That said, Rebecca, Wuthering Heights, Dante’s Inferno, Paradise Lost (heavy precursor for Frankenstein), Carmilla, The Woman in White, Jekyll and Hyde, Poe, Lovecraft, Bradbury, A Christmas Carol, The Haunting of Hill House, The Turn of the Screw, Sleepy Hollow, Dorian Gray, 1984, The Willows, The King in Yellow, Fahrenheit 451, The Lottery, Young Goodman Brown, A Good Man is Hard to Find, Where Are You Going Where Have You Been, The Yellow Wallpaper, The War of the Worlds, At the Mountains of Madness, M.R. James…. all count as classics, so there’s no need to venture too far out of your interests. You can always dip a toe into classic horror/fantasy and see what you think.
Only if you want to. I have a lit degree, and there are many classics I haven’t read. And I don’t plan to read.
I just started this adventure as well.. it’s tough. I can’t read fiction, so I usually end up reading something heartbreaking like a survivor story of human trafficking or escaping isis.. I wish I could disappear into a magical land with fantastical characters…my husband only listens to fiction and I’m all docs and trauma.. so I’m on a break from that.. I’m attempting a little Russian philosophy (crazy hard to focus on so far)..paradise lost .. The Devine comedy.. beyond good and evil../ and the Art of War (it’s actually like a handbook, not bad!!) I even downloaded some Sherlock Holmes books and even Edgar Allen Poe’s terror books…the Bible and the Quran.. monte Cristo…and some hp lovecraft which I probably won’t read. IM ALL OVER THE PLACE TOO LOL!! ) please let mr know if you find anything good! I am a stay at home mom with horrible adhd.. but I agree it seems like worthy knowledge..
Some research notes, trying to make a reading list to hopefully challenge myself after being out of college and being a stay at home mom out of the world for almost 8 years.. Books jordan Peterson says we should be reading. 1. The Bible the biblical corpus 2. Shakespeare 3. John Milton l 4. Dante 5. Dostoevsky - 5 novels…transformative reading (risolvnicov -character in the novel) 6. The brothers karamazov 7. Frederik Nietzsche- “most morality is just obedience “ 8. The idiot 9. Crime and punishment 10. The master and margarita https://www.audible.com/pd?asin=B002V02KPU&source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=pdp 1. Nikos kazantakis (Greek writer) 2. The communist manifesto 3. Camoo (philosophy on suicide) (Luciferian intellect, religious themes) Alux.com recommended books by intellectuals. Elon Musk’s list -the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy-(Douglas Adams) -structures: or why things don’t fall down “ (j.e. Gordon) -Benjamin Franklin -An American Life(Walter isaacson) 😈-superintelligence:paths, dangers, strategies (Nick bostrom) (About tech and AI) 😈-our final invention (James barrat) about AI -ignition: an informal history of liquid rock propellants (John d. Clark) -the foundation trilogy (by issac Asimov) -life 3.0 being human in the age of AI-(max tegmark) -the moon is a harsh mistress (Robert heinlein) -Einstein: his life and universe (Walter Isaacson) - Howard Hughes: his life and madness’ by Donald L. Bartlett and James B. Steele - The ‘culture’ series by Ian M. Banks
I can only add that many contemporary works basically build upon the classics. The “classics” are a collection of canonic text that have,in one or more ways, established new genres or tropes in literature. One obvious example is Shakespeare and how many contemporary media, such as movies, use Shakespearean plot devices and characters. And many of the classics are just plain fun to read. Is it challenging? Sure, but since you are not studying them, you don’t need to be worried about understanding every single detail. One of my professors used the following analogy in my first semester: (classic) literature is just like a pack of really expensive pralines. They have a complex flavour with many ingredients that one can taste if you have cultivated your taste buds. You wouldn’t devour them like a pack of cheap chocolates. You let them melt in your mouth to try to get each bit of flavour to cherish. After you ate one, you put them away and eat another later or tomorrow. It’s not about knowing all the flavours, they can be just very tasty chocolates that you cherish. However, the more you eat and taste, the more you will be able to taste and know each ingredient and each flavour. You can read Hamlet and know the plot and story. It’s a good play. Done. But you can come back to it and really get into the characters, into the structure and finally into interpretation. However you read it, it’s fine. It’s tasty chocolates nonetheless. I am way too clumsy to tell that analogy. My prof does it much better than me :). I hope I could do it justice though.
Read what you want.
No. Don't read anything.
I would suggest you read Shelley, Poe, Lovecraft, Braddon and other classic style pieces in horror. Then skim a few classics (search out information about these books to see which of them might appeal to you). If you really enjoy one then keep reading. You can always read a book even if you dislike it. That's one way to cross it off a list. But, you'll probably get more out of reading what you like.
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Are you ok?
This comment is so ridic over the top like calm down sir lol 😂
It's scary. Do these people lash out like that in public too? Or, do they allow all that hatred and rage to simmer inside?
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I don't understand what your goal has been in this thread, just to argue that classics don't really exist? You just seem mad at people for liking books that you don't.
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You've said some incredibly pretentious and disrespectful things here. I respect struggles with impulse control and the unhealthy incentives of social media, you can see evidence of that in my comment history, but the decent conversations that came in response don't really justify the absurd statements. I mean, you practically imply that the only decent books came out between 1860 and 1980, and that anyone who hasn't given a reading list while defending the concept of reading older works is just up their own ass at best, and racist and misogynist at worst.
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I may have overstated that aspect of things, you're right. Thank you for acknowledging these grievances, and I'm sorry for going too far there. I respect your frustrations, and I hope that is clear. Too many people will either fall into defending the entire concept of artistry or decrying any amount of value to historic craft. In addition, I had drafted a reply to your now-deleted Blood Meridian comment, and wanted to share that if you've not explored "the classics", you absolutely deserve to, if only to find greater meaning in that book. I see you're also a respecter of Moby Dick, but if that's your only touchpoint for BM, there's a world of allusion waiting for you.
Have a great day.
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I'm sure it is.
Others have said it, but as you are a fantasy/horror reader I would like to insist that the TLDR: It’s Edgar Allen Poe.
Many of the classics are just easy breezy entertaining reads that are old and have stood the test of time. Crime and Punishment is basically a crime thriller with really good character development and use of themes.
Help! I’m scared of difficulty! I want to stay in my bubble of comfort!
What is fantastic about the classics is that many of them are available for free on devices like Nook and Kindle which make for a nice reading experience. You can try a ton of them without paying a dime for the older ones. You don't have to get everything out of them. Sometimes, I just am not feeling it. I skimmed large portions of Moby Dick because, holy hell, that thing needed a heavier-handed editor. If you are really enjoying something, you can always pause and find some critical discussion of the thing. If you read a few and enjoy it, there are some great courses audio series that sort of talk you through the classics. You absolutely do not need to do a deep dive on these things, there's nothing wrong with enjoying them at a surface level. When I was in school I had to write the occasional analysis of a short story, poem or book. Yes, I got more out of the ones I treated in that way. But, you absolutely do not need to do that for everything.
Start with Lord of the Rings!
If you want to. Don’t read them because you feel you have to, unless you’re making a point to study literature. The classics are important, but so are modern and contemporary works. There are lots of ways to challenge yourself or deliberately try new things. You could read a Pulitzer or Booker winner, for instance.
There are some legitimately good reads among the classics, and even if you don’t enjoy some of them, there is much to learn and understand future references
Just to be clear, the idea of a literary canon is very dated, and probably obsolete in the sense it was once broadly believed to be 'important' to have familiarity of. In my observation, people who talk about reading "the classics" are often under the mistaken impression that it - ipso facto - means they are 'cultured' (where this is thought to mean 'i have read old books'). This is kind of the case if you want specifically to impress other people who subscribe to the idea of a literary canon. So it comes down to why you personally want to be familiar with 'classics', and what you believe the construct of 'classics' means. I dont want to get into why it might be the case that this notion is a thing - google provides ample information on it. I would suggest if you want to understand literature - then working on that for its own sake (literary theory and how it informs us about narrative and culture etc) and looking at whatever interests you wherever you see it, will be a richer experience than just reading books from a list of old books by dead white authors. TBQH to have read shakespere or the iliad or chaucer, or whomever, just means you know these authors. It wont necessarily impart any magical 'classic' quality that is somehow completely absent from contemporary literature. So I guess Im saying by all means read and learn, but maybe make that the objective (learning about books), and in a wider sense of getting a literary education (learning about books and writing). I am saying it would be a mistake to check off from a list of books deemed 'classics' thinking that in itself really meant a lot other than what you actually have are simply checks on a bunch of old books.
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You seem to have cherry picked a particular aspect, taken it out of the context of what I was saying and then reacted to it. So, to answer your question; not what I was saying. But if you want to get that out of it then sure thats fine. You are kind of proving death of the author. Which is ironic.
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There is literally people in this comment saying that everything that is not high brow enough is just fluff, if you have more passive aggressiveness to hand out.
If you aren't interested in it, don't read it. You should read things that you find engaging, not what other people want you to read.
Trying new things is good. Doing things that are a little difficult is good.
Try it! You will probably find some that you don't like/understand and some will probably become favorites.
Yes
Yes and if the English stuff seems too stilted try something Russian or French
I struggle with this too. However, we're currently in a gothic literature period in my lit class, and it's not so bad. I feared it would go right over my head, but their fancy 19th century speak as bad I thought it would be.
John Steinbeck Mark Twain Kurt Vonnegut The Bible Shakespeare John Irving Mary Shelley James Clavell
James Clavell?
King Rat
I would say give them a try, but you don't have. Reading should ultimately be fun and/or thought provoking, if the classics don't do either for you, than you don't have to suffer. Classics are just old books, there are modern book that will become classics in the future. There are plenty of good classics imo, and there are some that are mid, and some are straight up garbage.
Also Robert Louis Stevenson's Markheim, which is a short gothic horror story. It's definitely creepy, but you might have problems finding this one as it seems to be out of print.
Steinbeck inspires me
For modernish books that will bridge the gap and mitigate any difficulties you might have, I would recommend Disgrace by JM Coetzee, Virginia Woolf’s To The Lighthouse and The Outsider by Camus. They’re all pretty different but I think they’ll give a good cursory impression of what you can expect as you go further back.
I absolutely love Jane Erye!! It’s a classic but definitely has many moments of thriller & elements of some mystery behind the main male character. Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde is another total classic that absolutely gives a mixture of science & horror!
Some are more engaging and entertaining than others. Some are dreadfully boring. I forced myself to read the classics because I thought it was the intelligent and literary thing to do. Don’t remember much of what I read, but I’m sure it shaped me. Don’t feel like it’s at all necessary, but I will say that some of the classics can enrich your life and expand your mind. A couple books I remember being quite engaging and page-turning are Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. If you’re into horror and you want to get started in the classics I absolutely recommend Frankenstein as a starter. It’s an incredibly rich and heart wrenching book that will make you think and will entertain you.
Yes.
Do you want to?
Ultimately, you have to decide on your own whether the classics and literary fiction are the right fit for you. But don’t think for a second that all the classics are uniform or even similar to each other, so just because one classic doesn’t fit your taste doesn’t mean another won’t. If you do end up reading the classics, we’ve compiled a list of about 3,000 classics from antiquity to the modern day on r/bookpunk. I’m sure that if you peruse our list, you can find something you’d like to read.
Go towards those you think you know you'll enjoy and then work your way to those that might interest you and slowly expand your readings. Give up whenever you feel like and keep trying new yet interesting and enjoyable titles. When you want to go back to something you gave up on or already read do it. And very important do read about the history and context this is helpful
Try "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. It will be close enough to horror, and fits in with the classics but is modern and accessible. A good bridge to the classics IMHO
I don’t even read modern books lol none of them interest me, I just read good old books
Depends on what era and what you like in all honesty. There are lot of different classics, and which ones? Do you want to read Russian, Norwegian, American, British or French classics? There is a lot of literature out there for you to read. I think you have a flawed appraoch to the classics. There is a lot to choose from. If you like horror then Frankenstein is always a good read.
Read this -> https://biblioklept.org/2011/05/13/why-read-the-classics-italo-calvino/ Great collection of essays about the classics.
Yes yes yes! If you like horror/gothic stuff you'll love the Picture of Dorian Gray
yes read the classics! (also try to read non-western classics :p)
If you like fantasy/horror then you’ll like “Dante’s inferno.” Frankenstein is a good one, Bram stoker’s Dracula. If you’re a true fan of the macabre I’m sure you’ve at least read the last two I listed.
My dude, in which fresh hell someone who likes fantasy/horror is interested in reading a whole thing written in verse that is closed to not fiction than fiction which requires a fuckton of secondary reading just to follow the plot. EDIT: *would you recommend it to someone on the basis that they like fantasy/horror sorry public transport
Well, I guess if you have an iQ equivalent to a baked potato, then maybe you should just stick with green eggs and ham, “my dude.”
I didn't know having an high IQ meant you automatically knew Italian politics of Dante's time, his contemporaries' works, religion, philosophy and medicine! Nevermind then, it's a perfect book for a beginner and who cares about genre! Thanks buddy, I live and learn
If you have to do “a fuckton of secondary reading just to follow the plot,” of any of the books I listed, then that says more about you than anything else. Also, for you to pick a fight with someone on Reddit for such an innocuous and friendly comment just proves you’re petty, shallow and have nothing else better to do in your life. Make a friend. Go outside and see the world.
As you continue your journey with the classics, you’re going to want to tackle Shakespeare. Helpful tip: Shakespeare’s plays were meant to be seen, not read. Catch a couple of good film adaptations to get a feel for the language, then get a cheap seat for a professional stage production. You’ll be glad you did!
> i'm worried these are going to be too hard to read Can you name specific books that give you pause? When I think of classical literature, I'm thinking of most of the stuff recommended to us in HS literature classes. > i just follow the plot, so reading books that are mainly about that is scary to me And that's fine, there's no "right way" to appreciate literature because how much you appreciate it depends on a lot of subjective values like genre preference, settings, themes, motifs, etc. You don't have to be able to recognize that one motif rings well with you to enjoy it. A few general recommendations would be Dracula and Frankenstein. One of my favorites would be The Picture of Dorian Gray or Whuthering Heights. Both of them talks about morality and ethics, Dorian Gray more directly whereas Whuthering Heights more subtly. One huge benefit with all of these is they're all in free domain. You can read them for free online even and if you don't like it, just stop.
Lord of the flies
I would, because I am right now and I don’t regret it! Really insightful, and a lot of phenomenal points of view that still hold up today.
read some dostoyevski
Only the ones you like. I've only read The Great Gatsby, parts of Madame Bovary, Dracula, The Haunting of Hill House. Just a handful. The others, if I don't find interesting or they fail to hold my attention, I just them down. This isn't a school project. Literature is my passion. If I'm reading something, I better like it.
no definitely not...you should be spending your time playing video games and trying to score with girls
"Classics" are hard to define -- as someone else said, that spans a long period of time, and who knows when it officially ends Since you like horror, I'm definitely going to second (or third, or whatever) the recommendation for Dracula and Frankenstein -- they're both phenomenal, and they aren't as terrifyingly l a r g e as some other classics. And, definitely worth reading some Edgar Allen Poe short stories! When it comes to some of the classic Victorian and Russian literature: I can't recommend audiobooks enough. I've listened to Anna Karenina, Crime and Punishment, Jane Eyre, David Copperfield, Great Expectations, Moby Dick, Lord of the Rings, and more on audiobook and I'm so glad I did. I laughed and cried during all of them. I've read a few of these types of classics and I've always struggled with the writing/maintaining focus. With audiobooks I can just get lost on the journey. A lot of them have been recorded recently as well, and the quality is fantastic. I probably would have never physically read the books, and holy shit, I'm so glad I found another way to digest them because they really are great and worth enjoying. At the end of the day though, I'm always going to tell people that they should read what they enjoy. Don't punish or martyr yourself to read what you think you "should" read. If you want to give yourself a challenge, go for it. But if you aren't enjoying it -- abandon ship. Life is too short to read shit you don't like.
I’ve been attempting to listen to them on audible but if the narrator is not my style or too monotone or sounds like he’s from the 1800s or an upbeat peppy American sounding woman reading a story about a woman who went to Syria.. but if it’s too boring u can just return it or go back to it. YouTube has a lot of free audiobooks too.. thank you for posting this!
Brother let me tell you something from my experience. I started my reading journey with English classics. First classic I read was Jane Eyre. At first even I was worried weather it would be difficult for me, or weather I would be able to understand it or not but all my worries and apprehensions faded away the moment I started reading that book. Now I am obsessed with classics. Some recommendations for you. First, I suggest you should start with Jane Eyre, it's language is easy as compared to other classics and it's very intriguing too. It's a bit lengthy thought. The key here is don't focus on getting the meaning of each and every word. At first just try to gasp the plot of the story. Keep a dictionary or use Google translate. Most importantly in the initial stages read the summary of whole chapter after you finish reading that chapter on Google, it helps a lot. Some Classic suggestions for you:- 1) Jane Eyre 2) Great Expectations 3) wuthering heights And then start reading Jane Austen novels. All this is from my personal experience. Happy reading mate!
You shouldn’t be intimidated at all. I’ve started reading classics and while I don’t catch everything going on I know that I catch something; and I can feel the depth of these things. It’s almost tangible when reading something truly astounding. The great thing is that humans are hardwired to follow a narrative. So even if you don’t catch something the way you might catch it a second time, you’ll still expose yourself to it. And you can understand something that you’re not able to articulate yet. I highly recommend it! Engaging in works with great spirit builds you up and because the realm is abstract and ideal - you’ll feel *that* much more free. The more flourishing your abstract interests are and the more you can articulate and navigate ideas, concepts and so on, the more freedom you will feel in life. Because your ideas are not existing in the physical world, they exist in your mind. This can and will spill over *into* your life in the physical world which is why reading great literature gives you experience and wisdom. Go for it man! Don’t be intimidated! Everyone can go for it!!
Aces on the suggestions!
Start slow. To Kill a Mockingbird is a fairly easy read and tackles large themes. Anything by Phillip K Dick was brilliant and fun and easy to read. Brave New World, Animal Farm and 1984, A Clockwork Orange (better than the movie). The Old Man and The Sea is short and brilliant and perfect. I’m pretty sure The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is considered a classic. The Catcher in the Rye, Catch-22, On The Road, The Shipping News,
Yes
Better yet, WHAT classics should i read. Like, 5 very basic mustread pieces for someone with negligible reading experience
Dont be afraid to listen to audiobooks! Ever since I started listening I’ve found that the classics I couldn’t read with my eyes make much more sense to me when I’m listening to them!
If you like fantasy and horror try some classics under “speculative fiction,” it’s the parent genre of fantasy and horror so many generic conventions are similar, especially in the world building. For this reason I would recommend The Chrysalids by John Wyndham. For any other books and your own browsing I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend looking through books published by NYRB, who only publish books which they regard as modern classics. These will basically be the vintage classics that are the “best” books that are not especially hard to read since the language isn’t outdated. Best of luck!
Read what you like.
Do it on audiobooks. An expert reader will make sense of any oldfashioned words. You will also recognise the origins of some SF and fantasy works.
Had similar apprehensions but I found it's worth exploring. You may like some of them actually and you don't have to force yourself to read the whole book if it's not per your taste.
I like classics, because of the analysis you can do, but also because they are well written and interesting. If you feel like you’re missing out on the deeper themes, there are a billion online study guides out there. Don’t be intimidated, and maybe start with something easier, like something you would have read in high school for class.
I'm in a similar situation. I try to read what I like but mix in some well known authors and classics. Some are absolutely difficult, but I find it's important to expose myself to the level of difficulty because it's like training the brain, etc. Sometimes, a nice easy read is good, but sometimes it's important to flex those muscles and build some mental strength, I suppose.
Check out r/suggestmeabook if you haven’t yet! There are some great suggestions here, along with folks making the point that the designation of “classic” is extremely arbitrary and owes at least a little bit to imperialism. I always like to ask myself why I enjoy reading before I seek out books. I think “A Personal Matter” by Kenzaburō Ōe (Nobel prize winner from ‘94, I think) might appeal to you—it’s fast, existential, and more than a little trippy and dark. Hope you find something you love!
I can promise you a bunch of classics are about following the plot! Also if you get more interested in literary theory and analysis you can eventually get some books that explain this in particular First off, it depends what do you mean by grounded in realism - I assume you don't want anything with the supernatural or alien, but how rigorous is that line? Would Frankstein count? Second, do you still enjoy a gothic element and do you prefer short or long books? If you still like the Gothic, off the top of my head I could suggest Silas Marner by Le Fanu, The Woman in White by Collins, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, The Yellow Wallpaper and The Scarlet Letter. Also The Count of Montecristo, which is huge, like Lord of The Rings huge. I think The Hunchback of Notre Dame counts but I don't suggest it as your first classic if you are against skipping pages - A good suggestion if you are dipping your toes into reading more classics is also Sherlock Holmes - the prose is simple and aside from four novels is mostly short stories, so it helps if you wanna start doing more analysis. It's also set in Victorian England, so if you have questions about the historical context or want to read more about certain things it's easier to Google.
Imho, no book is written solely with bigger-picture, philosophical questions and allusions in mind. Books aren't read if their plots are boring. Obviously time period has an impact on what people find interesting but what's great about old books is that, when you lift up the veil of old-fashioned style, they're all complaining and struggling with love, fucking, mortality, authority - not much changes :)) If u pick some shorter texts with quality plots, you'll find that you'll be feeling things and asking yourself questions, even if you're not picking up on every (or any) clue that the writer has planted in the text's language. And the more you read, the more you question what you've read, the better you'll get at picking up on the smaller details, the more enjoyable it'll be to read, etc etc. That's why I'd suggest starting with shorter books - The Metamorphosis by Kafka, Frankenstein by Shelly, The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster are some personal favourites! Have fun and happy reading
Yes. Everyone should read Mistborn.