tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4818215410689699213.post2507600461786808737..comments2024-03-28T10:52:38.144-04:00Comments on Shelf Actualization: The Lit-Fic Starter Kit: Your Quickstart Guide to the ClassicsMacEvoy DeMaresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01017894338443984921noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4818215410689699213.post-886543236949109672012-04-04T15:09:57.112-04:002012-04-04T15:09:57.112-04:00My suggestion would 100% be Jane Eyre. That's ...My suggestion would 100% be Jane Eyre. That's the one that got me started. :)<br /><br />Great blog!*ೃ༄ Jillianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139487177036647728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4818215410689699213.post-10321375871676274222012-03-28T21:08:56.252-04:002012-03-28T21:08:56.252-04:00I'll cast a vote for audiobooks, as well. I...I'll cast a vote for audiobooks, as well. I'm plowing my way through a recording of Marcel Proust's Swann's Way- a monumental work of literature that I'd always assumed would be more work than it was worth. And I have been absolutely delighted by it.<br /><br />Also, in the audio version of Animal Farm that I listened to, "Beasts of England" was sung to the tune of "Oh my Darling Clementine." Wikipedia tells me that's not accurate, but it worked for me.MacEvoyhttp://www.shelfactualization.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4818215410689699213.post-59690289382633264682012-03-28T21:02:23.136-04:002012-03-28T21:02:23.136-04:00Love Morrison, love Vonnegut. Want to read the oth...Love Morrison, love Vonnegut. Want to read the others you mention.MacEvoyhttp://www.shelfactualization.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4818215410689699213.post-81412762751399055612012-03-28T18:39:29.394-04:002012-03-28T18:39:29.394-04:00There are a lot of good books above, but most aren...There are a lot of good books above, but most aren't the kind of starter classics that will lead to a serious habit. I think we're looking for a hit that becomes an addiction. Try Animal Farm for a great (and short) political allegory. SlaughterhouseFive is weird, funny, and fun to read. Even Huck Finn makes a good first classics read. The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Of Mice and Men are others. Short. Sweet. Enjoyable.<br /><br />The key here is a quick, delicious hit, not an 800-page novel that one has to plow through. Lots of people love Middlemarch, but it's not the kind of book a beginner will stick with until page 600 when things almost start happening. No way I'd recommend Room with a View or Le Mis as a first read. In fact, stay as far away from RWAV as possible if you want to love reading classics.<br /><br />One other thing that may help... try listening to a few classics instead of reading them. There is an audio version of Slaughterhouse Five read by Ethan Hawke that is amazing. Even stories like Animal Farm can be more easily consumed when a good actor is doing the voices.100 Best Bookshttp://www.readthe100.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4818215410689699213.post-30843123112505452612012-03-28T16:04:45.750-04:002012-03-28T16:04:45.750-04:00I think I'd go with "The Sea, The Sea&quo...I think I'd go with "The Sea, The Sea" by Iris Murdoch. The main character is just so fascinating in a love-to-hate way. It's a book that opens you up to your own flaws as a person without forcing a sense of self-loathing. Also, it's mystical and mysterious and fast-paced and very interesting.<br /><br />Other good starter classics might be "The Unbearable Lightness of Being," "The Outsiders," or anything by Toni Morrison or Kurt Vonnegut.Kelseynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4818215410689699213.post-81401915526157160902012-03-28T14:00:16.397-04:002012-03-28T14:00:16.397-04:00Wait a second... you're going to start someone...Wait a second... you're going to <i>start</i> someone on Les Mis and Hunchback? Phew! You're hardcore, Mayhem.MacEvoyhttp://www.shelfactualization.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4818215410689699213.post-7452968516628495452012-03-28T13:22:57.290-04:002012-03-28T13:22:57.290-04:00Oh, the possibilities! Tess of the d'Urbervil...Oh, the possibilities! Tess of the d'Urbervilles, The Mayor of Casterbridge are both beautiful works by Hardy. I second Rebecca - what a great October book Another great October-y book is the original Phantom of the Opera. However, no list can be complete without Les Miserables or Hunchback of Notre Dame - Victor Hugo was a master.Marsh Mayhemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05536460905431471758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4818215410689699213.post-27336202378845126592012-03-28T11:49:48.388-04:002012-03-28T11:49:48.388-04:00Jane Eyre is my one weakness. My obsession has mov...Jane Eyre is my one weakness. My obsession has moved on to collecting old copies of it. :) I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it as well!Jillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11905232092734897933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4818215410689699213.post-77012683510550718272012-03-28T09:20:37.620-04:002012-03-28T09:20:37.620-04:00The closest I've come to children's lit in...The closest I've come to children's lit in the past couple years is Antoine de Saint-exeupery's The Little Prince. But I'm sure there's a ton for me to rediscover in the other books you've listed, as well.<br /><br />Also, I read a Room with a View last year, but never reviewed it here. Thanks for the reminder. It's a good read.MacEvoyhttp://www.shelfactualization.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4818215410689699213.post-84743758913583531892012-03-28T09:16:48.846-04:002012-03-28T09:16:48.846-04:00I'm currently enjoying Jane Eyre, and loved Al...I'm currently enjoying Jane Eyre, and loved All Quiet on the Western Front. Huck Finn, obviously, worth anyone's time. And I'm all for including plays. <br /><br />Great list.MacEvoyhttp://www.shelfactualization.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4818215410689699213.post-64821856306656203302012-03-28T09:13:15.628-04:002012-03-28T09:13:15.628-04:00I'll second this. In fact, I already have:
ht...I'll second this. In fact, I already have:<br /><br />http://www.shelfactualization.com/2012/02/in-defense-of-books-you-hate-catcher-in.htmlMacEvoyhttp://www.shelfactualization.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4818215410689699213.post-7002558645058552222012-03-28T03:44:05.542-04:002012-03-28T03:44:05.542-04:00The Catcher in the Rye! I've always been more ...The Catcher in the Rye! I've always been more of a contemporary lit girl, but I love Catcher. I like how easy it is to read, but I think the swear words and slang appealed to my 12 year old sensibilities, especially since my mom recommended it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4818215410689699213.post-52219524579857720552012-03-28T01:51:40.202-04:002012-03-28T01:51:40.202-04:00Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass by L...Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll <br /><br />The Complete Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne<br /><br />The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum<br /><br />I know that all of these are considered children's books but if you read the non-Disneyfied editions you will find them both challenging with beautiful rich language. If you are concerned that they wouldn't be challenging enough you could try the book that saved my reading life (I had stopped reading altogether and then had to read this):<br /><br />Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte<br /><br />Plus my favorite book:<br /><br />A Room with a View by E.M. Forster <br /><br />Happy reading!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4818215410689699213.post-14324755852912045012012-03-27T23:20:10.324-04:002012-03-27T23:20:10.324-04:00I have always been a great fan of classics, but th...I have always been a great fan of classics, but there are always ones that are duds, even for devoted classics lovers. For quick-read classics, I would suggest "Ethan Frome" by Edith Wharton, "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin, "The Death of Ivan Ilych" by Tolstoy, and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte; I read it for the first time when I was 11 and have been hooked ever since. If you are into Austen but need something a little more involved and in-depth, "Jane Eyre" is the way to go. "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier is a haunting, gripping read. And while "Anne of Green Gables" and "Little Women" seem more like children's books, there is so much more to them underneath the surface. Plays can be great as well: "A Doll's House" by Henrik Ibsen or even Greek tragedies, such as "Oedipus" or, my personal favorite, "Madea". I know this is way too long, but I almost forgot "All Quiet on the Western Front" by Remarque. Sorry for the novel here... good luck to ElizabethR with her classics reading!Jillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11905232092734897933noreply@blogger.com