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Why do you love reading the classics?


Carla2342

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Personally I would take a book from the classics section of the bookshop rather than from anywhere else. Why? What's with the classics?

 

For starters, I think old books are the only true "historical novels". Once a friend of mine told me that she loved reading historical novels because they allowed her to experience the different ways of life people had, and that she was always struggling to find accurate historical novels. Surprisingly, this friend of mine hasn't ever read a book written before the year 2000.

 

I've always wondered why, because if you really want to know how people were at a certain time, what is a better option than to read something written by someone who lived in that time? As accurate as a modern historical novel could be, it will always be tainted by the philosophy of modern times and it is likely to contain several factual errors. An old book will never have those faults.

 

They always say that reading opens your mind. But I can hardly say so of people who love reading but read things written in their own time. They hardly show opinions any different from the morals we usually agree upon. I like reading books where the main characters really differ from what I think is right. Where the characters are moved by forces that are impossible for me to give a f*** about. Understanding people who are truly different from me is one of the main reasons why I read at all.

 

The friend of mine I mentioned above often tells me that I only read the classics. I always answer "Only?". Classic literature encompasses centuries and hundreds of countries (some of which don't even exist anymore), an incredible variety which you could never get tired of, even within the same genre.

 

So people, do you like reading the classics? Why? Why not? :)

(sorry if some sentences don't make any sense, I'm Spanish)

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I love classics! But admittedly not all classics are good or just not my style. My favorite authors are the Brontes and then Jane Austen. Two authors who are considered great writers I still can't like for example George Eliot and Charles Dickens. I also thought I would like Anne Radcliffe because I love Gothic fiction but I am still halfway through "The Mysteries of Udolpho" and I don't know when I will return to it.

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I love the classics too. It's like any other genre though, some you love, some you hate. Like Delilah, I love Jane Austen and the Brontes, and some Dickens. I've also discovered a love of Shakespeare recently, and am devouring some of his plays :) However, there have been some classics which I've expected to enjoy, and have not liked at all. (In fact, Madame Bovary which I'm reading at the moment might well be one!)

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Classics aren't always "historical novels" though - look at Jules Verne. His novels were very sci-fi and futuristic - I really see him as the father of Steampunk. ;)

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For starters, I think old books are the only true "historical novels". Once a friend of mine told me that she loved reading historical novels because they allowed her to experience the different ways of life people had, and that she was always struggling to find accurate historical novels. Surprisingly, this friend of mine hasn't ever read a book written before the year 2000.

 

That is quite ironic :) Do you know why she doesn't read any classics, and have you recommended any to her?

 

I've always wondered why, because if you really want to know how people were at a certain time, what is a better option than to read something written by someone who lived in that time? As accurate as a modern historical novel could be, it will always be tainted by the philosophy of modern times and it is likely to contain several factual errors. An old book will never have those faults.

 

I agree, I would also rather read a real classic than a historical fiction novel. However, I don't think one can really argue that old books never have factual errors/faults. First of all, any under-researched novel can contain errors. I could write a contemporary novel about my neighborhood and I could make any number of mistakes without meaning to. Second, one has to consider the motives of the authors for writing fiction. Not all of them are set out to give accurate accounts of their time period. They add things, leave things out... In my opinion, fiction is supposed to entertain, first and foremost. Not give factual accounts of the current society.

 

Also, authors today are 'allowed' to write pretty much about anything they fancy. And they might sometimes fancy writing about things that the, for example, Victorian authors didn't fancy writing about. And today's historical fiction novelists have a pretty good idea of what the contemporary reader wants to know about the ways of the golden olden days. I would argue that their novels will sometimes have much more detailed information about the days gone by than the authors of that time.

 

They always say that reading opens your mind. But I can hardly say so of people who love reading but read things written in their own time.They hardly show opinions any different from the morals we usually agree upon.I like reading books where the main characters really differ from what I think is right. Where the characters are moved by forces that are impossible for me to give a f*** about. Understanding people who are truly different from me is one of the main reasons why I read at all.

 

This could just as easily be said of people who only read classics. I would argue that the person whose mind is most open by reading literature is the one who reads both classics and contemporary novels. I would seriously hesitate to say that all modern people today, anywhere in the world, will have the same morals as the Finns do, and therefore it's useless to read any contemporary novels. I wouldn't necessarily have to travel very far to find people who come from totally different backgrounds and with whom I could have a mighty debate on the current morals of the people. And I wouldn't necessarily have to travel outside the Finnish borders.

 

The friend of mine I mentioned above often tells me that I only read the classics. I always answer "Only?". Classic literature encompasses centuries and hundreds of countries (some of which don't even exist anymore), an incredible variety which you could never get tired of, even within the same genre.

 

It seems that just like your friend doesn't understand you reading classics only, you don't fully understand your friend reading contemporary fiction only. In my humble opinion, neither of you guys is wrong or right. There are too many books in the world to be read in one's lifetime, so I say read what you most please :) There's no use reading books one doesn't want to read.

Edited by frankie
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I try to read at least one classic a year. My idea of a classic would be a book that is hard going but very rewarding when finished. I read Great Expectations last year and am aiming to read more than one this year.

 

The Phantom of the Opera, Don Quixote, The Great Gatsby and the Count of Monte Cristo are on my TBR pile.

 

Would Agatha Christie books or Daphne Du Maurier books be considered as classics as I just read these authors for pleasure?

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I like reading the classics because they always have nice literature and nice storys and they always have the best storys like gullivers travels and journey to the center of the earth ect.

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I love reading the classics and have read alot. They are most often historical in nature, reflecting life across the whole cross section of society. I think people enjoy them as they catch a way of life that was simpler ie not like our mad crazy lives where everything has to happen instantly at the touch of a button, 24 hrs a day. Many authors were contenscious challenging many aspects of society - Elizabeth Gaskill, Thomas Hardy and obviously Charles Dickens. These novels are just as relevant in today's society - poverty, justice and social inequality for example. In addition, classics so very often demonstrate the craft of writing so that that many genres have laid the foundations for our modern genres - Jane Austin -romance, Wilkie Colins - crime and murder, to name a couple. However having said all that, I read them for the pure pleasure of them

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  • 3 months later...

I enjoy reading classics every now and again. I haven't read many and the ones I have read have took me a while to truly appriciate them. I enjoy them because they can show such great and original storytelling and have influenced so much of our culture over the years (Bram Stoker's Dracula and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde for instance). I also enjoy looking at the historical context of the novels as I think they give a great insight to what life was like in those times and they are much more interesting that non-fiction history books (for me at least).

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I'm with Hannah - I like the occasional classic, but I couldn't read them exclusively. I love reading about historical times when the books are set in the period they were written as it's fascinating to get a view of the times from someone who was actually living through it.

Edited by chesilbeach
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When I pick up a classic, I know, for the most part, that I'm going to be reading some quality literature. I'm real skeptical of modern books and authors. I've no real reason to be skeptical, I'm just biased I suppose.

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You make a good point Carla; although it seems obvious now you have said it, once a book is written it becomes frozen in time, like a window into the past. I never thought of that before, thank you.

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I think you nailed it, you can read a historical novel, or a novel written in the actual period. No amount of research on the authors part is going to get them more in the head of a person from that era, while the period author is already there. The writing styles will be different, the language, the way of engaging with the reader, but that's all part of the experience as well.

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  • 2 weeks later...

What I love about reading classic literature; and I like to read both classic & contempary fiction, is the "density" of classic lit. I can't explain what I mean by "density" properly, but I hope you all know what I mean! Modern fiction tends to come to the point sooner, I find.

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When I pick up a classic, I know, for the most part, that I'm going to be reading some quality literature.

This is why I pick up a Classic too.

Plus, there's something attractive and intriguing about a book that was written in another generation and another setting, and has stood the test of time.

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  • 1 month later...

When I read an English classic, I always make a point of it to read it in its original language rather than read a translation. Immediately that brings a problem with it, however: that same language. English is my third language and it's often a bit of a struggle to understand as writing styles were so different, and so many other words are used. I enjoy this, though, but I can imagine it puts others off reading classics.

 

I don't think that just because a book is a classic that means it's quality literature. I have read books that are considered classics and I couldn't comprehend why for the life of me. Some books are just overrated in my opinion, and a book isn't necessarily good to me because many people think so.

 

What I like about reading classics is to go into the mind of the characters and see a story through that particular set of norms and values. I also like the time spent on observations and descriptions - the focus lies less on dialogue than in most books nowadays. Classics are also not as story-driven, and with that I mean that the other takes time to describe a place in more detail. Because books weren't as commercial before, I also find them more genuine and sincere at times. The author didn't compromise on a plot twist or character background/personality for commercial reasons. And yes, maybe they changed for political reasons, but then that makes it interesting - to see what was not done. Another interesting aspect is to see how the meaning of certain words have shifted or changed.

Edited by Alexander the Great
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  • 2 weeks later...

I like the occasional classic, but I couldn't read them exclusively.

 

I am the same. Perhaps that's why I enjoy them so much.

Because I only read the odd classic in between other styles, I tend to forget just how effortlessly such good literary works can transport you to those forgotten times...

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  • 2 weeks later...

I do love reading classics.

 

I like reading the old children's stories, for example Peter Pan, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King.

Being a children's author myself, I can't help but read children's classics over and over. They bring me inspiration and joyfulness.

 

They bring back so many memories and are full of happiness. I never get tired of reading them.

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  • 4 months later...

The historical context - they are manuscripts of their time often.  History textbooks are often edited by facts or dates yet in novels we get opinions, we get dissent and we get a snapshot of an era.  It is a form of escapism in which can be educated of a former time, a former set of ideals and values. 

 

The language, in comparison we use a small fraction of the vocabulary that is utilised within a classic novel.

 

Then of course there are the romantic heroes, Heathcliff, Darcy, Dr Lydgate, Rochester - they don't quite exist anymore, no matter how much Helen Fielding attempts to redefine them within 20th/21st Century.

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  • 1 month later...

I enjoy reading (and above all, listening) to classics. Especially the short stories.(I've recently discovered classic books in podcasts). I love going back in time. Sometimes to a simpler time. I love reading about the morals of those eras but can also get frustrated with the women at the same time. Wanting them to stand up for themselves and not be bullied. I'm a sucker for the old fashioned 'gothic' romance. Which I also consider a classic these days.  I enjoy Dickens, Jane Austen, the Brontes (who doesn't right?). I don't like reading New versions of these books. I'll hunt our singular used book store until I find a much loved, worn version of a classic. It seems more authentic somehow. Children's classics is where I am at the moment. 'What Katy did'. 'The Road to Avonlea'. 'Little Women'. etc. And I adore (really adore) classic SF. 'The Day of the Triffids' anything from H.G. Wells and Ray Bradbury. And last, but not least 'classic horror'. Oh so good without today's gore. Love it.

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I enjoy reading (and above all, listening) to classics. Especially the short stories.(I've recently discovered classic books in podcasts). I love going back in time. Sometimes to a simpler time. I love reading about the morals of those eras but can also get frustrated with the women at the same time. Wanting them to stand up for themselves and not be bullied. I'm a sucker for the old fashioned 'gothic' romance. Which I also consider a classic these days.  I enjoy Dickens, Jane Austen, the Brontes (who doesn't right?). I don't like reading New versions of these books. I'll hunt our singular used book store until I find a much loved, worn version of a classic. It seems more authentic somehow. Children's classics is where I am at the moment. 'What Katy did'. 'The Road to Avonlea'. 'Little Women'. etc. And I adore (really adore) classic SF. 'The Day of the Triffids' anything from H.G. Wells and Ray Bradbury. And last, but not least 'classic horror'. Oh so good without today's gore. Love it.

 

I was nodding my head when reading your post, Miss Mabel! I'm relatively young but already I think I'm getting frustrated with different kinds of modern gadgets and all. One of my pet peeves is when I'm spending time with a friend and they are too busy looking at their mobile phone, checking for texts and e-mails and such. It is so rude, in my opinion. So it feels that things were better back in the day, when people didn't have such distractions around them, and they paid attention to who was around.

 

And I can relate to you loving to read about the morals, but also wanting to make the women 'get it' and stand up for themselves... For me it's sometimes hard to jsut relax and remember that they did the best they could at the time, and they would've done more for themselves had they lived in a more modern era.

 

You mentioned Road to Avonlea... Do you mean the TV series? Because I don't know of a book series by that name, but that might just be me. I know of the Story Girl books... Which I didn't like as much as the TV series. Maybe because I watched the show first.

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I was nodding my head when reading your post, Miss Mabel! I'm relatively young but already I think I'm getting frustrated with different kinds of modern gadgets and all. One of my pet peeves is when I'm spending time with a friend and they are too busy looking at their mobile phone, checking for texts and e-mails and such. It is so rude, in my opinion. So it feels that things were better back in the day, when people didn't have such distractions around them, and they paid attention to who was around.

It's probably entirely offtopic but I agree with you. I also know some people who do that, it annoys me, especially when I'm having a good or important conversation with them. I do check my own phone but at a more convenient time, ie. when I'm alone.

 

On topic:

I like to read classics for several reasons, ie. escapism, history lesson, seeing the work of a famous author and why it's so good, the stories themselves. I wouldn't want to read solely classics (I don't read them that often) but I like reading a piece of history, a book that was significant, which many people have read, which is referenced in lots of other works or films etc.

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It's probably entirely offtopic but I agree with you. I also know some people who do that, it annoys me, especially when I'm having a good or important conversation with them. I do check my own phone but at a more convenient time, ie. when I'm alone.

 

I would understand if they were waiting for some important message about a new job or something like that, but otherwise it's just plain rude in my opinion :rolleyes: Like you said, it's fine to do it when you're alone, like for example when the other person has excused themselves to go to the powder room.

 

 

 

On topic:

I like to read classics for several reasons, ie. escapism, history lesson, seeing the work of a famous author and why it's so good, the stories themselves. I wouldn't want to read solely classics (I don't read them that often) but I like reading a piece of history, a book that was significant, which many people have read, which is referenced in lots of other works or films etc.

 

Well put, all in all. :yes: That's why I should've said in the first place but you phrased it better :D

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I didn't  really read classics until I hit 11. Even then I only read Jane Eyre and To Kill a Mockingbird or any novels for my lessons. Since starting English Lit for my A Levels, I have read more and more classics in that I plan on continuing these studies in Uni, and you can't exactly get away from the classics then. In a way, they appeal to me like Game of Thrones or the Wheel of Time series in that I love the eras/time period style that they hold. Travelling by horseback, no real technological advancement. I also find myself drawn more to the "ChickLit" of the classics in that they aren't as tedious as the modern day novels. They're worthwhile reading and it's scandalous to fall in love with someone of a higher social status than the main character.

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Road to Avonlea is based on the Anne of Green Gables book series. Road to Avonlea is the tv series. I'm sorry for the wrong description.

 

I, too, find it very irritating to see people spending more time with their gadgets than interacting with their human companions. I know of a few young mothers who give more attention to their cell phones than their children. It's very frustration when they don't see that their children act up because mom/dad are texting instead of giving them private attention. So, yes, the less modern times are at times more appealing.

 

It thrills me at times to read about how households were run in the classical times. But, I find myself thrilled to be living in these days when there is death and plagues. Oh the horrors of old fashioned medicine. Especially in the 1800's/ early 1900's.

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