Your first classics

[IlanaSimons]

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Everyman wrote:
....Helen is a sweetie. I could see being happily married to her.

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HA!  Jane Eyre humor.  That's terrific.  (I know it's not all humor, but please admit it's a little humor: the dream of being married to the girl who has no humor and dies tragically young.)  I'll parallel with my own dream: Jude Fawley is a heartthrob.

[Everyman]

Did you know that Jude the Obscure was burnt by the Bishop of Exeter when it was published in 1895? So you can not only enjoy reading the story, but feel good about reading a banned book!

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IlanaSimons wrote:

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Everyman wrote:
....Helen is a sweetie. I could see being happily married to her.

---

HA! Jane Eyre humor. That's terrific. (I know it's not all humor, but please admit it's a little humor: the dream of being married to the girl who has no humor and dies tragically young.) I'll parallel with my own dream: Jude Fawley is a heartthrob.

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[IlanaSimons]

thanks for the added enjoyment!

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Everyman wrote:
Did you know that Jude the Obscure was burnt by the Bishop of Exeter when it was published in 1895? So you can not only enjoy reading the story, but feel good about reading a banned book!

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IlanaSimons wrote:

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Everyman wrote:
....Helen is a sweetie. I could see being happily married to her.

---

HA! Jane Eyre humor. That's terrific. (I know it's not all humor, but please admit it's a little humor: the dream of being married to the girl who has no humor and dies tragically young.) I'll parallel with my own dream: Jude Fawley is a heartthrob.

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[va-BBoomer]

You are right, Everyman, I am female.  And I agree with you.  Rochester is a very complex man, with one particularly large problem or skeleton in his closet.  A lot of women love the brooding type, and he definitely is that.  The gothic atmosphere is another attraction, again mainly with women.

[jajala27]

i read les mis in high school.
i cut so many classes to read that book.

[Timbuktu1]

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va-BBoomer wrote:

You are right, Everyman, I am female.  And I agree with you.  Rochester is a very complex man, with one particularly large problem or skeleton in his closet.  A lot of women love the brooding type, and he definitely is that.  The gothic atmosphere is another attraction, again mainly with women.

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I agree. I read Jane Eyre when I was about l2 and loved it. All I remember of it is the mood but most of all, that "skeleton in the closet". Don't we all have one of those?

[Alice_Marie]

My first classic was Wuthering Heights, which I reread at least twice before returning it to the library. It was a great book and I absolutely love it. I think right now, it's my favorite book.

Currently, I am reading Pride & Prejudice. I am not done yet. But I was also wondering, has anyone read any novels that were written to succeed this one? I believe Jane Austin never wrote one, but that other authors did. Are any of them worth reading?

Thanks!

Alice

[Melissa_W Moderator]

JA never wrote any sequels to her novels.  I've read a few "sequels" cooked up by other authors and I think they're pretty inferior to the originals.  I also think that some veer into subject matter that JA would never, ever have alluded to in her works. 

But this is only my opinion.  Some readers really seem to like the "sequels."

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Alice_Marie wrote:
My first classic was Wuthering Heights, which I reread at least twice before returning it to the library. It was a great book and I absolutely love it. I think right now, it's my favorite book.

Currently, I am reading Pride & Prejudice. I am not done yet. But I was also wondering, has anyone read any novels that were written to succeed this one? I believe Jane Austin never wrote one, but that other authors did. Are any of them worth reading?

Thanks!

Alice

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[debbook]

Me, too!! 8th grade lit class. Until then I had mostly read teenage books. When we started reading Dickens, I kept reading ahead even though we were told not to. After that I read David Copperfield and then started getting into other classics. I love the BN classics, b/c I had not read any for a few years and then got back into them. i can't believe how many I missed. So many books, so little time...

[Jessiemil42]

My first two classics were "The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain and "Utopia" by Sir Thomas More. I read Tom Sawyer in school and I loved it. When Mark Twain writes of childhood, he makes it relatable to all children, no matter what generation. I also like the action in it as well. It is a great adventure book for anyone, not just children and teenagers. Now, Utopia is a book that my family loves. My father gave me my first copy. It seems a bit odd for a young teenager to read it, but it's a piece of work that I think everyone, in a working society, should read. After that, I ended up reading more and more classics, preferably Shakespeare. After Utopia, I went to the school's library and checked out a simpler version of "Macbeth", which scared me to death.

=]

[CousinMary]

I think my first classic was the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. I was in 5th grade or so and as usual I'd finished my class work early and headed on over to the class bookcase to keep myself busy. There was a copy of Memoirs. I'd heard of Sherlock Holmes so I grabbed it and cracked it open. And there was a prostitute talking about how Holmes was brilliant but not particularly good in bed! I was shocked! It was then I realized that classic lit was much, much dirtier than anything else I was allowed to read and I was henceforth a classics reader  

[Timbuktu1]

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Jessiemil42 wrote:
My first two classics were "The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain and "Utopia" by Sir Thomas More. I read Tom Sawyer in school and I loved it. When Mark Twain writes of childhood, he makes it relatable to all children, no matter what generation. I also like the action in it as well. It is a great adventure book for anyone, not just children and teenagers. Now, Utopia is a book that my family loves. My father gave me my first copy. It seems a bit odd for a young teenager to read it, but it's a piece of work that I think everyone, in a working society, should read. After that, I ended up reading more and more classics, preferably Shakespeare. After Utopia, I went to the school's library and checked out a simpler version of "Macbeth", which scared me to death.

=]

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I just read Utopia for the first time a month ago. It's the kind of book that stays in your mind forever, I think. You had good parents to have given that to you and you were an exceptional kid to have read it!

[Everyman]

Gracious! Which story was that? How is it that I don't recall the incident???

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CousinMary wrote:

I think my first classic was the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. I was in 5th grade or so and as usual I'd finished my class work early and headed on over to the class bookcase to keep myself busy. There was a copy of Memoirs. I'd heard of Sherlock Holmes so I grabbed it and cracked it open. And there was a prostitute talking about how Holmes was brilliant but not particularly good in bed! I was shocked! It was then I realized that classic lit was much, much dirtier than anything else I was allowed to read and I was henceforth a classics reader  

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[samjayln]

I didn't really get into classics until middle school, but I did read a few on my own in elementary school. I can't remember if my first was Wind in the Willows or Anne of Green Gables. I truly enjoyed Green Gables though, because at the time, I had a quick temper that got me into as much trouble as Anne!

Jane Eyre was also an excellent book. It showed my ninth-grade self that not all classics were stuffy and boring like The Scarlet Letter that I was forced to read for my English class.

In eleventh grade I discovered The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which proved to me that not all books that I'm assigned to read will be awful. In fact, they can be quite enjoyable.

But I believe the two classics that I read for high school that changed my whole outlook on life were Walden and The Fountainhead. Thoreau and Rand have very distinct philosophies that kind of conflict with each other, but I respect them both.

[Timbuktu1]

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samjayln wrote:

I didn't really get into classics until middle school, but I did read a few on my own in elementary school. I can't remember if my first was Wind in the Willows or Anne of Green Gables. I truly enjoyed Green Gables though, because at the time, I had a quick temper that got me into as much trouble as Anne!

Jane Eyre was also an excellent book. It showed my ninth-grade self that not all classics were stuffy and boring like The Scarlet Letter that I was forced to read for my English class.

In eleventh grade I discovered The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which proved to me that not all books that I'm assigned to read will be awful. In fact, they can be quite enjoyable.

But I believe the two classics that I read for high school that changed my whole outlook on life were Walden and The Fountainhead. Thoreau and Rand have very distinct philosophies that kind of conflict with each other, but I respect them both.

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I'm glad you liked Anne of Green Gables, I love it myself. I have a friend who lives on Prince Edward Island and was required to read that book several times throughout school. She's a teacher now and says she will NEVER assign it! Have you seen the tv series? Really well done.

I went through a Fountainhead period myself in my 20's. I think she particularly appeals to people in their 20's, the way Catcher in the Rye appeals to teen-agers. Time has changed my feelings toward her quite a bit. Did you know that Alan Greenspan was a protege of hers?

[tkillham]

In high school, I never cared much for classical literature.  That changed when I took a college Russian History course.  The professor was constantly pointing out connections between historical events and cultural milestones, which were usually literary.  Since I've made that connection, I've grown to appreciate literature and history much more.  Now, when I'm reading a lot about a certain period in history, I try to find literature from that period to help me get into the mindset of people of that age.

[dlwintermia]

Hello Everyone,

I just stumbled on this discussion while checking out some of the other clubs.  However, the content interested me enough to post a response.  My first book of impact was Crime & Punishment.  That book naturally lead me into a dark, if not at times, morbid fascination with Russian authors.  I've not returned to those days for many, many years; yet, the books as well as their authors left an impression on me that has never left my mind and certainly not my soul.

[emily2727]

I read Pride and Prejudice in ninth grade and I absolutely adored it. Someday I would like to marry Mr. Darcy! Another classic that stuck with me was The Awakening, which I read my senior year of HS.. That same year I read Equus, which isn't exactly a "classic" but is an amazing play. It really makes you question your values and ethics. Hopefully I'll see it performed someday..

[clau]

How does anyone remember that far back?  I do remember that I hated most of the classics in school: the jungle, the pearl, the red pony, grapes of wrath, etc.!  I didn't like Great Gatsby until I reread it as an adult, by choice, and the same with "I Heard the Owl Call My Name"!  I loved Steinbeck's purple poodle in Travels with Charlie, Manchester's Churchill and Gordon's Charlotte Bronte: a passionate Life!

I've worked as a librarian for the last 15 years and read a far broader selection than might otherwise have happened.  If you liked Willa Cather, you might enjoy Eudora Welty.  So many books, so little time!

[nhbooklover]

I know this thread is a little old, but I just came across it. I think my first classic, if it's considered one, would probably be Of Mice and Men, which I had to read in high school English. Another required reading was The Scarlet Letter.