AKA: Classics for Beginners, AKA: Intro to Classic Literature.
In my opinion, the classics are the most intimidating genre, if they can be called a genre at all. The books seem more difficult and longer than “normal” books, and there seems like there’s so much pressure to enjoy them, simply because they’ve already been categorised as exemplary works of literature by humanity as a whole. To decide you don’t care for a classic isn’t just an opinion, but seems like a failure on your part to enjoy good literature.
If any of those thoughts remind you of yourself, then keep reading, because I’m going to break down those fears, and give you 4 tips that will help you learn to love classics.
If you’d rather watch a video than read a blog post, check out my YouTube video here:
First off, let’s break down that word “classic.”
Where did it come from?
Why do we allow it to intimidate us?
The word “classic” in regard to literature goes back to the early sixteenth century, when it referred to ancient authors whose writing was of excellent quality. This might have included, for instance, the work of Plato. The purpose was to study older texts in order to better understand later times: for example, see how antique (Greek/Roman) texts shaped the Middle Ages.
The word “classic” was entirely connected to education, classics became texts assigned in class. This connotation was never lost, and the books that we today consider classics, are those we associate with academics.
(I got my information from Jan M Ziolkowski’s The Juggler of Notre Dame and the Medievalizing of Modernity, Volume 1: The Middle Ages).
So, classics: books that humans have decided are (1) excellently written and (2) should be studied.
This doesn’t mean you have to love every classic, because the group encompasses all kinds of genres and writing styles. Allow yourself to lift that weight off your shoulders… so that you might feel that you can read classics, and if you don’t enjoy some of them, that’s more than ok! Knowing that you’ll hate some, and love some, let’s get started.
Here are four tips to help you read and love these books, which might be written differently from books you’re used to reading, or focus on themes, ideas or settings that you’re largely unfamiliar with.
- Try some of the more recent/modern classics. The more modern classics can be more comfortable to read, as the writing style and vocabulary are often more familiar and therefore the stories can be easier to get into. For example, try: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1984 by George Orwell, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, or 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff.
- Try some of the shorter classics. Reading the shorter classics will be motivating, because you’ll get through them more quickly. Why not pick a short work by an author you’d really like to get to know? For example, try: The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde (my personal all-time favourite), Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, The Time Machine by HG Wells, or Leo Tolstoy’s 20 Greatest Short Stories.
- Try a classic that has a story you’re familiar with. If a classic is particularly long or complex, knowing the story, the plot, can help you stick with the story even through the dull bits, or the bits that are more complicated to understand. You might want to wikipedia the book, or watch the film version before you begin. For example, try: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (short too!), Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (movie on Netflix!), or Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. The options are really endless for this tip!
- Read with a friend (or two). Starting a reading group with your friends, where you agree to read a chapter a week and then chat about it over a coffee (in person or on zoom) would be so much fun! It will keep you motivated to not give up on the book, and whether you enjoy the novel or not, you’ll get something positive out of the experience. Fantastic book club picks might be: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (lots of space for discussion), Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (very long so group motivation is good!), or War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (also long).
- Listen to the audiobook. Listening to the audiobook (unabridged) of a classic is a fantastic way to break into the world of classics, as you can read while doing something else (walking, chores, crafts) and it’s easier to keep moving through the story, as you don’t have to put energy into not giving up. I’ve listened to these classics, and loved them: Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.
I hope this blog post helped you out! Leave a comment below if it did!
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