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Kristen at Book Club Classics has created this meme to promote her new site, Lit Guides, and The Kool-Aid Mom has tagged me to do it as well! The questions are as follows:
1. What is the best classic you were “forced” to read in school (and why)?
2. What was the worst classic you were forced to endure (and why)?
3. Which classic should every student be required to read (and why)?
4. Which classic should be put to rest immediately (and why)?
5. **Bonus** Why do you think certain books become classics?
1. What is the best classic you were “forced” to read in school (and why)?
Jane Eyre, beyond question – it’s become one of my favorite books. There’s just so much to love about it. Great characters, plot, and most of all atmosphere and tone. I love Charlotte Bronte’s writing. I had to read it in high school, once by choice and once I was forced. I have tons of other contenders, though – Dracula, Pride and Prejudice, The Mill on the Floss, Far From the Madding Crowd, Rebecca … the list goes on.
2. What was the worst classic you were forced to endure (and why)?
Heart of Darkness. I read it three times. I was too much of a good student not to read it every time it was assigned to me, but I hated it every time. The thing about it is that I can see its literary merit as an English major, but I just can’t stand the writing and I think it’s the most boring book I’ve ever had to read.
3. Which classic should every student be required to read (and why)?
This question is challenging. Every student is different. I am, however, going to jump on my favorite bandwagon and say that every student should read Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, and in particular one of the bawdy tales. Chaucer was a brilliant man in many ways. This work is not only extremely influential in a literary sense, it can show us the history of the English language and culture and more importantly, the fact that literature is hilarious and fun, even when it’s from the 14th century.
4. Which classic should be put to rest immediately (and why)?
I don’t think any of them should be put to rest. They all have value and everyone has different taste – why deprive someone else of a classic just because I despise it?
5. Why do you think certain books become classics?
I’m with the chorus on this one, because I think that certain books become classics because they speak to something universal in all of us. They may also display some significant aspect of history, culture, or human nature. And in my opinion, you can never tell what’s going to become a classic. Charles Dickens was a sensationally popular author to the tune of Stephen King today and he is now read in every high school as serious literature.
I’ve decided not to tag anyone else to do this meme because I want everyone who wants to answer the questions to steal it! It’s been fun. =)
Recently, Entertainment Weekly posted a variety of lists involving the “new” classics, and of course, there is a list of 100 new classic books. I first saw this list over at The Boston Bibliophile yesterday, but my internet down-time made me forget that I wanted to post it until today. Since then it seems the list has been making the rounds! I’m not sure I agree with some of the placements on the list, but it’s certainly interesting.
So, I have bolded the ones that I have read and italicized the ones that I own.
1. The Road, Cormac McCarthy (2006)
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (2000)
3. Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987)
4. The Liars’ Club, Mary Karr (1995)
5. American Pastoral, Philip Roth (1997)
6. Mystic River, Dennis Lehane (2001)
7. Maus, Art Spiegelman (1986/1991)
8. Selected Stories, Alice Munro (1996)
9. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier (1997)
10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami (1997)
11. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer (1997)
12. Blindness, José Saramago (1998)
13. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-87)
14. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates (1992)
15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers (2000)
16. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986)
17. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez (1988)
18. Rabbit at Rest, John Updike (1990)
19. On Beauty, Zadie Smith (2005)
20. Bridget Jones’s Diary, Helen Fielding (1998)
21. On Writing, Stephen King (2000)
22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz (2007)
23. The Ghost Road, Pat Barker (1996)
24. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry (1985)
25. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (1989)
26. Neuromancer, William Gibson (1984)
27. Possession, A.S. Byatt (1990)
28. Naked, David Sedaris (1997)
29. Bel Canto, Anne Patchett (2001)
30. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson (2004)
31. The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien (1990)
32. Parting the Waters, Taylor Branch (1988)
33. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion (2005)
34. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (2002)
35. The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst (2004)
36. Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt (1996)
37. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (2003)
38. Birds of America, Lorrie Moore (1998)
39. Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri (2000)
40. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (1995-2000)
41. The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros (1984)
42. LaBrava, Elmore Leonard (1983)
43. Borrowed Time, Paul Monette (1988)
44. Praying for Sheetrock, Melissa Fay Greene (1991)
45. Eva Luna, Isabel Allende (1988)
46. Sandman, Neil Gaiman (1988-1996)
47. World’s Fair, E.L. Doctorow (1985)
48. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver (1998)
49. Clockers, Richard Price (1992)
50. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen (2001)
51. The Journalist and the Murderer, Janet Malcom (1990)
52. Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan (1992)
53. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon (2000)
54. Jimmy Corrigan, Chris Ware (2000)
55. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (2006)
56. The Night Manager, John le Carré (1993)
57. The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe (1987)
58. Drop City, TC Boyle (2003)
59. Krik? Krak! Edwidge Danticat (1995)
60. Nickel & Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)
61. Money, Martin Amis (1985)
62. Last Train To Memphis, Peter Guralnick (1994)
63. Pastoralia, George Saunders (2000)
64. Underworld, Don DeLillo (1997)
65. The Giver, Lois Lowry (1993)
66. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace (1997)
67. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini (2003)
68. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel (2006)
69. Secret History, Donna Tartt (1992)
70. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (2004)
71. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Ann Fadiman (1997)
72. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (2003)
73. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving (1989)
74. Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger (1990)
75. Cathedral, Raymond Carver (1983)
76. A Sight for Sore Eyes, Ruth Rendell (1998)
77. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)
78. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert (2006)
79. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (2000)
80. Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney (1984)
81. Backlash, Susan Faludi (1991)
82. Atonement, Ian McEwan (2002)
83. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields (1994)
84. Holes, Louis Sachar (1998)
85. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (2004)
86. And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts (1987)
87. The Ruins, Scott Smith (2006)
88. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby (1995)
89. Close Range, Annie Proulx (1999)
90. Comfort Me With Apples, Ruth Reichl (2001)
91. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (2003)
92. Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow (1987)
93. A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley (1991)
94. Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser (2001)
95. Kaaterskill Falls, Allegra Goodman (1998)
96. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (2003)
97. Jesus’ Son, Denis Johnson (1992)
98. The Predators’ Ball, Connie Bruck (1988)
99. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman (1995)
100. America (the Book), Jon Stewart/Daily Show (2004)
So I haven’t actually read too many of them, but I’ve read almost all of the ones that I want to read. I wonder what that says about me, or what it says about the list?
I first read this book sophomore year of high school, about six years ago. I was surprised how much of it had stayed with me, but also how well it held up with someone who already knew the conclusion to all the mystery.
Du Maurier knows well how to spin an enthralling mystery. She builds the suspense slowly and steadily and creates an atmosphere that for me is rarely found elsewhere. Rebecca and Manderley are both palpable characters even though neither of them are actually alive. The narrator is eminently sympathetic, and even though she is a bit wimpy, it’s easy to understand why and how. She’s out of her league for the most part, and she copes the best she can. Each character feels like they could exist, except perhaps Rebecca, but that could just be because she is so different from me – even the cruel Mrs. Danvers has two sides and her cruelty is to some extent understood and explained to the reader. They all have motives for their actions. Everything is tight and well done.
Also, the first person narration is excellent – we really do see through the current Mrs de Winter’s eyes and she acts as a filter for our understanding.
This novel is excellent, and there’s a reason why my edition says it is the classic tale of romantic suspense. I also read recently that du Maurier was consciously evoking JANE EYRE, which may help to explain its similar everlasting appeal. There is nothing about this novel that isn’t five star, and I happily recommend it to everyone I know.
How does one review such a book? The Brothers Karamazov is a personification of Russian culture, expressing so much about its history through fiction. There is the church, small village life, the Russian spirit, even the corruption which never fails to pervade government, the superfluous man – all central themes to Russia in the 19th century. The never-ending struggle of the nobles to find a place for themselves once they are no longer forced to serve reaches a climax in the character of Mitya Karamazov, who must deal with a father who will not give him his inheritance and a life which serves no purpose.
This translation, by Pevear and Volokhonsky, has been praised and awarded for its retention of Dostoevsky’s spirit and language, and for what it’s worth, I would agree. The novel is lively, with an edge of ridiculousness on top of the depression, and a final, somewhat uplifting message. Each brother is different and embodies a specific character, and the three are entangled with various other characters, creating a fascinating, multi-faceted whole. The plot has love triangles, mystery, and excitement enough to keep the reader going through as fast as possible.
It’s long, but worth it. Definitely recommended.
Great little novel, packed with allusions and charming turns of phrase. I didn’t read Onegin’s Journey, the little epilogue included, because I didn’t really find it necessary. I enjoyed the rhyme and the Russian feel of it, which I think the translation probably did a good job in keeping, even if it made the words slightly different. There are many, many literary and other allusions, so a version with footnotes like mine (Oxford) is essential, otherwise the story can’t be fully understood. Overall, a tale full of passion, highly recommended.
I didn’t like this one. I’m not a fan of absurdist humor and stories that don’t really make sense without external explanation. Not recommended.
I don’t even know how to review George Eliot, especially this novel. She captures such amazing things about human nature; not every ending is happy, but some are. I love the relationships between characters, their passions, how they grow and develop as the book goes along. Dorothea especially shines as a character, suffering through a difficult marriage and finally greeting happiness with open arms and a great deal of maturity. Each character has both flaws and virtues, and they are all well-drawn and capable of existence.
I love the society of Middlemarch, and I’d like to think of it as a snapshot of a small, somewhat rural town, all residents bound together against scandal and “new” inhabitants. She’s an author that captures the connections between people really well. Married people, friends, clients, children; all are connected and believably so.
I enjoyed the epilogue, even though it wasn’t necessary since I felt as though I lived in Middlemarch. Having such a place just stop existing is impossible!
Wish I could go back and read it again!
I can’t say I’m hugely fond of this one. The book starts out decently when Stephen Dedalus is a child, with a narrative style suited to a child. He grows up throughout the novel, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Under normal circumstances, that sounds like something I’d enjoy. Not with this book, though. Stephen internalizes every external event, making it hard to keep track of what’s actually happening and what’s in Stephen’s head. There isn’t much of a plot as Joyce is just tracking Stephen’s growth. Other characters aren’t given much attention. Moreover, in the middle of the book there is a pages-long Catholic sermon which rings over dramatic and false, ripping the reader out of the story. It’s very hard to get into this book since every word requires attention.
The prose, admittedly, is very beautiful, and if I were to read this book slowly and attempt to extract all the nuances of meaning, I may enjoy it more. I’m not that type of reader, though. I don’t really enjoy when sentence structure reflects the narrator and has meaning itself; I vastly prefer the meaning to be in the story.
I read this book for a class entitled “The Modern British and Irish Novel”, and as I understand it is a precursor to many modern works. I am hoping that the other authors can do what Joyce does with a more interesting plot. Overall I think I prefer my literature to be of the 19th century variety, but if you are looking for a work laden with meaning, symbolism, and intricacies, this is probably for you.
Surprisingly, I don’t have much to say about Persuasion. I liked it, but it didn’t bring out any deep feelings of any kind. It’s about Anne Elliot and her love for Captain Frederick Wentworth; they were engaged, but the engagement was broken on the advice of Anne’s mentor, Lady Russell. Some eight years later, Captain Wentworth returns and Anne finds that her feelings really haven’t changed much … and so it goes.
I was still somewhat entertained by Austen’s satire of the gentry, particularly Anne’s horrendous family. Her father and sisters are incredibly vain, and as such are obvious caricatures. I think what’s lacking here is the banter between the hero and heroine. I recall few affectionate exchanges between them, and those that were didn’t have the same sort of wit found in P&P, though it is elsewhere in the novel.
I did, however, really enjoy the look into Anne’s head. She is a wonderful character, with so many feelings, and very good-hearted. She was excellent. When the characters professed their feelings, I really enjoyed it, but for the most part I just found this a pleasant book to read, not brilliant.
I think, this being a novel by Jane Austen, I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. I definitely found it entertaining and recognized the many ways in which Jane Austen poked fun at the gothic novel. It was very amusing watching Catherine expect horrible things to happen to her, only for her to be humiliated by her suppositions.
Plot-wise, the novel is very weak. I don’t believe the plot is the point of the book, but it is a very simple “love” story which really displays a pitifully small amount of the developing affection compared to other Austen novels. The satire of the Gothic novel, and the warning to readers to remain aware that they are not living in a novel, is prevalent. The characters are similarly weak, two of them being mean-spirited and greedy, while the main characters are simple and have no defining characteristics, except perhaps ignorance on Catherine’s part. They are also very clearly not the point, except perhaps to convince the reader to choose friends carefully. In the end, Austen even uses a deus ex machina to wrap up the story and provide a favorable resolution, definitely showing her disregard for the plot of this novel.
In the end, all it really has in its favor is the amusement factor as the reader watches Catherine’s suspicions build and deflate repeatedly. It is great in that, but basically fails in everything else. I’m hoping that Persuasion, the next novel by Austen that I plan to read, surpasses Northanger Abbey.
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