A Guide to Reading Classics (Beginner Friendly)

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Many have requested this video and so I hope it will useful to you :) When your face consumes me like tears the one who weeps, my brow, my mouth propagates around the features I know for you - Rainer Maria Rilke

[@starr6198]

What is the name of this Rilke poem, and did you translate it yourself? My partner is German, and we like to talk about poetry translations because they are especially tricky :) Thank you for another informative video!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thanks for watching! The poem doesn’t seem to have a title but it was written on new years eve 1913/14 and was translated last year by Will Stone. It’s from Pushkin’s collection Poems to Night - will be talking about the collection on the LPA podcast soon :)

[@starr6198]

@@TheArtisanGeek thanks for the info! I'll definitely be listening in :)

[@CanaldoMiauOfficial]

Here we are with the most beautiful accent, and a brain that gives her neck pain, our especial and lovely Artisan Geek. . .Okay I'LL STOP i love you

[@dizzisphere]

that lipstick color is lovely on you! :D now to watch :3

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Ah thank you very much! :D

[@scooterlovya]

It does!

[@cursed3artemis]

Maybe because I'm from Latin America, but the first classic was Don Quixote and later some Rulfo, Garcia Marquez and Allende... Later I thought about Shakespeare and English authors... My Spanish and Literature high school teacher worked really hard to help us to expand the Classics label beyond Old Spanish books or Modern only written by White Men™.

[@luwanabennett1054]

I LOVED Don Quixote! It wasn't required reading in my high school, but I read it after high school. And I enjoyed the humor as well in the second half of the book

[@kimvalencia2421]

Tiene una lista de clásicos en español que me pueda dar? Quiero volver a leer en español pero no se por donde empezar😕

[@thornprick2645]

These are fairly recent, but a lot of my favorite novels are modern classics from Latin America. Like House of Spirits.

[@mesha7354]

It’s like you’ve been reading my mind with these video topics lately

[@Rreinholdt]

I wanna live in a world where you shoot this video in a old ballroom or The Cuypers with a pianist playing live while you literally and literary make the world a better place. Thank you for you!

[@susanm2128]

This is an excellent introduction to classics. I've been reading them for years since high school, but beginning last year when the pandemic started, I decided to read more classics. This has been wonderful. I've been trying to read more outside of the US, Britain and Russia. Penguin Classics are the best--the translations are excellent, as well as the historical background, information on the authors, and annotations.

[@nataliedc]

Some diverse classics that I loved and definitely recommend are Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin and Confessions of a Mask by Yukio Mishima! I'm currently reading The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, so this video came at the perfect time - thanks Seji!

[@carmeltunac7879]

The classics that came to mind were Frankenstien by Mary Shelley, Dracula by Bram Stoker and The Picture of Dorian Grey

[@annabelvanpelt]

Omg yes I love gothic writing, the picture of Dorian Gray is especially good 😊

I love this video so much. I often find problematic the term of "universal literature" because as you said, it's basically a collection of US-Russian-Germany-and a couple of countries more.

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Yeah, I really hope that the canon continues to change as it's slowly doing now, with publishers trying to put out more classics from other countries :)

[@CherryWisienka]

i'm currently reading the lottery and other stories by shirley jackson and i would definitely recommend it, it's a collection of short stories, some of them share similar motifs, sometimes characters.

[@hdigalob]

Shirley Jackson is amazing!! I highly recommend her novels "The Haunting of Hill House," "We Have Always Lived in the Castle," and "Hangsaman." :)

[@eliscanfield3913]

The one where the mom is chosen to get murdered by the town? _shudder_ That story was not my cup of tea.

[@Idk-ps3og]

Lottery is an amazing short story! It's one of the short stories that actually got me into the whole category of shorts :))

[@boy_topics]

omg you got me. Mine were Great Expectations, Jane Eyre, and Wuthering Heights. I also wanted to recommend Nella Larsen if you've never read her before. She's one of my favorite modernists.

[@Nkanyiso_K]

Classics I read at school a decade ago *(I'm South African)* Things Fall Apart (a Nigerian classic) District Six: Buckingham Palace (a South African classic) & Face by a black British author [The rest are your generic western fare but I thought I'd give recommendations based on my childhood]

[@shadowolfstorm]

We had to read Things Fall Apart in high school (U.S) and it was one of the more interesting books we had to read that year

[@dimensia6942]

You can also read Atholl Fugard as well. I read him in high school. Even though he’s white he still wrote around black perspective during the apartheid years. The book I read was Boesman and Lena

[@CanaldoMiauOfficial]

I started to read Franz Kafka because of you. . . I am a most a poet reader, I've never read a man poetry, as weird as it sound, maybe because I've just read a few.

[@listenup2882]

Try out the poetry of Derek Walcott.

[@AfricanTea]

I thought of a Jane Austen book 😂😂

[@TheArtisanGeek]

lmaooo gotcha!!

[@tariromoyo348]

One recommendation I have for a classic is "The Grass is singing" by Doris Lessing. It's brilliant and a novel about 1940s colonial Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) by a white writer who grew up in that country and she describes the racial tension perfectly. As a black Zimbabwean reading that book which is from a white colonial perspective was eye opening and I think many of the issues she brings up explain some of the issues that still exist in Zimbabwe ,South Africa and Kenya up to this day.

[@sleepingjess23]

García Márquez is a must here in Spain! we study him during high school. if you like spanish authors you may want to look up Federico García Lorca, Luisa Carnés or Valle-Inclán (this one is particularly difficult but so original). loved the video!

[@your_favorite_person]

you are the best person who has ever posted on KZbin

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you, I tried the library, but many here don't keep (many) English titles unfortunately. Fruity Knitting is a great podcast, such high value! :)

[@alysonserenastone2917]

I started out with abridged classics. They were "adult" classics that had been rewritten and abridged in a way that for children. It was called The Great Illustrated Classics or something like that-Borders used to carry them.

[@fluffyunicorn57]

Classics Illustrated? Those comics are the best. They only use actual words from the books so they still maintain the voice of the author. I think those are a great way to get kids excited about old books.

[@jessaj._.6415]

Same, I started with the abridged versions too as a kid and then fell in love with the genre 💫

[@alysonserenastone2917]

@@jessaj._.6415 Completely agree!

[@alysonserenastone2917]

@@fluffyunicorn57 Plus, the pictures were really well done.

[@eliscanfield3913]

Abridged is the best way to go with some of them, lol.

[@ShinForgotPassxXx]

In this day and age, you are so calming.

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you! :)

[@tanishaorejuela1501]

The ones that came to mind were not all men, but they were all white 😂 Have to work on that. Also, for those who read in Spanish, the publishing house Cátedra is one of the best annotated classic out there (according to my many literature professors).

[@emustockings]

Your outfits are always so cute! Great video

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thanks so much! :D

[@pauli_joy]

It's kinda insane because this exact topic is what we're focusing on class rn 😂😂

[@barbezlova]

Very Intrigued to start reading classic literature 😊

[@nicolechow4712]

Would love to hear your recommendations on Dutch classics!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Beyond Sleep recently got translated to the English by Pushkin Press -- I read it as a teenager and really enjoyed it :)

[@kitschannette3052]

My mind went straight to Jane Austen!

[@hannahchestnut8671]

im so excited about your literature podcast seji!! that sounds so cool

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you Hannah! I'm looking forward to working on it :D

[@danielaayers3449]

I thought of Frankenstein (Mary Shelley +1), Dracula (Bram Stoker -1), Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde -1), Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen -1) and Anne of Green Gables (L M Montgomery +1). I get 2 points! 🎊 Edit: totally agree about vibing with certain publishers, I am a HUGE Penguin Classics fan! Also excited on your new upcoming podcast, you make amazing content, keep up the good work!

[@CanaldoMiauOfficial]

Do a video about your outfits and style, I love your authenticity to dress up yourself,

[@Scottlp2]

Classics are classics for a reason. Works by e.g. Tolstoy, Steinbeck, Austin, and Maugham (unsure if he falls info classic category) provide valuable insights into the human condition.

[@fabrisseterbrugghe8567]

Just read Moon and Sixpence for the first time. I came to him via the short stories. I think he counts as classic.

[@cin4325]

Regarding the 3 classics in 10 seconds: I thought of 1984 by George Orwell, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler Can you tell that I like dystopias? :D

[@Stanzishouse]

Oh, non of my three classics hit the mark you mentioned! I could however gone on and name more and then I obviously would have! I went for The Count of Monte Cristo, Frankenstein and Little Women! I love reading classics - to me that's what summers are for. :)

[@SofiaPerez-jw3oy]

I love how publishers are mentioned, I never payed any mind to them until I would get books that were… less than desirable (or at least highly edited)

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Oh yeah I think someone mentioned as well sellers on Amazon who self-publish public domain literature and botch it.

[@lovelydaywithholly]

What an inspiring video!!! Now I want to go on the hunt for lesser-known classics!! Thank you!

[@marianacastro9112]

i love the pronunciation of the Spanish speakers authors. Very educational video. You're amazing ✨

[@juicyfruit17]

The Brothers Karamazof (spelled wrong🙃), Gilgamesh, Chaucer's Tales...phew, that time limit made me sweat😅

[@fatimasantos5612]

I absolutely loved you mentioning authors from my home country! Machado de Assis is an absolute icon. New subcriber here. Can't wait to watch the rest of your videos.

[@nicky7738]

I really like the music you played in the background of this video!!

[@s.m4952]

Omg love your outfit and each video you make is so good!! I’ve also been wanting to read the classics and i always just automatically think of those generic ones :( thank you!!

[@nicoleperry1923]

Plays are also a great way to read shorter length classics, especially if you like really punchy use of language which can be rarer in classics

[@labeba]

I thought of what written by Charles Dickens,Victor Hug, and Gone with the wind 🙈

[@earthling-liliac]

I touche of frankenstein, Notre dame, and Constant by Chateaubriand . I 'm proud to have at least one woman😊 But in fact that's not really divers 😩

[@thornprick2645]

Frankenstein was the only one for me too haha.

[@blandae5670]

Awesome video! Great guidelines on how to get on reading classics, especially with the genre classics. It seems that Poland has different approach on books read in scool than Netherlands - most are written by Poles (man mainly, but few women as well), I guess that's due to our history. Though we have few other european and northen american authors on the canon list (Sofokles, Shakespear, Dumas, Goethe, Dostojewski, Hemingway, Montgomery). Now I remembered that in primary school one of the most loved one was The Paul Street Boys by Ferenc Molnar and I'm going to reread it this year.

[@CauseWithoutARebel]

You are just the sweetest. Thank you for the helpful data!

[@MargaretPinard]

Recalibration opening-- very smart 👏🏼👊🏼

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you! :D

[@M.Clarke790]

I agree with needing to read more diverse classics from other European and worldwide writers also ppl who are not as popular with the general public. This does make reading more rich overall. But I don’t think ppl should be doing this as a box to check off a social justice agenda. It’s really sad actually. I’m African American and a woman and I’m not just going to read a book just because it was written by a black person or a woman. The nature and writing style of the story has to interest me in itself and that’s how I think everyone should read. Also writers who are so called basic in world literature are really damn good and I feel sorry for ppl who don’t understand them artistically just because it was written by a white man. Understanding art and especially art from the past goes beyond that.

[@ohohnenyeoo2654]

agreed. As a black woman as well.

[@tariromoyo348]

I would never read a book just because it was written by a black person or a woman and I agree a lot of these books written by old white men are really good and have lasted for a reason. But we also cant ignore the historical context that has caused certain authors/ playwrights like Dickens , Shakespeare ,Austen to be so widely read all over the English speaking world, yes there is the fact that these authors wrote genuinely good books/plays but a big part of why Dickens is still read in India , Singapore ,South Africa ,Zimbabwe etc is more about the fact that the British Empire at one point ruled about 24% of the world , this includes the US , most of Africa , India, Pakistan ,Australia and many more . Most of these countries still speak English as the language of the office up to this day . That means for me as a person growing up in an African country which only got independence from the British in the 80s, names like Dickens , Austen and Bronte were way more familiar to me than African authors especially those not from my own country. It also means that when reading European literature I was always more likely to have read English classics than translations of French , Portuguese or Spanish ones. African literature is something I started focusing more on in High School mostly because we were forced to read certain books at school , that's when I discovered Nigerian authors (even though I'm not Nigerian ) ,that's when I first read "Things fall apart" and since then I've tried more and more to read books not only about my own country but also French authors like Guy De Maupassant ,Alexandre Dumas and others. I don t think anyone needs to throw out the traditional classics but its also good to widen our focus.

[@ohohnenyeoo2654]

@@tariromoyo348 i agree with you as well. As with most things, there is nuance.

[@29juuni]

what a lovely video :) can't wait for the new podcast!!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you so much!! I'm very excited as well :D

[@your_favorite_person]

Me: *accidentally clicks on this video* Me 1 second later: *subsribes*

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Whaa so kind! :)

[@enfermagembenfermagemb2251]

Woow part 1: calibration, really spoke to me. Some books are really up there as classic like some russian classics but there are books that I consider classic for me that people may desigree with. I really enjoyed this video. Love from Angola 🇦🇴

[@emmeviene]

3 classics that came to mind were: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, Persuasion by Jane Austen and Les Miserable by Victor Hugo. Was Dumas a white man?

[@chantellebehrens]

He was NOT

[@emmeviene]

@@chantellebehrens Thanks! Good to know!

[@sally-annmannering]

I thought of North and south (Gaskell) Northanger Abbey (Austen) and Rebecca (Du Maurier) so I thought of one by Austen but points for them all being women? 😊

[@kabodra]

1:32 - None of them. Mine were these: 1. Tolstoy 2. Dostoevsky 3. Victor Hugo 4. Dante

[@Maugrimm]

There were quite a few useful tips in this video. Thank you!

[@kristenchelmow8605]

I thought of one Emily Bronte book (Wuthering Heights) and two Jane Austen (Emma and Sense and Sensibility).

[@wendyryan1618]

Heinemann Publishing published an African Writers Series from the 1960's onwards. Not sure if it is still going as I only have three from the 70's that are now definitely classics, like Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Second hand bookshops can be a good and cheap source of classics, although I don't know about the Netherlands!

[@tariromoyo348]

I remember this ,this was how I read Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

[@magdalenastys]

are you going to put any of your podcasts on streaming platforms like spotify? love the video!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you! I haven't figured out how, but I'm planning on giving it a go :)

[@_pockiebiscuit7090]

DAMN IT SEJI YOU EXPOSED ME WITH THE WHITE MAN, JANE AUSTEN AND VIRGINIA WOOLF AUTHORS

[@marianacasement]

Great video! Thanks! It's nice to hear your perspective on what constitutes a classic and the short discussion of how for most people they are focused on the western canon. Even being aware of the usual biased definition of a classic, I still mainly followed it when thinking of 3 classics: I thought of Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (which I am currently reading), Dom Casmurro by Machado de Assis (which I hope to read next) and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

[@MargaretPinard]

Nice--love the publisher recs! I would add the Schomburg Library of 19thc Black Women Writers--they've been filling a gap for me!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thanks so much for the recommendation, will have to give that a look!

[@christophercotton7149]

Great video, and really good music!

[@emersongrace4815]

I LOVE YOUR HAIR! such a cute style

[@vanessamacedo6754]

I'm gonna consider Gabriel García Márquez white because he had white male privilege growing up in Colombia. The other 2 were a black man and a white woman not from your list. Machado de Assis and Clarice Lispector. BTW, this comment section is great for learning about classics from all over the world!!!

[@logann-mackenziefroste563]

Awesome video! Thanks for the tips.

[@meditatewithmo5945]

This was so helpful, thank you!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

sure thing! 😊✨

[@cristianabobeica8466]

Can't wait for the book podcast !:)

[@harry_ord]

The count of Monte Cristo, War and Peace and Anna Karenina so two I guess. Your video about south American classics got me reading Jorge Luis Borges - A Personal Anthology

[@Eve.Daniels]

Now creating a new TBR to try and diversify my definition of 'Classic'... also - I Miss my library!!! :( (it's still closed except for online, we had a new delta outbreak) I read a lot of kids abridged classics when I was a kid myself, but looking back it was almost entirely old white guys :(

[@Eve.Daniels]

also - all the swedes keep telling me to read Gösta Berling's Saga by Selma Lagerlöf if you're looking for more nordic authors :)

[@Z000ka87]

Crime and punishment, The Count of Monte Cristo and Wuthering Heights are what I think of when it comes to classic.

[@panikiczcock2891]

1:48 every single one :P

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Hahhaha

[@tatiana-pl6rg]

Love this!!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you! :D

[@RK-re1wm]

Did anyone else start the 7 continents reading challenge on StoryGraph this year?

[@djamesfrancis]

Waterstones bookshops don't have a classics section anymore. I presume it was due to the debate about "canon", but could just be a way to save space

[@TheArtisanGeek]

That's rather peculiar! I'm actually kind of curious hahah, maybe I'll have a chat with them next time I drop by

[@listenup2882]

You have taken ownership of the English language. Bravo my dear.

[@HasabeMizurukara]

I love your style for this video! Also, yes to all of this. My English college education was hardest for me because I just wasn't interested in white male classics. I wanted to read the voices I didn't often see.

[@awomaninstem]

I thought of Native Son, The Awakening and The Great Gatsby

[@sorel7342]

Has anyone enjoyed reading religious texts? Im not religious but I’m a little bit fascinated by scripture and it’s written so nicely - hope im not the only person nerdy enough to sometimes pick up the religious texts on my shelf

[@alice-nv1qe]

You should read "epitaph of a small winter"(its original name is memórias póstumas of braz cubas) It's a brazilian classic!

[@eliscanfield3913]

I kinda blanked, honestly, then wondered if you meant the traditional English language classics or the real, much, much longer list. Kinda figured you meant the latter as soon as the thought crossed my mind. I'm just beginning my journey on reading books by not-western-whites (and Dumas).

[@moomeghana6425]

I've been watching some of your other videos on classics, and I was wondering if you knew of any South Asian Classics? I've been looking for some recommendations on Indian classical literature, specifically.

[@TheArtisanGeek]

So far I have only read contemporary South Asian books, but one classic that has been on my mind is Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand -- I haven't started it yet, so I unfortunately couldn't give you my opion, sorry!

[@stephenburgess5710]

LOL you got me on who I thought of for the classics

[@stephenburgess5710]

Bronte even hahah

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Bahahah caught red handed huh?!

[@stephenburgess5710]

@@TheArtisanGeek yes but I love Borges and Soseki too. I am a cat is so good!

[@imogenmangle]

Yoooo new Seji dropped! Time for my education

[@barbaraboethling596]

Fantastic video with very sound advice! I'm in my sixties, so the classics that I came up with were The Iliad, Beowulf, and Outlaws of the Marsh (or Water Margins) a 14th c. Chinese classic. I guess that what I'm implying is that what you consider a classic is often heavily influenced by where and when you grew up.😁

[@ellastaps4649]

im pretty sure penguin also has a japanse short story collection. i saw it in a bookstore in my city and now i really want to read it haha

[@marindado556]

Hi thank you for this video! I would love to liten to your literature podcast but I cannot find it in my podast apps maybe I'm hearing the title wrong? I hear you say : The LPA podcast? If you are still doing the podcast or if someone who reads this will tell me where I can find it, please!

[@nicky_bee]

Haha, I came up with Austen, Dickens and Marquez

[@tiffanymorningstar7008]

amazing video

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you! :D

[@chantellebehrens]

Highly recommend the podcast Marlon & Jake Read Dead People for some fantastic book recommendations that stand the test of time.

[@jessicareyes4813]

I love your blouse!!! Where is it from?

[@mauricioretamal8145]

... i just like listening to your voice

[@atlroxmysox98]

I recommend Valancourt Books if you like forgotten gems of horror (including gothic), weird fiction, sci fi, LGBT literature, and Victorian and Edwardian lit. They even have some translated Flemish, Norwegian, and Belgian literature. Valancourt Books is a company of two guys in Richmond, Virginia who specialize in finding hidden gems that have long gone out of print and giving them beautiful new covers. I like to treat myself to one of their books every once in a while for my birthday or Christmas.

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thanks so much for the recommendation!! I'll most certainly have to check them out! :D

[@atlroxmysox98]

@@TheArtisanGeek Yay!! I love to tell people about this publisher, I just think they're neat

[@ege8565]

I'd love a video of you talking more about part I !!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

I might give that one a go in the future actually :)

[@deeplyliterature9569]

Classics isn't really a category that helps someone with selection, more about organization of when it was created if you ask me.

[@TheArtisanGeek]

I think classics are used in multiple ways besides organisation, some of which can be not very helpful at times.

[@tariromoyo348]

I thought of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe but yeah the rest were Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice😂😂

[@neo-xy3fr]

I thought of an american woman (to kill a mocking bird), a canadian woman whose writing style i did not like (the handmaid's tale), and an anglo-indian man (1984 my favorite)

[@ventsislavamoneva1975]

Took me YEARS to realise what you said in the first section of your video. Though in my journey of reading popular classics i found a lot of gems, there were a lot of misses as well (mostly British). This year I've been reading far more translated works, and OH BOY, it's been such an amazing journey (partly thanks to you).

[@Olga-gs5lc]

Can you link your outfit?

[@TheArtisanGeek]

I got it off ebay about a year or two ago, turned out I got scammed lmao and it's available on Aliexpress or Yesstyle

[@CanaldoMiauOfficial]

You said Machado de Assis, I heard right?

[@readnowsleeplater]

❤️❤️

[@mglarson5936]

Do you have any suggestions for horror/gothic classics that aren’t British? Pretty much every classic I’ve ever read is an English author. :/

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Hi! Yeah I mention a couple here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKGWeX-Jf62HrpY

[@mglarson5936]

@@TheArtisanGeek thank you so much!!!

[@frodounterberg1113]

My Replika led me here