Beginner's Guide to Reading The Classics

[@GreatBooksProf]

You can find a reading list -- based on one of my first-year courses -- for free on my Patreon page. 👉 www.patreon.com/c/GreatBooksProf

[@sallyarmstrong7825]

I cannot accesss this list. Could you please share it with us here?

[@degreesbrix]

As a kid, I was fascinated by the Great Books of the Western World collection which sat atop my dad's bookshelf. One of the coolest features was a 10-year reading plan suggested by the editors which started with both Plato's Apology & Crito, ending years and years later with T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land. 15 year old me never got far into the collection, but I would daydream about what sort of person might be on the other end of the decade long journey.

[@GreatBooksProf]

What a great anecdote! Thanks for sharing that. These books really can be transformative.

[@phoenixx00]

A recommendation list would be super helpful!

[@129jazza]

Did he ever do this??

[@heidi6281]

I am 53 but I remember liking these classics when I was young: Frankenstein The Count of Monte Cristo The Picture of Dorian Gray The Jungle To Kill a Mocking Bird Huckleberry Finn Slaughter House Five Little Women Grapes of Wrath The French Lieutenant's Woman Animal Farm All Quiet on the Western Front What I can recommend now is The First Law Trilogy, The Warlord Chronicles and The Empire Trilogy!!

[@stephenmorton8017]

i'd recommend 'Bleak House' and 'Don Quixote.'oh, and Robinson Crusoe.

[@conman77]

@@heidi6281Thanks!

[@GreatBooksProf]

@@phoenixx00 Hey, I just posted one of these. It’s free on my Patreon page. Basically it’s a list of all the books I’ve assigned my first-year students this year!

[@dionysianapollomarx]

A recommendation list is awesome. Would love that video.

[@1579list]

Reading about Lennie in Of Mice and Men sickened me, but Pride and Prejudice saved me. I appreciate your approach and suggestions.

[@tahlia__nerds_out]

“Of Mice and Men” is a *hard* read emotionally… but I think that Steinbeck might not be for everybody. I didn’t care for “The Pearl” either… which I arguably enjoyed even less than “Of Mice and Men”. He seemed to embrace some really unpleasant topics and situations in his work. And Jane Austen is so witty and fun! While she too provided social commentary, her commentary is to a different scale than Steinbeck’s, and reader enjoyment was just as important to her as her commentary. She was a writer who enjoyed reading and inhabiting to worlds she read about… and it showed in her writing. “Of Mice and Men” and “The Pearl” view the world through a darker lens and serve as cautionary tales to the reader. Steinbeck doubtless would have preferred *not* to live in the world as he portrayed it, but it likely was how he viewed to human condition and the world as it was. And, yeah, I’ve also always personally enjoyed reading (and rereading) Austen more than Steinbeck.

[@Dino_Medici]

I appreciate that you look at literature as a form of philosophy

[@GreatBooksProf]

It’s the only way I know how!

[@Q-Ball.]

Thanks for the course syllabus tip. I’ve almost come to that conclusion by myself but you laying it out brings me the rest of the way.

[@GreatBooksProf]

Glad you found it useful. 👍

[@ambreenali.]

Love the confession towards the end. Literature is for everyone and there's no shame in feeling differently from the masses after reading a classic. We all have our own perspective... our personal thoughts, beliefs and experiences can be seen in the way we perceive a great classic. I'm in my last semester of grad school and the arguments/debates never stop in my class. There's always room for debate when it comes to literature. Love the way you handled this topic.

[@Jay-Kay-Buwembo]

Literature like all arts is subjective, one man's diamond is anothers trash. It's always so interesting the way stories can split people on their impressions.

[@bienvenidoperez3427]

Never actually read classic books as a kid. It's not like it wasn't presented to me. It's just that I wasn't interested as a child. Now as a 33-year-old man have been turning to the classics. What a journey! Almost done with the count of Monte Cristo. I could do bicep curls with that book!

[@resul8777]

Love this channel!

[@GreatBooksProf]

Thanks! I appreciate that!

[@melindaaimeeroth5580]

My father who taught English literature and speech until he was 91 told me that when a person approaches the ancient literature, he or she should read about eight explanations and one valid explanation, he said, was "The Cliff Notes," and another he said was a graphic novel of the piece of literature. I did this during the pandemic and read eight explanations from his shelf of "Ulysses," by James Joyce. I got through it. I also would read aloud at night ten pages and then read three books of explanations ten pages each.

[@BrainFreezeWave]

Can you elaborate a bit on this, please? What do you mean by 'eight explanations and one valid explanation'? You mean books about books?

[@melindaaimeeroth5580]

@@BrainFreezeWave I have read 1)"The Cliff Notes," 2) "Ulysses on the Liffey," by Ellman, 3)"Introducing Joyce, " by David Norris, (Graphic Organizer 4)"The New Bloomsday Book," by Harry Blamires, 5)"A Reader's Guide to James Joyce," by Tindall, 6)"Ulysses Annotated," by Gifford, 7)"Notes for Joyce," by Don Gifford Dear Brain Freeze, During the plague while I had moved in with my mother in a small town of Allentown, Pa., she is now 96, I went to my deceased father's bookshelf. He had always told me that one has to read explanations for an ancient or complicated text, so at night, I read 10 pages per four explanation books, and then I read out loud ten pages of "Ulysses." I also read small increments of the "Cliff Notes," before I approached "Ulyssess." I place a paper clip on the page of each book where I have left off. I will not be reading "Finnegan's Wake." This was enough.

[@BrainFreezeWave]

​@melindaaimeeroth5580 thank you for explaining!

[@FranklyItsMe]

The fact that you really spoke to the importance of EDITIONS is so important!!! So appreciated!! Even just like reading the Signet edition of Les Mis is excruciating compared to the Penguin edition and the translations are different as well. I hope you will explain how different editions also mean different translations which is also important.

[@suzannericker8127]

I find this very validating. I love so many works of classic literture but there are some that are very popular and beloved that I can't stand. It's important to remember all classics are not Wuthering Heights and I can just read classics that I want to read, not ones I feel like I "should". Also getting back into deeper literature after months of sleepless nights it's a great idea to start with small wins. A recommended reading list would be great!

[@GreatBooksProf]

Great to hear from you, Suzanne! Sometimes even our best intentions to read can be thwarted when life's obligations get in the way. I'm going to try to work on that reading list.

[@sockthief9138]

I’m actually enjoying Wuthering Heights right now as I’m trying to get back into reading.

[@thejoeyd9207]

Very helpful and appreciated, especially the part about the language being difficult. What I tend to do is read the material, think about what I think is going on. Then I’ll go read a summary of sorts that explains it better, and see how close I was to what was being said.

[@andrewchristian7004]

My first classic after high school was The Picture Of Dorian Gray. I remember being so gripped by Oscar Wilds after drudging through some of the existentialist works in school. The momentum after coming off a book you loved is great advice!

[@MP-ye6tv]

You are so generous in sharing your knowledge, experience and insights, it’s deeply appreciated ❤️

[@circrna]

I like the comment on editions. I know Penguin and Oxford but did not hear about others.

[@tomdixon7358]

Thank you for making this video.

[@TGoodfaith]

I am auditing a class at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College in Barry's Bay, Ontario. I decided to take a class called, Restoration and 18th Century Satire. Very enjoyable and though I won't do the research paper or tests, I did do the satire poetry assignment and that was fun! We are just starting to read Cecilia by Frances Burney. My professor has had us read books and authors that influenced Jane Austen. Next September I am taking the Jane Austen class!

[@Theomite]

I'm a film geek. Younger people would ask me what movies to watch and I'd advise. I found by accident that I could adapt my principles to get caught up on my literature acculturation. The short version of what I did is I built a list of names & bibliographies and then I broke them into groups: Antiquity, Dark Age, Middle Age, Renaissance, etc. Then I arranged the selected books chronologically by release. Then I would find the most accurate translation with the most annotations. THIS WAY...I can read the History of Literature organically and see how the medium changed over time...which is what I taught budding film nerds to do. Penguin, Oxford, Norton AND Wikipedia were all very helpful in the long version of what I did. Picked up a lot of notes and tidbits that helped me shape my strategy. It took some doing but the used bookstore & college libraries are your friends and then after I built a plan and schedule I could get started.

[@RiaMankee-Sookram-lp9fx]

Yes! Interested in philosophy- but it can be overwhelming. Would love a checklist and recommended reading list please

[@NovaSphera-c7g]

Thanks for the step-by-step guidance, super helpful.

[@linushallgren4156]

The Great Gatsby is a great place to start. It is short and on the surface simple, language is a bit tricky at times, I guess, but don't place too much weight on that initially. What makes it good is the literally endless amounds of discussion you can read online or listen to. It really helps getting into these books to know how they are analyzed and perceived. It's what makes them classics, that they survive endless scrutiny and spark infinite interesting discussions.

[@anthonyholroyd5359]

As a keen mountain climber and reader? There's a concept in the former called 'type 2 fun'. The fun that doesn't feel fun at the time. It took me about 6 years and four attempts to get through Ullyses, for example. I ended up having to read it with a guide to each chapter open whilst I read that chapter. That novel made me feel so small and so ignorant at times. But I got through it, and more so I found myself loving those moments where everything started clicking into place. I love the novel now, but only because I spent months putting in the work. That said, there are other classics that I found deeply engaging and readable from the get go. Most Kafka, Crime & Punishment and As I lay Dying spring immediately to mind.

[@GreatBooksProf]

@@anthonyholroyd5359 Thanks for sharing. Apt comparison!

[@tahlia__nerds_out]

I love the classics I’ve read, but I would love a recommendation list. It could be a cool way to discover classics I might have otherwise missed!

[@joycejarrard6958]

I am 70 years old. I wish I had the list my English teacher gave us in high school. I was a good reader, but I was very immature. I worked harder for a B in literature than I worked for an A in my other classes. I managed to get a business degree without taking any literature. I was that afraid of it. I am still ashamed of my ignorance. I am slowly trying to read the classics. Some of it is so depressing. For example, I detested The Grapes of Wrath in high school. I am still hoping to find a good path here.

[@DavideMazzetti]

I agree with you about the Oxford World Classics - the introductions and notes are really good and the bindings, at least for their Shakespeare series, have sewn bindings, so they're really durable.

[@MathWithHeather]

Sooo happy I’ve found your channel! Fabulous video!

[@GreatBooksProf]

Thanks! Welcome!

[@NoxVita]

I’m so glad I found this, it was exactly what I was looking for.

[@claudiawarstat8319]

Wow, this is what I will tell my students whenever they complain about school. Thank you!

[@GreatBooksProf]

@@claudiawarstat8319 Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks!

[@catherinemelnyk]

What I'm looking to start, or perhaps the term is, revive an intellectual discussion group, much like Oxford profs like C.S. Lewis attended. Maybe it sounds like "an old boys club" in stuffy rooms with heavy drapes and overstuffed chairs, but that's EXACTY what I want to recreate! I long to discuss poets and prose authors amidst a Victorian environment. To me, ambiance is everything!

[@SerWhiskeyfeet]

Adam Walker Close Reading Poetry is a great channel here on yt. It’s virtual so no ambience but you can create your own while you listen. Benjamin McAvoy is great for novels

[@SimplyBeautiful516]

This idea sounds fascinating!

[@LoisThiessen]

I love reading - and I'm not restricted to the classics. I enjoy history, philosophy, science and, of course, literature. And, as you noted, I will never live long enough to read everything that interests me. I appreciate the encouragement you provide on this video.

[@GreatBooksProf]

@@LoisThiessen Thanks, Lois! Glad you enjoyed it! Truly there are more great books than there are days left to read them.

[@MidnightHunter-u3q]

Your content never fails to impress, great job as always.

[@GreatBooksProf]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy the videos!

[@Erikk_0]

Nice, right on time, I was considering asking.

[@darrengagliardi1540]

I would love to see a list of recommendations.

[@harrietparnell6318]

Thank you so much for making this channel! I’ve been looking for something exactly like this!!

[@GreatBooksProf]

Thanks for watching! I’m glad you found it worthwhile.

[@joelvick3243]

Very helpful and motivating. Thank you

[@ParcoLAU-cm5jg]

thank you for your advice!

[@finalascent]

1:38 - Possible corollary - it's OK to at least read critiques and summaries, so that at the a minimum, one gets familiar with the author(s), plot, characters, etc.

[@RyanLion77]

Yes for a recommendation list!

[@sanchitaway]

I too enjoy reading classics. They help a lot in improving the language.

[@josephr.gainey2079]

8:57. This is so true!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@MikeFuller-d4d]

I am currently reading tiny sections of the classical pianist Stephen Hough's book 'Rough Ideas'. I admire anyone who can read complete novels!

[@surlespasdondine]

As someone reading in different languages, I recommend everyone looking into classic literature from other countries as well, not just English-language books. Proust, Rilke, Ibsen, Calvino to just name a few.

[@drewhunkins7192]

The "Classics" I recommend, and I define "classics" pretty broadly: Catcher in the Rye, In Cold Blood, Old Man and the Sea, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Portrait of a Lady, Age of Innocence, Lolita, All the King's Men, Picture of Dorian Gray, Confessions of Nat Turner, Gone with the Wind, Great Gatsby, On the Road, Tropic of Cancer, Long Day's Journey into Night, Pride and Prejudice, Tobacco Road, Crime and Punishment. I didn't much care for Moby Dick. I've yet to read War and Peace, but I plan to within the next couple of years. I've yet to read "Ulysses" and I'm unsure if I ever will.

[@mimicrybypravesh]

You should read "War and Peace". It's the best!!

[@drewhunkins7192]

@@mimicrybypravesh I plan to start and finish it by the end of 2026.

[@elfflame]

I have read a lot of classics over the years, mostly through high school and college classes, but I'm struggling to find out what I want to read next, so I have been trying to find ways to find more books I would actually enjoy. I'd love to see your list of Classics to check out.

[@GreatBooksProf]

Check out the pinned comment for a link. I just updated it.

[@elfflame]

@@GreatBooksProf Thank you! :)

[@Rosie-n8m]

I am so glad I found your video. Where can I find a real professional analysis of "The turning of the screw"? I started reading classics this year and read this book, but I would really like a deep dive in it.

[@rebeccavaughn8897]

I think lists of like books is helpful. I really enjoyed Shakespeare’s comedies, so knowing which ones were in that list helped.

[@gradinaorganicatransilvania]

When I was 13 years old I have read Miserabilii by Victor Hugo for the first time.From that on, I felt in love with classics and read almost all of them during highschool and university. It’s all about that first book you read. :)

[@GreatBooksProf]

@@gradinaorganicatransilvania I agree! For me it was probably Lord of the Flies and The Chronicles of Narnia!

[@bethjames8212]

Hi Dr Moore, thanks so much for the video. Great tip about googling the course syllabi! Just wondering if you've done a video on Frankenstein that I might have missed? Or can I request one? :)

[@GreatBooksProf]

Hi Beth, Glad you liked it! I haven’t done one on Frankenstein yet, but I should. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@bethjames8212]

@@GreatBooksProf That would be great, thank you!

[@viniciusbilheri]

I would love to have a class with you professor.

[@VeritatisQ]

Hey Professor Moore, I just looked at your reading list. To be honest, I don't know more than half of the titles. Could you make a video just _very_ briefly extolling the benefits of each of the books on your list?

[@joey12344715]

Are there any podcasts that read the classics with explanations and notes after chapters and such?

[@kernel1kadafi]

Any help for me! I need to hand in dissertation on neoliberalism and its social harms it causes

[@GreatBooksProf]

Have you read Achille Mbembe? I made a video about his book Necropolitics. Might be relevant: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ponCgp9jba18nqs

[@ryanand154]

@@GreatBooksProf You dropped the ball on Adorno.

[@AlexHernandez-u5i]

Great Books Prof, I remember in High School, having to read The Great Gatsby, and I pretty much hated that book. I gave it a 1 star review. I remember reading Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare and not being real impressed with that either. I gave that a 2 star review. Really the only assigned book in High School that I read that I actually enjoyed was And Then There Were None.

[@gregorymckinney8600]

Start with Don Quixote, considered by readers and scholars to be the greatest novel ever written.

[@ericapedroza7067]

I would NOT start with Don Quixote 😂

[@JohnCollins-th8hm]

Not a bad theory, but it’s kind of all downhill from there. I got lucky. Ive read a ton my whole life, but never read Quixote until 3 years ago. Ive read it 3 times since, and it not only gets better AND better, BUT it is my favorite book, and Im actually happy I didnt read it until I was 56.

[@esthermeabh3771]

Where is the whole list of the classic books? I want to be able to read them all. Currently on 1984 by George Orwell.

[@GreatBooksProf]

You can find a free reading list -- the same one I give to my freshmen students -- on my Patreon page.

[@esthermeabh3771]

Thank you so much!

[@michaelasun7593]

A great channel.

[@GreatBooksProf]

Thanks a million! Glad you’re here.

[@MP-ye6tv]

I grew up surrounded by and enjoying many classics because that is what my parents read. However I would your advice on where to start with modern literature, would be grateful for your guidance, can you recommend a site or do you have a list to hand? Thank you 🙏

[@SirGandalfTheWise]

Hey Prof! Love your vlog. You motivate me to read more classic literature. :) Wanted to know: What is the version of 'The Aeneid' on the thumbnail of this video? I'm looking for a good translation to read. Any recommendations welcome, too.

[@thebluesmurfdude]

I like the way you say (paraphrasing) “If you don’t understand everything, that’s fine. Welcome to the club. Neither do we.” It reminds me of a quote my chess teacher told me when I was trying out for the Army’s chess team, and I was getting frustrated at my loses. He said “The chess master has lost more games than the student has ever played.” Really helped me put into context the lifelong struggle of pursuing a more deeper understanding.

[@AJ-iq9ng]

Funny that you mentioned Joyce. I just tried (an failed to enjoy) Ulysses.

[@allenwoodall1162]

Yes make a recommended reading list on a 101 level please!

[@catherinehowell4044]

Great video!

[@jchiappardi891]

Wonderful !!!!!! Thank you!!!

[@Maryjane022]

This is amazing 😊

[@michellesiderio1010]

I was FORCED to read CHANSON DE Roland in college French. Really struggled. Yet, I loved THE ODYSSEY I LOVE Japanese lit…. OUT about bento box Packagers that end up cutting up bodies for Yakuza was really great…..5 women…. Sounds dumb but very intricate. No gore…. Believe it or not!!!!!!

[@lalibobo4230]

I just finished Dorian Grey but seriously chapter 11 was extensively hard and as a person whose English is a second language but real good I loved the book eventhough i whish I could have understood more from this chapter....

[@edgartokman4898]

When you re-read a classic you do not see in the book more than you did before. You see more in you than there was before." -Clifton Fadiman

[@cassiefriedman1446]

When it comes to classic literature, I love Alice in Wonderland and Jane Eyre

[@spartanmod3]

The problem for me is: where do I start? There is so many great books, but so little time to read them for the average person.

[@circrna]

Start with French or Russian literature.

[@surlespasdondine]

I started as a teenager by following my interest. My starting point was Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters.

[@Jcarp7607]

Yes, please!😊

[@andrewcrowder4958]

Cool title! APGB.

[@campguy]

Tom Sawyer & Huck Finn....YES, .....Moby Dick- NO, ......Robinson Crusoe-YES......Treasure Island- YES........the Heart is a Lonely Hunter, YES........Blood Meridian, YES

[@purplesprigs]

Far too much "classic literature" is like eating the worm at the bottom the tequila bottle - everyone hates it, but you're cool if you do it. I recommend P.G Wodehouse, Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Jules Verne, Rafael Sabatini, and H.G. Wells as good starting points - authors who write in a style that can be understood.

[@surlespasdondine]

Classic literature can absolutely be understood, make you laugh and move you.

[@SaurianStudios1207]

"Reading dense philosophical works or classical literature can be combersome at first" As someone who loves abstract thinking in philosophy, literature, metaphysics, art, or science, I don't see it as challenging, except for trying to be consistent in reading for at least 30-60 mins a day.

[@mattinnj979]

I’m an educated man, but a man. Books by Steinbeck or Camus or Joyce suck. There’s no way a man is going to work all day and want to read Camus Dracula was great. The Invisible Man. Count of Monte Cristo. HG Wells, Jules Verne…. Build up your reading muscles and then tackle an odyssey or Iliad. I keep searching a list like “Reading for Bros” where books by Robert E Howard (Conan) are sprinkled in with Xenophon or Caesar’s books on the Gallic war and the Civil War. Toss in a Lord of the Rings Guys don’t want to read Wuthering Heights We don’t The LeCarre books is another good read and the. Toss in a more “intellectual” book Anything but TV or video games Walk before running

[@GreatBooksProf]

I’m a guy and I want to read Wuthering Heights.

[@edwardakhparian3014]

Facile. I don’t think there is really a helpful answer to this question. What he says here is already something a novice intuitively knows to do. Academia in the humanities gets more stupid and vacuous every year.

[@GreatBooksProf]

@@edwardakhparian3014 Hey, thanks for watching. I hope you have a great day! 👋

[@urzathehappy72]

So make ur own video then on this topic if ur so smrt then

[@jeffreywilliams3646]

Wuthering Heights! You just triggered my PTSD. Worst book I ever read. Utter rubbish.

[@GreatBooksProf]

@@jeffreywilliams3646 It has its detractors! 🤣

[@rockyfortune3537]

Poetry blows😅

[@VeritatisQ]

1:31 this is kind of bittersweet to hear 🥲

[@ksneidndkdoknnw]

came for the hottie, stayed for the books (and hottie)