How to Start Reading the Classics 📚

[@pnutbutrncrackers]

Bits of response: Appreciate your recommendations on Shakespeare plays to WATCH; also your encouragement for students of Western literature to familiarize themselves with the gospels, which should be among the most foundational pieces of advice, but isn't. TKAM is probably my favorite modern classic. On the other hand, though I have read a good deal of Bradbury (even met him personally), short story is the only form I feel he does well ("All Summer in a Day" being my favorite). Perhaps different from you, I actually love covers like your Dorian Gray, with Everyman's Library probably my first choice. I believe you asked for any recommendations. Very good reception from my LA students for the following: The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and the short story, "Flowers for Algernon" (more modern, but very moving to me). Sir Gawain and the Green Knight also comes to mind, but I forget how difficult it is or isn't. I'll try not to make most of my comments this long.

[@englishnerd5580]

I can’t agree with you about Bradbury, but I love Hound of the Baskerville and Sir Gawain (neither is very long.) Great suggestions!

[@tmann986]

I remember in school when we had to read Animal Farm, I thought it was weird because it was like a Charlotte's Web until ya know 😅. I love the recommendations! In high school, we had the choice to watch the more accurate movie of Romeo and Juliet but the class chose the one with Leo and I'll be honest, that was so cool and I loved the movie. Yeah, it has a silly modern setting but it really helped me as a 16-year-old to like Shakespeare lol.

[@JDG602]

Great list I absolutely loved 1984 and Farheneit 451 and they are very relevant today. I just started reading the Fagles' translation of the Iliad. Many people have advised me to read the great classics in a relatively chronological order. Obviously not all of them I would never get through the list but choosing the ones that appeal to me most. What do you think? It is a monumental task but I notice many of these works build on each other.

[@englishnerd5580]

I think it’s a good idea to read some of the early “big ones” first because you’ll get a bunch of references out of any you read after that. Homer is a great place to start. The Fagles translations are what I read too.

[@miltk2683]

thank you for sharing this. I just note Amazon prime have Shakespeare series by BBC. Old fans seem to love these with some caveats. any of your thoughts on these?

[@englishnerd5580]

Some of the new BBC adaptations of Shakespeare have been great, but the older ones (from what I can remember) are almost universally bad. Obviously I love Shakespeare, but those versions bored or bothered me. I don’t even think they cast a black actor for Othello! I mean, why would you make that choice as a filmmaker?

[@folksurvival]

@@englishnerd5580 Now the BBC constantly cast non-whites as white characters.

[@englishnerd5580]

Well, they’ve cast enough white people instead of minorities in the past. As long as it still makes sense in the story, that doesn’t bother me.