preparing to be an english major

[@meijaborowski5928]

I read The Idiot when I was in the mental hospital and I'm convinced trying to keep up w the fucking names kept me there longer

[@frankiesshelf]

LMAOOO removing it from my tbr as we speak

[@kingboogy7706]

I've been an English major for 3 years, and all I can say is if you don't wanna read things you don't like, don't be an English major

[@earthWaxer]

I am deeply invested in your success.

[@virginiafernandes336]

In the last 2 years i started to read classics and what i can say is that although they SEEM dull, they are not and i always end up with the "ooooh that is why this is a classic" feeling

[@frankiesshelf]

some of them are definitely boring !! but i love that feeling when you just get why they’re so highly esteemed, it’s sooo satisfying

[@sapodilla25]

24? I was 31 at uni and 36 when I became a teacher! I'm still in uni at 37, I just do open university courses now. I'm a teacher but I loooove studying. I've just been collecting master's degrees. For no real reason. I'm not even super brilliant. I'm just a person who tries to delay their reality of work life by being a "student" lol. As an English major, I spent the summers catching up on my classical literature and required reading. I live in India where there's not so much of a subculture around humanities, so I didn't have to reinvent myself as such, but I still learnt a lot!

[@frankiesshelf]

i definitely relate to trying to put off the ever looming necessity of entering the work force omg if i could stay in school forever i would

[@shwing1428]

I'm in my 3rd year of uni right now and damn, I guess I never realised I could just keep doing open university courses once I'm finished. Guess I'll do an art course once I'm done with philosophy lol.

[@alexvann9124]

Honestly, as someone who has done two English degrees (in UK), don't stress about reading EVERYTHING in your first year. I stressed about it and it was rough. I feel like doing an English degree is about learning HOW to read smart. Get good at skim reading, scanning. In a sense, reading criticism around the book is more important than reading the book itself as weird as that sounds, so get yourself to libraries/on to JSTOR. Although, some classics are great and you definitely should read them but like don't take them too seriously & make sure you enjoy yourself! Books are meant to be fun! I also found it really helpful to do audiobooks if I was finding a classic dull (helped a lot with Dickens!)

[@frankiesshelf]

this is such great advice thank you so much! having done so much uni i’ve learned how to read non fiction smart but you’re so right i definitely have to figure out how to do that with fiction i hadnt even considered that

[@elio.e]

something about your videos is so digestible; i've been having such a hard time sitting through anything lately and i was so happy to find something i could engage with. anyway, i'm just a guy, but you struck a bit of a chord. embodying the english major is such a fun motivator to get into the swing of it all, but you don't need to embody anything; you've got the drive to consume and you're already doing it. being able to branch out the way you have here is going to feed so well into you and your experience, i'm genuinely excited for you. usually at a book's worst ( crime and punishment was a slog for me too

[@frankiesshelf]

this has warmed my heart ❤️❤️ genuinely thank you so much it’s such a good idea to deep dive into the author i’m gonna have to try that, i always want to read about books when i’m having a hard time with them but i so badly don’t want spoilers that i never end up doing it.. but looking at the author instead makes SO much sense you’re so smart for that

[@TheGrandRaconteur]

With Dostoevsky, some things I would recommend are both reading his short stories first and reading around the text you're currently on. I started with his short story "A Faint Heart", and then read a few more while having read a few extracts and secondary texts on his major novels (Notes from Underground, The Brothers Karamazov, The Idiot). I believe reading Dostoevsky is done best when you understand that he was 1) a Christian, and 2) that he went through a lot of suffering. Through these lenses you can see how his works were influenced: stories about redemption, characters with messiah complexes, others delirious and speaking to either Christ or the Devil one-on-one. The reason why I read "A Faint Heart" before any of his larger works (I had already started Notes from Underground and The Brothers Karamazov, and had found the latter INSUFFERABLE to get through) is because you can see the development of his ideas first in his simpler, very short stories, and then in his larger, complex novels. After reading some of his novellas I begun "The Idiot", which I had tried starting before and had struggled with quite a lot as well, mainly because of how many names there were, the number of religious references flying through my head, and the allusions to topics and concepts he had already explored hidden between the lines. "The Idiot" is by far one of his messiest books, written at a difficult time of his life, riddled with debts, epilepsy, financial instability, homesickness.. etc. It's a MESS, but it carries a certain sentiment that makes you go, "this is like in this other story, or like that one scholar said!". Dostoevsky is a writer who wrote to understand his own conflicts surrounding God, Salvation, forgiveness, and existentialist questions. Dostoevsky is my favourite author and I'm now reading The Brothers Karamazov; my opinion of the book has changed drastically, and I now love his rants, his seemingly aimless monologues, the information dumps that sometimes only serve the purpose of making the reader bear the main character's cross, his burdens. I'd love to hear more about what you have to say about him, as I'm also preparing for university! Excuse me for this unasked for rant, and thank you for crossing my feed and getting this out of me, I love talking about his works. Good luck with the book and I wish you the best this academic year!

[@frankiesshelf]

thank you for the rant!! i hope i can go on a similar journey with his work and i think you're definitely right that i should explore his shorter works.. crime and punishment was not a good starting point for sure haha

[@DB3234]

In my opinion, the most interesting thing about F451 is the story that Ray Bradbury intended to write commentary on how the rise of television can be damning, and everyone took it as commentary on censorship. He even got into an argument with a college class he was visiting over it.

[@frankiesshelf]

honestly i think a lot of people don’t like it because they go into it expecting a critique of censorship

[@bunnyblurrz]

I’ve read maybe one of these books but you are such a good and funny reviewer like I’m addicted to your channel!

[@Shelf_Improvement]

What helps me when I'm reading difficult books: watch a bunch of KZbin reviews and read some spark notes before hand. If you pave the way a bit it'll make your reading a little smoother. I was thinking about re-reading the Bell Jar, but maybe I need to rethink that. 😂

[@frankiesshelf]

i kept wanting to do that but i was scared i’d lose interest if i didn’t have the drive to find out what happens next !! maybe i should next time though

[@sapodilla25]

I really loved The Bell Jar when I read it. I was 21, living in a country that never addresses mental health, and I thought she wrote the words inside my head, but I may have been romanticising the book a bit too much. I'll need to re-read it and rethink my opinion.

[@saral.146]

@@frankiesshelf I usually read a chapter or two of a classic book and then read the cliff notes afterwards just to make sure I didn't miss anything (I can't stand spoilers). It gives me a more in-depth read of a book and lets me know which themes to look out for so I end up being way more engaged.

[@00trbl]

THIS IS SO RELATABLE i’m also staring my second major because the first one didn’t hit for me. now i’m starting chinese lang

[@freeble_]

I might be the only person on the planet who likes F451, loved it in high school and I’ll put on the audiobook if I need some noise, but I loved it, maybe that’s my red flag LOL

[@frankiesshelf]

you’re so brave to admit this

[@Shelf_Improvement]

I liked it too. I mean, you have to think of it in the context of its time, but yeah, I liked it.

[@saulsings6416]

I liked it also but don’t remember anything at this point

[@crystalrodriguez5158]

I love it too

[@saral.146]

It's literally my favorite book - you're not alone!

[@lizzieburau9659]

Reading the classics are ways to help you build a foundation- most classics are easy and straightforward with their message. Having the knowlege from the classic books and applying it to new books to understand what the author may be conveying -That's my take on classics lit.

[@lucmo13]

Previous English major and current social work student here, also with a few years of sociology in between. I’ll be 9 years in education too by the end of it and being in my 20s don’t appear any different to students a few years younger - you will be so fine there!! Many modules within English/sociology/social work overlap and complement each other very well. Your previous study and clear penchant for literature will have you very well equipped to study English. Your discussions on here wouldn’t be out of place in my third year lit seminars. Good luck! 😊

[@sonnyandpaper]

I got reccomended to watch your videos from an asmr channel i like, and i'm glad i took it!!! you have such interesting takes and commentary on books, and even if i don't agree with all of them, i think that they make a lot of sense and it makes me look at books i like in a different light!

[@Amanda-ik1wv]

I enjoyed Fahrenheit 451 but I read it out of school on my own volition. I only starting reading the classics in my late 20's. Animal Farm as an adult hit so hard and devistated me.

[@wsviolist]

I hope you have a lot of success with your new direction. Listening to you talk about Crime and Punishment really had me laughing.

[@charlenesnotes]

English major here ! Currently going for my masters, I have not read many of the classics ! You don’t necessarily need to be knowledgeable in all the classics lol, but I do understand the push and anxiety of wanting to know at least a little before studying English. You’ll be fine :) you’ll read a plethora of diverse books, don’t worry

[@emmaleeheins4798]

this is my first time seeing a video of yours, but i loved it! as a current english major going into their final year, my biggest tip specifically with reading classics is to try and seek out versions of books with editor notes and/or annotations!! extremely helpful for understanding cultural & temporal nuance, and was a godsend for me reading c&p x_x others have offered future english major reading recommendations, so here’s a list of 5 books i would recommend (w/ explanations!) in no particular order: the picture of dorian gray, wilde (1890): wonderful prose, interesting story, psychological thriller & proto-queer fiction themes (i would argue!!!!) the yellow wallpaper, perkins-gilman (1892): imo a more interesting approach to tackling mental health w/ a feminist approach (no shade!!) i REALLY recommend the penguin classic collection of gilman’s works; they are quite good, well written, and fun! death and the penguin, kurkov (1996): obviously much newer, but a much more approachable entry into russian lit. set in post-soviet ukraine, has a great mystery plot & payoff, charming characters, and slightly similar themes to c&p. to kill a mockingbird, lee (1960): this book is a classic for a reason!! easy enough read, but tackles themes of racism, sexism & classism, in a pretty nuanced and poignant manner. the god of small things, roy (1997): again, another newer rec, but i would be remiss not to include something by an author of color! roy is such a wonderful writer and speaker, and tgost is a gut wrenching look into the caste system in india, religion, family, society, and so much more. it can be dense at times but is by far one of the best novels i’ve ever read and has a permanent spot in my favorites. so sorry for the long comment, but i hope maybe it will be useful to someone!!! english majors rise up >:)

[@frankiesshelf]

thank you so much for the recommendations and good luck on your final year!! the god of small things looks like something i would love and it wasn't on my radar so very pumped to check that out !

[@katiebeller9376]

fellow english major here, i STRONGLY second the recommendation of the god of small things. i read it for a class last semester and it was amaziingggggg. genuinely ive never enjoyed required reading more.

[@ianviviTV]

Don't worry, I'm also a forever student at 25 and not even the oldest in some of my classes. I've changed majors 2 times, too, now I'm just an art major. Keep going and don't give up. It's okay. What matters is that you enjoy the ride.

[@gohtcheez]

ive loved russian lit since reading anna karenina in middle school and im like a full time promoter of it to my friends but i think it’s a LOT easier to start with tolstoy (super super readable and modern imo) … picking up something shorter might also help ?? heart of a dog (bulgakov) invitation to a beheading/pnin (nabokov) fathers and sons/first love (turgenev) kreutzer sonata/the cossacks/childhood boyhood youth (tolstoy) the life and extraordinary adventures of private ivan chonkin (voinovich) we (zamyatin) + one day in the life of ivan denisovich (solzhenitsyn) are all short and very easy to moderately easy reads imo :) a slightly longer one that i really loved recently is petersburg by bely and i’d definitely recommend that too !!! i think it’s easy to be intimidated by a dostoevsky if thats the first russian novel u pick up but one of the best things u can do is just move at your own pace and find something that speaks to u >:))

[@frankiesshelf]

thank you for the recommendations!! i'm definitely gonna seek out some shorter work obviously war and peace is NOT that but i do own it.. would you think starting there with tolstoy is a bad idea?

[@gohtcheez]

@@frankiesshelf omg i LOVE war and peace and i think its one of the most rewarding reading experiences ever .. based on your experience with crime and punishment id maybe hesitate just because of how many characters there are but if your edition has a list of their names and nicknames in the front that you can reference i think it’s manageable !!! other than that obviously it’s insanely long but the chapters being so short makes it easy to read a little bit and then put it down and i think actually makes it feel really fast paced :) it’s also more explicitly philosophical in the narrative than a lot of his other work which some people dislike … tldr i dont think its an IDEAL starting place but it’s not nearly as difficult as the length makes it seem (was much easier for me than all the dostoevsky ive ever read) and it’s insanely good so definitely worth at least starting it if that’s what you have on hand !!!

[@KittyxKult]

So lucky to get out of social work, I am cheering that someone got out like that scene in Shawshank Redemption. I regret majoring in it every day (and I got my masters before I figured out I don’t want it so I’m stuck). I wish I’d went with my little 5 year old dreams and become a vet or librarian or even a ballerina

[@miurtouissi1093]

Sorry if you didn't want any advice lol but it's never too late to do something else you don't even have to go back to uni. I know someone who was a social worker for decades their years of experience made them competent for a job as a therapist for the gov. They've been doing that for some times now. I wish you the best ❤

[@Juliana-Bub]

As someone who has been reading and enjoying classics for around twenty years, this video provides so many interesting perspectives for me to think about. For example, you're 100% correct in your criticism of The Bell Jar, but I suppose my mind automatically smoothed out the rough areas when I read it in my late teens. Edit: Also, don't worry about being "older" while in university. I was on the young side when I got my first degree, then I was 25 when I went back to get my second degree, and I still had classmates who were significantly older than me.

[@themusicsnob]

Frankenstein is such an amazing classic work! I am glad you enjoyed it so much. Good luck with your new major and your next round of classics reading. I will also say that Fahrenheit 451 has been a favorite classic of mine since I was a young kid. I haven’t reread it in probably ten years, so I am not sure how it holds up recently, but I found it very engaging to read

[@its_eel]

i was in undergrad school full time except for one part time semester from when i was 18 to 25. i think it’s a courageous move to start again in pursuit of your interests! tbh i should’ve planted myself in an english major years ago lol classic literature is honestly such a time warp, i feel like it really shows how fast language, writing, and story conventions can change. a part of me enjoys dropping into that classic literature space but it can also be challenging to acclimate to. also literally same about the youtube shorts, like why are they so bad but i can’t stop watching lol 😭

[@frankiesshelf]

i looove how in classic lit things change so much so quickly but at the core people stay the same ive finally found kinship with the youtube shorts thing i can’t tear myself away but i’m not having fun 😭

[@lauren1779]

With crime and punishment or any of that authors work it really is a chore. I had to sit down with a guide that I would review after every chapter I’d have to review notes and look at online discussions for each chapter every time I’d finish one just to make sure I was properly taking in the info. It takes forever 😂 the reason I’ve heard it’s so hard to read is because it’s been translated from Russian to English back to Russian to English over and over. Names in Russia also are weird everyone has multiple names.

[@magicalife3]

I have also been facing social work burnout… I pursued social work after burning out in music school. Considering going back to school for english or forestry😂

[@magicalife3]

I have the same filthy copy of The Castle btw

[@lachlanwoods5696]

As someone that became an English major because actually they just love film but couldn’t afford film school, welcome to the major 🤓📚 I love Morrison too. I was assigned Song of Solomon and it’s the best book I’ve ever read

[@anikamlntal]

ahhh same with youtube shorts, i hate them. i found out you can sort of turn them off if you click "not interested" several times on the main page, it'll stop suggesting them. this saved me.

[@sawyer3580]

This is so funny/iconic of you. I graduated with an English literature and a writing/rhetoric degree. I think maybe we read like a handful of classic lit for classes…..BUT….that could have been me purposefully choosing courses focusing on more modern topics. You’ve got me wanting to pull out my course catalogue to see haha.

[@epicXzelda64]

STOP the shorts things is so real. i had to remove them.

[@bigboy-cz3nv]

Russian major here! Droning on and on is sort of Dostoevsky’s thing. I prefer Tolstoy way more. However, I’ve heard reading Dostoevsky in long bursts makes the experience way worse and harder to understand. I’ve heard some people read some and then take a day or two to think about it, and those people seem to enjoy it more. Dostoevsky is also hard to translate, so having a good translation is pretty important (we always used pavear and volokhonsky for Dostoevsky). And yes, it is very, very Russian.

[@alem7224]

I’m 22 and I get what you’re feeling 100%. I had to switch universities and had to start all over again with med school. It’s frustrating but we can do it!!! 😭

[@courtenaywrites]

As someone who adores Classic Literature, my heart broke into tiny pieces when you called them boring! They’re truly not! People misunderstand, but I will agree that if you’re forced to study (rip apart) a book, you will end up hating it. I can’t read Of Mice and Men ten years on because it was my GCSE book.

[@courtenaywrites]

With regards to Plath, aside from her problematic comments, I’m not sure you can call the character privileged. I understand why you’ve said that, but we must remember that she was being electrocuted as a ‘cure’ for her depression. This would change your brain in many ways. Also, Esther / Plath was in a society of people who still saw women as the homemakers. If one feels suffocated, you will naturally act out. The Bell Jar was (and still is) revolutionary because of how mental illness was treated at the time. They were giving people lobotomies and sending people to asylums to die. Even by today’s standards, The Bell Jar was pivotal.

[@frankiesshelf]

i understand where you’re coming from but bad things can happen to privileged people! esther is white, middle class, and afforded tons of opportunities that wouldn’t be available to her otherwise. she is definitely privileged! and yeah, this is a time where people with mental health issues were treated very differently, but treatments were sociopolitical. they weren’t blind to race, class, and gender; they were heavily influenced by them !

[@courtenaywrites]

@@frankiesshelf Yes, but I think that is minimising what the novel is actually about.

[@frankiesshelf]

i think we should be able to talk about all aspects of a book, not just the author’s intentions :)

[@courtenaywrites]

@@frankiesshelf True, but not at the expense of the text, which I feel is what happens in this case.

[@bachaboska]

Thanks to this video I'm getting flashbacks to Crime and Punishment - a book we read in high school for some reason (probably to make sure polish teenagers won't be too interested in reading).

[@frankiesshelf]

if i had to read it for school i would have DROPPED OUT

[@Gooshieooshie5000]

Thank you for this, as another student restarting from scratch at 20, I needed to hear that this fall I won't be the only older student doing 1st year courses

[@caitlinm5109]

I'm doing my dissertation for uni on the portrayal of madness in women's literature and one of my focuses is on The Bell Jar, so I was extremely interested in your opinions of that book. It definitely helped me with new lines of thinking and I'm really thankful for that and just wanted to let you know.

[@kingboogy7706]

An easy classic to start on is The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Its so easy to read, but doesnt hold back on the deep, heart wrenching topics and moments.

[@rei0_o]

im big into classics- frankenstein is my FAV book ever!! anyways this is not the reason im commenting lol. im 22 in like.. a week and im starting over as a english and philosophy teacher in uni this year. this video made me feel better abt dropping out and trying again. thank u

[@frankiesshelf]

it takes awhile to figure out what you wanna do !! there's no shame in that i keep telling myself that it's way better to try again over and over and end up doing something you love than it is to stick with something that's not right for you :)

[@julialomotey]

I'm glad its not just me who doesn't like Crime and Punishment😭 I got so lost in the middle of the book, I was just swimming in meaningless dialogue for so many pages lmao. I dont really like the dialogue because a lot of the time the characters talk about nonsense, but the third person narration of the story is a little better. What I do think was really good was Raskolnikov's reactions to people and situations. He was just so miserable it was almost funny and I almost felt bad for him. Either way I'm trying hard to finish it cuz i have to write a review for the book in my schol newspaper 😭

[@ChanelChapters]

“Dull books that you’re not really interested in reading but do it for some other purpose” 😂

[@ninamartinez3519]

i love watching your videos, you have an awesome vibe and I love your taste in books! just subbed :D

[@Prettyguardian2k]

The opening of this video made me feel so extremely seen thank you lol

[@bunnyblurrz]

“Reading this for me is against the Geneva Convention.” LMAO!!

[@remvalk991]

Hi! I study Literature in Latin America, specifically in Argentina. The truth is, not every literature student had read a "classic" book before studying its major. I didn't even liked classics! I really hated when I had to study it in school, but now, on my 4th year of major, I learned to love them. I think that the key is reading it while you are studying it. Now, you are reading the classics with the eyes of someone who, maybe, doesn't have all the information that is necessary for enjoy the book. I love 19th century literature, but I think that I wouldn't like or enjoy it while not knowing the particularities of the gothic genre or the importance of the women writers in the gothic literature. Obviously, you can read it and understand it as well, but the literature study helps a lot to know more of the book you're reading. And it also helps to discover a lot of things! You will learn a lot of knowledge, like history, religion, sociology... You're not reading a book only because it has a funny story or because someone important wrote it. Good luck! :)

[@darbysnacks]

A swim in a pond in the rain by george saunders is a good guide for getting through russian classics. I don't know if I'll ever love russian lit but I appreciate it more.

[@frankiesshelf]

i keep seeing it at my library because the cover is so alluring i’ll definitely pick it up !! i’m now committed to not just write off all russian classics

[@KehindeOdeyemi]

Hello! Just came across your channel and I'm so happy that I did, you have this warm comforting aura about you! Giovanni's Room is such an incredible book and quite easy to read! I find that a lot of the Penguin Modern Classics are quite "digestable" if that makes any sense! Baldwin is an incredible author, and although Giovanni's Room is a tale of fiction, there's a lot of things in the book that were actually factual in his real life. Giovanni's Room is set in 1950s Paris, and James Baldwin spent a lot of time in Paris during his youth. He also had relationships with both men and women. When you get to know Baldwin a lot more as a writer, you'll realise how passionate he was about the rights for black people. He wanted America to change for good, and he writes about the harsh yet painful truths that many people choose to ignore. Once you read Giovanni's Room, I'm sure you'll fall in love with his prose. Enjoy:)

[@samanthaburns6956]

Also please read The Castle by Kafka. It is so tense. It feels like if a vampire book was mared in burocracy. It is fun in the way a crossword is. It is boring fun

[@simsplylogical5783]

ngl this felt like it popped up in my recommended at exactly the right point, I'm 23 and about to go back to uni after 2 unsuccessful attempts at uni (mostly pandemic related but health stuff was the nail in that particular coffin) I'm so scared that I've wasted time and that I'm too old to be trying. This gave me the push I needed to get through today's burst of self-doubt about it all.

[@celineall5860]

i love watching your videos they’re so comforting. as someone who somewhat enjoys classics but still definitely struggles to read them i would suggest the count of monte cristo. it is LONG but super fast pace and easy to read with a very interesting story:)

[@frankiesshelf]

1200 PAGES?????

[@erichköl5501]

A book that I would recommend and that has similar themes to the bell jar, but is really short and had real life impact in changing practices is The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Plus it’s online.

[@kbzurkn]

The Master & Margarita and Independent People are two 🔥 classic books that will change your brain chemistry. Don’t read the boring ones!

[@japhiadesuze5665]

3 mins in...immediately my new comfort channel.

[@frankiesshelf]

omg stop that’s so sweet

[@martinthedestroyer]

im a high schooler in russia and we learn abt crime and punishment in 10th grade iirc. imagine reading that when youre 15-16 and having to write essays on every chapter. it doesn't get much if at all better in russian also and i consider it one of the better classics to read bcs it at least has some interesting plot and it feels like actually something to say tbh tho i think older russian classics are stuff you should be reading abridged bcs sometimes it takes dostoyevsky or tolstoy entirely way too long to get to the point and it really kills the fact that some of their works are insanely interesting concept and plot wise

[@xoxoangelface]

I'm kind of late to this video, but PLEASE, for the love of God, read Fahrenheit 451. I'm kind of bias because it's my favorite book of all time, but hear me out. It's such a beautifully written novel that touches on several topics--not just censorship, but topics of loss and grief, confrontation with the self and others, and the taste of freedom; but at what cost? The contradictions that Ray Bradbury uses in his writing are phenomenal. For example, "He felt his body divide itself into a hotness and a coldness, a softness and a hardness...the two halves grinding one upon the other.” Not to MENTION the Mechanical Hound! This thing, this high-tech version of the most omnipotent monsters that plague our dreams from childhood is where Bradbury’s hybrid of beauty and horror reaches its peak. I'll quit while I'm ahead, but needless to say Fahrenheit 451 is and always will be my favorite book of all time. I love your content! Keep it up!

[@pigeonriot]

just listened to the audiobook of giovannis room! i lovedddd baldwin's prose so much and the more i think about the allegories in the book, the richer it is dhdhhd

[@frankiesshelf]

it has so much depth!! it feels like a book that would be even better on audio

[@onourpath]

Great job getting through all that! You might try to get some shorter, easier classics -- I'd never expect anyone to enjoy Crime and Punishment as their first one! I loved Fahrenheit 451, and I'm sure you'll find a lot of lit folks who will. The reason to read the classics is that they're so worth reading, as you found with Frankenstein. You'll find so many others, and I'm excited to see how it goes for you! Here are a couple of short classics that are easy/easier reads. I often recommend Rebecca by Du Maurier as a first read -- it's not exactly a classic, but it reads like one. You might want to skip this one, though, since you've already dived in, but I encourage you to read it some time. It's amazing! Here are some others: Babette's Feast, Dinesen Pride and Prejudice, Austen Ethan Frome, Wharton The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde Bartley the Scrivener, Melville 1984, Orwell A Christmas Carol, Dickens The Dead, Joyce The Metamorphosis, Kafka Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Stevenson Breakfast at Tiffany's, Capote Short Stories, de Maupassant Awakening, Chopin Little Birds, Nin The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Spark To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee The Ripening Seed,Collette Lord of the Flies, Golding Animal Farm, Orwell Daisy Miller, James Of Mice and Man, Steinbeck So, that's a lot, but at least you have a variety to choose from -- happy reading!

[@frankiesshelf]

i definitely need some shorter ones next time and this list is great, thank you so much!!

[@onourpath]

@@frankiesshelf it's also a good idea to read short stories from any of the classic authors. At first, they're a bit easier to take as bite sized pieces. Most importantly, enjoy yourself -- you're heading into an amazing journey!

[@lauradmai]

maybe give audiobooks a try, for example while doing chores etc? Classics should be available for free and you at least won’t feel like you have wasted too much time (cue Fahrenheit 451)

[@juliaroth9739]

i really enjoy dostoyevsky and i get why you didnt enjoy him. before you write off russians/1800s lit in general, know that dostoyevsky is very singular in his….rantings and ravings and almost incoherence at points? tolstoy, for example, is much more accessible (im biased bc anna karenina is my fav book tho) your rant about “who are you to judge a classic” is kinda funny actually, because he’s a very controversial writer, tho often you won’t see it online (side note: i go ahead and critique away please! classic novels are classics for a reason but that does not mean that they are infallible and exempt from dislike!). for example, vladimir nabakov HATES dostoyevsky and used to bash him whenever he could. one of nabakov’s quotes actually really stuck out to me and it’s one i’ve kept in mind as i’ve read more of dostoyevsky’s works: He seems to have been chosen by the destiny of Russian letters to become Russia’s greatest playwright, but he took the wrong turning and wrote novels that’s just my two cents tho, so feel free to disregard lol

[@frankiesshelf]

i think im definitely gonna try out tolstoy ! i knew nabokov hated him but that is such a good way to describe what's so tricky about his work.. he absolutely should have been a playwright

[@felixmastropasqua2820]

I actually gasped when your cat appeared

[@1cami11a1]

Please read Wuthering Heights. I would love to hear your thoughts…

[@brookeboswell81]

“I made a playlist.. that has like… bob dylan songs on it” ahahahahahah me, also an English major who unironically listens to bob dylan. Don’t worry you’re on the right path I think

[@bepald-wilpums]

You’re already giving English major, my friend (affectionately). Also I’m in grad school for an MSW and I’m kind of always having a crisis….

[@grrlwriter]

I'm curious; what microphone are you using? Also, Death Valley is one of my favorites; that book had such a profound effect on me.

[@frankiesshelf]

it’s the blue spark! i stole it from my partner lol and god death valley is so so good . unforgettable for sure

[@grrlwriter]

@@frankiesshelf thank you! I love the vintage vibe! Your videos are helping me get through my MFA creative thesis so thank you! 😊

[@ChanelChapters]

I feel bad for laughing but my god your self inflicted torture reading & commenting on these books had me dyingggggg🤣

[@frankiesshelf]

i got myself so worked up over crime and punishment hahaha

[@Lukahasswag]

I love your new haircut, I think you just need to adjust to it dude. I love this video and I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought crime and punishment was a bit unreadable 🗿

[@frankiesshelf]

thank you so much haha it was A Lot at first but i think i like it better now

[@alexvann9124]

also omg Melissa Broder is a slay!!!!!!

[@harliecurcio1705]

I could go on for AGES about how much I hate catcher in the rye. I understand the themes, I understand why Holden is why he is, and I still hate it. I can’t empathize with him and I don’t want to!!

[@rebecabernatlliberos8321]

As an English graduate. If you know how to yap, you will be fine.

[@will_dream]

ooh as a bio major with an english major in my heart… ur story speaks to me :’) love the vid! I’m sure you’ve had plenty of recommendations but I can’t help but rep my favorite classics that might not have made the list yet 👀 The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien is a collection of short stories about the Vietnam war. oh boy could it go in the “these books filled me with darkness” video, but something about his voice is so compelling to me. the way he uses ambiguity- the stories being nebulously fictionalized accounts of the author’s experience in the war-does such a good job of carrying the themes. Kappa by Ryunosuke Akutagawa is short and very fast paced and SUCH an oddball little satiric glimpse into early 1900s japan. if you’re looking for a classic to springboard back out of a long dull one with, this is the one. also check out akutagawa’s wikipedia page, that guy was something else. most people i talk to hate the great gatsby but i loved it…but i’m curious how much of what i loved was what fitzgerald allegedly plagiarized from his wife 😒

[@frankiesshelf]

these recs look amazing and i haven’t seen them anywhere else thank you !

[@samanthaburns6956]

Fahrenheit 451 is defo only a classic because of when it came out. The author is a kook. The worst part is is that some of his fears are being realized with the creation how social media is developing. I think the thing that sucks about F451 is that there were some neat ideas but they take the back seat to an old man yelling at clouds. The fears he expresses about tv's coming into homes and the cold war are very valid and timely. But the way the governement works, the book burnings, and the resisitance are such old head romantasized modernist ideas. Leave it to an old guy form Arizona to think the last bastion of civilization and culture is white guys memorizing poetry in the forest. Also so many of his motifs are cringe in a way that they should be pastich but are just writen ernestly. And he takes ideas from pulpier but better sci-fi and does them worse.

[@samantamecinskaite4102]

In my experience, Russian translations are normally such a miss for me, I’m Lithuanian and often times find myself reaching for the Lithuanian translation rather than English, it just seems like so many words are lost as well as context and the sentences sound so choppy

[@linzlu7051]

Did u read diviola?? Excited for the thing between us!!

[@frankiesshelf]

i haven’t but it looks sooo good!!

[@pleasantmelody]

“the idiot” is a way better dostoyevsky book imo even though theres still a lot of monologues in it but it honestly might be my fav thing about dostoyevky’s books😭 but i totallyyyyy get why they might feel.. unnecessary in a way? bc i am reading the count of monte cristo by alexandte dumas rn and there are just So many things happening that are unrelated to the Main Guy that i frankly dont care about and it’s driving me nuts i just want the random people to stop talking and the story to make sense already Please anyway i love your videos a lot !!

[@frankiesshelf]

i just wanna beg these classic writers to STAY ON TRACK

[@someone6774]

the whale book :)))))

[@disisally]

Dostoyevsky (Dostoïevski 🧠) can take your criticism in stride but hardcore fans of Sylvia Plath will not and for that reason the true bravery here is calling out The Bell Jar for being every type of "offensive" known to humankind and for what

[@frankiesshelf]

you are so right… someone in here told me that criticizing the bell jar “takes away from the text”

[@disisally]

@@frankiesshelf literary criticism? not in this asylum 🙂‍↔️

[@alonememe]

Try to read "Idiot" by Dostoevsky, it's easiest of his work, and it's actually funny.

[@aleksandra.manojlovic]

I discovered your channel recently and I love it! Love following someone with a similar taste in books and opinions❤. I didn't know you studied sociology and social work, I'm starting my degree in October, so I was wondering if you could recommend books about sociology/social work because I'm tying to be prepared😅.

[@frankiesshelf]

oh that's so exciting!! you're probably gonna have to read a ton of boring theory, foucault, durkheim, marx, kant, mills, hobbes, etc etc. but if i were you i would ignore them and diversify my reading beyond what's right in front of you, trying to read nonfiction from people with very different life experiences than you have!! i think that will help you more than the philosophy and will also be way more interesting i'd definitely read sister outsider by audre lorde, or at least her essay "the uses of anger", absolutely fantastic and i had that essay as assigned reading in most of my classes i loved the book high rise stories by audrey petty, it's a collection of first person stories told by people who lived in chicago's public housing, very informative and very human some works on abolition would be super useful, anything by angela davis; freedom is a constant struggle, are prisons obsolete, anything you can find from her, really i also liked captive genders by eric stanley! reproductive injustice by dána-ain davis was also really informative and well written the care manifesto is super short and quick and insightful and finally i'd just read a ton of memoirs!! anything that takes you out of your own bubble, written by people with super different life experiences than you will be really helpful some memoirs i likes; autobiography of a face by lucy grealy - about a woman who has cancer as a young girl and it causes her to lose a third of her jaw heavy by kiese laymon - about being a fat black man in america we have always been here by samra habib - about being a queer muslim immigrant something fierce by carmen aguirre - about the daughter of revolutionaries fighting chile's dictatorship i hope that helps !!

[@vinilobo03]

I stopped the video just to come here and thank you for saying what everyone doesn't about Crime and Punishment. It's beyond awful and I'm used to reading classics but this one... it was literally the worst book I've ever read. That's it.

[@spexi513]

Frankenstein remains one of my favorite classics I’ve read and actually one of my favorites period 📖🪱💚

[@frankiesshelf]

it's SOOO good!

[@dianagro99]

omg wait I’m curious to know why you dont think you have the capabilities for social work 🥺 I fully respect your choice, just curious! I graduated with a BA in psych over two years ago and I’m starting my msw this fall but it took 2 years of working experience to figure out if it was something I wanted to pursue, and for now it is! I’m glad though you realized that for yourself before it was too late, and it’s definitely a field that I think requires a masters to fully have that freedom to be in different settings. good luck!! 🫶

[@frankiesshelf]

honestly my main problem is that i have severe issues with noises and i don’t think i would ever be able to handle working in close proximity to other people !! any of the social work jobs that don’t require working with people sound boring as fuck lol like policy 🙄 no thank you i was also kind of delusional when i went in thinking that even if i hated the system and it’s history and what it stands for i could get a job outside of the government but after hearing my classmate’s stories it really seems like wherever you work, even at non profits that seem to align with your values, you will always be working against things you believe in and you will always be more radical than your workplace’s policies and that just sounds soul destroying!

[@dianagro99]

@@frankiesshelf I get it! I was on a loop trying to figure this shit out and what feels right, and you're so valid. I think at the end of the day working any job is soul destroying 😭 thats the worst part, just trying to figure out whats the least soul destroying hahaha (and funny that you mention that about noises, im kinda the same way and my dream job is to be a library social worker LOL)

[@frankiesshelf]

if i didn’t have noise issues that would be my dream job too omg

[@dianagro99]

@@frankiesshelf I just realized you said *severe* issues with noises, I’m so sorry you have to deal with that 😭

[@eleven.eleven.]

Dude, it took me 8 years to get my undergraduate. In America higher education costs A LOT of money. I ended with a Sociology degree that is essentially useless and it cost me a whopping 150k, in my 30s still chipping away and never had the opportunity to actually use the damn degree. 😓 😂