Classics discussion

Hi

I am Alex, I love to read all manner of books but I have been keen on Classical Literature for a good many years.

I studied Homer during my diploma.

Here are some of my fav classics (feel free to comment if you do not consider them classics.
Wuthering Heights
Jane Eyre
Sense and Sensibility
Les Misérables
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Mystery of the Yellow Room
Le parfum de la dame en noir
The Gaston Leroux Bedside CompanionThe Real Opera Ghost and Other TalesThe Tenant of Wildfell Hall
The Importance of Being Earnest
Complete Works of Oscar Wilde
The Canterville Ghost
The Odyssey
The Iliad
Dracula
Frankenstein
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. HydeThe Woman in White
The Monk
Lady Chatterley's Lover
Tess of the D'Urbervilles
The Hobbit
The Lord of the Rings

These are in no particular order.

Hi

I'm Lee, and for many years I have gravitated toward the fantasy and science fiction genres. I think there are 'classics' among them, but as Alex mentions in another post - what actually constitutes a 'classic'?

I recall one book that I had to study (and hated at the time), which was considered a classic by the class - it was The Rainbow by D H Lawrence. Many years later, I find that I actually like it!

Hi

Thanks for inviting me Alexandra. However, it took a bit of detective work to find this group so it might be a good idea to add a location to your email and posts inviting people.

I'm a real Jane Austen fan ever since I first read Pride and Prejudice when I was 15. I also like the Brontes, Dickens, E M Forster, Elizabeth Gaskell and several others.

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Oh yes, good idea. I have no set up a group on GR before. I will send out an email.

I have to say I never really got into Dickens. I tend to like th screen adaptations but the books no. I have no idea why I just couldn't get into them. Maybe now I am a little older I should take another look.

I think there are classics in every genre
Lord of the Rings and Narnia for Fantasy
War of the Worlds, Jules Verne, HG Wells etc etc for SCI FI
Jane Austen, Brontes, etc etc for historical romance
Greek/ROman/Norse Myths for fantasy/adventure
Hugo/Dickens/Voltaire/Doestevsky for political/social/.
Leroux/Stoker for horror

I have to say I love Gaston Leroux, The Mystery of the Yellow Room is an excellent mystery and his "Bedside companion" is one of the most frightening things I have ever read.

Conan Doyle/Leroux/Christie for Crime and mystery.

I started moby dick a few years back and found it rather slow to get into. I have to be in the mood for that kind of thing. That might be another one to re try.

Other than shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet) at school and The Tempest and Much Ado about nothing at college we didn't do that many classics. I supposeTender is the Night and Moonfleet probably count. I am going to add a list on the group shelf for ones I can think of.

I have to say I never really got into Dickens. I tend to like th screen adaptations but the books no. I have no ..."

I have found that I prefer Dicken's later books to his earlier ones, which are a bit too sentimental for me - I didn't really enjoy Oliver Twist and I wasn't bowled over by David Copperfield. However, I loved Great Expectations, which I think could be a good introduction to Dickens. I also enjoyed Bleak House - I read this when I was much younger and was amazed at how the lives of great and small were so intricately bound together. Hard Times is very good but is rather grim. Nicholas Nickleby made me laugh at times (other times that's rather grim too) and I really enjoyed Our Mutual Friend (there was an excellent BBC adaptation a few years ago - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Our-Mutual-Fr...)

I was really gripped by A Tale of Two Cities which I discovered as a teenager. I was very lucky that I had never seen the film or any tv adaptations, so although I knew the famour quote "it's a far, far better thing that I do now than I've ever done before" (or words to that effect), I knew nothing at all about the story so was able to get completely lost in the story. I don't think it would have the same impact if read after watching a film version. I'm so glad that I could enjoy it to the full that way that I did.

There's still loads of Dickens which I haven't read yet, and a few books that I started but couldn't get into at the time. I must read a few more myself.

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Hopefully I can get back into them.

I read a lot of the English classics at school, but apart from occasional Dickens (Great Expectations and Tale of Two Cities when I appeared in stage adaptations of them over the last couple of years), I tend to concentrate on the French classics now.

Have recently read and enjoyed Candide in French and I'm now making a start on some Alexandre Dumas.

Oh yes I liked Candide as well.

Hi, I'm Suzie and having not read many classics I have been catching up on them over the past couple of years. The most recent being 'Anna Karenina' which I enjoyed (I listened to this while working - I do people's ironing so it's ideal)