Classical Literature Read-Along discussion

The title of this topic should be a dead give away ;).

I am not sure what I want to do go to the library or purchase these books. Seems like some are multiple books or I could be wrong.

I'm so excited to participate in this read-along! I already read parts of The Odessey in school, as I was having Classical Studies as a subject, but I wasn't that invested in either the subject or the book at that time. It was also a Danish translation so I'm looking forward to read it in English :)

I haven't read The Metamorphoses but I'm excited to give it a try :D

Just orderd my books :) Just hope I'll be able to keep up with the read-along. I have finals in September so I'll be quite busy all through August.

Well apparently the local schools have these on their required reading lists because they are all out. Time to try thrift shops.

Hi everyone!

This is my first read-along and I'm really excited! I must admit that I am a tad daunted by classical literature, so I'm sure that being in a group will be awesome.

Rebecca wrote: "Hi everyone!

This is my first read-along and I'm really excited! I must admit that I am a tad daunted by classical literature, so I'm sure that being in a group will be awesome."

It's my first read-along too :) also slightly daunted by classical literature, but I'm sure it will be fun!

I'm a bit daunted as well but more by the 'capacity' of these novels.. They're prettty big and also so important and influential to literature!

Nina wrote: "I'm a bit daunted as well but more by the 'capacity' of these novels.. They're prettty big and also so important and influential to literature!"

I don't know if this helps but I like to approach classical lit the same way I would a normal book and sure, they are both massively influential pieces of literature but don't let what is effectively hype colour your reading experience. I like to come at a first reading purely to enjoy the story without getting too caught up in when it was written and what it meant to the genre etc because you want to try and get that genuine experience of enjoyment (or not) you would that made the original audience enjoy it. That was probably utterly useless advice but glad you're taking part nevertheless :).

Hey! So glad to have everyone on board. I hope we can all make this read-along a fun experience as a temporary wee classical lit community for the month of August ^_^

Hi Guys :)

I'm Nueng from Thailand.
I've never read classical literature before.
After saw JeanBookishthoughts's video, it sound interesting and I'd like to get my hands on classics. So here I am :)

In Thailand I could found only a copy of The Odyssey as Oxford (translate by Walter Shewring) which is not match from group's recommendation.
Hope it'd be ok, not too difficult to understand.

And I'd like to ask a question, should I read The Iliad before reading The Odyssey?

Thank you :)

I recently picked up an ancient version of The Odyssey from my local thrift store. You can see the version in my "currently reading". It's supposed to be a very plain english, readable version, so I don't feel very daunted by the concept of reading it at all haha.


Nueng wrote: "Hi Guys :)

I'm Nueng from Thailand.
I've never read classical literature before.
After saw JeanBookishthoughts's video, it sound interesting and I'd like to get my hands on classics. So here I am ..."

I asked myself the same question! Read the last couple of comments in this thread: http://www.online-literature.com/foru...

I think we should do great with reading the Odyssey and then the Iliad afterwards.

Cale wrote: "I recently picked up an ancient version of The Odyssey from my local thrift store. You can see the version in my "currently reading". It's supposed to be a very plain english, readable version, so ..."

Thanks Cale, right now I realized I had missed the pointed of reading for enjoyment.
I joined the group because I wanna explore the classics, I should feel excited not scared of :)

Hello everyone! This is my first time doing something like this, so it should be an interesting experience. I was planning on reading The Odyssey in August anyway, in preparation of my second attempt to read Joyce's Ulysses. (Hopefully I'll get further this time!) Metamorphoses has been on my to-read list for a while, as well, so this read-along came around at just the right time.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I haven't read much classical literature. However, I've absolutely loved what I have read, so I have high hopes for the works we'll be reading this month.

Good luck, everyone!

Hi guys! I'm Valentina and I'm from Venezuela. This is my first read along! I started with the free Kindle edition of the Odyssey and it just didn't work for me so I'm going to try the Robert Fagles translation ^_^

Wish me luck! Hope you enjoy your reading.

Xoxo

I've started with The Penelopiad in the hope that it will get me in the right mood to then read The Odyssey! So once I have finished that I can join in the discussion on The Penelopiad board without spoilers :)

Claire wrote: "I've started with The Penelopiad in the hope that it will get me in the right mood to then read The Odyssey! So once I have finished that I can join in the discussion on The Penelopiad board without spoilers"

I'm re-reading The Penelopiad afterwards. Have to say I'm very excited to re-read it knowing the 'actual' story properly, rather than just what I'm familiar with.

Got a bit delayed in my starting - I read the first chapter of Odyssey then didn't get a chance at all to read yesterday!

Also, I've indulged myself in the Penguin clothbound Metamorphoses... Mainly because I don't like the black Penguin covers, and I have no other Oxford classics so it would have looked silly on my shelf ;) At least that's what I'm telling myself...

I read the first few pages of The Odyssey yesterday. It's sometimes hard to catch all the references since I don't have a lot of knowledge about the context, but so far it's interesting :).

Claire wrote: "I've started with The Penelopiad in the hope that it will get me in the right mood to then read The Odyssey! So once I have finished that I can join in the discussion on The Penelopiad board withou..."

I read the Penelopiad before the Odyssey the first time and it just got me more intrigued by the original :). I think reading a modern adaptation can be the perfect way to spark your interest in a more intimidating classic (ancient or modern).

Alexandra wrote: "I read the first few pages of The Odyssey yesterday. It's sometimes hard to catch all the references since I don't have a lot of knowledge about the context, but so far it's interesting :)."

I don't what copy you're reading but if it has footnotes I'd really recommend reading them, they always help me when I'm unfamiliar with a story :) but I know, myself included, most people just skip them in classics haha.

I'm actually enjoying this book way more than I was initially expecting to ! Having a glossary of who each character is at the beginning of the book has definitely made it a lot easier for me to follow along with & understand.

Sadly, I have a very hard time reading The Odyssey. I just started working at a new place and there's just so much going on in my head that I rather want to snuggle up with a more easy modern book.

That being said I really enjoyed the small amount of pages I've managed to read - and this read-along has given me courage to continue finish The Odyssey and perhaps some more classical literature, but for now, I'm out. :/
Thanks for hosting the read-along, Jean and good luck to all of you! Looking forward to read about your reading experiences soon :)

Is there going to be a read-along in September? I found about this one far too late to get started. Fairly sure I can't read all those novels in four days time.

And for november? I'd love that ^^

Oh, the Odysey was meant to be read outloud! I was home schooled for sixth and seventh grade so me and my mother read it out loud and it was glorious! How do we stand for this month?