Classics for Beginners discussion

Jane Austen's Books (January - August 2011):

Lady Susan
-Interesting, written in letter form
Love and Friendship
-One Word "Silly"
1813 Pride and Prejudice
-Loved it
1814 Mansfield Park
-Loved it
A Short History of England
-Okay but interesting
1811 Sense and Sensibility
-Loved it
1818 Persuasion
-Liked it
1818 Northanger Abby
-Loved it
1816 Emma
-Loved it
Jane Austen: A Biography by Elizabeth Jenkins

Why is Love and Friendship 'silly' ?

Nicolle wrote: "Why is Love and Friendship 'silly' ?"

It cracked me up. It must have been written early in her writing career (when she was very young). Young teen girls/women (of that time) knowing better than their parents whom they should marry and talking other young ones into the same idea, running away from home, running around and fainting-A LOT-, and so on. I did enjoy it but found it very silly.

Women of those times really do like to faint don't they?!

I just finished Northanger Abby. I like this Jane Austen book very much (maybe better than the others).

I looked up Ann Racilffe and her book: The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794) because it is read and discussed by the characters in Northanger Abby. I have it on my reader to read another time. It is suppose to be a gothic creeper. I am not usually into that type of reading but was intrigued to find out if it was still available and to see what earlier writings would be like. I am looking forward to it.

It sounds like a good read.

Finished the novels of Jane Austen.

Now on to other reads.

Harper Lee

To Kill A Mockingbird Sept 2011
-Loved It!

Miss.terri, I am woefully underread in Austen. I plan to remedy this.

Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress" wrote: "Miss.terri, I am woefully underread in Austen. I plan to remedy this."

My daughter has read them all and seen the movies and has collected the books so I thought it was time I read them. I ususally make a reading goal for the new year. This year's was to read all the novels of Jane Austen. (There are two unfinished ones that I have not read and were not on my list for this year) I finished my goal a head of time mainly because of this group.

Desiree wrote: "You actually persuaded me to read Love and Friendship."

I read somewhere that Jane Austen wrote Love and Friendship when she was 14 years old. You can tell it was written by someone young. I hope you enjoy it. Just keep in mind that is is not like the novels she wrote when she got older.

That's great, Miss.terri.

J. R. R. Tolkien

The Hobbit or There And Back Again Sept 2011
-Loved it

Mary Shelley

Frankenstein Oct 2011
-Liked it

Charlotte Bronte:



1847 Jane Eyre
Read 2012
Loved it

1853 Villette
Read Oct 2011
Loved it
5-star book gave 4 stars...did not like the way
it ended

1856 The Professor
Read 2012
Liked it

Harriet Beecher Stowe:


1852 Uncle Tom's Cabin Unabridged 1082 pages
Excellent read!
Read Nov 2011

Miguel de Cervantes:


Part 1 1605 and Part 2 1615
Don Quixote
Read Nov 2011
Loved it

Interesting Note:

According to Wikipedia:
Don Quixote fully titled The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha is a novel written by Miguel de Cervantes. Published in two volumes a decade apart (in 1605 and 1615), Don Quixote is considered the most influential work of literature from the Spanish Golden Age and the entire Spanish literary canon. As a founding work of modern Western literature, and one of the earliest canonical novels, it regularly appears high on lists of the greatest works of fiction ever published. In one such list, Don Quixote was cited as the "best literary work ever written".

He was born in 1547 and died in 1616.

Miss.terri wrote: "Charlotte Bronte:



1853 Villette
Read Oct 2011
Loved it
5-star book gave 4 stars...did not like the way
it ended"
Is this as good as Jane Eyre as that is the only Charlotte Bronte I have read so far, and this is the next one I was going to try out.

I'm almost done with it and JE is still my favorite of the two, but there was just another twist! I love twists in books.

Me too, especially when it something you never would've imagined.

That one had several of those unexpected twists.

BTW, love your new profile pic.

Thankyou, I had been meaning to change for a while as my other was about 4 years old. This one is more recent only took a few months ago!

I have not read JE yet....it is on my list for my 2012 reading goal. I have heard good things about JE. I am looking forward to it.

When are you reading it? There is a buddy read going on at the moment.

I was thinking Jan or Feb 2012.

Well I'm sure you could join the buddy read. Or it may get voted for Jan/Feb read if you nominate it.

H. G. Wells



1895 The Time Machine
Read Nov 2011
Liked it
1001 Book List

1897 The War of the Worlds
Read 2014
Liked it
1001 Book List

Betty Smith:



1943 A Tree Grows In Brooklyn
Dec 2011
Loved it

1947 Tomorrow Will Be Better
Jan 2012
Really liked it.

1963 Joy In The Morning
April 2012
Liked it.


According to Wikipedia:
Born on December 15, 1896 in Brooklyn, New York to German immigrants, she grew up poor in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and attended Girl's High School.[1] These experiences served as the framework to her first novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943).
After marrying George H. E. Smith, a fellow Brooklynite, she moved with him to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he pursued a law degree at the University of Michigan. At this time, she gave birth to two girls and waited until they were in school so she could complete her higher education. Although Smith had not finished high school, the university allowed her to enroll in classes. There she honed her skills in journalism, literature, writing, and drama, winning a prestigious Avery Hopwood Award. She was a student in the classes of Professor Kenneth Thorpe Rowe.

Jules Verne:



1873 Around The World In Eighty Days
Dec 2011
Loved It

I loved it, too, Miss.terri!! Was a bit surprised that I did. LOL

I have only seen the Jackie Chan movie! Though I doubt it compares!

You must see the one with David Niven! He was perfect in it.

Martha wrote: "You must see the one with David Niven! He was perfect in it."

I saw that one a very long time ago. What I remember was that he played the character much like the one in the book.

George Orwell:


(1947) 1984
Read Jan 2012
I really liked it. Very slow beginning-great
middle and ending.

Aesop

620-560 BCE
Aesop's Fables
Read Feb 2012
like it

Anne Bronte


1847 Agnes Grey
Read 2012
Loved it 5-stars

1848 The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Read 2012
Loved it 5-stars


She was born in 1820 and died in 1849. She was just 28 years old when she died. She wrote two books and both books were published a year apart and one year before she died. She died from tuberculosis.

Anonymous:


1554 The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes
Read 2012
It was okay.

This book is one of the pre-1700 books from the “1001 Books to Read Before You Die”. I had a difficult time with it due to the misspelling, major grammar issues, and footnote placement. It is a short story and would have been a quick read and would have been enjoyable except for the already mentioned problems. I am not sure if the problem was the writer, editor, publisher, or just the copy I was able to get. My library did not have it and borrowed it from another library for me.

Emily Bronte


1847 Wuthering Heights
Read July 2012
Loved it.


In 1848, while at her brother’s funeral, Emily caught a cold and died in December of the same year. She was the fourth daughter and fifth child. Two other sisters, Charlotte and Anne were also published novel writers.

Homer


800 B.C.E. The Iliad
Read January 2013
Liked it

800 B.C.E. The Oddessy
Read January 2013
Really Liked it

I read that too and also liked it!

Reginald Rose


Twelve Angry Men
January 2013
Great Read

Miss.terri wrote: "Reginald Rose


Twelve Angry Men
January 2013
Great Read"

Also a classic movie which is as true to the text as anything!

John Bunyan


1678 The Pilgrim’s Progress
Read January 2013
Liked it.

Charles Dickens
1812-1870

1843 A Christmas Carol
Read April 2013
I loved it.

Author Unknown


2750-2500 BCE Epic of Gilgamesh
Read April 2013
Liked it.

Aldous Huxley


1932 Brave New World
Read 2013
Liked it

James Joyce


1922 Ulysses
Read 2013
Less than one star
I would not recommend this book to anyone.

what didn't you like about Ulysses?

It was interesting with the inner dialogue in the way that story was told. However there was a lot of vulgarity that bordered on the pornagraphic for my taste.

Thanks miss.terri. Ulysses is on my to read list and was just wondering whether it wasn't worth the read. I am still going to read it but thanks for the heads up on the vulgarity.