Does anyone read classical literature any more?

This forum is for discussion about authors. You can discuss specific authors, types of authors, groups of authors, or any other topics related to authors.

Related Special Forums: Author Articles | Author Interviews

If you are an author or writer looking to discuss writing and author-related issues, please use our writing forums instead.
Post Reply
User avatar
Lovewreading89
Posts: 57
Joined: 21 Jan 2018, 20:51
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 226
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-lovewreading89.html
Latest Review: Roadmap to the End of Days by Daniel Friedmann

Re: Does anyone read classical literature any more?

Post by Lovewreading89 »

I do read classics I am currently reading campfire chats of the civil war.
User avatar
pinefamily
Posts: 72
Joined: 25 Sep 2017, 16:59
Currently Reading: Magician
Bookshelf Size: 12

Post by pinefamily »

Reading through this thread, I think some have confused older books with "classics", or rather what are commonly referred to as "classics".
I have and still do read "classics". Conrad would be my favourite author. Dickens remains a personal challenge for me. Hardy is excellent; his poetry is as good as his novels.
I think I preferred The Odyssey to The Iliad. Beowulf, and the Eddas from Iceland, are some of my favourites.
More people should read classics. Besides the excellent writing, they offer a view into the past that modern authors cannot capture.
User avatar
Catia
Posts: 49
Joined: 20 Jan 2018, 18:02
Favorite Book: Godsgrave
Currently Reading: The priest of blood
Bookshelf Size: 44
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-catia.html
Latest Review: Pancake Money by Finn Bell
Reading Device: B00HCNHDN0

Post by Catia »

Dickens, it's hard sometimes but I like to read his stories.
Victor Hugo, I found I got to appreciate even his long descriptions of places.
The Bronte sisters, life lessons to learn.
Jane Austin, not my all favourite but still enjoyable.
Iliad and Odyssey, I read them after finishing school, because while in school I found them boring. The Odyssey is better, I find.
Then every now and then I pick up some others to have a break between a fantasy and a horror
No matter how busy you think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance - Confucius

Any fool can know. The point is to understand. - Albert Einstein
User avatar
Yung Senpai
Posts: 30
Joined: 26 Oct 2017, 01:52
Favorite Book: Lolita
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 20

Post by Yung Senpai »

Short stories = Edgar Allan Poe ( Some of his stuff is hit or miss, but overall great author for short stories )
Best prose = Vladimir Nabokov ( Exceptional prose, which is incredible given English was his second language )
Most unique = Virginia Woolf ( She was a master of Stream of Consciousness type of prose )
Best Eastern writer = Jun'ichirō Tanizaki ( The Makioka Sisters is simply splendid )
Political Science = Niccolo Machiavelli ( The Prince is a monumental work of political science, tied with The Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes )

There is a lot more like Nietzsche, CS Lewis, Tolkien, Dickens, Lewis Carroll, Christina Rossetti, Hobbes, Soseki and so on its really hard to pick between them all.

I feel like every old master has some singularities in their style that makes their work unique and great.
Omnee
Posts: 7
Joined: 02 Feb 2018, 13:24
Favorite Book: <a href="http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelve ... d=78378">A Matter of Time</a>
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 14

Post by Omnee »

Ah, well I am sort of rediscovering some of the children's classics through my 11 years-old son, since I made it a must to add some classics to his library.
The last year I re-read Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, Around the world in 80 Days by Jules Verne.
User avatar
Faith Atieno okoth
Posts: 54
Joined: 02 Feb 2018, 10:11
Currently Reading: For the Love of Suzanne
Bookshelf Size: 18
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-faith-atieno-okoth.html
Latest Review: Diary of a Snoopy Cat by R.F. Kristi

Post by Faith Atieno okoth »

Yes I do, it has really expanded my vocabularies
User avatar
HogSandwich
Posts: 10
Joined: 13 Feb 2018, 06:59
Favorite Author: China Mieville
Currently Reading: Persuasion
Bookshelf Size: 26
fav_author_id: 6004

Post by HogSandwich »

I'm a librarian, and i buy books for teens and children, and good lord do they read classics. I replace my Austens, Dracula and Handmaid's Tale twice a year.
User avatar
Hheaton
Posts: 8
Joined: 01 Feb 2018, 12:15
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 46
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-hheaton.html
Latest Review: Island Games by Caleb J. Boyer

Post by Hheaton »

I love reading the classics. So much of today's literature stems from them. I love Jane Austen (which I know is completely stereotypical of a female... but I like what I like). Fitzgerald is another favorite. The Beautiful and Damned is next on my personal "To Read" list.

I also love the classic poets: Thoreau, Wordsworth, Whitman...
User avatar
Jeyasivananth
Posts: 238
Joined: 07 Jan 2018, 18:17
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 191
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-jeyasivananth.html
Latest Review: Heartaches 3 by H.M. Irwing

Post by Jeyasivananth »

I do read classical literature and poems even now. They are like places you want to revisit again and again.
katecallaghan
Posts: 2
Joined: 16 Jan 2018, 10:30
Currently Reading: The Extinction Trials
Bookshelf Size: 29
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-katecallaghan.html
Latest Review: Raven's Peak by Lincoln Cole

Post by katecallaghan »

The great thing about classics is that you can reread them throughout your life. There is so much in the storytelling in classic literature that once is never enough.

HUGE fan of Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte!
User avatar
alexislynn
Posts: 5
Joined: 03 Mar 2018, 14:57
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 20

Post by alexislynn »

I do read classical literature, though it is only a small portion of my reading. I typically get on classical kicks and will read three or four in a row. My favorite classic is still Brave New World.
User avatar
rik17
Posts: 144
Joined: 25 Jul 2017, 00:49
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 31
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-rik17.html
Latest Review: The Mountain and The Goat by Siamak Taghaddos

Post by rik17 »

I am currently reading 'The Golden Ass' by Apuleius. Amazing how stories so old still appear so engaging.
User avatar
SparklesonPages
Posts: 215
Joined: 26 Jan 2018, 16:56
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 211
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-sparklesonpages.html
Latest Review: Heartaches 2 by H.M. Irwing
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Post by SparklesonPages »

That’s a great question and I don’t think there are many people who do. I always enjoy a good classic.
User avatar
makayladulaney
Posts: 1
Joined: 10 Mar 2018, 17:28
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by makayladulaney »

I would have never guessed a year ago that I would have such a passionate appreciation for literature as I do now... I'm currently taking a literature class dedicated to horror and supernatural and it has been one of my all-time favorite classes. Right now I'm in the process of writing my literary analysis paper. I decided it may be easier to analyze the story with some background knowledge on the author of my story, Edgar Allan Poe. After reading his biography and the past and current critics judgments on him, I'm not surprised at how respected his literature is. Reading has recently become one of my favorite activities. Honestly, I do analyzations now without it even being assigned... It is unquestionably pleasurable to dig deep into a story and pull your own theories and lessons out of it. Themes from a story, as you know, vary from person to person because we all have different experiences. My story, "The Fall of the House of Usher", was perhaps written with entirely different impositions than what I pulled out of it... After reading his biography though, I'm not sure if I want to follow through with my interpretation. Poe had a crazy life and I highly admire his work. Luckily, I live 5 minutes away from one of his museums... can't wait to go!!!

What do you all think of Edgar Allan Poe?
GabbiV
Posts: 234
Joined: 10 May 2017, 17:20
Currently Reading: 50 Masterpieces you have to read before you die, vol 2
Bookshelf Size: 345
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-gabbiv.html
Latest Review: Of Illusions and Ink Spills by Divya Hirani
Reading Device: B00KC6I06S

Post by GabbiV »

At first, I read classics because there seems to be a finite amount of them, so trying to read them all is an accomplishable goal. Now that I've read a couple of them, I like them because they show me that humans haven't really changed over time. Opinions and perspectives can change over time but finding relatable situations from a book written two hundred years ago gives me a special satisfaction.
Post Reply

Return to “Discuss Authors”