Does anyone read classical literature any more?

[Harmony Hills]

L.M. Montgomery is my favorite. Her Anne Series are wonderful!

[Sin24]

I know classics and have a deep appreciation for them. I have even gone so far has to learn a lot of old English word, so that they don't impede me whenever I indulge in these beautiful work of art.

[violet-trey19]

Yes I read classical literature because it is fascinating.

[Kalin Adi]

I love the classics. How can we forget them? Never!!! I love Edgar Allan Poe as well. I also like the Brontë Sisters and Shakespeare.

[hlc85]

I love the classics, which is a problem because i can not get into modern literature. My favorite book is The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo. I think Hugo is a beautiful writer who uses elegant descriptions. He never fails to impress me. In fact, he did so much research for The Hunchback of Notre Dame to recreate medieval France. Fascinating!

[cnrd6812]

I read a lot of classical literature for college, but as far as things I read voluntarily, I think Kafka and Nabokov still hold up really well, and I personally enjoyed the plays of Christopher Marlowe, although a lot of people might be turned off by the prejudice on display. In particular, I still consider Lolita by Nabokov to be my gold standard against which other novels are compared.

[ReviewerDiksha]

I have War and Peace and the Tale of two cities on my bookshelf right now. And I am also interested in going into more classical novels.

[ebethina]

I have read classical literature before but it is hard for me to stay focused. I enjoy other novels more that is more relaxing

[KlareAllison]

By virtue of the categorisation of this group of literary writings as classics, the implication is that they will continue to be relevant. More so, these books continue to attract new scholars who analyze them, applying different theoretical frameworks which give currency to such works. And, yes, I still read classical literature. Charles Dickens is one of my favourites authors in this area.

[cnrd6812]

Actually "classic" could also be taken to mean archetypal, as in useful for historical or academic purposes, but not really "relevant" in the sense that the average person continues to care about it - take "classic rock" for example. These reason these works continue to attract scholars isn't because they're necessarily compelling, but because they're culturally isolated, in the sense that the social issues and context they discuss tend to be historical and modern readers are unlikely to be influenced by ongoing discussion about their contents, theoretically allowing them to read more or less objectively. Applying frameworks to classic texts doesn't give the texts currency, it gives the frameworks a practical point of reference, though the frameworks themselves tend to be of mostly academic interest. Reading classics is still worthwhile, but I would encourage people to read them because they're engaging or fun, not because they're relevant or because they attract academic interest.

[Btowntheatregal]

Hi!

I still very much love classical literature and as an adult have gone back to re-read books I read in college or high school and continue to find new authors. One of my favorite adult discoveries is Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White just completely sucked me in from the moment I picked it up. I think Collins is often overlooked because he was writing at the same time as Dickens. I actually enjoy Collins even more. I love discovering what I consider "hidden gems". I took many literature classes in college and not one professor mentioned him.

Best,

Sharlene

[jenjayfromSA]

I had to read a lot of classics for my degree in English and found some of them hard-going ... I hate being TOLD to read a book. I'm rediscovering them now, though, and wishing I hadn't been so stubborn. The Great Gatsby was absorbing and I enjoy Dickens and Jane Austen. The classic poets are among my favourites.

[NSOfficial]

I love classical literature. It has a depth to it which is quite often lacking in modern literature. In an attempt to attract the teenage crowd of today, authors have resorted to the use of colloquial language and vain characters, however, characters from the 'classics' continue to live in our hearts today. Some authors I love are Jane Austen, Emily Bronte. Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens, Somerset Maugham, Shakespeare and Arthur Miller.

[Aderito do Rosario]

Yes I did, classical literature shows the diffrences of words phrases and ussefull meaning the new world todays day

[verbals]

My favourite classics authors;
Charlotte Brontë
George Eliot
Flaubert
Emile Zola
Joseph Conrad
Thomas Hardy
Virginia Woolf
Graham Greene

Take Conrad; his work is so dense; his descriptions are hard work sometimes but he builds the most amazing iconic characters, heroes.

I have this argument that any complex thought requires a long deep conversation or it deserves a long written explanation. It takes a while to explain. Classic authors are capable of holding a very complex idea in their heads whilst they explain it on the page. It’s an extraordinary quality; it can be daunting and dull even at times but the result is very rewarding.