The Classics: Thoughts and Opinions

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

I apologize that I post a lot of topics on books and reading, as it appears that I am quite single-minded. Regardless, here's another one.

This time, the subject is particularly focused - the classics, being those reputable books by famous authors that have come to be "enshrined" in the great literary canon of the world. I'm curious as to what you have read and, if I may pry, what you thought of them. I know it's similar to "What Are You Reading Now?", but, if possible, this a place for slightly more detailed analyses on what most people consider to be indispensable. Are there any classics that you have found to be overrated, not worth the praise heaped on them? Do any of them still hold up to this day? Is there any that you would consider to be among your favorites?

From my own personal collection (in no particular order), I have read:

-Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
-Candide by Voltaire
-The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
-A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
-Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
-The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton
-Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs
-The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
-Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
-Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
-Dracula by Bram Stoker
-The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
-To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
-Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
-The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
-King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard
-Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne
-The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

That's all that I can think of that I feel rather strongly about; I have read more in my life, but some were so long ago that I would need to reread them to refresh my opinion, and even the ones listed have some considerable amount of time between the first reading and now. Thus, my own personal opinions are subject to change over time, and the best that I can give are my immediate feelings, or at least what I can recall of them.

-Treasure Island is quite simply one of my favorite books - I can't state enough how much I enjoyed this. It's perfectly plotted, perfectly characterized, and perfectly long enough. It may not be Shakespearean, but everything about it is so vivid and impressionable; the images remain long after putting it down. It gets my wholehearted recommendation as a book you should read at least once in your life. It's a standard to which I would judge almost all other books (I recognize the unfairness in that, so you can take that as an exaggeration).

-Being the only piece of work that I've read of him, Voltaire seems like an amiably witty writer judging by Candide. It's a comparatively short satire and thus a real quick one. It's been some time, but I remember eating up the first few chapters and then feeling things slow down from the middle onward. It's definitely worth a reread.

-It's been a long time since I picked up Dorian Gray, but I do remember liking it. There's obviously some subtext and references of Wilde's that escape me, but as a horror story, let alone an allegory (if that's what it is), it's quite effective. I'm gonna have to reread this one too.

-I'm rather ashamed to say that A Christmas Carol is really the only work of Dickens that I can say I've read thoroughly; there were a couple assigned texts in high school, but those didn't sit well with me, so I'll have to go back. The story and dialogue should be quite familiar to anyone who's even seen the most rudimentary adaptation, but it still holds up as a fine piece of its own. It's uplifting and sentimental - and no one should take that as a bad thing!

-I was sort of forced to read Uncle Tom's Cabin, so I didn't start out liking it, but I remember that as I read more of it (under pressure of a deadline), I grew to enjoy it more and more. Some time has passed, so I'll have to reread it, but I say this fairly romanticized tale still has a place in contemporary society.

-G. K. Chesterton is one of my favorite intellectual figures, and Thursday is a superior achievement. Religious without being preachy, humorously warm, and fascinatingly entertaining, this story is simply good all around. I recommend it to everyone, especially the thinking man and the lover of paradox.

-Tarzan is an incredibly paced piece, very vibrant and energetic. The story sucks the reader in and moves relentlessly along. Unfortunately, it would appear that there is some racist subtext to the novel, but I didn't find it to be too incredibly offensive, not to the point that it marred the narrative in any fashion. However, stuff like that often escapes me, so I recommend caution.

-Baum's original tale of Oz is a wonderfully fun read – it reads with the simplicity of a fairy tale and the joy of childhood wonderment. In many ways, there's a depth to this story that's left out of almost every adaptation; the 1939 film is still good, but it unfortunately overshadows the richness of the original text.

-Peter Pan is another wonderfully fun read, regardless of age group. Though there is no really deep characterization, being essentially a simple children's story, the characters are still quite vivid and transcendent of the pages on which they're written (Captain Hook may be one of my favorite literary villains, being painted in such broad strokes). Of course, there may be some deeper meaning to it that only the adult will truly understand.

-Frankenstein is an engrossing text that I read faithfully; as both a horror story and a primary example of Gothic fiction, I fell that it has lost none of its power to chill the blood or evoke strikingly moody images. The persons of Victor Frankenstein and his Creature are psychologically rich and deftly memorable.

-Now since I made the mistake of going into it immediately after Frankenstein, I remember Dracula being a slower read by comparison. However, I plan on rereading it knowing what I do now. The structure of the text itself is really innovative for its kind, effectively conveying the perspectives of multiple narrators, and the descriptions of the vampire are still vibrant and striking.

-Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is an effective tale of mystery and horror, although I admit that something is lost with the outcome of the story being public knowledge. Still, Stevenson remains a master storyteller whose entertainment value is of the highest caliber, acieving the perfect blend of elegant prose and thrilling pace.

-If Treasure Island is one of my favorite "fun" books (although I will argue its literary merit), then To Kill a Mockingbird is quite simply one of my all-time favorite "serious" books. I know I've said it before, but it's just simply GOOD – good prose, good characters, good pace, good message, etc. Atticus Finch is one of the most exemplary human beings ever put to paper, and although he may be flat on a technical level, in Mrs. Lee's hands he is the standard to which all other goodness is measured.

-I didn't find Kidnapped to be as engrossing as Treasure Island – I read it considerably slower and more forcedly – but to its credit, I hadn't grown up with it as I had the latter book. It was certainly a step outside my usual comfort zone, being about a decisive incident in Scottish history of which I had little previous knowledge. However, the more I think about it, the more some of the key episodes of the tale remain engraved in my mind. I'll definitely have to reread this one; I'm seriously considering purchasing a different edition of it, one based on a slightly different manuscript.

-The Wind in the Willows is a quaint, fast read that's highly enjoyable. It abounds with a deep respect of nature and its inhabitants, and its characters are both wild and whimsical. It's another example of children's fiction being smartly written for the equal enjoyment of adults.

-King Solomon's Mines, arguably the first "Lost World" story, is quite a thrilling adventure. Some of it reads like fantasy – possibly anticipating the development of later fantasy works – but it's mostly an exciting treasure hunt. Again, like with Tarzan, there may be some unfortunate racial profiling, despite Haggard's best intentions.

-It's been years since I've read Milne's Pooh books, but I can distinctly remember them being some of the funniest children's works I ever set eyes on. They're wonderful primers on dry English wit, regardless of being told for children; the best moments, even if long forgotten, will leave a steady impression on your mind.

-My latest read, The Scarlet Pimpernel is the precursor to the modern comic book, a thrillingly paced adventure story that retains all of its intrigue even in modern times. The story works best when you know little about it so as not to spoil any of the twists and turns it takes. As a piece of historical fiction and a daring potboiler (although that sort of does it an injustice to call it that), it comes solidly recommended.



I apologize that these are rather brief opinions that don't really do justice to the stories. I thought I could tell it better, but ultimately, I can only give you vague impressions. I can only hope that others will do better. If there's anything that you've read that I've already mentioned in that list (plus a few others that I haven't, which I know for sure that you have read - you know who I'm talking about), let me know your thoughts. I'd love to hear them. Eventually, we'll probably end up disagreeing, but that's what these topics are about.

[Raven]

Wow, what a big topic. Worth consideration but wow.
I was an English major years ago, now. I was required to read lots of classic in different genres over the course of four years in literature classes. So I've read a lot of them (though not all of those on your list). That said, I certainly did not enjoy all that I had to read. In fact, it was not uncommon to have to read authors that I really did not like. Flannery O'Connor's work, I could happily do without reading. I'm not a big Southern Gothic reader, in general, although I did like Walker Percy's Lost in the Cosmos and kind of remember liking one of his others.
I've read a couple novels by the Bronte sisters and liked neither of them. In fact, at least one of them I think I might like to unread if there was a way.
I like Jane Austen, though. I've enjoyed most of the medieval classics I've read, a number of which we've discussed in another thread.
I like the Leatherstocking series by James Fennimore Cooper.

Even though I haven't enjoyed all the "classics" I've read, it is generally good, from a literary and historical perspective, to read them. My wife was an English Literature major (I was an English: Writing major), and she was telling me about the radical change that Bronte's Jane Eyre was in literature regarding the depiction of the female voice and person, and I could appreciate that from a historical and literary perspective. Still didn't like the book. In fact, it kind of reminds me of Southern Gothic.

I wish I had all my books with me here, so I can visually scan them for titles. It's hard to come up with lists off my memory, alone. Didn't start out to sound negative. I've read a lot of really enjoyable books.

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

I have three major works by the Brontë sisters on my shelf - Charlotte's Jane Eyre, Emily's Wuthering Heights, and Anne's Agnes Grey. I'll definitely get to them at some point. My class in high school was assigned Jane Eyre, but I remember not finishing it. For one reason or another, high school just wasn't a good time for me to read. Have you any thoughts on those three books in particular? I think you've read Jane Eyre as well. What didn't you like about them?

I haven't gotten to Flannery O'Connor yet, though I would wish to, since, on a side note, I hear that she comes recommended as an example of real Christian fiction - one that doesn't shy away from the grittier side of life.

I haven't read Austen either, but again, I want to. I saw the movie of Sense and Sensibility and actually enjoyed it far more than I thought I would.

I also have the complete Leatherstocking Series on my shelf, as well as the complete novels of Charles Dickens. Both of them I am rather eager to get to (but obviously not enough, or I would have done it already).

I know you mentioned in one topic that you had read Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Phantom of the Opera. How did you feel about them? Were they the "classics" that everyone makes them out to be, or were they overrated and dated?

[Raven]

Dracula and Frankenstein are fantastic, and there is also a lot of social commentary in those, I think. The Phantom of the Opera was a fun read, but I would not place it quite on the level of the other two.

I did not enjoy Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights. In fact, I read Wuthering Heights in fairly depressing circumstances -- and it didn't help. Hah! At any rate, I have no intentions to read more of the Bronte sisters.
Jane Eyre is kind of gross, in a way, I think. I don't like the protagonist, the secondary characters, the overall plot. There was little that I could connect to. I can concede the idea that it was remarkable in its time. There's not really anything I liked about it, though. Wuthering Heights, also, very melodramatic. Too much for me. That's something I also don't like about Southern Gothic. It's all dark and dramatic. Loses me a bit. If it's going to be dark, I prefer it to be humorously so (Lost in the Cosmos, maybe in some ways), or fantastically so, as in the first three books I mention. Or, it can be spiritually powerful as in The Brothers Karamazov. Flannery goes for spiritually powerful, but I don't connect well with her style. The Brothers K. is a masterpiece, though.  Not all attempts at spiritual meaning really drive it home for me.

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

There are a few other classics that I've read and enjoyed, but it's either been quite a while since I've picked them up (years, in fact), or my mind wasn't entirely with them, so to speak, so my impressions are vague. These include:

-Lord of the Flies by William Golding
-Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little by E. B. White
-The Four Feathers by A. E. W. Mason
-Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers
-Grendel by John Gardner
-The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
-Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
-The 13 Clocks by James Thurber
-The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
-Animal Farm and 1984 by George Orwell

That's just off the top of my head, although I admit that I am more sure of some of them. E. B. White's books are childhood classics, Lord of the Flies and Fahrenheit 451 were both fantastic, The 13 Clocks is one of my absolute favorites and comes highly recommended, and while it has been some time, I really enjoyed both Grendel and The Phantom Tollbooth. I remember enjoying Mary Poppins for what it was (though a bit taken aback with the differences from the movie), but I would have to reread it to get the full impressions back; same thing goes for The Secret Garden. As for The Four Feathers, I was playing a Zelda game at the time (The Wind Waker for GameCube), so I was pretty torn between the historical realism of the story and a desire for more fantasy; as a result, I've made up my mind to try to sync up my entertainment experiences so that I'm no longer so distracted. I read Animal Farm in the course of a single day, it was so good (and short), and 1984 is an effective though somewhat depressing cautionary tale.