Fiction
M
any of us read a classic or two at school, whether it’s the ancient Greeks via their tragic plays, a little Shakespeare thrust upon us by way of Romeo and Juliet (Hamlet if you’re lucky) or one of the Bronte sisters who bemoan the terror of unannounced visitors and marrying vacant-headed fools.
And here I will let you in on a little secret – not all classics are like these. In fact, some of them are weird. Some of them are wonderful. Some of them, despite being written hundreds of years ago, are deeply relevant and provide excellent ponderings on the human condition and state of the despots who seem to forever be in charge of our world.
So please, allow us to introduce you to a little guide on how to read more classics: the pompous, the thoughtful and the downright weird.
First things first - what do you like to read now?
Some people dive headlong into Ulysses and attempt to devour 672 pages, only to find the book devouring them.
So the first thing we’d suggest is to think about what genre you already like reading and dip your toe in that way.
If you love horror, you might perhaps try Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Bram Stoker’s Dracula or Lafcadio Hearn’s Japanese Ghost Stories.
A romantic at heart? Jane Austen and the Bronte’s are stock favourites but, if you fancy some darker love with more obsession and less romance, Stefan Zweig’s Post Office Girl or Leskov’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk.
Something to consider is the time and place in which the works were written.
The earlier the English the less familiar the idioms, so starting with later 19th century writers or 20th century modern classics can be an easier introduction as the language and writing style is going to be closer to what you’re familiar with.
However, translated works may not necessarily prove the same. Interestingly, despite some novels being quite older (see Medea by Euripides) here are modern translations which use language that is going to be very comfortable, compared with an earlier translation. So you can always seek out new translations or editions which may have contemporary language.
Find something short, to dip the toe in
Short story selections and novellas are another great place to start if the length of some books is off-putting. A number of writers whose long novels look daunting, may also have written shorter novels and short stories. This allows you to become comfortable with their style and prose.
If War & Peace or Anna Karenina look like a commitment, Tolsoy wrote a number of excellent novellas and short stories if you’d prefer a dalliance. “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” and “Hadji Murad” are only two examples that can be found.
Herman Melville’s novellas are another treat: Billy Budd or Bartleby, the Scrivener are both utterly captivating. Concise and deeply affecting without the length of Moby Dick. (Although Moby Dick is magnificent if you want to go for something longer. And give yourself permission to skim through/skip the “Cetology” chapter – Melville was tripping on whales at the time.)
Anton Chekhov is a master of the short story – there are quite a number of wonderful selections out there. Look out for “Ward 6”, “The Duel”, and “The Steppe” and everything else. He’s simply brilliant.
Try something a little longer
Dumas, Dickens, Dostoyevsky… The Ds’ will give you big fat chunky books, almost without fail.
Don Quixote, the Count of Monte Cristo, Les Miserables, Anna Karenina and Gone with the Wind are all titles exceeding 600 pages, but there are joys to be had throughout the reading. Indeed, sometimes you simply need to let the novel wash over you as you read
Life’s too short to read titles you don’t like. Although, I will say, sometimes its ok not to like what you’re reading – allow yourself to feel uncomfortable and ask yourself why.
Try something in a different genre
Once you’ve found your feet in your preferred genre, you can start taking a look around at what else is out there. You can take a similar approach and tackle some short stories first, then head into the wilds beyond.
Whatever else, reading classics should be a joy, and if you don’t like the book, don’t be afraid to DNF (do not finish) it! Life’s too short to read titles you don’t like. Although, I will say, sometimes its ok not to like what you’re reading – allow yourself to feel uncomfortable and ask yourself why. Maybe it’s just a crap book, but maybe, just maybe it’s making you think!
Work your way through a “list”
There are a number of “100 Greatest” lists out there you can dip into or take from woe to go. Another option is to look through the Penguin website – they have an enormous list of the classics and modern classics they publish. It’s a little voyage of discovery.
The Penguin website is here: https://www.penguin.com.au/browse/classics
Here’s our list by classicist Georgia!
- Thucydides – History of the Peloponnesian War (incredible relevance to today’s geopolitics – “the powerful do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must” has recently been quoted with unsurprising regularity.)
- Homer – The Iliad, and The Odyssey, but I’m partial to Achilles (he was from Thessaly, as am I. He’s my people, just a little moodier).
- Sei Shonagon – The Pillow Book (10th century Japan & exquisite observations of the world around her).
- Montaigne – Essays (short essays and meditations on, it seems, everything. I’m in love with Montaigne, just so you know).
- Sterne – Tristram Shandy (It’s like a modernist novel written in the 1750’s. Chaotic and hilarious).
- Dostoyevsky – Demons or The Brothers Karamazov or any one of the others
- Chekhov – absolutely anything. Chekhov casts the most compassionate eye over his characters
- Gogol – Dead Souls (unfinished novel); Diary of a Madman, The Nose, The Overcoat
- Flaubert – Madame Bovary; but try Sentimental Education
- Italo Svevo – Zeno’s Conscience (off-beat Italian you’ve possibly never heard of – Zeno and his struggles with the last cigarette)
- Melville – Moby Dick (but the shorter works are a dream as well, as above)
Some modern classics:
- Graham Greene – The Quiet American is a great one to start with & then just keep going…
- Jean Genet – Miracle of the Rose or The Thief’s Journal or both and more (dirty and glorious. Perhaps an acquired taste, perhaps not.)
- John Williams – Stoner (brilliant heartache) and Butcher’s Crossing (a gruelling, magnificent Western with a denouement that will blow you away.)
- John Dos Passos – USA Trilogy. An exercise in love and loss – it’s a carousel of wonderful characters who, once you’ve become well attached to them, disappear; new characters are introduced for the whole process to start all over again.
Georgia’s favourite is The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Lawrence Sterne.
My (Chantelle’s) favourite classic is The Count of Monte Cristo. The book is about 1300 pages long, and is the longest, best revenge story you’ve ever read. The read is long, it meanders and takes you on a voyage, but the payoff is exquisite.
In conclusion
Think of classics as the ultimate backlist. There’s a whole universe of stories out there, unbounded by the familiarity of time and place.
If you’ve read Jane Austen, you can read Laurence Sterne. If you’ve read some Shakespeare at school, Montaigne is a doddle. And if you’ve read neither, or no one who’s been dead for more than fifty years, then leap in unfettered by any preconceptions.
Dive in like you would into any other book you might pick up. Take the challenges with the pleasures: incomprehensible, eye-opening, shattering, thought-provoking, or hilarious (even if you’re not sure if it is, or why it is).
