Thank you for answering my question so thoroughly! This was a great article! I particularly resonated with tip #6 - this was my experience in high school and college, and it sadly turned me away from reading altogether for many years! Will definitely save this article and come back to it regularly. I'm also taking tip #2 and trying Murder on the Orient Express next.
Another tip I thought I could try is reading shorter books. I realized the last couple ones that I read were 400+ pages and I was losing my endurance for focused, challenging reading. Maybe reading books that are under 300 pages will help, at least to start.
I'm glad this helped and resonated, though I am sorry you were turned away from classics by feeling like you needed to come up with a right answer! That is so frustrating! I hope you enjoy Murder on the Orient Express...or at least get something worthwhile out of it! And I totally agree about shorter classics. That is great advice!
Yes, and it wasn't even just classics, but books altogether! In high school because I rarely had the same interpretation as my English teachers, it made me feel like I was a "bad" reader. Thankfully I've been able to disprove that and come back to reading, but it took getting older for me to have that realization.
I read so many classics in my late teens/early 20s. Just flew through them. I am certain that I missed some important stuff but I really enjoyed them. Length, language, style, I just kept reading. This would’ve been late 70s/early 80s. I think I have trouble with the classics today cause there is so much stuff out there. Not saying there was not books being published but nothing like today plus we had TV with commercials and the movie theater, and games. That was it! Hardcovers were expensive so I read what was in the house which was classics. And books that my dad bought-The Gulag Archipelago, anyone?And now, I’m old enuf that books I loved like The Bluest Eye or Sophie’s Choice or The Shining are classics. I do think that I could work a little harder at difficult books. I have fought it but my attention span has decreased.
I think you're right that having so many choices is keeping people from reading the classics. And that can be okay! There's so much to read and now we have easy access to books from all over the world, which is so cool! But it's much harder to choose to read a classic book when we have devices that can access every piece of entertainment every created!
These are both good points! I agree that it's harder to prioritize the classics with the constant onslaught of new releases, or even backlist contemporary books. Personally, I want to make space for classic novels that we know have staying power and have stood the test of time, which we can't say for the majority of new releases.
Thank you for this excellent post! I tell myself I should read 2-3 classics every year, but I never plan it and just wait for it to happen organically. So far I have been successful with this approach, but good god, I'm never reading Henry James again.
I like to have at least 2 books in progress simultaneously, which is a tactic that really shines when I’m reading a challenging classic novel. The trick, though, is to have the other book be modern, and crucially, not a novel. I do poetry, essays, non-fiction, or short stories as my secondary read, something that I can dip in and out of when I want a burst of modern language.
I've only read Hard Times and Great Expectations in adulthood. I read others as a teenager, but don't remember them well. I enjoyed Great Expectations but I suppose not enough to read more! Now I'm feeling the urge to explore more.
I have a friend that devours classics like hot goss, and I realized the ones that she was reading were ACTUALLY juicier (Lolita, Anna Karenina, etc.) and I was slogging through dense political theory as if someone was going to grade me for it. Gotta read what you enjoy!
Haha yes! There are some juicy classics! And yes to reading what you enjoy, but I’ve also found that I can expand what I enjoy with a little bit of effort.
I have been wanting to read more classics mostly because I feel like there is a gap in my reading or as you said I feel like I "should". I appreciate you saying that is not necessarily a great reason that will sustain motivation. I often wonder what I was doing in high school because there are so many books I did not read. I have a bad memory so I'm not sure if they were not assigned (which I think is the case) or if I just didn't read them. I'm not much of a rebel, was a good student and have been an avid reader since I was young so I don't imagine I would have just disregarded reading assignments but who knows. In general, I really just want to expand my reading and classic and genre fiction are probably two of my biggest gaps. I'm a mood/vibe reader, don't care too much about plot and I really like what I call, women on an adventure or minding her own business types of books. By that I mean women in a new situation, circumstance, living their life where it is not centered around men. Given this somewhat vague interest I'm wondering if anyone on here has any suggestions on where to start with a classic book suggestion?
You can take my recs with a grain of salt, but you could try The Color Purple, The Parable of the Sower, or Rebecca. These are the classics I have enjoyed the most so far. Men still play a part in these but in complicated ways, and the female protagonists are front and center.
If people are going to read the classics I think they have to accept going in that the books aren’t going to be as narratively propulsive as perhaps they’re used to and that the strong focus on character and interiority is actually the point. It’s a mindset shift about what fiction should be. If that’s not for you, that’s okay, but if you understand going in what you’re going to be getting you can adjust your expectations and be more open to just seeing where that change in perspective takes you, rather than always wanting things to hurry up to get to whatever the end point is supposed to be.
Yes I think that's largely true. But in my experience, telling someone they just need to change their mindset (whether in reading or elsewhere in life) doesn't really help. It's easier said than done. These tips are about *how* to create that mindset and expectation adjustment because there are lots of people who want to read these books and are feeling rusty!
Love this post and these approaches and distinctions! As someone who grew up devouring classics, I still find these insights incredibly useful as I try to read new classics now as an adult. It’s such a different experience!
Thank you for answering my question so thoroughly! This was a great article! I particularly resonated with tip #6 - this was my experience in high school and college, and it sadly turned me away from reading altogether for many years! Will definitely save this article and come back to it regularly. I'm also taking tip #2 and trying Murder on the Orient Express next.
Another tip I thought I could try is reading shorter books. I realized the last couple ones that I read were 400+ pages and I was losing my endurance for focused, challenging reading. Maybe reading books that are under 300 pages will help, at least to start.
I'm glad this helped and resonated, though I am sorry you were turned away from classics by feeling like you needed to come up with a right answer! That is so frustrating! I hope you enjoy Murder on the Orient Express...or at least get something worthwhile out of it! And I totally agree about shorter classics. That is great advice!
Yes, and it wasn't even just classics, but books altogether! In high school because I rarely had the same interpretation as my English teachers, it made me feel like I was a "bad" reader. Thankfully I've been able to disprove that and come back to reading, but it took getting older for me to have that realization.
Thanks for mentioning the book group directory, Sara! And for making the classics more approachable for readers.
Thanks for your work, Simon! It's such a joy and a wonderful service!
I read so many classics in my late teens/early 20s. Just flew through them. I am certain that I missed some important stuff but I really enjoyed them. Length, language, style, I just kept reading. This would’ve been late 70s/early 80s. I think I have trouble with the classics today cause there is so much stuff out there. Not saying there was not books being published but nothing like today plus we had TV with commercials and the movie theater, and games. That was it! Hardcovers were expensive so I read what was in the house which was classics. And books that my dad bought-The Gulag Archipelago, anyone?And now, I’m old enuf that books I loved like The Bluest Eye or Sophie’s Choice or The Shining are classics. I do think that I could work a little harder at difficult books. I have fought it but my attention span has decreased.
I think you're right that having so many choices is keeping people from reading the classics. And that can be okay! There's so much to read and now we have easy access to books from all over the world, which is so cool! But it's much harder to choose to read a classic book when we have devices that can access every piece of entertainment every created!
These are both good points! I agree that it's harder to prioritize the classics with the constant onslaught of new releases, or even backlist contemporary books. Personally, I want to make space for classic novels that we know have staying power and have stood the test of time, which we can't say for the majority of new releases.
Yes! I have the same goal!
Thank you for this excellent post! I tell myself I should read 2-3 classics every year, but I never plan it and just wait for it to happen organically. So far I have been successful with this approach, but good god, I'm never reading Henry James again.
I love that!
I like to have at least 2 books in progress simultaneously, which is a tactic that really shines when I’m reading a challenging classic novel. The trick, though, is to have the other book be modern, and crucially, not a novel. I do poetry, essays, non-fiction, or short stories as my secondary read, something that I can dip in and out of when I want a burst of modern language.
That's a great piece of advice!
I cannot recommend Bleak House highly enough. It's the best English novel I have read.
I’m looking forward to it!
lmk what you think, I might reread it this year
I will! I might reach out about helpful resources when I pick it up. I’m nervous after knowing so many people who’ve stated it and never finished.
have you enjoyed other Dickens novels?
I've only read Hard Times and Great Expectations in adulthood. I read others as a teenager, but don't remember them well. I enjoyed Great Expectations but I suppose not enough to read more! Now I'm feeling the urge to explore more.
David Copperfield might be a good one to start with. It's easy to love that book. Much longer than GE though.
Loved reading through this and helping solidify in my mind why I want to continually read the classics.
I have a friend that devours classics like hot goss, and I realized the ones that she was reading were ACTUALLY juicier (Lolita, Anna Karenina, etc.) and I was slogging through dense political theory as if someone was going to grade me for it. Gotta read what you enjoy!
Haha yes! There are some juicy classics! And yes to reading what you enjoy, but I’ve also found that I can expand what I enjoy with a little bit of effort.
Agreed. I've committed to pushing my boundaries with ~20% of the books I read this year!
I have been wanting to read more classics mostly because I feel like there is a gap in my reading or as you said I feel like I "should". I appreciate you saying that is not necessarily a great reason that will sustain motivation. I often wonder what I was doing in high school because there are so many books I did not read. I have a bad memory so I'm not sure if they were not assigned (which I think is the case) or if I just didn't read them. I'm not much of a rebel, was a good student and have been an avid reader since I was young so I don't imagine I would have just disregarded reading assignments but who knows. In general, I really just want to expand my reading and classic and genre fiction are probably two of my biggest gaps. I'm a mood/vibe reader, don't care too much about plot and I really like what I call, women on an adventure or minding her own business types of books. By that I mean women in a new situation, circumstance, living their life where it is not centered around men. Given this somewhat vague interest I'm wondering if anyone on here has any suggestions on where to start with a classic book suggestion?
I love reading your thoughts, Kellen! Some recommendations off the top of my head: True Grit, The Custom of the Country, and Passing.
You can take my recs with a grain of salt, but you could try The Color Purple, The Parable of the Sower, or Rebecca. These are the classics I have enjoyed the most so far. Men still play a part in these but in complicated ways, and the female protagonists are front and center.
If people are going to read the classics I think they have to accept going in that the books aren’t going to be as narratively propulsive as perhaps they’re used to and that the strong focus on character and interiority is actually the point. It’s a mindset shift about what fiction should be. If that’s not for you, that’s okay, but if you understand going in what you’re going to be getting you can adjust your expectations and be more open to just seeing where that change in perspective takes you, rather than always wanting things to hurry up to get to whatever the end point is supposed to be.
Yes I think that's largely true. But in my experience, telling someone they just need to change their mindset (whether in reading or elsewhere in life) doesn't really help. It's easier said than done. These tips are about *how* to create that mindset and expectation adjustment because there are lots of people who want to read these books and are feeling rusty!
Love this post and these approaches and distinctions! As someone who grew up devouring classics, I still find these insights incredibly useful as I try to read new classics now as an adult. It’s such a different experience!
I find I have to sort of retrain myself or at least get back into the right mindset every time I pick up a classic!