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What Rebekah said, but Camilla Send a noteboard - 02/01/2011 02:53:51 PM
My experience with "The Classics" is pretty limited. I know this category can entail all genres and may have been written a few decades ago or a few millennia ago. I would like to read something that isn't going to take me two painful months to finish but still want something of a challenge. Therefore, I am asking you, fellow RAFO visitors, to help me decide. What is the best "classic", in your opinion. I had a few I was considering (Slaughterhouse Five, The Man In High Castle, Middlemarch) but wanted to hear some good suggestions. I will probably get started on this early next week, so I hope I get some good feedback!

EDIT: I would appreciate only classics that are in English. I know translations rarely do full justice to the original language novels but I'd have some great difficulty finishing the book otherwise.


I think you could do worse than trying Bleak House or Tale of Two Cities by Dickens; or Vanity Fair by Thackeray; or Persuasion or Pride and Prejudice by Austen; or Canterbury Tales by Chaucer; or Tristram Shandy by Sterne; or Turn of the Screw or something else by Henry James (whether you count that as a whole book is up to you, I suppose).


But I don't think you would miss too much reading The Decameron in translation, for example. Or The Iliad by Homer.

Are you comfortable reading plays? Because there are some really good plays. Aristophanes, Shakespeare and others....
*MySmiley*
structured procrastinator
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2011 Challenges: For January and February the challenge is... Rebekah - 01/01/2011 11:54:05 AM 1711 Views
I'll play Camilla - 01/01/2011 12:32:07 PM 1025 Views
Have you read any Kelly Link? Legolas - 03/01/2011 06:27:02 PM 848 Views
Re: Have you read any Kelly Link? Camilla - 03/01/2011 07:36:28 PM 855 Views
We have two of her collections, yes. Rebekah - 03/01/2011 11:28:27 PM 841 Views
Both of those are available online (legally and free) as well (if anyone else wants to read them). *NM* Legolas - 04/01/2011 10:07:58 PM 460 Views
And what, pray tell... Michael - 05/01/2011 10:23:34 AM 849 Views
Re: And what, pray tell... Camilla - 05/01/2011 01:08:41 PM 836 Views
Sei Shonagon's Pillow Book Camilla - 21/01/2011 06:52:06 PM 1173 Views
I don't either, that would just be lame. *NM* Legolas - 21/01/2011 07:43:47 PM 378 Views
Indeed Camilla - 21/01/2011 07:46:08 PM 990 Views
Let's see, what classic can I pick... Legolas - 01/01/2011 01:39:53 PM 1053 Views
A few questions... j-whitt987 - 01/01/2011 04:07:09 PM 1044 Views
A few answers. Legolas - 01/01/2011 04:31:24 PM 1013 Views
Shockingly, Paul, I agree with all of your answers. Rebekah - 01/01/2011 04:52:57 PM 850 Views
Oh no! Whatever has happened to you, Rebekah? Legolas - 01/01/2011 06:22:42 PM 874 Views
Sounds good. j-whitt987 - 01/01/2011 05:14:26 PM 1068 Views
To Kill a Mockingbird is, indeed, a great book. Legolas - 01/01/2011 06:28:40 PM 1013 Views
Re: To Kill a Mockingbird is, indeed, a great book. j-whitt987 - 01/01/2011 06:47:37 PM 809 Views
Re: To Kill a Mockingbird is, indeed, a great book. Legolas - 01/01/2011 07:29:38 PM 976 Views
Re: To Kill a Mockingbird is, indeed, a great book. j-whitt987 - 01/01/2011 07:39:50 PM 919 Views
ok Stephen - 01/01/2011 04:18:37 PM 977 Views
I will be reading Gulliver's Travels. Kaldric - 01/01/2011 05:45:46 PM 975 Views
I have my own challenge. Tom - 01/01/2011 06:39:08 PM 851 Views
I found L'Étranger quite dull, but my French was very poor when I read it. Ghavrel - 01/01/2011 07:45:27 PM 813 Views
I think that the tone was supposed to be detached. Tom - 02/01/2011 03:50:10 AM 954 Views
Sweet. I'll knock out the family chronicle in a foreign language this month. Ghavrel - 01/01/2011 07:41:37 PM 814 Views
Just going for 50 this year. rebelaessedai - 01/01/2011 10:00:09 PM 763 Views
I challenge you to help me! Zeran - 02/01/2011 12:46:51 AM 891 Views
It's pretty much impossible to choose a best Classic. They're all so different. Rebekah - 02/01/2011 10:12:35 AM 896 Views
I read Slaughterhouse Five a couple years ago. j-whitt987 - 02/01/2011 01:58:54 PM 955 Views
What Rebekah said, but Camilla - 02/01/2011 02:53:51 PM 1007 Views
I'm going to... ? - 02/01/2011 01:35:17 AM 920 Views
Re: I'm going to... Rebekah - 02/01/2011 10:09:14 AM 934 Views
Awesome. *NM* ? - 02/01/2011 02:08:12 PM 447 Views
I'm in, I'll read "The Picture of Dorian Gray" Brian - 03/01/2011 02:38:48 AM 987 Views
That's a fun book. And yeah, that's kind of the idea, that people will inspire each other. *NM* Legolas - 03/01/2011 05:57:43 PM 436 Views
I'm doing that too. Got it on my kindle and am 20% done now. *NM* Fox and Ravens - 03/01/2011 09:28:28 PM 418 Views
Question on Genre Challenge aria - 03/01/2011 03:31:28 AM 1040 Views
We tried to get some less-mentioned genres, so makes sense, but you can interpret them widely. Legolas - 03/01/2011 06:23:43 PM 913 Views
Thanks! aria - 03/01/2011 06:42:19 PM 888 Views
Alrighty ... I'm going to go for Crime and Punishment. Darth_Katie - 03/01/2011 05:37:33 AM 894 Views
Ok, let's be seeing this... Michael - 03/01/2011 09:19:20 AM 851 Views
Re: Ok, let's be seeing this... Camilla - 21/01/2011 07:33:15 PM 1105 Views
I've finally chosen my books for these challenges: Rebekah - 03/01/2011 06:46:03 PM 935 Views
Finished A Christmas Carol Rebekah - 15/01/2011 11:12:19 AM 831 Views
What would this count as? j-whitt987 - 05/01/2011 02:20:24 AM 1024 Views
I don't think that really falls into any of our categories... Legolas - 05/01/2011 06:36:39 PM 848 Views
Well, there's book one I guess. *NM* j-whitt987 - 05/01/2011 08:02:31 PM 407 Views
Aight ranagrande - 06/01/2011 01:19:03 AM 922 Views
Man its weird being on this board again. Wacky. edgecutioner - 10/01/2011 09:59:43 PM 950 Views
Hey Ryan! Long time no see, alright. How's married life treating you? Legolas - 11/01/2011 09:51:48 PM 816 Views
My first round draft picks are: M & M Maddy - 11/01/2011 10:54:06 PM 1039 Views
Re: My first round draft picks are: Rebekah - 15/01/2011 11:13:59 AM 1262 Views
Re: My first round draft picks are: Camilla - 21/01/2011 07:30:47 PM 923 Views
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