Ah, classic literature, I’ve loved it since 9th grade when my beloved English teacher (“Mama B,” we called her) got me hooked. Today is my birthday, so I’m especially grateful to Charley @ BooksAndBakes for giving me this opportunity to walk down Classic Book Memory Lane by tapping me for this Classic Books tag. Here goes. . .
An overhyped classic you didn’t really like:
Anything by Ernest Hemingway (except The Old Man and the Sea). His sparse writing style and testosterone-fueled navel-gazing just doesn’t suit me.
Favorite time period to read about:
1800s England–thanks in no small part to Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, and Charles Dickens.
Favorite fairy tale:
I’m having a conniption trying to limit myself to one favorite fairy tale. Fairy tales are life! How to choose? I’ll compromise and say my favorite is any fairy tale with a princess in it. Wait, then there’s Jack and the Beanstalk. But that’s not my favorite. Hansel and Gretel? Rumpelstiltskin? No, how about anything by the Brothers Grimm? Does Peter Pan count as a fairy tale? Alright…I’ll go with Cinderella. Yes, I love the magic and how the good-hearted, mistreated girl gets her comeuppance.
Art by DylanBonner.deviantart.com
What is the most embarrassing classic you haven’t read?
I am not proud to admit I’ve never read a Shakespearen play in its entirety. I’ve seen Shakespearean plays–does that count?
Top 5 classics you’d like to read soon:
- The Art of War by Sun Tzu
- Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
- Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
- Faust by Goethe
- The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Yes, that is six, which is five in book junkie terms.
Favorite modern book/series based on a classic:
A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley (a modern retelling of King Lear). Not that I looooved A Thousand Acres, but it’s the only retelling of a classic book I’ve read that comes to mind.
Favorite movie version / TV series based on a classic:
1. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). Watching this movie honestly felt like seeing the book come to life.
2. Sense and Sensibility (1995)starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet, screenplay by Emma Thompson, directed by Ang Lee. Loved it!
Worst classic to movie adaptation:
A classic novel that made a big impression on me emotionally was The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne. Unfortunately, the movie adaptation with Demi Moore (who I’ve liked in other films) didn’t do the story justice.
Favorite edition(s) you would like to collect more classics from:
I’m not gonna lie, I do not understand this question.
An under-hyped classic you’d recommend to everyone:
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. It’s weird in the best way and masterfully written.
I Nominate:
While I admit I’m really interested in reading your responses to this Classic Books tag, if you’re, y’know, busy getting ready for Valentine’s Day or whatever, feel free to pass. 🙂 –Eve
Carolyn @ A Hundred Thousand Stories
Eve Messenger 
Love your answers. Yes, 6 is definitely a book junkies 5. 🙂
I think this question – Favorite edition(s) you would like to collect more classics from – is just asking for what book you would like the most in what edition type/ year? Maybe?
I got the First Folio to A Midsummer Night’s Dream (got that for Christmas a few years ago). Speaking of Shakespeare. I have heard that hearing someone read Shakespeare’s plays aloud to you is best way in reading his plays. So if you want to count seeing a performance, I won’t judge.
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Brilliant! Going forward, my reason for not reading any of his plays all the way through is that I must experience Shakespeare’s works in their “pure form.” 😀 😀
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Yes the First Folio (a copy of the original) is a great edition to my collection.
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Love this! Also, happy birthday lovely x
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Yay, thank you Charley!
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Thanks for tagging me! I have so many tags to do lol..
And Leo Tolstoy is such a great writer. I’ve only read his novella but it’s so good so I need to read Anna Karenina soon. And I’m planning on reading more Dickens and Austen this year 🙂
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I get what you mean about book tags, Carolyn. They start to really back up sometimes. I hope you can do this one–I’d love to see your answers. 🙂
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The Road is very dark. I read it a few years ago, and parts of it are still fresh in my mind. It’s a hard book to forget–even when you want to.
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Yeah, I’ve heard it’s pretty bleak, but I’m strangely tempted anyway. Is it going to send me into a depression, Mary Cathleen?
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I surmise you know it takes place after a nuclear war. It was written so realistically I could see it, and once seen, it couldn’t be unseen. I think it was an excellent book, but if seeing the worst side of humanity would be depressing, you may think twice before reading it.
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Hmmm, the “worst side of humanity” part does give me pause. I Might have to wait on this one.
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I totally agree about the “Bronte” era. It’s such a great setting for literature. Thanks so much for the tag, i’ll keep this one in my back pocket for the weekend! 😀
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Great! I can’t wait to read your answers.
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Thanks for sharing. I love the classics, although I have to admit, I haven’t read as many as I would have liked to, but I’m planning on reading more. I’ve read quite a few this school year with my homeschool high school senior. We’ve enjoyed most of the ones we’ve read this year so far, and we have time for a couple more. I’ve always been a Dickens fan. I also have loved Shakespeare since the 9th grade when my English teacher, Mrs. Schreiber, had us study quite a few of his works and made it fun.
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Based on your story and mine, it looks like 9th grade English teachers have a huge impact on future classics-readers. 🙂
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Happy belated birthday, Eve! There are a lot of classics I haven’t read either, but Shakespeare was always required reading in school – and I actually really loved reading his plays. Definitely recommend!
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