Recommend a Classic

boooeee · 11th August 2006, 09:07 AM

So, I have some free time coming up because I'm switching jobs (yay) and I was wanting to find a good book to relax with. I've decided that I want to read a "classic" of lierature, and was hoping to get recommendations from the forum.

My arbitrary requirement is that it needs to have been written prior to 1900.

I read the Count of Monte Cristo last year (all 1400 pages). Definitely one of my favorite books (especially the first third or so at the Chateau D'If; the last third could have been tightened up a bit).

So, which of the "classics" actually deserves its reputation?

whitefork · 11th August 2006, 09:17 AM

Huckleberry Finn.

Heart of Darkness makes your cut too. (1899)

Skeptic · 11th August 2006, 09:36 AM

In my experience, most--not all--classics really DO deserve their reputation. If you want a classic that's funny, you can't go wrong with "The Pickwick Papers" or "Three Men in a Boat" (possibly the funniest book ever written).

boooeee · 11th August 2006, 09:53 AM

Originally Posted by Skeptic

In my experience, most--not all--classics really DO deserve their reputation. If you want a classic that's funny, you can't go wrong with "The Pickwick Papers" or "Three Men in a Boat" (possibly the funniest book ever written).

Skeptic - You have me intrigued. I had never heard of "Three Men in a Boat", nor its author, Jerome K. Jerome.

Kullervo - I had considered Twain. I've read many of his essays (Letters From the Earth is great), but never a full novel. We were assigned Huck Finn in high school, but I don't think I finished it.

Jon. · 11th August 2006, 09:58 AM

Most anything by Shakespeare - read it first, then find a good film adaptation to see what they do with the text.

Personal favourites are King Lear, Titus Andronicus (the film from about five years ago was fantastic!), Twelfth Night, and Henry V.

Hotspur · 11th August 2006, 10:00 AM

Anything by Jules Verne---but especially some of his lesser known works such as The Mysterious Island or Michael Strogoff.

You also might want to reconsider your 1900 cutoff---over the past few years I have been reading or rereading some of the novels on the Modern Library's top 100 novels of the 20th century. Some are outstanding (also some are terrible, but each to his own). Link: http://www.randomhouse.com/modernlib...estnovels.html

Jorghnassen · 11th August 2006, 10:13 AM

War and Peace, the classic as per definition...

whitefork · 11th August 2006, 10:24 AM

Originally Posted by Skeptic

"Three Men in a Boat" (possibly the funniest book ever written).

Funny that the only people I know who have read it are Russians.

Are you Russian, Bent?

tkingdoll · 11th August 2006, 10:55 AM

The Count of Monte Cristo is my favourite novel

For starters, I recommend The Moon and Sixpence, Lord of the Flies, The Old Man and the Sea, The Once and Future King (in fact, that's a must-read), and Tono Bungay.

Oh, and I second Pickwick Papers.

drkitten · 11th August 2006, 11:27 AM

Dante's Divine Comedy. The Dorothy Sayers translation, if you can get it.

Jon. · 11th August 2006, 11:51 AM

Also, Beowulf, the Seamus Heaney translation. Does that count? It was written well before 1900 but translated well after.

brooklyn44 · 11th August 2006, 12:15 PM

"Pride and Prejudice"; "Bleak House"; "Vanity Fair"; "The Brothers Karamazov"; "Don Quixote"; "Huckleberry Finn"; "Moby-Dick"; "Middlemarch."
With the exception of Cervantes, they all are 19th Century. (not by design)

LibraryLady · 11th August 2006, 12:42 PM

Wuthering Heights

Anything by Jane Austen, especially Emma

Alice in Wonderland (bet you didn't see that coming

)

StewartP · 11th August 2006, 12:55 PM

3 men in a boat had me laughing out loud. It has a Jeeves and Wooster feel. I additionaly liked it because I used live near the Thames in Berkshire so I knew a lot of the places mentioned. The Bells of Ousley is no longer a pub but a Harvester restaurant.
It has a sequel 3 men on the Bummel.

I liked Moby Dick by Herman Melville. A fascinating insight on an industry and way of life now disappeared. It starts with one of the best opening sentences ever: "Call me Ishmael".

Stir · 11th August 2006, 01:37 PM

I'd nominate "Da Vinci Code"

... 'cept it wasn't before 1900

... and it's not all that good

StewartP · 11th August 2006, 02:30 PM

I watched the film on DVD 2 nights ago. Worse than the book. Which is saying something.

TragicMonkey · 11th August 2006, 02:45 PM

For a classic that was considered a classic eighty years ago, but is all but forgotten today, try Hudson's Green Mansions. Very dreamy feel to it. Sheridan LeFanu is pretty entertaining, if you like horror stories. Poe is worth reading beyond the three stories and two poems you get in high school--how many people remember the funny ones?

And if you'll relax the 1900 rule, there are some truly excellent authors who are currently somewhat neglected, like Jan de Hartog. MR James remains the greatest ghost story writer ever. GK Chesterton's Father Brown stories for the best mysteries. And the writer who wins my Monkey Seal of Approval for being the greatest American writer to date is Pearl Buck. Yes, that Pearl Buck. Only not that horrible The Good Earth. Even the Nobel committee made it clear that the prize was in spite of that book. Her best works are Mandala and Pavilion of Women.

eta: I forgot Lord Dunsany! Read him! If you can find him. It's not easy.

tkingdoll · 11th August 2006, 03:00 PM

wait, there's a 1900 rule???

I didn't take any notice of that.

*re-reads the OP*

Oh, yeah. Well, some of my recommendations still qualify :P

Curnir · 11th August 2006, 03:32 PM

the Iliad
the Odessey
On War (Clausewitz)
The Prince
The three musketeers.

Luciana · 11th August 2006, 03:32 PM

Think outside the box!

The Posthumous Memoirs of Br'as Cubas fulfills all your criteria with flying colors. It's funny and brilliantly written. And there's the added bonus that it is a classic that few of your friends, if any, have read.

Van · 11th August 2006, 04:10 PM

I would say any Austen, for the language and the wonderfully constructed characters. I just started going back over my children's classics and I'm thoroughly enjoying them, Charlotte's Web, Wind in the Willows, Anne of Green Gables... Nostalgia and great literature. And don't go for The Iliad. Or if you do do it in comic form. My A level text is filled with trailing pencil marks where I feel asleep while notating.

Lord Muck oGentry · 11th August 2006, 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by Van

And don't go for The Iliad. Or if you do do it in comic form.

Fair enough.The Odyssey is yer man. In the original, of course.

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/qu...chu164037.html

Van · 11th August 2006, 04:50 PM

A bit better, but quite frankly Odysseus deserves a good talking to. Somke of the plays are quite good though, I love The Birds and The Medea.

fuelair · 11th August 2006, 05:32 PM

Originally Posted by Kullervo

Funny that the only people I know who have read it are Russians.

Are you Russian, Bent?

I am not Russian and I have read it. There is evidence (but I am remembering this from 20 years ago) that Robert A Heinlein read and (as did I) enjoyed it. He wasn't Russian. Of course, you don't know me and, in fairness, I assume you did not know Heinlein, and I did not know Heinlein but , apropos of nothing, I have wonderful - and exclusive footage of him not enjoying a bellydancing performance at a WorldCon. The book is great - and not at all long!!!

Supporting Three Men in a Boat!! (Edited to add)

Angus McPresley · 11th August 2006, 05:53 PM

Personally, I thought "The Count of Monte Cristo" had some very cool moments, but man did it drag on after the first half. Revenge is a dish best served bored, I guess.

I would recommend

Albert Camus, "The Stranger"
John Steinbeck, "The Winter of Our Discontent"
Graham Greene, "The Quiet American"

Polaris · 11th August 2006, 09:23 PM

Candide.

Dr Adequate · 12th August 2006, 06:45 AM

Could I put in a word for Rudyard Kipling's Plain Tales From The Hills, Edith Wharton's, The Age of Innocence, and Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray?

Jane Austen, yes, but not Emma. Try Pride and Prejudice.

If I could sneak a twentieth-century book onto the list, the most neglected classic novel I know is C P Snow's The Masters. I have a theory that it's neglected because none of his other books are any good; but with The Masters he just gets it right.

Hawk one · 12th August 2006, 06:59 AM

Let's not forget "Les Miserables", eh? Or "The Miserables" if you like, though the original title's got a certain tone to it...

StewartP · 12th August 2006, 07:01 AM

Originally Posted by Lord Muck oGentry

Fair enough.The Odyssey is yer man. In the original, of course.

Do not, DO NOT, attempt Ullyses by James Joyce. What a seriously over-hyped book. I bought it and have tried to read it 3 or 4 times, I can't get past the first 50 pages. I've really tried, but, ow, it's illegible.
I love the premise - a day, in real time, in Dublin, mirroring The Odyssey. But I just can't get involved with the characters.
On Odyssy mirrors, the film Brother, Where Art Thou was excellent.

TragicMonkey · 12th August 2006, 09:04 AM

Originally Posted by StewartP

Do not, DO NOT, attempt Ullyses by James Joyce. What a seriously over-hyped book. I bought it and have tried to read it 3 or 4 times, I can't get past the first 50 pages.

It is a brilliant book, if you can get past the writing.

Or so I heard. I couldn't make it past page ten. The man writes like a headache feels.

I forgot to recommend Madame Bovary. In her forty-five years of teaching, my English teacher never had a single student who actually liked Madame Bovary until me. She didn't even mind that I liked it because I found it deeply, deeply funny. And I got an A++ for my dramatic reenactment of the entire book in ten minutes with construction paper puppets shaped like bears.

Meri · 12th August 2006, 05:53 PM

I just read Dracula for the first time, and enjoyed it. There's a lot of religion in it, of course, but it's nice and creepy.

LibraryLady · 12th August 2006, 06:12 PM

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is radically different from what you would expect, if you've seen any of the movies. I liked it.

I second the Madame Bovary suggestion, but I didn't find it funny. It's another monster story.....

If you're not suicidal, the novels of Thomas Hardy are great. Tess of the D'Urbervilles might be a good one to start with. However, if you are suicidal in the least, steer clear.

It's twentieth century, but Josephine Tey's Daughter of Time is a wonderful book for people who like critical thinking.

For sheer soap opera, you might try All This and Heaven Too, also twentieth century, but set in the mid-nineteenth century and based on a (yes, you guessed it) true story.

And, if you want to do Dickens, you might want to read my very favorite Dickens, Our Mutual Friend.

TragicMonkey · 12th August 2006, 06:44 PM

Originally Posted by LibraryLady

And, if you want to do Dickens, you might want to read my very favorite Dickens, Our Mutual Friend.

I liked Hard Times, although I will confess to disappointment that it wasn't quite the same as a movie with the same title that I quite enjoyed.

TriangleMan · 12th August 2006, 10:21 PM

Originally Posted by LibraryLady

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is radically different from what you would expect, if you've seen any of the movies. I liked it.

You beat me to it, when I read the OP Frankenstein was the first book I thought of. I liked it more than Dracula.

For pre-1900 books try some Japanese literature. The Tale of Genji, Tales of the Heike or The Confessions of Lady Nijo were all great books (the last one is a diary though, not fiction).

Foolmewunz · 13th August 2006, 02:19 AM

Another vote for Three Men in a Boat. And if you want to have real fun, pick up, "To Say Nothing of the Dog" by Connie Willis. This was from when she still wrote Speculative Fiction (Ellison's term, I think, for good Sci Fi)... She went all Woo on me with Passages..... But for any fan of Three Men in a Boat, it's a great book (even if you're not a fan of SF).

Pre 1900 - try Knut Hamsun's Hunger. Another one of those obscure classics; sold about ten times better in Europe than here, as did most of his stuff. (And no, he wasn't a nazi... Hitler gave him an audience when he was 80 and nearly senile, and one version has it that Hamsun gave him s**t for the way Norwegians were being treated... yet another (Henry Miller, I believe) felt that he was always just a limelight hound and ANYONE who gave him an audience was acceptable.)

Van · 13th August 2006, 08:38 AM

Originally Posted by Dr Adequate

Jane Austen, yes, but not Emma. Try Pride and Prejudice.

.

What? Emma is fascinating. Emma herself is obnoxious, I didn't find her lovable at all, but that is part of the beauty of it. It is a gorgeous portrayal of a young woman full of her own importance and unable to see the importance of others. Emma is a more interesting character that Elizabeth Bennett.

TragicMonkey · 13th August 2006, 09:55 AM

Oh, and there's the Chinese classic "Dream of the Red Chamber". It's pretty good, especially if you get a translation that doesn't cut out the naughty bits. It's also pretty funny, especially all the emphasis on young ladies who are of such refined nobility that they become deathly ill at the slightest provocation. "Pao Yu, distracted by the chatter of his cousins, neglected to refill Black Jade's teacup. Stricken to the core by this evidence of gross carelessness for her, Black Jade fell into a deep swoon. Like a pale lotus blossom on the bosom of the snow, she remained near death for three months."

boooeee · 13th August 2006, 10:21 AM

Okay, I think I may have to take more than a week off between jobs.

Thanks to everybody for the suggestions so far. My short list at this point is:

Three Men in a Boat
War and Peace
Hard Times
Les Miserables
The Posthumous Memoirs of Br'as Cubas

Soapy Sam · 13th August 2006, 12:16 PM

"On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection "
C.R.Darwin.

TragicMonkey · 13th August 2006, 01:56 PM

Originally Posted by Soapy Sam

"On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection "
C.R.Darwin.

Unfortunately, thanks to all the hype about it, the ending is no surprise. The murderer turns out to be Evolution, and the motive was godlessness and secular humanism. Evolution then went over the falls, locked in a death struggle with Religion.

11th August 2006, 09:07 AM	#1
boooeee Dart Fener Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: The Lando System Posts: 2,393	Recommend a Classic So, I have some free time coming up because I'm switching jobs (yay) and I was wanting to find a good book to relax with. I've decided that I want to read a "classic" of lierature, and was hoping to get recommendations from the forum. My arbitrary requirement is that it needs to have been written prior to 1900. I read the Count of Monte Cristo last year (all 1400 pages). Definitely one of my favorite books (especially the first third or so at the Chateau D'If; the last third could have been tightened up a bit). So, which of the "classics" actually deserves its reputation?
	__________________ my nerdy sports blog: betting market analytics

11th August 2006, 09:17 AM	#2
whitefork None of the above Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: aka kullervo Posts: 2,339	Huckleberry Finn. Heart of Darkness makes your cut too. (1899)
	__________________ Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies - Nietzsche Last edited by whitefork; 11th August 2006 at 09:27 AM.

11th August 2006, 09:53 AM	#4
boooeee Dart Fener Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: The Lando System Posts: 2,393	Originally Posted by Skeptic In my experience, most--not all--classics really DO deserve their reputation. If you want a classic that's funny, you can't go wrong with "The Pickwick Papers" or "Three Men in a Boat" (possibly the funniest book ever written). Skeptic - You have me intrigued. I had never heard of "Three Men in a Boat", nor its author, Jerome K. Jerome. Kullervo - I had considered Twain. I've read many of his essays (Letters From the Earth is great), but never a full novel. We were assigned Huck Finn in high school, but I don't think I finished it.
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11th August 2006, 09:58 AM	#5
Jon. Increasing entropy since 1970 Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: On the Clapham omnibus Posts: 3,509	Most anything by Shakespeare - read it first, then find a good film adaptation to see what they do with the text. Personal favourites are King Lear, Titus Andronicus (the film from about five years ago was fantastic!), Twelfth Night, and Henry V.
	__________________ In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. I don't appeal to the masses, and they don't appeal to me. - Graham Parker Calling modern day fundamentalists medieval is giving them about a thousand years of philosophical advancement they do not have. - Jorghnassen

11th August 2006, 10:13 AM	#7
Jorghnassen Illuminator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: The realm of ideas Posts: 3,881	War and Peace, the classic as per definition...
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11th August 2006, 09:36 AM	#3
Skeptic Banned Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Behind the chessboard Posts: 18,361	In my experience, most--not all--classics really DO deserve their reputation. If you want a classic that's funny, you can't go wrong with "The Pickwick Papers" or "Three Men in a Boat" (possibly the funniest book ever written).

11th August 2006, 10:00 AM	#6
Hotspur Universe Man Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: The vasty deep Posts: 263	Anything by Jules Verne---but especially some of his lesser known works such as The Mysterious Island or Michael Strogoff. You also might want to reconsider your 1900 cutoff---over the past few years I have been reading or rereading some of the novels on the Modern Library's top 100 novels of the 20th century. Some are outstanding (also some are terrible, but each to his own). Link: http://www.randomhouse.com/modernlib...estnovels.html

11th August 2006, 10:24 AM	#8
whitefork None of the above Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: aka kullervo Posts: 2,339	Originally Posted by Skeptic "Three Men in a Boat" (possibly the funniest book ever written). Funny that the only people I know who have read it are Russians. Are you Russian, Bent?
	__________________ Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies - Nietzsche

11th August 2006, 10:55 AM	#9
tkingdoll AKA TEEK Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Up Myself Posts: 12,471	The Count of Monte Cristo is my favourite novel For starters, I recommend The Moon and Sixpence, Lord of the Flies, The Old Man and the Sea, The Once and Future King (in fact, that's a must-read), and Tono Bungay. Oh, and I second Pickwick Papers.
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11th August 2006, 11:27 AM	#10
drkitten Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Wits' End Posts: 21,647	Dante's Divine Comedy. The Dorothy Sayers translation, if you can get it.

11th August 2006, 11:51 AM	#11
Jon. Increasing entropy since 1970 Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: On the Clapham omnibus Posts: 3,509	Also, Beowulf, the Seamus Heaney translation. Does that count? It was written well before 1900 but translated well after.
	__________________ In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. I don't appeal to the masses, and they don't appeal to me. - Graham Parker Calling modern day fundamentalists medieval is giving them about a thousand years of philosophical advancement they do not have. - Jorghnassen

11th August 2006, 12:15 PM	#12
brooklyn44 Thinker Join Date: May 2006 Location: Lawn Guyland, Nu Yawk Posts: 240	"Pride and Prejudice"; "Bleak House"; "Vanity Fair"; "The Brothers Karamazov"; "Don Quixote"; "Huckleberry Finn"; "Moby-Dick"; "Middlemarch." With the exception of Cervantes, they all are 19th Century. (not by design)

11th August 2006, 12:42 PM	#13
LibraryLady ...but not JUST a LibraryLady Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Building a house in the common ground Posts: 13,059	Wuthering Heights Anything by Jane Austen, especially Emma Alice in Wonderland (bet you didn't see that coming )
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11th August 2006, 12:55 PM	#14
StewartP Critical Thinker Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Angouleme, France Posts: 449	3 men in a boat had me laughing out loud. It has a Jeeves and Wooster feel. I additionaly liked it because I used live near the Thames in Berkshire so I knew a lot of the places mentioned. The Bells of Ousley is no longer a pub but a Harvester restaurant. It has a sequel 3 men on the Bummel. I liked Moby Dick by Herman Melville. A fascinating insight on an industry and way of life now disappeared. It starts with one of the best opening sentences ever: "Call me Ishmael".
	__________________ A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. Groucho Marx

11th August 2006, 01:37 PM	#15
Stir Anarchist In The System Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Plaza of Dark Delights, Lankhmar Posts: 171	I'd nominate "Da Vinci Code" ... 'cept it wasn't before 1900 ... and it's not all that good
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11th August 2006, 02:30 PM	#16
StewartP Critical Thinker Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Angouleme, France Posts: 449	I watched the film on DVD 2 nights ago. Worse than the book. Which is saying something.
	__________________ A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. Groucho Marx

11th August 2006, 02:45 PM	#17
TragicMonkey Poisoned Waffles Pither Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Monkey Posts: 30,052	For a classic that was considered a classic eighty years ago, but is all but forgotten today, try Hudson's Green Mansions. Very dreamy feel to it. Sheridan LeFanu is pretty entertaining, if you like horror stories. Poe is worth reading beyond the three stories and two poems you get in high school--how many people remember the funny ones? And if you'll relax the 1900 rule, there are some truly excellent authors who are currently somewhat neglected, like Jan de Hartog. MR James remains the greatest ghost story writer ever. GK Chesterton's Father Brown stories for the best mysteries. And the writer who wins my Monkey Seal of Approval for being the greatest American writer to date is Pearl Buck. Yes, that Pearl Buck. Only not that horrible The Good Earth. Even the Nobel committee made it clear that the prize was in spite of that book. Her best works are Mandala and Pavilion of Women. eta: I forgot Lord Dunsany! Read him! If you can find him. It's not easy.
	__________________ One cannot expect wisdom to flow from a pumpkin.

11th August 2006, 03:00 PM	#18
tkingdoll AKA TEEK Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Up Myself Posts: 12,471	wait, there's a 1900 rule??? I didn't take any notice of that. re-reads the OP Oh, yeah. Well, some of my recommendations still qualify :P
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11th August 2006, 03:32 PM	#19
Curnir Ninja Wave: Master of disguise Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: The cold north. Posts: 1,639	the Iliad the Odessey On War (Clausewitz) The Prince The three musketeers.
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11th August 2006, 03:32 PM	#20
Luciana Skeptical Carioca Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 10,950	Think outside the box! The Posthumous Memoirs of Br'as Cubas fulfills all your criteria with flying colors. It's funny and brilliantly written. And there's the added bonus that it is a classic that few of your friends, if any, have read.
	__________________ Regards, Luciana

11th August 2006, 04:10 PM	#21
Van Student Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 25	I would say any Austen, for the language and the wonderfully constructed characters. I just started going back over my children's classics and I'm thoroughly enjoying them, Charlotte's Web, Wind in the Willows, Anne of Green Gables... Nostalgia and great literature. And don't go for The Iliad. Or if you do do it in comic form. My A level text is filled with trailing pencil marks where I feel asleep while notating.
Van Student Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 25	Last edited by Van; 11th August 2006 at 04:13 PM.

11th August 2006, 04:32 PM	#22
Lord Muck oGentry Muse Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 986	Originally Posted by Van And don't go for The Iliad. Or if you do do it in comic form. Fair enough.The Odyssey is yer man. In the original, of course. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/qu...chu164037.html
Lord Muck oGentry Muse Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 986

11th August 2006, 04:50 PM	#23
Van Student Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 25	A bit better, but quite frankly Odysseus deserves a good talking to. Somke of the plays are quite good though, I love The Birds and The Medea.
Van Student Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 25

11th August 2006, 05:32 PM	#24
fuelair Cythraul Enfys Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 28,881	Originally Posted by Kullervo Funny that the only people I know who have read it are Russians. Are you Russian, Bent? I am not Russian and I have read it. There is evidence (but I am remembering this from 20 years ago) that Robert A Heinlein read and (as did I) enjoyed it. He wasn't Russian. Of course, you don't know me and, in fairness, I assume you did not know Heinlein, and I did not know Heinlein but , apropos of nothing, I have wonderful - and exclusive footage of him not enjoying a bellydancing performance at a WorldCon. The book is great - and not at all long!!! Supporting Three Men in a Boat!! (Edited to add)
fuelair Cythraul Enfys Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 28,881	Last edited by fuelair; 11th August 2006 at 05:34 PM.

11th August 2006, 05:53 PM	#25
Angus McPresley Muse Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 645	Personally, I thought "The Count of Monte Cristo" had some very cool moments, but man did it drag on after the first half. Revenge is a dish best served bored, I guess. I would recommend Albert Camus, "The Stranger" John Steinbeck, "The Winter of Our Discontent" Graham Greene, "The Quiet American"
	__________________ I can find no fault with Pascal's Wager. And so, I've decided to worship Thor.

11th August 2006, 09:23 PM	#26
Polaris Philosopher Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 5,167	Candide.
Polaris Philosopher Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 5,167

12th August 2006, 06:45 AM	#27
Dr Adequate Banned Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Waiting Long Enough By The River Posts: 17,897	Could I put in a word for Rudyard Kipling's Plain Tales From The Hills, Edith Wharton's, The Age of Innocence, and Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray? Jane Austen, yes, but not Emma. Try Pride and Prejudice. If I could sneak a twentieth-century book onto the list, the most neglected classic novel I know is C P Snow's The Masters. I have a theory that it's neglected because none of his other books are any good; but with The Masters he just gets it right.

12th August 2006, 06:59 AM	#28
Hawk one Emperor of the Internet Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Right below The Hat. Posts: 12,844	Let's not forget "Les Miserables", eh? Or "The Miserables" if you like, though the original title's got a certain tone to it...
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12th August 2006, 07:01 AM	#29
StewartP Critical Thinker Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Angouleme, France Posts: 449	Originally Posted by Lord Muck oGentry Fair enough.The Odyssey is yer man. In the original, of course. Do not, DO NOT, attempt Ullyses by James Joyce. What a seriously over-hyped book. I bought it and have tried to read it 3 or 4 times, I can't get past the first 50 pages. I've really tried, but, ow, it's illegible. I love the premise - a day, in real time, in Dublin, mirroring The Odyssey. But I just can't get involved with the characters. On Odyssy mirrors, the film Brother, Where Art Thou was excellent.
	__________________ A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. Groucho Marx

12th August 2006, 09:04 AM	#30
TragicMonkey Poisoned Waffles Pither Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Monkey Posts: 30,052	Originally Posted by StewartP Do not, DO NOT, attempt Ullyses by James Joyce. What a seriously over-hyped book. I bought it and have tried to read it 3 or 4 times, I can't get past the first 50 pages. It is a brilliant book, if you can get past the writing. Or so I heard. I couldn't make it past page ten. The man writes like a headache feels. I forgot to recommend Madame Bovary. In her forty-five years of teaching, my English teacher never had a single student who actually liked Madame Bovary until me. She didn't even mind that I liked it because I found it deeply, deeply funny. And I got an A++ for my dramatic reenactment of the entire book in ten minutes with construction paper puppets shaped like bears.
	__________________ One cannot expect wisdom to flow from a pumpkin.

12th August 2006, 05:53 PM	#31
Meri Muse Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 692	I just read Dracula for the first time, and enjoyed it. There's a lot of religion in it, of course, but it's nice and creepy.
	__________________ It may help to understand human affairs to be clear that most of the great triumphs and tragedies of history are caused, not by people being fundamentally good or fundamentally bad, but by people being fundamentally people. --Good Omens

12th August 2006, 06:12 PM	#32
LibraryLady ...but not JUST a LibraryLady Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Building a house in the common ground Posts: 13,059	Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is radically different from what you would expect, if you've seen any of the movies. I liked it. I second the Madame Bovary suggestion, but I didn't find it funny. It's another monster story..... If you're not suicidal, the novels of Thomas Hardy are great. Tess of the D'Urbervilles might be a good one to start with. However, if you are suicidal in the least, steer clear. It's twentieth century, but Josephine Tey's Daughter of Time is a wonderful book for people who like critical thinking. For sheer soap opera, you might try All This and Heaven Too, also twentieth century, but set in the mid-nineteenth century and based on a (yes, you guessed it) true story. And, if you want to do Dickens, you might want to read my very favorite Dickens, Our Mutual Friend.
	__________________ What would Hüsker Dü? I am still not a political person, but I am proud that Richard’s and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight, seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That’s what Loving, and loving, are all about. Mildred Loving

12th August 2006, 06:44 PM	#33
TragicMonkey Poisoned Waffles Pither Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Monkey Posts: 30,052	Originally Posted by LibraryLady And, if you want to do Dickens, you might want to read my very favorite Dickens, Our Mutual Friend. I liked Hard Times, although I will confess to disappointment that it wasn't quite the same as a movie with the same title that I quite enjoyed.
	__________________ One cannot expect wisdom to flow from a pumpkin.

12th August 2006, 10:21 PM	#34
TriangleMan Graduate Poster Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Qatar (ya rly!) Posts: 1,207	Originally Posted by LibraryLady Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is radically different from what you would expect, if you've seen any of the movies. I liked it. You beat me to it, when I read the OP Frankenstein was the first book I thought of. I liked it more than Dracula. For pre-1900 books try some Japanese literature. The Tale of Genji, Tales of the Heike or The Confessions of Lady Nijo were all great books (the last one is a diary though, not fiction).

13th August 2006, 02:19 AM	#35
Foolmewunz Grammar Resistance Leader Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Pattaya, Thailand Posts: 20,503	Another vote for Three Men in a Boat. And if you want to have real fun, pick up, "To Say Nothing of the Dog" by Connie Willis. This was from when she still wrote Speculative Fiction (Ellison's term, I think, for good Sci Fi)... She went all Woo on me with Passages..... But for any fan of Three Men in a Boat, it's a great book (even if you're not a fan of SF). Pre 1900 - try Knut Hamsun's Hunger. Another one of those obscure classics; sold about ten times better in Europe than here, as did most of his stuff. (And no, he wasn't a nazi... Hitler gave him an audience when he was 80 and nearly senile, and one version has it that Hamsun gave him s**t for the way Norwegians were being treated... yet another (Henry Miller, I believe) felt that he was always just a limelight hound and ANYONE who gave him an audience was acceptable.)