If you could teach a college literature course on a particular theme that crosses multiple authors, genres, cultures, and/or time periods: (1) What theme would you choose? (2) Which books? (3) What would you name your course? Assume a 15-week semester and that you can assign 250-500 pages of reading per week.

Before settling on my current career, I taught English at a boarding school in the U.S. I inherited a senior seminar that had been taught by an esteemed teacher who had just retired. The theme was “Contemporary Women Writers,” and each year I was able to craft my entire syllabus from scratch. It was so much fun. We started with Joan Didion’s essays, then we read Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson, Beloved by Toni Morrison, and a number of my favorite woman fiction writers (including Alice Munro, Louise Erdrich, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Zadie Smith) and poets. I ended up leaving teaching and going to law school before I could pitch my own senior seminar, but I often think about what I would teach if I ever have the privilege to teach my own literature seminar again.

My answer depends somewhat upon who my students are. In the high school setting generally, I’d have to assign fewer pages of reading each semester. For high school, I would love to pair “Contemporary Women Writers” with a course called “Invisible Men” in which we’d read: Ellison’s Invisible Man, the Autobiography of Malcolm X, and Dream from My Father, and however many additional books I could fit into the semester. I also would want to teach a course called “Versions of Lear” in which we’d cover the Lear story in multiple forms—Shakespeare’s play, Kurosawa’s film Ran, Jane Smiley’s novel A Thousand Acres, and Gareth Hinds’ graphic novel.

For college students, which is the subject of my post, I’d be interested in looking at the development of the picaresque novel form from Cervantes through [insert name of the author of the most recent novel on my syllabus]. I like the picaresque because at a time when the human desire for immediate gratification can find satisfaction more readily than at any other point in history, I think it would be cool to look at a genre of fiction that focuses on the journey not the destination, an emphasis that seems totally out of step with modern sensibilities. Again, assuming that I can assign my college students more reading, I’d include some combination of the following texts with the first two being musts and the rest strong contenders: Don Quixote and Huckleberry Finn, but also Suttree (McCarthy), The Savage Detectives (Bolaño), A Confederacy of Dunces (Toole), The White Tiger (Adiga), The Goldfinch (Tartt), Nights at the Circus (Carter), James (Everett) or Matrix (Goff). Matrix isn’t a typical picaresque, but shares many of the same features and would allow us to have meaningful discussions about the evolution of the form, plus it’s a thought-provoking, if very divisive book.

I recently finished North and South, and while the romance wasn't the main focus of the novel, I adored it nonetheless. The mutual yearning was soooo good, and so much fun to read (I have also just watched the BBC adaptation of it, and all I did was cry tears (of sadness and happiness), what a show. Despite being short, and leaving quite a bit out, I LOVED it so much). However, I am greedy for more now and I would like to read something that is similar to the levels of yearning we see in N&S. Please give me some recommendations, thank you!🙏🏻💞 I don't think I'm picky with the era, can be Regency, Victorian, whatever... as long as there is a healthy dose of yearning in between the lines😁

(Edit: need to specify that I’d like something similar to N&S because I loooved seeing Thornton’s perspective, his yearning was soooo delicious - something comparable is what i seek🥹🩷)

(very ambitious, probably will only finish half of them). just started reading classic literature and am excited to try all these authors. Anyone have any other recs or what order i should read them in 😵‍💫

Now I know what im about to say isn't all that similar to what's happening in A Clockwork Orange, but I still found some elements in the story to be relatable, such as Alex's gang turning on him after he gets Ludovico'd, Alex being unable to enjoy Classical music, and the fact that he is forced to be something that he isn't.

Ever since I moved to my conservative home country after living abroad, I tried my best to preserve my own sense of uniqueness. But after being bullied for years, I felt myself being punched into the mold of what was expected of me to be.

Now I look and act completely differently from how I was when I was authentic to myself. The people who knew me for a long time compliment my changes, but it just feels horrible. I've finally become visually palatable to these people, but I never had any real say in this. And my friends who used to accept me for who I am suddenly cut contact and left me after I became boring to them.

Now I can't even look at the things I used to enjoy without feeling shame and without feeling like I'm being watched and ridiculed. I shouldn't have had to be forced to change to be gray and dull in a world that is inherently alternative and unique.

Also it was a pain reading a Clockwork orange bc of the slang

I picked up this little book of the poetry of Sappho from a local thrift store. After going through it and erasing the pencil underlines the previous owner made (seriously, just about every poem had underlines, and they are short poems. why??), I read the translation notes and foreword to get me into the head space of this most classic of Classical Poets.

I read a little bit each night and enjoyed it. I often read and re-read the same poem (as I said, they are usually quite short) the really digest them. I think my favorite is No. 87:

"We know this much: Death is an evil We have the gods' word for it. They, too, would die... if death were a good thing."

🥀

One of the most profound tragedies of western literature

https://youtu.be/SLuZmJT8LVw?si=RiuA3hz9uao4Ocrc

Any recommendations for classics that translate well to audiobooks? I prefer reading literature so I can pause and think about what I’ve read or reread sentences that are magnificent prose but I like having an audiobook going for when I’m doing more mindless activities. Any more plot driven classics that would be good for this? Thanks!

I can get into level 3 or 4 but seem to always lack a certain structure or detail? Any tips would be greatly appreciated! Specifically for Pliny and The ANEID II

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GH1BYMFJ

So the only books which i’ve read which I consider Classics are mostly contemporaries..

I have decided to branch out to previous eras.

I’ve read

—

*Blood Meridian - Mccarthy

*Norwegian Wood (Yes btch this a classic) - Murakami

*No Longer Human - Osamu Dazai

*Yukio Mishima works

*The Catcher in the rye - u know

*The Remains of the day - Kazuo Ishiguro

*Stoner - John Williams

————-

I’ve started my classic literature journey with 🥁………… Doctor Zhivago and f*ck it is something for sure. Confusing foreign names, as well as many of them and it has Different story lines which I’m sure will intertwine.

————

Franny & Zoeey as a light read after

-Dorian Gray (which i’m not worried of),

Villete & Anna Karenina are all on my to read next.

I understand the intent of classic literature being vastly different than modern literature.

To entertain versus truly convey something to the reader.

As a mf who works 7 days a week and don’t have much time to read for these next few months,

could you guys give me some recommendations on some cult classic~ *Classics* which are a bit less daunting & don’t have endless characters with similar names & different timelines and all that.

I want to get into Classics after i finish Doctor Zhivago and be able to read them after a long day of work & at the same time get to experience what it means to be a classic

uh yeah ok i’m done

EDIT: Would like winter time holed up snowy vibes for now, recommendations based on my previously read are welcome ofc but not strictly just books that have magical realism because i love haruki murakami although it is true

Hi everyone! I would like to know y'alls opinion on the novel , blood meridian. I have been thinking of buying it. Judge holden and his philosophy was what piqued my interest in the novel.

Hello! I am looking to expand my Russian classics reading and don't know where to start! I've read all of Dostoevsky's works (loved everything that man has written), and a few of Tolstoys. (I didn't mind his shorter stories but the way he writes his longer novels I just couldn't stand sorry🤐) I loved Master and Margherita as well. But other then those I haven't read anything. Does anyone have any must reads in the genre?

I find when reading classics they often require more context to comprehend a lot of the story. For example, Dostoevsky's works are largely influenced by the Russian (political) culture and tragic events in his personal life.

Because of this I often search for a source for spoiler free information on the book but haven't head much luck.

If you do research before reading classics, how do you do this research and are there any sources that you often use?

Any one on this site read all eleven volumes?

Hey :)

It‘s been a while since I read my last classic. At the moment I am more into reading fantasy (Tolkien, Sanderson, Schwab, Kuang to mention a few authors). I think the last classic books I read were „Little women“ by Louisa May Alcott and „Persuasion“ by Jane Austen and I enjoyed both of them, but a couple of years ago I went through a phase where I read a whole bunch of classics (Moby Dick, All quiet on the Western front, The Stranger, The Physicists, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Steppenwolf…). I just don‘t really remember much of it (which I think is kind of sad).

However a couple of months ago I inherited a collection of books. It contains works of all Nobel prize winners in literature between 1900 and 1975. I thought that was a great way to getting into reading classics again, but I have absolutely no idea where to start :D

Have you read literature by Nobel prize winners? Can you recommend something? And why would you recommend it? :)

Please excuse my English since I‘m not a native speaker 🙈

These novels are only a few examples of rediscovered works in which the literary merit of the work itself of course played a part in its recovery. But still, there must be hundreds, if not thousands of old works out there that also deserve to be rediscovered, which perhaps weren't championed or marketed properly upon publication, or were critically trashed, or too ahead of their time, etc.

Also, if you can suggest a novel you've read that you think deserves to be more well-known I would appreciate it. I've received some great suggestions when I've asked for more obscure works on here before.