TIPS FOR READING CLASSIC LITERATURE
If you’re at all interested in reading, you’ve probably wondered whether it’s worth your while to tackle the ‘classics’ at some point. Perhaps you were put off by them at school, but there’s a voice in the back of your head telling you that if you work your way through one of those ‘50 Greatest Novels’ lists you’ll end up being a better educated person, won’t feel left out in intellectual conversations, and wil be able to feel superior to your work colleagues whose sole literary diets consist of ‘airport books.’
First, we’d better define what exactly we mean by ‘classic literature.’ For me, there are three categories, temporally speaking.
Modern Classics - anything written from around 1900 to the 1970s.
Classics - nineteenth century and earlier : think the Brontë sisters, Jane Austen, Shakespeare.
Ancient Classics - from the birth of writing until the early middle ages : Greek and Roman stuff.
Now this is just my personal definition, but the main point to bear in mind here is that a book cannot become a classic until it has stood the test of time. So, despite very recent books creeping onto the ‘Greatest Books of all Time‘ lists recently, I don’t think any tome can be regarded as classic until at least fifty years have passed.
So here are my tips for tackling classic literature:
Classic literature is not all intellectual and heavy - it’s fun and entertaining too.
Not all classics are overly long, but also there is no need to be intimidated by long books. Short books that can be read quickly do not generally stay with you as long reads do - you really begin to live in a tale that takes several weeks to read.
Just because a book is on a classics list, it doesn’t mean that you have to read it or like it : some are just not going to appeal to everyone and it’s a waste of time to force yourself to read them. Find out about the themes and style of a book (while avoiding spoilers) before you commit.
The 30 page rule : if a book isn’t entertaining or educating you within the first thirty pages or so, ditch it. There’s no need to struggle through something that just isn’t for you.
If you’re reading a non-English language classic, choose your translation well! This is very important. Don’t be tempted by cheap or free e-books which often have out-dated, bad or censored translations. Research online to find out which translations are most favoured, and go with one of those.
Don’t write notes, look up words or check references while reading - it just disrupts the flow of the book. If you must journal, do it after your day’s reading is over. Notes and references can be checked at the end of a chapter or other suitable break.
Don’t get hung up on unknown or difficult words. Yes, older books contain a larger and sometimes less familiar vocabulary, but you have the human brain on your side. Context is king, and with your general understanding of the topic or scene at hand you can make lightning-fast educated guesses at the meaning of unfamiliar words. This is exactly what you do when you talk to someome : you don’t analyse their every syllable, you just focus on the key words and general context in order to comprehend and reply. With reading it should be just the same. If you really must look up a word in a dictionary, just quickly undeline it and check it later after you’ve finished your session.
Don’t read introductions : they mostly contain plot-spoilers. I don’t even read the blurb on the back cover - I want to come at each book without foreknowledge. Save the introduction for afterwards, it makes much more sense that way.
Don’t read other people’s opinions about a book before you begin. It should be a voyage of discovery in which you form your own opinions, rather than a journey whose points have been predetermined by someone else.
Don’t be intimidated by unusual styles of writing such as stream of consciousness, the deployment of made-up language, or other forms of non-conventional story-telling (such as non-linearity, cut and paste, etc). Once again, your brain can handle it - you just need to get acclimatised. If after some time you don’t, discard the book - it wasn’t for you.
Don’t restrict yourself to the usual suspects : most classics lists are Anglo-centric, but there are many many more gems out there from the non-English speaking world which are up there with the greats. A good place to look is New York Review Books, who publish mostly foreign-language classics that have fallen by the wayside. As an example, everyone knows Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, but you’re missing out if you haven’t tried two twentieth-century Russian writers who rival thier predecessors : Andrei Platanov (‘Soul’) and Vasily Grossman (‘Life and Fate’).
To conclude : reading classics is a worthwhile pursuit if you want to break out of the ‘flavour of the month’ school of reading. You will educate yourself, challenge yourself, and it will be rewarding, and above all, fun, particularly if you follow some (or all) of my tips.