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The Novel Hermit

daydreaming about books

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Armchair BEA | Day 1 – Classics

May 28, 2013 Comments : 12

armchairbea21

This post is a genre topic about Classic Literature, aka Classics, aka the-genre-that-I-read-a-lot-in-college-because-i-was-an-english-major, aka oh-man-here-we-go-again. 

Question: “Why, reader, do you love classics?”

Today, tell us all the reasons why you love classic literature.

One of the reasons why I majored in English was to read books that I would never really read in my day-t0-day life. Classic literature is the type of genre I would have to force myself to read if it wasn’t a required reading for school. I certainly wanted to read these books, but my attention span was (and sort of still is) very small. As I got used to the idea of reading classic literature, For me, I tend to breeze through books quickly, but I hate doing that to classic books like The Picture of Dorian Gray or The House of Mirth because I feel I won’t understand the deeper meaning and concepts the book portrays. I love classic literature because I love seeing how the author portrayed the world. Their writing speaks a lot about the time period and the social issues. As a history lover, I find it fascinating to loose yourself in a different time. 

What are your favorite classics?

Some of my favorites include:

  • The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
  • Persuasion by Jane Austen
  • Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
  • Howards End by E.M. Forster

Note: I am, most likely, missing a few. And I’m confused as to which books fall under the “Classic literature” category. I deem any book after 20th century to not be in the classic literature category. (It falls under Modernism.)

If you could give a list of classics to someone who claims to hate them to make them change their mind, what would be on it?

I’m rather horrible at giving recommendations. I’ll just recommend my favorites because it’s much easier. :D

  • Frankenstein by Mary Shelley – it’s an interesting horror story that questions the power of knowledge and who the monsters are in the world.
  • The Turn of the Screw by Henry James – This is a ghost story. Even if you do not like ghost stories (which I admit I do not), you will be on the edge of your seat! This book does an excellent job of keeping the suspense going throughout the novel. It really makes you question whether something is actual happening or not.

How would you convince them to give classics a try?

I have no idea! Usually when somebody tries to convince me to read a certain book or to watch a particular TV show, I refuse to pick up their suggestion. I don’t want the book to be shoved down my throat because I’ll end up disliking it. I think I’ll most likely say that reading classics is a must. You don’t have to like it, but you’d be surprise when you pick up a book and find out you actually enjoy it. 

And why do you keep coming back to those old favorites?

I always think back to the stories fondly. I like remembering where and when I got sucked into the story. The books surprised me so much (by both the writing style and the content) when I initially read it that it left quite an impression in my head. I love the bits of history that the book portrays. 

Check out my introduction in Armchair BEA.

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Previous:
Armchair BEA | Day 1 – Introductions
Next:
Armchair BEA | Day 2 – Blogger Development

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Comments

  1. WordsAndPeace says

    May 28, 2013 at 4:51 pm

    it is fascinating to see how on today’s post, bloggers define the classics. Yours is definitely pro! I would not put any 20th century in that category either. one of my favorite is East of Eden. I read The Picture of Dorian Gray decades ago, but I think I remember loving it too. thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Cee says

      May 28, 2013 at 5:06 pm

      Ha! I find it rather strange to put D.H. Lawrence or Virginia Woolf into the classic literature category because I have the mind frame that they belong to the Modernism category (which is my absolutely favorite time period for books). It feels really strange if I did.

      It has been forever since I read The Picture of Dorian Gray, so I have no idea whether I liked it or not. The only thing that comes in my head is the movie with Colin Firth. Lol.

      Reply
      • WordsAndPeace says

        May 28, 2013 at 5:17 pm

        lol

        Reply
  2. WordsAndPeace says

    May 28, 2013 at 4:52 pm

    oh I forgot, I meant to tell you I LOVE your blog’s name!

    Reply
    • Cee says

      May 28, 2013 at 5:08 pm

      Aww, thanks! Finding a good name is extremely hard, but voila! :D

      I wish I knew how to make graphics so I can make a new header with a hermit in it. Ha.

      Reply
      • WordsAndPeace says

        May 28, 2013 at 5:17 pm

        that would be neat indeed

        Reply
  3. Tamie says

    May 28, 2013 at 5:25 pm

    Fabulous post! Thanks so much for sharing. If I didn’t already love many of the classics you did a great job of explaining why someone should at least try them :)

    Reply
    • Cee says

      May 28, 2013 at 5:36 pm

      Well, thank you for the compliment!

      I find that most people don’t want to be forced into reading classics unless they actually want to.

      Reply
  4. Suey says

    May 28, 2013 at 5:32 pm

    I agree that classics can not be breezed through, which makes it hard sometimes because we are so used to reading and finishing a book so fast that it can be frustrating to actually take some time on it.

    The Turn of the Screw…. that book creeped me out!

    Reply
    • Cee says

      May 28, 2013 at 5:56 pm

      Definitely! I have a ton of Edith Wharton books that I’m dying to read, but I don’t want to breeze through them. The content is so rich. I don’t want to miss out on anything. That’s why I loved taking literature courses. You read and then discuss in class.

      It creeped me out too! But I loved it! When I read the book, I was always afraid of seeing Peter Quint in my bedroom or in the library. Lol.

      Reply
  5. Kendal says

    May 28, 2013 at 6:45 pm

    I love E.M. Forster, especially A Room With a View. Loved Howard’s End as well.

    Kendal
    Kinx’s Book Nook

    Reply
  6. annettesbookspot says

    May 28, 2013 at 7:30 pm

    I’m not a big classic reader, although I would like to read Frankenstein some day. Nice to meet you!

    Reply

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I’m Cee. Lover of books + comics. Bookseller. Former teen witch.

The Novel Hermit is written by a daydreamer who loves books and want to share her love with everybody. You will find YA, comics, reviews, discussions, book cover love, and lots of adoration for books. What more can you ask for?

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