Tips for reading classic literature
Getting started
Some classics are definitely harder than others, and it’s best not to start with something that will overwhelm you. I made the mistake of starting with Moby-Dick when I was eleven and it took me, like, three years to actually finish. Here are some of the easier classics I know:
Some people view it as damaging to the book, but I personally love annotating books -- writing questions, theories, even jokes or snarky comments. It makes you feel like you're part of the novel.
The rest of this article is less important, unless you’re already a reader and had other questions on your mind.
Forming reading habits
Some classics are less than a hundred pages, but an average one is somewhere between four and six hundred. Some of the crazier ones can be one thousand, two thousand — how can a normal, modern person find time for all that? Find a time of day when you have a clear mind (maybe in the morning or evening) and try to read ten, fifteen pages each day. If you read fifteen a day, you’ll finish the book in roughly a month. Also, the more you read, the faster you’ll get.
As for heavier books, they can take an entire season, so people I know read them paired with shorter, easier books, which make them feel like they’re making progress and keep them interested in reading as a whole. If you’re a student, you can also schedule them for winter or summer break. Over the summer of ‘24, depending on my mood, I would read ten to sixty pages a day, and eventually I read around 1,100.
I shall also include a personal strategy for reading with great speed. It may sound ridiculous, and I'm not sure if I advise it, but I'd be lying if I said it isn't my favorite. Essentially, relinquish all human contact and lock yourself in your room with the book. Only cease reading for basic necessities, like drinking, sleeping, and taking short breaks. Speaking from experience, you can read up to five or six hours a day while having reasonably sound mental health (though this may vary between books.) Just don't do it too much, or you'll face adverse physical and mental effects.
Annotation, analysis
You don’t have to scour every corner of a book for symbolism if you don’t want to, but the more you put into the book, the more you get out of it. The first rule of classic literature is to always ask why. Why did this author bother to write a chapter about x? Why did the author describe something as y, and not z? Why does a certain character act the way they do? What reaction was the author trying to get from you, and why? How does the first chapter set up the rest of the book? Ask yourself these over and over and write any answers you concieve all over your book so you don’t forget them. Underline anything you think might contribute to the mood or themes. As they say, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, but other times, these analyses may lead to a much deeper and more interesting interpretation.
The second rule is that different authors have different styles which determine what’s worth annotating and paying attention to. Some authors like to use a lot of symbolism and allusions, whereas others make themselves clear by stating their beliefs over and over. Some authors make every little detail and description significant in later events, whereas others write those descriptions mostly as fluff. Some books focus on the outside world, others on the psychology and beliefs of their characters. Analyze the books in ways that complement all this. For example, Dostoyevsky often gives his characters last names that (in Russian) say something about their personality; “Raskolnikov” refers to the schism between the character’s mind and heart, “Karamazov” refers to the inclination to let dark desires prevail. But in Tolstoy’s books, he usually chooses more normal names (besides “Levin”, who is merely named after him.) So it’d be much more useful to analyze Dostoyevsky’s characters’ names than Tolstoy’s. You should be able to gauge the author’s style after a few dozen pages.
Analyzing books can feel challenging at first, but with practice, the process becomes instinctive.
Types of classics
Oftentimes you hear from literati that they have special interests in, say, Japanese literature, or Roman literature. Classic literature is just a blanket term for all books that have a lot of layers, have original themes or characters, or were historically significant. Besides by genre, classic literature can be categorized by time and place.
Different books are heavily influenced by national attitudes. Throughout the centuries of American literature, you can often find themes related to the American Dream, the belief you can be or have anything you want if you work hard enough. Russian literature is said to be distinctly grim and fatalistic, but very funny. Time periods also influence books a lot — books are all, to a degree, a reflection of the world around them. Victorian literature comes from a time when there were very sharp divides between the rich and the poor, so there’s a lot of commentary on social classes. Postmodern literature is the hardest to read, I think. Many dramatic world events occurred in its development -- W.W.II, the digital age, globalization, civil rights movements. Culturally, the world was turned upside down -- people began to question basic ideas like nationality, authority, truth, class differences... Postmodern literature reflects this, embracing the self-aware, chaotic, and free.
Publishing, Foreign Languages
Penguin Classics is one I do recommend — their spines are nice and floppy, although very similar-looking. Everyman’s Library has great pages and spines as well, at affordable prices.
I would strongly advise against buying Clothbound Classics. Their spines are stiff and their designs wear off over time. Their pages fall out, and for some reason my Anna Karenina smelled like a dead animal. I can’t believe they’re sold everywhere, and that they’re as expensive as they are.
Honestly, I think a lot of modern publishers suck, so I usually just buy old books off eBay. If you want a cheesy, nostalgic cover, look for Bantam, Signet, Oxford World, or old Penguin. If you want a fancy, vintage, gilded hardcover, try Franklin Library or Longmeadow Press — they’re often sold around $20-30. International Collectors’ Library is even cheaper, but they’re more brittle.
Speaking as a polyglot, learning foreign languages to read classics is only worth it in two cases: if you have a focus on poetry, or if you are direly enamored with the literature of a nation. Learning another language can take hundreds or thousands of hours, and when it comes to books, the difference in prose quality is only slight. With poems, though, the original is far, far better! Poetry relies much more on meter and sound, and puts more emphasis on individual words than ideas. I've read poems in Russian and Latin -- all translations were only muddled shadows of the real thing.
When reading in translation, be sure to research translators first; some are more dry and wordy than others. I know a guy who found Dostoyevsky boring just because of a bad translation.
Why even read classics?
My mother once asked me why I was so fond of “miserable” Russian poetry, and a kid in my class once said people only read Pride and Prejudice to sound sophisticated and intelligent. But I think the intense, poetic style of many classics can give a voice to emotions you’ve never been able to properly describe. The depth of the characters can make you feel seen and understood more than ever in your life — I knew someone who said No Longer Human was practically his biography; he apparently thought about the book every day.
While many classics are particularly sorrowful and complex, some may find that this helps them describe their own sorrows and complications. Only when we have the words to describe our problems may we confront them and find spiritual release. As David Foster Wallace once said, “The truth will set you free, but not until it is finished with you.” While genre fiction is designed to please, comfort, and entertain you, literary fiction more often focuses on serious ideas. Infinite Jest has deeply detailed descriptions of the psychology behind addictions. A Hero Of Our Time discusses how it's better to falsely believe in dreams and ideals rather than cave into the nihilism of truth and logic.
Classic literature changes your way of thinking, often for the better. The authors have very detailed worldviews, and oftentimes a passion and love for ideals that is contagious. Victor Hugo inspired me with his characters’ willingness to sacrifice everything — their safety, lives, and happiness — to make France a better place. The chapter of Moby-Dick, “The Lee Shore”, serves to this day to help me face my fears and constantly push my limits. Dostoyevsky and Steinbeck taught me the beauty of unconditional love, which I now try my best to pursue. These books have changed my life so much, and I am only a casual reader with a little time to read!
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Page created November 30, 2024.