Why do we still read the classics since, it seems to me, they're meant for the highbrow readers?

Question

I wonder if the English classics are for only the elite men/women of letters, that is, those formidable professors, scholars or students who read them at will for pure enjoyment, for learning or for advanced research.

Answer 1

Excellent question. When I was young, I felt pretty much the same way. George Eliot, Charles Dickens, JF Cooper and the like all made me want to throw the book I was required to read out the window. Is that a familiar feeling for you too? Years later, after trying a few of them again, I realized that they all had agendas that they were trying to highlight and correct, like Dickens and the orphanages, or Victor Hugo and the French penal system. If you want to know what life was like back in those eras, rather than reading a history book, try reading one of the classics. These books were written for the masses, and if they had best seller lists from the 1800's, I'm sure you'd find Twain and Dickens all over them. They were just trying to make a living, just like modern day authors.

My suggestion to you is to read through the first 50-100 pages of a classic to get into the rhythm of the language and the story, and the remainder of the book will be much easier. If you want to try a book that is a modern day classic, try "Bonfire of the Vanities" by Tom Wolfe. (But not the clunker of a movie.) Two hundred years from now, if people want to know what life was like in the 1980's in New York City, they'll be reading that book.

I hope this helps. I don't consider myself a "highbrow" reader, just somebody who likes a good story, no matter how old it is. And nobody says you have to like them all. I still can't stand JF Cooper.

Answer 2

Most of the so-called classics are tragedies.They always make me depressed at the end.However I'll name the few classics i loved.

Count of Montecristo by Alexander Dumas.The hero is Edmond Dantés, a young French sailor who, falsely accused of treason, is arrested on his wedding day and imprisoned in the island fortress of Château d'If. After staging a dramatic escape he sets out to discover the fabulous treasure of Monte Cristo and catch up with his enemies. A novel of enormous tension and excitement, Monte Cristo is also a tale of obsession and revenge, with Dantés, believing himself to be an `Angel of Providence', pursuing his vengeance to the bitter end before realizing that he himself is a victim of fate.The author did a great job describing the emotions of the prisoner.Disbelief,denial,self pity,madness,apathy and finally hope.For God's sake don't see any of the movies based on the book.They don't do justice to the book.

The three musketeers by Alexander Dumas.The three musketeers have become symbols for the spirit of youth, daring, and comradeship. The action takes place in the 1620s at the court of Louis XIII, where the musketeers, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, with their companion, the headstrong d'Artagnan, are engaged in a battle against Richelieu, the King's minister, and the beautiful, unscrupulous spy, Milady. Behind the flashing blades and bravura, in this first adventure of the Musketeers, Dumas explores the eternal conflict between good and evil.Be warned.This book does not have a happy ending.The heroine dies at the end.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.In Dickens' tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, an old miser is shown his past, his present, and if he does not change, his future.The first ghost reminds him how he once enjoyed life's pleasures. The second ghost shows Scrooge his current deplorable state. The final ghost foretells the likely outcome of his skinflint ways.

Answer 3

Adults nevertheless examine the classics. My buddy is examining the completed Sherlock Holmes and that i'm examining delight and Prejudice (merely pronounced the movie growing Jane with Anne Hathaway). i opt for to ascertain books earlier they develop into videos so earlier this develop into The Golden Compass by technique of Phil Pullman it is seen a baby's e book. Stardust by technique of Neil Gaiman is next. and obviously, there are nevertheless human beings examining the surprising Harry Potter. i have coated the ny cases perfect sellers record and Oprah's e book club as 2 different resources of what adults examine. you may also verify you interior sight library to work out what's on the a million week loaner shelf for the conventional books yet rather, the sky is the reduce on what adults examine!

Answer 4

I love reading the classics, and I have to tell you, I am not an "elite woman of letters". I read them for the pure enjoyment. I also surprised my seventh grade English teacher by actually understanding what I was reading. She had some students who didn't understand Shakespeare, and I suck at English, and spelling, and the likes of that.

Answer 5

They were by no means intended for the elite alone. Chaucer was the first author to write in English, which was the language of the common people. And I'd hardly call his work "highbrow." Shakespeare wrote in the language of his time, and he always included plenty of references that were directed straight at the commoners who also filled the theaters.

Answer 6

so you're saying that readers today aren't highbrow? Nice viewpoint, hope you're not an author, lol


Thomas

Answer 7

We read classics because they are great books. they are meant for anybody who wants to read them, and with a little effort anybody can read them.

Answer 8

if you choose, there are easier books to read.. comic books if thats your speed!