Thursday 29 July 2010

Look At All These Modern Classics That I Have Yet To Read!

LOOK AT ALL THESE MODERN CLASSICS THAT I HAVEN'T READ YET!

Animal Farm by George Orwell
1984 by George Orwell
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Heart of Darkness & The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Beowulf
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas by Frederick Douglas
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Othello by William Shakespeare - seen the theatre version but have never read in full
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - seen many times, started many times, but not yet completed
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
A Midsummer's Night Dream by William Shakespeare - seen only the film versions, not yet completed
The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Authors I should have read: Tom Clancy, Patricia Cornwell, W.E.B. Griffin, Nora Roberts, William Gibson, Robin Cook, Brian Jacques, Catherine Coulter, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Ken Follett, Clive Cussler, Eric Jerome Dickey, John Sandford, Terry McMillan...

What the hell was the English Department at my school doing? Ah, I can't blame them. Everyone's education is in their own hands. I will simply educate myself as much as I can with the tools and resources that I have.

I still read a lot during primary school and high school, but it was a lot of novels and children's books (and ahem, Harry Potter) and other titles that I can no longer remember. Maybe that is why my spelling is pretty great but my grammar can be quite irregular at times?

Knowing all these smart and productive people online has given me one goal in life: always aim to be smarter. My previous goal was: aim to be less ignorant, but I think they both go hand in hand, and this sounds a lot more positive.

I will come back to this list and cross these titles off as I go. It'll feel great. Anyway, I have to get back to my school, The Netflix Conservatory.

Crack a Book,
Caitlin

11 comments:

EarleWidrich said...

The first two titles you mention on your list are seriously wonderful books. Animal Farm is a really quick read and 1984 is an amazing novel. Then you can watch the movie, which is also excellent. :)

david1082 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
david1082 said...

Don't worry, there is always more to read for even the biggest bibliophile. It's a never-ending quest.

I'd never read a line of The Divine Comedy until recently but now I'm following this Twitter that goes through the original Italian and the Longfellow translation:

twitter.com/slowdante

(To be pedantic, I would say that Shakespeare, Dickens and Beowulf aren't modern. Shake is Elizabethan, Dickens Victorian, Beowulf medieval/semi-ancient.)

If you fancy being confused and disorientated and amused and disturbed all at the same time, go for Finnegans Wake and Gravity's Rainbow.

dontknow said...

Out of all those books, I’ve read:
Animal Farm by George Orwell
1984 by George Orwell
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli

The Orwell books, as dizzknee said, are great; I really recommend them. It was a long time a go since I read all those other books, about thirteen years old into fifteen or sixteen, I think, except for the Orwell books and the prince. The Prince is perfect if want to know how to rule a state and if you want to become a devious 16th century mastermind (ahh.. dreams..). I want to get “Heart of Darkness & The Secret Sharer” but I got a big pile of books that I haven’t touched yet; I must read them first before I buy another but I still keep buying other books so what’s the fucking point.. Maybe I should also make a list of books I reall ywant to read. But I will never get that awful "1001 Book You Must Read Before You Die” book, talk about pressure..

Greg Masters said...

I've read nine out of the twenty-three on your list.

Thank you, Caitlin Hill, for making me feel half-smart!

Sam said...

I've only read 2 of those books.. I'm behind too!

RnB said...

Here's my checklist of what I've read and haven't read of the list you've posted.

Animal Farm by George Orwell - Haven't read it

1984 by George Orwell - Haven't read it

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - Read it and love it. "Frankenstein's creature" and Victor Frankenstein himself are two of the greatest fictional characters ever created. That's just in my opinion though.

The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne - Read it. I quite enjoy the character of Pearl, Hester Prynne's Daughter. It was overall a droll read for me.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain - Started it cuz I have it in an English Anthology book but never finished

Dracula by Bram Stoker - haven't read it

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson - Haven't read it but I have it in an English Anthology book waiting to be read
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - Haven't read it

Heart of Darkness & The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad - Haven't Read Them

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - Haven't read it

Beowulf - Read it

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton - Haven't read it

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas by Frederick Douglas - Haven't read it but I would really like to since I've read excerpts

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - Haven't read it

Othello by William Shakespeare - Read it + It's my favorite Shakespeare play

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn - Haven't read it

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Haven't read it, tempted to read it w/ Zombies, lol

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe - Read an excerpt from an American Literature Anthology and found that bit overly saccharine but otherwise haven't read it

Macbeth by William Shakespeare - Read it. Was my favorite Shakespeare until I studied Othello

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas - Haven't read it

A Midsummer's Night Dream by William Shakespeare - Read it. I love the mischievous enabling dynamic between Oberon and Puck

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli - Haven't read it
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - Haven't read it

Levi said...

I figure you probably wouldn't give much weight to a random suggestion, but for once I felt the necessity to chime in:

Despite its slow nature, Great Expectations is a moving, dark, puzzling, and emotional book. It's way more readable than people suggest, and someone like you wouldn't be fazed by Dicken's wording. And it's worth the read. Just keep in mind that Dickens changed the ending to appease "the man."

It's one of my favorites, and perhaps the only book I've been "forced" to read that I truly loved in the end. Hope you get a chance to read it!

-Levi

Bilby P. Dalgyte said...

I am proud to say I have read one of those books! :) (In my defence, Beowulf is not a modern classic... which I haven't read) And I read it when I was in year... 3 I believe. As a bright young student I felt that I should read all the classics. Read a bit of shakespeare, tom sawyer, huckleberry finn ect... somehow my interest in reading all the classics dwindled as soon as I tackled Moby Dick. That one was quite... painful really.

Well, good luck with the reading! :)

Anonymous said...

That sounds great Cait. Always aim to learn and grow. We all have to go through life with the smartness we are born with, but we can always grow...IMMENSELY

I watched the cartoon movie Animal Farm way back when I was a kid. And I saw the pigs take over the farm....boy, that scared the Bjeeezus outta me lemme tell you =/

They made me read Shakespeare in high school but I didnt understand him back then. Now that Ive lived life and have a lot more experience...I really understand how much of a genius he was. Especially in Hamlet. That's why I believe that the timing of when you learn, as well as when things are revealed to you, is as important as those things you learn.

Be well and good luck on your journey of wisdom...but beware...

"Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who have found it." - Andre Gide

ADB said...

Out of your list, I have only read Animal Farm and MacBeth, but those were both in secondary school (early 90's) here in the UK and I had to write a few essays on each :(
At that time I mostly read sci-fi books (H.G Wells and Ray Bradbury), along with the Enyd Blyton classics like Famous Five and The Secret Seven (both are kinda like what the Scooby Doo gang get up to in both the films and cartoon series).

Totals