For the average reader, classics can be a little intimidating. Honestly, I get it. Classic authors fill their books with heavy descriptions, complex dialogue, and incredible character development. These stories take time to reach peak perfection often coming in at 300+ words.
I love classic lit most for its characters. Having 400 pages to develop a character allows for intriguing and often conflicting developments. These characters are rich and full of life. In the unfolding pages, we witness their rise from obscurity to fame or sometimes a deserved demise. While I appreciate the conciseness of modern literature and understand it has its own strengths, I do miss connecting with such beloved characters over an expansive text.
If your typical read includes page-turning thrillers or short and sweet romantic comedies, classics can leave you wondering if the time and effort to read is worth it.
As an avid lover of classics, I can reassure you that they are! I’ve compiled a list of tips for reading classic lit and a few books to help you get started.
How to Read Classic Lit
- Do your best to understand the time period.
A little research before you read can go a long way toward making the text more meaningful. There are cultural nuances classic authors often play on in their texts. Readers of their time and location would pick up on the jokes or complexities while we modern readers tend to miss them completely.
A quick Google search including the name of the book and “historical context” will get you plenty of results that will help provide more context to your reading.
2. Take your time. Classics aren’t meant to be skimmed.
I’ll admit, I have a bad habit of skimming books, especially when I’m close to the end and desperate to know the ending. My love of murder mysteries and thrillers only reinforced this habit. But, the beauty in classics comes from each and every word, skip a few and you might miss a key insult or intriguing plot point.
3. It’s okay to take breaks.
Since skimming isn’t a great practice with classics, taking breaks is a helpful next step. Sometimes all those descriptions and dialogue get a little overwhelming. It’s perfectly fine to set the book aside for a day or two until you’re ready to tackle it again.
4. Don’t give up!
Classic books take more time and effort than your average book. The plot lines extend well beyond the modern norm. Don’t be surprised if you end up halfway through and you’re starting to wonder when this thing will end. Don’t give up!
Take your time, but keep reading. Classics often have epic endings! Count of Monte Cristo is a great example, and I’ll never forget the first time I made it to the end of Pride and Prejudice or Janey Eyre. Keep reading, it’ll be well worth the effort.
Classic Books to Start With
The Nutcracker by Alexandre Dumas
The very book that inspired Tchaikovsky’s ballet. Adapted from ETA Hoffman’s fairytale, Dumas brings further depth into the story of the Nutcracker offering a somewhat more sinister tone than the dancing sugar plums we traditionally see. It’s a great holiday and even family read and tops in at just over 200 pages.
The Nutcracker gives a taste of the language and writing style more common to a bygone error. It will help you get accustomed to the genre without requiring significant time and energy.
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
While not as well-loved and remembered as other works by Austen like Pride and Prejudice or Sense & Sensibility, Northanger Abbey is still an incredible book. Austen struggled to get the book published. By the time her brother bought back the rights, Austen had moved on to another piece she was pushing towards publication. Unfortunately, Austen died prior to finishing what would later become Persuasion. Her family published both Persuasion and Northanger Abbey posthumously.
In Northanger Abbey, she mocks the gothic style quite popular in her time period. As a coming-of-age story, it follows Catherine as she enters society and becomes entangled in a family drama beyond her wildest imagination.
It’s a quick moving read that engages the reader while providing entertaining and engaging characters along the way. It’s shorter than Austen’s other works and is another great intro to the genre.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
For those who don’t know, Mary Shelley is the queen of science fiction. She singlehandedly created the science fiction genre when she wrote Frankenstein.
The book follows Dr. Frankenstein and his science project named Creature. While at first desperate to see his ideas brought to life (literally), he is soon disenchanted and overwhelmed by the monster he’s created. He flees into the night only to be haunted and chased by Creature. The story follows the entangled relationship of a creator disgusted by his creation, and a creature desperate for his creator.
This is another shorter read at 166 pages. It gives an incredible glimpse into the world of Shelley, a world excited by invention but fearful of their consequences.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
The longest book on this list, Jane Eyre follows an orphaned girl from one misadventure to the next until she finds herself as a nanny in a great English house. The child is delightful but her history and arrival at the house remain uncertain while her mysterious guardian remains aloof, often disappearing for weeks at a time. As the mysteries around her unravel, Jane desperately tries to keep her head and her heart.
Jane Eyre is an iconic classic text. While Austen focuses on romance and complex relationships. Bronte adds a gothic element with some passages better read in the light of day. A little closer to your modern-day thriller, Bronte’s work will keep you guessing all the way to the end.
See, it’s not so difficult after all! If you find the right books with the right approach, you’ll soon find yourself loving classic lit more and more.
Which one will you read first?
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