So you want to read the classics but don’t know which to choose? Part 2

A while back I had a friend help me go through a small list of literary classics and give a short description of them. It was intended as a guide to people who want to read some of the classics but don’t know where to start, or which books would fit them best. Now we are back with five new classics to guide you through.

Like last time, we’ll start with a short summary, give you the length and the first sentence, and end by finishing the sentence ‘I would recommend this if:’. Feel free to leave a comment with what you’d like us to include next time, or if you disagree with something we said. If you want to see the first post, it’s right here for your convenience.

But enough small talk, you’re here for the classics, so I’ll detain you no longer.

The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde

Summary: The young and handsome Dorian Gray is painted by the talented Basil, and the painting is a masterpiece. When Lord Henry Wotton sees the painting he remarks that is is better off than the painted – it shall not age like Dorian shall. Dorian, upon having listened (perhaps too much) to Lord Henry, utters a wish to trade places with the picture and says he would give anything, even his very soul, for a trade like that. Somehow, his wish comes true, and the book progresses as the young man lives a life few would dare. He takes the somewhat questionable philosophies of Lord Henry to heart, and while no consequences can be seen on his body, every scar and wrinkle shows up on the painting instead, and he can go on as he wishes.

The story deals with sins and transgressions by examining the human conscious isolated from visible consequences.

Number of pages: 193 in the Wordsworth edition.

First sentence: ‘The studio was filled with the rich odour of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden, there came through the open door the heavy scent of the lilac, or the more delicate perfume of the pink-flowering thorn.’

Would recommend if: you like to see morals questioned and tried, and if you enjoy toying with the old ‘you reap what you sow’ saying, then this is a book for you. It is somewhat less controversial now than when it came out in 1890, society has changed since then, but morals are not so easily changed. It is descriptive, but not overly so, and it is a relatively short book, so it’s not too overwhelming a read.

Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë

Summary: The orphan Jane Eyre grows up with her aunt Reed of Gateshead in a family where no one cares about her and she is treated badly. At the age of ten she is sent to a lowood institute. There she lives for 8 years, two of which she spends as a teacher there. At that time she advertises for a job. She gets one reply containing an offer for a job as a governess. She takes the job and ends up teaching the little Adele at Thornfield. Soon she meets the master of the house, a mister Rochester, a mysterious man. The story then follows Jane’s life at Thornfield and her troubles and tribulations there.

Number of pages: About 400 pages

First sentence: There was no possibility of taking a walk that day.

Would recommend if: you enjoy romantic gothic novels with a strong female lead. If you enjoy progressive thinking in the 1800’s and a story with strong characters.

Henry V, William Shakespeare

Once again, Shakespeare is easier to watch than to read, but this is especially true for the historical plays – the names are hard enough to figure out when attached to faces, the feat is all but impossible with no descriptions to make them stand apart. For this one I would recommend the Hollow Crown version from 2012 (a special perk being that you get both Richard II, Henry IV part one and two, and Henry V). I would also like to add that watching Henry IV first adds a great deal to the character of Henry V, and a much deeper understanding of many of the proceedings.

Summary: Henry V has been crowned king after the death of his father. After a being told he has a right to certain parts of France, and after receiving a scornful message from the Dauphin (the prince of France) mocking the king for his youthful digressions, the King decides to go to war with France. Like many of Shakespeare’s historical plays (I will not say all, since I have not yet made it through all of them) there’s a great deal of fighting and a bit of (figurative) backstabbing, but unlike for example Richard II, we here have a King who, despite his youth, is rather agreeable. Actually, scratch that: I freaking love him!

Number of pages: 35 pages, 27 scenes in all

First sentence: ‘O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend The brightest heaven of invention, – A kingdom for a stage, princes to act, And monarchs to behold the swelling scene!’

I would recommend if: You like historical plays, appreciate great speeches (like the St. Crispin’s day Speech), want a protagonist you can love without shame and yet who isn’t portrayed as perfect, and if you find pride an entertaining vice.

Much Ado About Nothing, William Shakespeare

Again, Shakespeare wrote his plays to be seen, not read. If you want to watch it, I would recommend the 2011 version starring David Tennant (yes, again, he does Shakespeare so well) and Catherine Tate. Those two make a magnificent pair, and I promise you, you will laugh so much you can skip the trip to the gym.

Summary:  A group of men come home from the war, and to put it briefly: chaos sets it. Leonato fancies Hero, but is too scared to woo for himself. Don Pedro offers to woo for him, but Leonato, after having accepted, becomes convinced the prince woos for himself. Lady Beatrice, the cousin of Hero, has an old ‘feud’ going with Signor Benedick, they cannot be in the same room without bickering and insulting each other. Hero and Leonato (along with a few others) decide that those two should marry each other, and with plotting and scheeming they set out to outdo Cupid himself. Meanwhile, Don John, the bastard brother to the prince, is setting out to make sure Hero and Leonato won’t get married (he’s bored basically). The result is confusion, threatened duals, lovers quarrels, and hilarity all around.

Number of pages: 30 in Wordsworth’s ‘The Complete Works of William Shakespeare’. There are 5 acts and 17 scenes in all.

First sentence: ‘I learn in this letter that Don Pedro of Arragon come this night to Messina.’

Would recommend if: you’re in the mood for a bit of comedy, like well-written dialog and a fast-paced fire of insults. Regardless of whether you like romance pure and simple or fierce and challenged there’ll be something for you here, Leonato and Hero couldn’t be more different from Beatrice and Benedick. If you like schemes and plots you’ll be pleased to find both good and bad ones here. Hero’s and Leonato’s scheme to bring together Beatrice and Benedick makes a beautiful contrast to Don John’s scheme to split up Hero and Leonato.

In short: I would recommend this if you’re in the mood for comedy, but still like a certain intellect in the characters.

The Illiad, Homer

Summary: This is the story of not just the epic battle between the Trojans and the Achaians, this is a battle between gods, between greeks, and between brothers. Prince Paris of Troy (who’s a pretty boy unsuited for war) stole Helena from King Menelaus of Sparta, whose brother is Agamemnon, the leader of the Achaians. The Achaians went to war to fight for their king’s honor. In the war attended Achilleus, son of Nereus’s (Greek= Posedion’s) daughter Thetis. Achilles took Chyrseis as his prize after a battle, but then her father prayed to Apollo who started killing Greeks until Agamemnon agreed to give Chyrseis back to him – which Achilles of course didn’t approve of because he was the one doing all the work on the battlefield and Agamemnon still got to keep his part of the spoils of victroy.  Achillies prays to his mother who goes to Jove (Greek= Zeus) for him and asks for defeat for the greeks (the Achaians). The Gods all pick different sides in the war and interfer constantly – it is basically a football match where instead of screaming at the players the gods take matters into their own hands and start making people invisible and whatnot.

To sum it up: a whole lot of drama, people switching sides, people dying, people falling in love, and gods pulling the strings like it was all a pupet play – and all of this is of course written in verse.

Number of pages: 410 in Wordsworth’s Classics

First sentence: “Achilles’ baneful wrath – resound, O goddess – that impos’d Infinite sorrows on the Greeks, and many brave souls loos’d From breasts heroic; sent them far, to that invisible cave That no light comforts; and their limbs to dogs and vultures gave: To all which Jove’s will gave effect; from whom first strife begun Betrixt Atrides, king of men, and Thethis godlike son.”

Would recommend if: you are not afraid to tackle the verse structure, the many many names which at times are either annoyingly similar or not similar at all but refer to the same person, and if you have a talent for keeping godly family trees straight in your head. If you are none of that I would still recommend it, though possibly with a few notes for support (the Wordsworth notes are actually quite helpful). This story is epic (in both senses of the word), the pace is fast enough to keep you reading on even if you didn’t fully understand everything in a verse, and the characters are alive and well formed (and at times infuriatingly stubborn and stupid). The only question is if you can get past the language long enough to enjoy the story.

And that was the five classics we had for you this time. For our break down of Wuthering Heights, Persuasion, Hamlet, Richard III, and Gone with the Wind see here. In the next part we will have a little more Austen and perhaps even a little Conan Doyle, so make sure to come back for that one. If there are any classics you would like us to tackle feel free to leave a comment to let us know.