[BritneySpearsFun@@@]

Topic suggested by Ravi on Fri Aug 14 17:25:30 .


Since contemporary is anything after WWII, this topic covers anything before that time.

[Louthcoombutt]

What? Noone to discuss classics for the 6 days since this started? Or is it that only today it has been given publicity? As far as classics are
concerned I used to love Hardy once upon a time, but after reading most of Hardy twice I found that he is actually quite stuck on the single
topic of rural is good urban is bad. So then I turned to Dikens (the ones that I hadnt read) and found that he is extremely versatile
unlike Hardy. That is as far as Novels are concerned. Presently Im more into short stories. Saki and O Henry. Anyone a fan of O Henry? Im
a big fan!

Hey! I cant spell correctly 'cos this thing says that Dicens is a forbidden word!!

[broksaksaak]

Bull - I just love your sense of humour. Dikens and then Dicens. ))))

[farmarrl]

Bull: Try Jerome.K.Jerome's 'three men in a Boat'.This is a very humorous book. This book is available online at the following site.
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/books.html
A lot of classics are available at this site.

James Thurber is another author whose short stories are very humorous. I have to mention here 'The secret life of Walter Mitty' (which i have been told has come out as a movie) and 'The day the bed fell on my dad'.
I was laughing in the middle of the night after reading this one and got scolded by my grandma 'pei madhiri rathiri enna sirippu vendi kidakkalai'

Regarding short stories one suggestion wld be to read the anthologies which come out and not soemthing like the complete short stories of so and so'. Because when you read the short stories collection you see a pattern in it and lose interest. I tried reading Somerset Maughm and lost interest towards the end of the book

Also try Mark Twain. He has written a book about the days when he was a pilot in the river missisippi (i hope i got the name right, it's been a long time since i read this one).

[VottCetaVeivE]

Ramanan : Yes Ive read "Three men in a boat". Absolutely hilarious! About Thurber, I read a two volume collection of Thruber's works, including his own illustrations called Vintage Thurber some years back having borrowed it from the Indian Institute of Science library. Donno if those books are still there, but Ive been looking for those books to buy since then. Never found them anywhere else! The ideas this guy has are amazing!

Im surprised you didnt like Maughm. Have you read some of his serious work? Like Cakes and Ale? I love his humourous short stories. I had a story called Princess September in, I think, my 11th std, but Ive never found that story anywhere since then.
I dont know what kind of Maughm collection you read which made you feel that they are stereotype.

I have a collection of 273 stories of O Henry and every one of them is a different kind of story! No matter how much of O Henry you have read before, you can never predict the ending!!

While we are on Short stories might I suggest Wilde and Saki too, though Wilde's stories are pretty tragic whereas Saki's are mostly hilarious and some of them political satire too (there is on full collection called Chronicles of Clovis which deals with politics of his day. Cant understand most of it!!)

[Logaleta]

Bull: thanks for your response. You seem to be a very well read person.

I do like Somerset Maughm. I read his complete short stories when i was in my college. He has this habit of having a twist or punch in the last line. When you read so many of his stories, you see a pattern and began to expect things. This becomes boring after sometime.that is what i meant.

i have read a few saki during my college days for my non detailed text and O 'Henry.

Hoping to see/hear more from you in this thread

[BoomBully]

My favorite classics are the Russian ones by Fyodor Dostoeyevsky (Crime and Punishment) and Ivan Turgenev (Fathers and Sons). In Russian writers I find cutting-ironic humor that comes with experiencing immense suffering. Also, these Russian giants always have an undertone of humility. Their works have passion and empathy for human beings of all classes which I find lacking in many European and American writers. I wish I can indulge myself more here today, but I can't. I will certainly be back though. I have enjoyed all your postings.

[hoarrimilsora]

I did try Dostoeyvesky, but almost all such authors seem too depressing to me. I have read Anna Karanina and a few short stories of Tolstoy, but they too pretty much harp on pain, misery and suffering. Of course, those things too are part of life and therefore literature, I suppose!! How much land does a man need? is my favourite by Tolstoy.

And then there is Any Rand who also talks about the Russian Revolution in We the living, but I suppose you cannot talk of that as a classic, atleast going by Ravi's definition, you cant 'cos Rand wrote after WW II.

Anyone read a book on Anastasia Romanov? I have seen the (non-animated) movie.

[DoctorBretonDen]

How can we leave Arthur Conan Doyle ? His character Sherlock Holmes has outlived his creator. I hare read and reread Sherlock Holmes saga.

[incimisiche]

one of the profound books on human minds is "count of monte cristo" by alaxandre dumas. each one of the characters is so well depicted that one tends to identify with them. dumas' sequence of events is also remarkable in the sense that one can see a logical thread running throughout.

well! the story is of a young sailor (edmond dante) who is a victim of a plot of 3 people and as a result suffers from life imprisonment in a prison on an island and also loses his father and his beloved fiancee. there he comes into contact with a person called abbe faria who introduces him to the mysteries of life and science and also bequeathes to him a large treasure hid in an island called monte cristo. edmond manages to escape and takes possession of the treasure. how he returns of marseilles and takes revenge on the persons who caused him immeasurable grief is the story.

a wonderful book filled with gems of wisdom on human nature, greed et al.

[Junrlaeh]

one of the profound books on human minds is "count of monte cristo" by alaxandre dumas. each one of the characters is so well depicted that one tends to identify with them. dumas' sequence of events is also remarkable in the sense that one can see a logical thread running throughout.

well! the story is of a young sailor (edmond dante) who is a victim of a plot of 3 people and as a result suffers from life imprisonment in a prison on an island and also loses his father and his beloved fiancee. there he comes into contact with a person called abbe faria who introduces him to the mysteries of life and science and also bequeathes to him a large treasure hid in an island called monte cristo. edmond manages to escape and takes possession of the treasure. how he returns to marseilles and takes revenge on the persons who caused him immeasurable grief is the story.

a wonderful book filled with gems of wisdom on human nature, greed et al.

[JessiPollo]

Hello I really appreciate Ravi for starting this site.I'am an avid reader of classics,both Indian and abroad.I loved to see England through the eyes of all those fabulous English writers.My all time favourite is Shakespeare.The variety of his writing filled with an entire parade of all kinds of human emotions is amazing.
We must not ignore great Indian authors like Rajaji,Tagore,K.M.Munshi,RKNarayan who delivered works of true magnificence,recreating history and mythology. It's amazing more so because of such simplicity of the language used.
"count of monte cristo" is one of my favourites too badri.good choice.O'Henry is also great and renowned for the unexpected turns and surprise endings

[Hmntezmb]

my favourite authors: emily bronte, o.henry, dikens etc. some books which were not mentioned
above which i find are very good : george eliot : mill on the floss wilkie collins : moonstone , the first
detective story anton chekov's short stories. i consider him to be sujatha^10. jane austen : all her
novels.

[BWJfEkOB]

Bull

Count me in on O'Henry!

Reg. source for books, there's a shop in Mumbai that is probably one of the few places where u can find old classics, mostly original prints @ unbelievable prices. Years ago, I got some great bargains there, incl. original Thurber's.. I forget the name of this place, only that it's somewhere near Flora Fountain. Will try & recall the name of the shop..
Of course, this is assuming that u have access to Thackeraynagar in some way()

[feAilei1]

Just wondering how a book gets into the classic league . Does classic mean that it is difficult to comprehend? or that it has to age for some time ( Shakespeare/Ramayana?)

Does this apply to music as well?

Classic music (whether indian or western) is applicable to music that is complex and has stood the time test, - are these the main/only factors?

[fiettariaps]

Any PG Wodehouse lovers ?

Ramji

[levitratestimon]

Ramji: Count me among Wodehouse lovers. I've never seen a better musician of English than him. In fact, I never used to appreciate style much till I read his works.

[Phassetus]

Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" is an amazing novel that treads the darker aspects of the human psyche. Conrad was way ahead of exploring the psychological doubles long before Freud ascribed scientific names to them. A fascinating thing about Conrad is that he only learnt English in his late 30s but still went on to become one of the most revered writers in the language.

[Acalsenunse]

My favorite sample of Pg Wodehouse humor. I am not quoting the exact words.

" He went into the room and came back so fast he almost met himself coming out"

[catarleriarly]

Ramji,
Meet your twin soul, as far as PGW goes , in me. Try this :
"The fascination of shooting as a sport wholly depends on whether you are on the right side or wrong side of the gun"
More :

1. ...fell into the washing machine and did as many revolutions per
minute as a small African republic....
2.Unlike the male codfish which, suddenly finding itself the parent
of three million five hundred thousand little codfish, cheerfully
resolves to love them all, the British aristocracy is apt to look with
a somewhat jaundiced eye on its younger sons.
Rajesh

More when I have time!