What classic piece of literature most intimidates you, and why? (Or, are you intimidated by the classics, and why? And has your view changed at all since you joined our club?)Well, I am very easily intimidated ;) And there are usually 2 reasons for it:
1) The content. I would never have made such a progress with Moby Dick if not for the Moby Dick Big Read project. There is such a lot in this book, that it's just impossible to digest it without some help. Sometimes I need to get the context, look for clues, or otherwise I don't understand what this all is about. Last time I was googling the standard volume sizes of the time for the "Cetology" chapter, and I have never imagined I would ever need such a knowledge.
2) The language. I am not a native English speaker, but I always treat translations with suspicion and prefer to read in the original if I can. That's why I've never read any Spanish authors for the long time - I was waiting until my Spanish was enough ;) I don't usually have problems with English, but such writers as Shakespeare and Poe always scary me (although I love them!) because I know I'll need to consult my dictionary too often.
Length does not usually scary me (I've read War and Peace twice, haha!) but there are special cases, of course. For example now I am reading One Thousand and One Nights, and it never ends!! I don't want to say I don't like it, it's most enchanting, but you need to make pauses not to get tired of the style, and so now it's in my reader for half a year, and I'm only in the middle of it.
With Arabian Night, the way it conveys the story makes it even more difficult to find where you are. It's more like the stages of dream in the film "Inception". We call that "cerita berbingkai" (literally means "stories in frames") in Bahasa. It means stories within stories within stories. But as you say, it's quite amusing.
ReplyDeleteI like your comparison with "Inception"! Yes, I had some problems with following who is who and who is telling what and for what reason (although there is usually none) in the beginning, but now I'm OK with it, I just try not to stop reading in the middle of the story. How could Shahraman follow the plot, and with a beautiful girl nearby too, I have no idea! ;)
DeleteMoby Dick is on my intimidating classics list too. I'm looking forward to hear from you after you have finished it, maybe you have one or two suggestions to 'conquer' it! :D
ReplyDeleteAnd you read War & Peace twice?? This one is in my list too, I don't know whether I would be able to finish it without being distracted to other books before I finish it.
Well, my main suggestions are to have some read-a-long for it and to look here: http://patell.org/ This is a blog of a professor who teaches Moby Dick, and he discusses every chapter. Right now I'm 1/3 through, and it's amazing! But you need to take it slowly, of course.
DeleteWell, I'm in better position, as Russian is my mother tongue :) Actually, it was a mistake. I somehow thought is was due for 9th grade and read it the summer before. But in reality it was taught in 10th grade, and I had to re-read as I forgot a lot.
True...I've always been intimidated by Chaucer, not just for the verse form, but also for the old English. Now, I have myself a verse translation of the old English and am so looking forward to reading it some time. Moby Dick is another mountain that once put me off, that I am now eager to climb. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, Chaucer! I have him on the list, but I've heard some terrible stories about how difficult it is. I hope I'll find some good annotated edition of it. You'll love Moby Dick, good luck!
DeleteI've been reading The Thousand and One Nights for SOOOO long. It just keeps going and going! But I guess that's the point. She was trying to stay alive. ;)
ReplyDeleteI guess just the flow of life was not so fast at that time. We, modern people, are to impatient to really appreciate those long and intricate tales.
DeleteI'm good with making a long complicated book last over the course of several years. I've done it! I just this year made a simple easy classic last the whole summer! :)
ReplyDeleteBe positive: at least you remember the book well after that =)
DeleteDitto on the Arabian Nights! From time to time I'll grab a volume and read a couple of stories at once, but I never seem to get any further into it.
ReplyDeleteWell, I actually do the same. I read a story or a couple between other books just for a rest. You can't just take it and read in one go!
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