It's that time again! The new categories for the Back to the Classics Challenge have been announced for 2019. It's a great mix of old and new prompts, and I'm extremely excited to get started. My picks for next year are listed below.
1. 19th Century Classic: Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (1837-1839) Completed February 2019
I have been a big fan of Charles Dickens since I read Bleak House in college. It's been way too long since I last picked one of his books up, so I wanted to set aside some time in the upcoming year to revisit him.
2. 20th Century Classic: Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov (1962) Completed in February 2019
I read Lolita years ago and was simultaneously impressed and disgusted. I've always wanted to try another work from Nabokov and this one has been sitting on my shelf for ages. Time to give it a shot.
I read Lolita years ago and was simultaneously impressed and disgusted. I've always wanted to try another work from Nabokov and this one has been sitting on my shelf for ages. Time to give it a shot.
3. Classic by a Female Author: Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (1852)
I was supposed to read this novel for my American Literature class in college and I never ended up doing it. I left my reading to the last minute and resorted to looking up chapter summaries to get through the assignments (which worked, by the way, but is not something I'm proud of). I've always regretted flaking out on it, so I put it on my Classics Club list. I think this upcoming year will be a great time to give it another try.
I was supposed to read this novel for my American Literature class in college and I never ended up doing it. I left my reading to the last minute and resorted to looking up chapter summaries to get through the assignments (which worked, by the way, but is not something I'm proud of). I've always regretted flaking out on it, so I put it on my Classics Club list. I think this upcoming year will be a great time to give it another try.
4. Classic in Translation: The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne (1874) Completed in January 2019
For the past three years, I have started off my reading with a Jules Verne novel. I've burned through his three most famous works (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Around the World in 80 Days), so now I'm starting in on one of his lesser-known novels to kick off 2019.
5. Classic Comedy: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) Completed in June 2019
Every year when I pick out books for this challenge, I try to pick selections that are also on my Classics Club list. In this way, I am able to chip away at both challenges at the same time. I think this is the only comedy book I have on my Classic Club list, so now's the time to read it!
6. Classic Tragedy: Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy (1895) Completed in May 2019
I took a course on Realism and Naturalism in college, and the grad student who taught the class told us that this was her favorite book of all time. I've been interested in reading it ever since then. I heard it has a pretty sad ending, making it a good fit for this category.
7. Very Long Classic: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (1605-1615) Completed June 2019
At almost 1,000 pages, this novel definitely fits this category. It's considered by many to be one of the very first novels ever, and it has been on my to-read list for ages. I'm afraid it will take forever to finish, but I'm going to give it a shot.
8. Classic Novella: Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger (1961) Completed January 2019
I read The Catcher in the Rye when I was in high school and have been interested in reading more from Salinger ever since. I bought this novella in order to do just that, then never got around to actually picking it up. It's a good fit for this category, so I'm going to read it this year.
9. Classic From the Americas (includes the Caribbean): Cannery Row by John Steinbeck (1945) Completed April 2019
John Steinbeck is one of my favorite authors, so I was excited to pick one of his novels for this category. I have no idea what this one is about. Hopefully I will find a new favorite.
10. Classic From Africa, Asia, or Oceania (includes Australia): The Grass is Singing by Doris Lessing (1950) Completed November 2019
Sadly, I had no novels on my Classics Club list or on my shelves that fit this category. I did a little research online and was intrigued by the summary of this classic novel set in Africa. I'm going to try it.
11. Classic From a Place You've Lived: The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1851) Completed September 2019
This novel is set in Massachusetts, the state where I was born. The actual house that it's based on is pretty close to where I live now. I'm sensing another literary field trip coming up at the end of this one.
12. Classic Play: The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare (c. 1590) Completed February 2019
I'm interested in this play because I'm a big fan of the musical Kiss Me Kate. I'm interested to see its source material.
I've got quite a few picks on here that will be difficult to read, quite long, or both! I am still up for the challenge though. I read Ulysses this year. That means I can read literally anything else if I put my mind to it. I can't wait to say goodbye to 2018 (not a great year for me) and start in on my fresh, new year of reading.
Oh, you have some excellent choices! I've only read Don Quixote and The Taming of the Shrew, however Uncle Tom's Cabin and Oliver Twist are on my TBR list. Jules Verne is always a good romp and Hardy ..... well, I seem to avoid his novels because they're so depressing but he's a good writer so I really need to start reading his works again. Best of luck with your challenge!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I appreciate your encouragement!
DeleteWhat an impressive list! I've never tackled Don Quixote either but I agree if you can read Ulysses, you can read anything. Oliver Twist is one of my favorite Dickens novels, and Jude the Obscure is one of the most tragic novels I've ever read. Thanks for signing up again!
ReplyDeleteAnd I forgot to add how much I love Cannery Row! Steinbeck is one of my favorites also. It's short and also really funny.
DeleteDon Quixote is not intimidating, just long.
ReplyDeleteI am another admirer of Nabokov and want to read more than Invitation to a Beheading, and some of his essays.
I love Hawthorne, and have wnjenjoThe House of the Seven Gables much.
StwiStein is becoming a favorite author too.
Sorry, I didn't mean DQ is not intimidating, lol, it is, I meant imo is not as difficult as it seems. But it can tire the modern impervious reader, and many don't make it to the second part which is such a painful situation for us, admirers of the book
ReplyDeleteThat's good to know! I don't have an issue finishing long books - my main concern was that it would be difficult to understand. I'm glad to hear that's not the case. Thanks for the info!
DeleteI recommend the Edith Grossman translation. If you pick and older translation, the English will be older. This is by someone else on a forum that was discussing the best translation:
Delete"As I've said many times, the trick to reading classic foreign literature isn't in the reading but in the choosing of translations. It seems that the four "major" ones are Smollett, Grossman, Putnam, and Raffel. The Raffel might be worth getting if only because it's the Norton Critical Edition and they tend to have excellent notes, intros, and essays. The Grossman translation is new and is therefor the "hot" choice. I might just buy all four, read a chapter or two and decide which to read all the way through."
I'm going to take your advice. I had a cheap copy of the novel already and the translation wasn't even by any of the people listed in the post. I bought the Grossman on Amazon. I think that's going to give me the best chance for success here. Thanks again!
DeletePale Fire is NOTHING like Lolita (happily IMO). It is a very unusual novel. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThat's good to hear! Thanks!
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