"Don't get bogged down by the language" E.g Emily Brontë trying to say "laugh"... "Rendered my hilarity audible"

Some suggestions for classic newbies: 1. The Curious case of Benjamin Button : F Scott Fitzgerald 2. A Christmas Carol: Charles Dickens. 3. The importance of being Earnest: Oscar Wilde 4. Emma: Jane Austen Hope this might help.

A Tale of Two Cities is a good place to start. Short, easy to comprehend, but can be much deeper if you want to dedicate more time and understanding.

War and Peace isn't really dense, the vocabulary used is quite simple and the themes are very much heavy handed. That is not to blemish the book's value, which is immense. It's mostly its length that intimidate people. My favourite classic is 'Crime and Punishment' by Dostoyevsky; pretty much the sole novel that got me into classics as a whole (I had read other classics prior to tackling it). On the whole, Russian literature is very accessible in its themes and language, if you don't mind all the Russian names, nicknames, surnames, etc.

I screamed when i got to your no.4! So happy you pointed out the importance of having a dictionary (app/physical copy) at arm's length when reading a classic. Love this video!

I started with Shakespeare and Edgar Allen Poe. Then, I read Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice. I fell in love with it all. But, my favorite is Victorian Gothic.

I am going to start reading classics from the next week ❤️

I find a quiet space helps with books like these. I get more from David Copperfield in my car on my lunch break than at home whilst the family watches TV.😀

Her: don’t start with massive books Me only having read Farenheit 451 and 1984 in school: I will read first Crime and Punishment, then Anna Karenina and War and Peace lol😂 Loved the video!!

Very interesting video! These are the perfect manners wherein to read a classical work! I haven’t read too many classical books, the only major ones being “Le Père Goriot” and “Illusions perdues,” both by Honoré de Balzac (both in French, of course). I am twelve years of age now, wherefore I haven’t had enough time and opportunities to read many. I am currently reading “Splendeurs et Misères des courtisanes” by Balzac (again), “The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby” by Charles Dickens and the much lesser known “Filozofská historie” by Alois Jirásek (in the Czech language). In poetry, I have read “Mazeppa” by Lord Byron, and am reading “Beppo” by the same author at the present moment; when I was nine, I began reading “As You Like It” by Shakespeare, but my disorganized self of the time discontinued it about three quarters through the play. Of course, there is so much more I hope to read in the future!

Lovely video! If I may add: remember classics come from all corners of the world and every literary tradition has its quintessential books, there is more to classics than American and European books 😊

I like gothic victorian literature.

I love Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and that’s the book that got me reading classics

I really loved reading classics because there was something about old-fashioned things that really intrigued me. I love history.

I’ve read quite a few classics in my time. Wuthering Heights is one of my all time favourites. I also like anything by Thomas Hardy, George Elliot and DH Lawrence. Vanity Fair is quite dense but imo worth it, Becky Sharp is an amazing character!

Don't start with war and peace... Me a year ago: Read 3 Jane Austen books, read Jane eyre, read Anne of green gables. *Read WAR AND PEACE*

The Old Man & the Sea and The Great Gatsby are awesome starter books for getting into modern classics. That’s where I started. On the Road is great too if you’ve got a gypsy soul. :)

Oldies but goodie! Love this video of yours.. I keep watching this video over and over again to keep remind myself to read more classics. Thank you, Kailey

Good points. I started reading Hardy again yesterday and found I was having to regress, until I slowed right down. The sentence structure is longer, but the prose is beautifully constructed and requires more attention. People had better vocabulary then, compared with today's sloppy speech and took more time, without distractions, to meditate on life.

Hey , I just wanted to thank you for your words of encouragement. I never enjoyed reading and reading was dreary but recently I finished “ Crime and Punishment “ by Dostoevsky and boy ... I found my author ( like you mentioned lol ) ! I’m hooked , I’m a slow reader but reading has become such a pleasure and hobby ! Thanks again , you are pretty btw ☺️

I love Brontë’s books, I have read almost all of them. Your videos are great, very inspiring. Thank you.

I would also say mix in some poetry, short stories and essays......these short pieces can break the monotony if you need to take a break from a daunting classic.....

I Love the Books written by Edgar Rice Burroughs. He truly is a master of imagination. The Tarzan and Mars books are very addicting!!!

"Dont start reading anything massive like Wart and Peace" I find this a very funny because of the following 2 reasons: a) I am reading War and Peace right now, I only have 100 pages left :D b) The first classic that I've ever read was Le Miserables which is bigger than War and Peace and way more harder to read than War and Peace. I do agree with finding what you like to read, I personally like a Russian literature (I am a hardcore Dostoevsky fan); I guess I can consider myself lucky because the 2nd classic that I read was Crime and Punishment, ergo it did't take me too long to find my niche.

This is a beautiful and charming video with wonderful advice for those who love to read. When I was a kid in France I embarked on "the great read" and now that I am old I am still at it. The beauty of it is the journey is endless and taking time to revisit old friends is a treat. Strangely as my journey ends I am comforted by the thought of all the great books I will not have read. The first classic I read was Pride and Prejudice and I am now halfway through The Tale of Genji.

Your one point about reading all of an author's work: I did that with Dumas the elder and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Sadly, I can't read anymore of Anna Sewell's work since Black Beauty was her only book. There are many classics authors that I love where the author only wrote and published one book.

When I was a preteen and reading a lot more often, I think the first classic I read was The Little House in the Big Woods. Followed by stories of a similar genre, like Anne of Green Gables and Little Women I just recently got back into reading again, and I've been reading mostly classics and absolutely loving it. I'm especially drawn to particular genres: children's fantasy (Alice in Wonderland, The Chronicles of Narnia, etc), and gothic horror (Frankenstein, The Picture of Dorian Gray, etc). Currently I'm re-reading The Hobbit for like the tenth time, and I've just started Dracula. I didn't find a particular author I like, but I did find some go-to genres and I'm having a blast 😆

I'm a late bloomer but recently started with A Farewell to Arms, then The Sun Also Rises, now reading For Whom the Bells Toll and will finish Hemingway with The Old Man and the Sea. I think that will be enough of him then may move on to Dickens next.

And then there are the CLASSICS written in Latin and Greek! LOL!

I felt like a very odd child because, as my classmates dove for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, I searched out classics and modern classics such as The Secret Garden, The Little Princess, and Anne of Green Gables (I received the boxed set of 8 Anne books for Christmas.). I didn't have many people with whom I could discuss these books, so they felt like they were only mine.

Jane Eyre was the book that got me into classics. I was actually obsessed with that story haha

Excellent advice. My personal tip for reading classic books is to spoil yourself. If there is a film available watch it, or research the story a bit. Knowing a little about the author, the time period, or even just the overall themes can help you to connect to the writing. My favorite classic is, "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexander Dumas, the story has so much action and adventure, I found it to be very readable and gripping.

I love, love this!!! It's so straightforward ^.^

Just stumbled upon your video. *SUBSCRIBED* I am a huge classics fan. Great list of Dos and Don'ts. I highly concur with with #2. Latching onto an author has helped me immensely over the years. Edith Wharton is my newest love. As for dictionaries, I just use Google Play Books as my reading app (although I prefer the physical product). In Play Books, you just select the word and the definition pops right up. Also, audio books are sometimes the way to go with the larger classics, they really make some of the hefty language come to life. Great video. Thanks!

Great video. I am just finishing up the monster Les Mis for my channel. I absolutely love it and yes Dickens is my fave. I do not particularly like Dombey & Son but hey every one has their likes. Oliver Twist in my opinion is the best also A Tale of Two Cities.

You are delightful! Thanks for the great tips

Really great tips. Thanks for sharing.

Appreciated hearing your classic / modern classic demarcation.

I love Herodotus's Histories ... So intriguing to hear how they lived in the ancient times, told by someone so very entertaining and offbeat. I picked up "The Lifetime Reading Plan" by Clifton Fadiman and am reading a lot of his suggestions in chronological order, starting with the earliest classics and working my way toward modern times (eventually) ..

I enjoyed this quick video and agreed with all your tips. Especially using the Webster’s app, which I use myself. Keep reading.

The first classic that I enjoyed reading was Brave New World, it has been two and a half years and now I love classics, I read at least one per month, and my favourite were Frankenstein and Fahrenheit 451. I also enjoy reading Platon and Shakespeare.

Edgar Allen Poe got me into classics. I remember not liking him as much learning about him in school, but a couple years ago I checked out a massive book filled with his works at the library. The very first story was “Berenice” and I completely fell head over heels backwards in love, and was hooked on every single word he wrote. Which I find odd even to this day because I hate horror 🙈 Right now I’m trying to read all of Jane Austen’s novels, but I always go back to Poe ❤️

Great video with good suggestions for the beginners :) I have lots of favourites. I like Dostoevskij, especially Crime and punishment and the Brothers Karamazov. I like many French novelists of the 19th century like Hugo, Balzac and Stendhal. I like Greek classic like Homer's epic poems. Then there is literature from the 20th century with authors like Kafka and Hemingway. And then I adore Dante! I cannot recall which book got me into classics. During my childhood, I read some children's classics like Astrid Lindgren, during my teenage years I read authors who according to your definition would be classics like Conan Doyle. I think the first huge classic I read was "The Master and Margarita" by M. Bulgakov.

Great tips! :) I actually started with Shakespeare and Fitzgerald. I gotta say that even thpugh I am not an English native speaker, I don't think it's hard to understand. Once you get into the language (and the author's writing style), it's pretty easy to follow.

The first modern classic I read was H. G . Wells the time machine was really amazing story

Despite it not really being a novel, think the book that got me into classics was Walden. I was the ONLY person in my high school English class who loved it. Now my all-time favourite classic novel is, funnily enough, Moby-Dick!

I like your pre/post WWI distinction. I agree (as a novice) that there is a clear difference pre and post WWI. I just finished Count of Monte Cristo, and loved it. I think my first completed pre-WWI novel is probably The Picture of Dorian Gray, which I think is approachable for somebody coming to classics.

Thanks for your videos! I agree you don't need to know every word! Am with you on Wilkie Collins btw. I get him in a way I don't' feel with Dickens. Currently reading No Name and loving it.

I just think you are so smart and interesting without being at all stuffy. You’re a lot of fun to watch and learn from and I thank you.

What a great video, I wish there had been something like it 25 (ahem...) years ago when I thought I would tackle Moby Dick as my first classic. And I made it all the way up until the portion of the book that becomes -spoiler alert here- a scientific catalog of all the different types of whales. For me, as a young reader new to classics, that was just too much. The first classic that I finished and absolutely loved was The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf. I think it can be considered a classic, as opposed to a modern classic by your guidelines, as it was published in 1915, but is more straightforward than her later work, which easily falls in to the modern classic category. After that the two books that really cemented my love of classic literature, modern and otherwise, were Jude the Obscure and East of Eden. Both of those were real page-turners for me and made me realize that I didn't need to be intimidated by the label "classic."

I don’t know if she is considered a classical writer but I got into Virginia Woolf recently. I liked Mrs. Dalloway, I loved the waves. I tried reading to the lighthouse and found it absolutely Mandane boring not fun at all to read. I did not connect with any of the characters in to the lighthouse. But Mrs. Dalloway and the waves were so profound I’m going to buy them.

Thanks for the suggestion of getting a dictionary app!

Nice advice! When I was a kid in high school, the library had a set of the Great Books of the Western World by the Britannica Company. I wanted to check out volumes but the librarian would not allow it! Can you believe it? Well, I told myself that one day I would own a set and now I do! Some are pleasant reads. Some are, as you say, quite dense, Or maybe it is just me that is dense :)

Ironically i just read Mansfield Park in 3 days but loved the narrator and language as well as how much underhanded social critique and psychology there was compared to Pride and Prejudice which i read a few years ago and enjoyed but not nearly to the same extent.

Great video ! I loved ♥ Brazil says hi :)

Thank you.Finally got some useful tips.

This was really helpful!

thank you Kaily.. ☺☺

yasssss i learned so much, thanks for the tips :''-)

I am a beginner and I am starting with Jane Austen and I can understand her literature very well. Is that okay?

Great advice. Information on how to approach classics not about what books to choose. Tks.

i guess my first classic that i can remember reading is the secret garden ^^' i loved it but i never get around finishing it (i think i read it when i was 8? 9? years old) but the one that got me into reading classics was great expectations

When I first started reading classics, it was hard for me to understand what was going on, so I would find an audio version,listen to the first chapter, then read the rest

I really really loved this video!!! I am from Brazil and I am proud of myself when I finish to read a classic book written in English ^^ "Don't give up on classics"

Love the way you talk. Like it.

I prefer my dictionary as a book . I have one from the 1970's that I still use quite often (it's a Merriam Webster). Online dictionaries are helpful and occasionally I will use them. But I still would rather have a book for reference in case if my computer breaks down.

English is not my first language, and I've always somewhat avoided classics due to feeling intimidated by them. However, I've made the decision that this year is when I will (finally) start reading them. So far I've read basic ones like "Animal Farm," "The Great Gatsby," and "Pride and Prejudice." Following your second piece of advice, I believe I'm inclined to explore more of Jane Austen's works in the near future, as I absolutely adored "Pride and Prejudice." Warm regards from the Middle East

I began reading Edgar Allan Poe when I was about 11. I stayed with my grandma sometimes on weekends and we would watch scary movies on Saturday night. I'd be afraid to go upstairs and stay in my great-grandmother's room (she died at 95) and couldn't sleep. The only book in the room was a book of stories and poems by Edgar Allan Poe, who I think of now as my "home-boy." I began reading British literature with Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy and have been an avid reader ever since. My favorite writers are Anthony Trollope, Charles Dickens, Jack London, Flannery O'Connor, Philip K. Dick, Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, and Frank Herbert. Last summer I finally read War and Peace and loved it! Now I'm reading Les Miserables and also love it! A love of the classics is a gift.

I've seen many videos about favorite classics and many mess up the classics with the modern classic ones, so thank God I found your video ^^.A couple of years ago I was a crazy bookworm, I used to read many books of many kinds but some things happened and books didn't seem to help me that much(like calm my stress etc...) , so I quit reading entirely. Now, after those 3 years, I am starting to like reading books again, but this time I thought of starting with classics. I bought a book, which guides you to the most classics from Homer to Steven King(I has many diagrams, information about the books and the authors from many decades and kinds).The thing was that it was quite hard to read the English authors (English is not my native language and sorry, if I made some mistakes) like Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe etc, so I felt a bit discouraged. That's why I searched for advices. Never thought of using a dictionary,😅😅those tips were useful to me so thanks ❤️

I am scared to start reading classics. But after watching this I might start one

I love classics❤

u're right i shall take into considerarion your tips

Thanks for the video.. Love from India ❤

Thank you 🙂🙃

Thank you

My two favorite classics written before WWI are Jane Eyre and A Tale of Two Cities.

too late, already read Moby Dick. it was my fifth classic. before that i read in order, The Great Gatsby, A Christmass Carol, Dr Jeckyll and mr Hide and Treasure Island (with an extra story The Ebb Tide). so in total i read five classic. although, if Jd Salingers the cather in the Reye is also a classic, than i read six, and it should be the fourth one i've read. classics are hard to read indeed...

Interesting. I was always taught that classics were written before 1900 (ish) and modern is anything after that, because the modernist literary movement was becoming a thing around that time. Hence the title "Modern." With a couple of exceptions here and there. Good tips. I would add seeking out study guide versions of classics (and later annotated versions) as a lot of the time understanding a classic goes hand in hand with understanding the slang or perhaps the cultural references of the time. It makes classics extra accessible.

Is Edgar Allen Poe a good start for reading classics? My brother bought me a book called 'Classic Tales for Halloween' and I read a couple stories from Edgar Allen Poe and I liked them, even though I had to research them afterward to really comprehend what happened lol.

I love a tale of two cities!

The Iliad/Odyssey....good place to start.....

Love #6. Breaks are key. :)

I'd just like to say, if you want to start reading the classics, but you find the language inaccessible, don't be ashamed to start out with books that you may think of as children's stories. I promise you, before child psychology was a thing, there was very little effort put into making things accessible to children, also most of them were written with the understanding that they would be read TO children by adults. Anyway, A.A. Milne, Rudyard Kipling, the Little Princess, Heidi, Little Women, the Water Babies, any of these (honestly everyone should read ALL of Kipling and Milne just for because) are a pretty good introduction to the style in which the classics are written, but because the audience was intended to be children the structure is kept simple. Once you feel comfortable with these, it should be very easy to step up to Dickens or Jane Austen. Once your comfortable with Dickens, well the only thing keeping you from James or Fielding is... willpower.

My first classic was The Extraordinary Cases of Sherlock Holmes but recently I started to read his dark materials (I call it a classic because a lot of people know of it) which I absolutely hated and the descriptions of oxford were really confusing for even someone who goes there lots. Recently I've read two classics though, I read Treasure Island and The Indian in the Cupboard. I like reading them because it's almost like a historical fiction for some.

I love Jane Austen!

I started reading classics as a child. I didn’t know they were “classics.” I had a bit of guidance from my mum and then I was off and running.

My favourite classic is “the trial” by kafka

I love the redwall Abby books too!

Just a tip you can start classics with adventure kind of genre, it works well for me

Would you recommend me some of the easier reads of the classics you speak of before 1914-15 and what do you think of Terri Windling books?

You should make a video about your favorite classic authors

I see Redwall books on that shelf. You are the second person I've ever known of to have heard of them.

Anna Karenina,Pride and Prejudice ♥️

It took me like a year to finish A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens and it was totally worth it.

I disagree some, and have different advice at some points. First, here are some short recommendations: Jane Austin's novels, Ernest Hemingway's novels, or Steven Crane's _The Red Badge of Courage._ _But,_ if you are game, go ahead and start with a big classic like _War and Peace._ Just be sure you know that you are in for a long haul and you will need commitment. Second, I would suggest using an ebook like Kindle. These come with a built-in dictionary. This is well-worth it! You will run into obscure and old-fashioned words, and being able to quickly look them up is super convenient. Also, if you get into large books, ebooks are a convenient size to hold. Third, life is too short to get bogged down into one author. If you find an author you like, definitely go back to that author, but read some other author, a new author, for your next book. After a few books go back to that first author. Skip around! Fast reading...When I start a new book I generally read slowly. But when I get the rhythm and feel of the book I definitely pick up the speed, and when I can't wait to find out what happens next I read fast. Sorry, I can't help it. For a thoughtful book, or a book that changes scenes, I will take a break between chapters to let the prior chapter's thoughts sink in. This is important to get the full benefit of a classic like _Crime and Punishment._ All books, but especially long classics, take unbending intent to read. When you start a book do so with _unbending intent,_ and don't give up! Note that the books that she is talking about (pre-WW1) were often written in serial format in magazines, where people would take months to read them. DNFing is a bad habit. Before you decide whether to commit to a book, _read a chapter first to see if you like it and might want to stay with it._ The last classic I read was a good one: Anthony Trollope's _The Way We Live Now._ This was my first Trollope novel. It's quite long, 700 or so pages. I will definitely pick up another Trollope novel, maybe by the end of the year.

Read copies that include footnotes. Classics were written generations ago. They weren't written with the 21st century reader in mind. Take the time to read the footnotes; not only will you understand what contemporary readers knew but you will learn something you didn't know.

i just started 'the three musketeers" by Alexandre Dumas and im loving it

I'm not read classics till that date. Can I start with Penguin little black classics??

I dont think i have ever read a true classic to be honest... the only one I own right now is dr jekyl and mr hyde so I believe that may be my first! I really want to find a good Poe compilation too

I grew up in France so I was fed Zola And Victor Hugo at school, so the first classics I read were Germinal and Notre Dame. I thought they were amazing. My favorite classic is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, which is probably my favorite novel ever. I love the language and the characters and everything, and I would strongly recommend reading classics (even though I struggled through Jane Austen)