Genre: Classics

A classic stands the test of time. The work is usually considered to be a representation of the period in which it was written; and the work merits lasting recognition. In other words, if the book was published in the recent past, the work is not a classic.

A classic has a certain universal appeal. Great works of literature touch us to our very core beings–partly because they integrate themes that are understood by readers from a wide range of backgrounds and levels of experience. Themes of love, hate, death, life, and faith touch upon some of our most basic emotional responses.

Although the term is often associated with the Western canon, it can be applied to works of literature from all traditions, such as the Chinese classics or the Indian Vedas.

The Little Prince

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Le Petit Prince
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Harcourt, Inc.
April 6, 1943
Paperback
96
French
Richard Howard
April 1, 2023 April 1, 2023
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A pilot stranded in the desert awakes one morning to see, standing before him, the most extraordinary little fellow. "Please," asks the stranger, "draw me a sheep." And the pilot realizes that when life's events are too difficult to understand, there is no choice but to succumb to their mysteries. He pulls out pencil and paper... And thus begins this wise and enchanting fable that, in teaching the secret of what is really important in life, has changed forever the world for its readers.

Few stories are as widely read and as universally cherished by children and adults alike as The Little Prince, presented here in a stunning new translation with carefully restored artwork. The definitive edition of a worldwide classic, it will capture the hearts of readers of all ages.

About the book

An alien arrives on earth.

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The Castle of Otranto

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The Castle of Otranto
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Penguin
1764
Paperback
160
English
March 18, 2023 March 22, 2023
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On the day of his wedding, Conrad, heir to the house of Otranto, is killed in mysterious circumstances. Fearing the end of his dynasty, his father, Manfred, determines to marry Conrad's betrothed, Isabella, until a series of supernatural events stands in his way. . . .

Set in the time of the crusades, The Castle of Otranto established the Gothic as a literary form in England. With its compelling blend of psychological realism and supernatural terror, guilty secrets and unlawful desires, it has influenced a literary tradition stretching from Ann Radcliffe and Bram Stoker to Daphne Du Maurier and Stephen King.

This Penguin Classics edition includes a full selection of early responses to the novel, as well as a critical introduction, chronology of Walpole's life and works, suggestions for further reading, and full explanatory notes.

What I think

The story is cute, but nothing special. The version I read is a bit difficult to read, as they adopt an old-fashioned style and don’t use the right direct speech signs. And there are some typos.

The story is obviously dated and it is noted that at the time women were subjected to the will of their father first and then their husband, but I’m happy with how the book ended.

 

Les Misérables

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Les Misérables


Penguin
1862
Paperback
1463
French
Norman MacAfee, Charles E. Wilbour, Lee Fahnestock, Isabel Florence Hapgood
January 1, 2023 March 17, 2023
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Victor Hugo's tale of injustice, heroism and love follows the fortunes of Jean Valjean, an escaped convict determined to put his criminal past behind him. But his attempts to become a respected member of the community are constantly put under threat: by his own conscience, when, owing to a case of mistaken identity, another man is arrested in his place; and by the relentless investigations of the dogged Inspector Javert. It is not simply for himself that Valjean must stay free, however, for he has sworn to protect the baby daughter of Fantine, driven to prostitution by poverty.

What I think

I liked the book much more than War and Peace although this book also has some history though not as much as War and Peace which is way better.

I liked Fantine’s part. Although I knew her ending, her whole story is very fascinating or rather you want to know how it ends.

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Dickens’ Christmas Collection

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Dickens' Christmas Collection


Peter Haddock Publishing
1843
Hardcover
English
December 15, 2022 December 18, 2022
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During the hectic Christmas season, slow down with these heartwarming stories from some of literature’s most beloved writers.

Curl up by the fire this holiday season with a timeless Christmas tale.

Perhaps no Christmas novel is more beloved by readers than Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol—the Victorian story of Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit, and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. This giftable edition of Dickens’s 1843 work will delight those who already know the perennial classic, as well as any collector of beautiful case-bound books.

First of all, I have only read A Christmas Carol of the collection, the other stories are too “dense” and I easily lose attention. I like reading about Scrooge near Christmas, but I have to get more Christmas stories or I always end up reading the same story. There isn’t much to say about this book that hasn’t already been said. I enjoyed it, as always, maybe I “learned” something more from my first reading.

Obviously I read it in English, I thought it was a more difficult and sophisticated English but I understood everything. Maybe I’ve gotten better since I first read it.

War and Peace

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Война и миръ
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Knopf
1863
Hardcover
1273
Russian
Richard Pevear, Larissa Volokhonsky
May 18, 2022 December 14, 2022
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War and Peace centers broadly on Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 and follows three of the best-known characters in literature: Pierre Bezukhov, the illegitimate son of a count who is fighting for his inheritance and yearning for spiritual fulfilment; Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, who leaves behind his family to fight in the war against Napoleon; and Natasha Rostov, the beautiful young daughter of a nobleman, who intrigues both men. As Napoleon’s army invades, Tolstoy vividly follows characters from diverse backgrounds—peasants and nobility, civilians and soldiers—as they struggle with the problems unique to their era, their history, and their culture. And as the novel progresses, these characters transcend their specificity, becoming some of the most moving—and human—figures in world literature.

Yeah, I’ve read War and Peace. And since that time, everything went wrong. I mean, I got off to a good start, I read about 500 pages the first month, then when the story of the war started to take up all the narration I got particularly bored and couldn’t go on. And I had a reader’s block.

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