Carolyn: classic lit for beginners Me, who's been reading classics for most of their life: HECK YEAH

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

Hahaha love this! 🤣

"All you have to do to be a classics reader is pick up an old book, and read it." Fantastic!

Excellent lecture. I am a retired teacher (30+ yrs.) and I so enjoyed listening to your enthusiastic promotion of classic literature. I know you are a fabulous illustrator and lover of classics. However, you'd be a great teacher! By the way, read Homer's Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson; it's and excellent translation with an informative introduction by Ms. Wilson. It’s easy to read. I love all you videos and am a happy subscriber! Thanks Carolyn!

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for your very kind words! I've heard the Emily Wilson translation is amazing! I'll definitely read it from that translation at some point! Thank you in return Adrienne! 😁

i definitely agree that anyone can pick up any “old book” and read it. there are no prerequisites for reading classics! i jumped right in with crime and punishment last year and loved it. great tips and fantastic recommendations, professor carolyn! 👍

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

Exactly! I'm so glad to hear that! Thank you for attending! 😁

@whoknowsvee

Жыл бұрын

honestly being a non native english speaker makes it much more difficult for me lol

@Angel-aaa

Жыл бұрын

@@whoknowsvee sameeee 😭😭😭 I struggle so much, even tho I want to read them in English I know that I wouldn’t fully understand it =( so I mostly stuck w my native language

I think some people are afraid of classics because they had to read them when they were in school so it wasn't a personal choice and nowadays because of booktube and bookstagram, most channels are about YA and fantasy books . There are few readers who promote classics on their videos.

@alexasplace

2 жыл бұрын

Agree

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, exactly! Thank goodness for the book community! Classics deserve all the love!

jane eyre is what got me really into reading classics, i think it's a great place to start! or a room with a view by forster 🥰

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

Me too! I love that we both wouldn't be the readers we are today without Jane Eyre! Makes my heart happy! ❤

As someone whose just gotten into reading classic lit, this is going to be insanely helpful. Thank you for making this video!

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

I'm so glad! It's my pleasure! 😁

"Best thing about classic literature is the memes" 😂 Well said👏

@MaximBondarenko

2 жыл бұрын

Totally agree 😃

@annabelvanpelt1196

Жыл бұрын

Facts

You know what you call a channel like this, "Seriously Underrated." I just love that you talk classics almost exclusively! It makes me so happy! I'm ready for class, Carolyn. I have my No.2 pencils and notebooks all set to go.

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

Aw thank you so much! Classics definitely deserve more love! Thank you for coming to class well prepared! 😏

one of my first classics was The Count of Monte Cristo so now nothing really scares me 😂😂

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

Wow! That's one way to concur big book fears! 😆

A class where everyone is on time - I can already tell that this is a fantasy

Audible has a bunch of Jane Austen novels narrated by Rosamund Pike and I seriously recommend! That was how I approached Pride and Prejudice for the first time!

I’m not new to classic literature but I really enjoyed this. What got me into classics was a fabulous English teacher I had in high school who taught World Literature. This is where I fell in love with Charles Dickens, Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky. I am thankful to this day for having him as a teacher. It was such a blessing. I’ve been collecting the Penguin Classic Clothbounds because of your videos. I now have 21 and have begun many rereads. Like you I don’t read from those editions but enjoy them on my bookshelves, I have other ebooks and trade pbs of the same novels. Truly there is nothing like a Classic in my opinion.

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Aw that's wonderful! Teachers really do play such important roles in our lives! There are quite a few teachers that I'm also very thankful for too! Yay cloth bounds! I completely agree 😄

I LOVE “The Old man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway, and it’s very short!!!☺️

Yevgeny Zamyatin’s “We” is probably my favourite dystopian sci-fi classic. He gets overlooked because a lot of his work was suppressed by the Soviet regime but this book is fantastic. He plays with the concepts of knowledge and reality so effectively and I found it more interesting than 1984.

@ShivangiBhasin

2 жыл бұрын

I was going to recommend this book! I recently discovered it and you’re right, it’s among the more obscure classics

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

"We" has been on my list for a bit now, especially since I've been reading much more Russian lit.! It sounds like an incredible read! Thank you for the recommendation!

My enemies to lovers "book" but actually a play is always Much Ado About Nothing. It has almost ruined every other romance for me. Benedick and Beatrice are so real in their motives, but they play off eachother so hilariously, and the circumstances that bring them together are so absurd but tonally fitting. Even the bard himself knew when to throw out the high prose and let Benedick happily scream that he'll be "horribly in love!"

When you said you didn’t love Frankenstein that really helped me out. I read 1984 and didn’t like it at all but I went online and saw everyone saying how much they loved it and that it got them into classics and made them realize why they wanted to study literature. This really discouraged me because I started to think all these other classics that had great reviews I probably wouldn’t like so maybe I shouldn’t read them at all. But hearing you say it is okay to not like one book or a classic everyone else likes really lifted my spirits. This was a great video, thanks!

@manjumoond568

9 ай бұрын

Hey the online people you're talking about. Is that jack Edwards? 👀😁

@brookep17

9 ай бұрын

@@manjumoond568 yes 💀💀

@manjumoond568

9 ай бұрын

@@brookep17 I knew it!!🤧👀🤝

@oofym353

Ай бұрын

The thing about classics (or just books in general) is that everyone will have that one widely renowned book that they just don't like. For me it was the Count of Monte cristo, and that book put me off classics for awhile, I thought I might be too dumb or not well read enough to enjoy older literature. Fast forward a few years later and I'm burning through books like crime and punishment in under a week. The great thing about stories and media, is that those pieces of art speak to each of us differently depending on a multitude of personal reasons. Sorry for the ramble, but yeah just wanted to solidify your statement that you can dislike something like 1984 but still love classics :)

Most people find it hard to follow a classic because they had such a command of the English language! But if someone goes slowly and give it a chance the profound and powerful prose is so rewarding

As someone who is passionate about history I love classics because they tell a lot about the context they were written in. Don Quixote (one of my first classics) was great for that. Nice video.

I really enjoyed this video. Thank you so very much for shedding some light on the classics and your wonderful recommendations.

The Yellow Wallpaper is such a great book! Yesss love Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights

Omg I love how you address some of the obstacles when getting into classical literature for the first time like assuming it's only for smart people! My English grades weren't good for a long time and because of that, I was scared to read certain books and often felt left out and dumb when my smart friends raved about Oscar Wilde etc. But, then I had a wonderful teacher in my senior years who had the same type of mindset as you do and who didn't get mad if I was reading a children's classic. Honestly, it's people like that teacher and you that fuels my love for classics and books in general now! Lovely video~

When the title says "Ultimate" you have showed me that it is the ultimate guide for reading classic lit. I'm so in love with your energy, I'm new here and I have already watched a few of your videos and so far all of them have been so entertaining and helpful. This is truly great, I thought this video would only recommend me some classics but this one exceeds that. This video is indeed an in depth introduction to the classic literature, the authors around it, and the inspirations of each genres. Thank you for your great efforts in putting this one out!

Very compelling. I'm now inspired to give this a go this summer. Many thanks!

"The best thing about reading classics is the memes." LOL, wasn't expecting that! Great video!

Excellente video! I am Brazilian and I love Brazilian classical Literature. Thanks a lot for the suggestions!

I just watched your first classic novels guidance. OMG so glad to see this update!

@lydia3328

2 жыл бұрын

I love this “professor” plz gather more classes for us!!!

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

@@lydia3328 Planning my next class asap! Thank you for attending! 😋

@lydia3328

2 жыл бұрын

@@CarolynMarieReads I’m always ready for the next meeting professor🥰

Such an amazing video as usual. Thank you so much for this advice Carolyn! A Beginners Guide to Russian Literature would be incredible :D

Thank you ! You and *e.m.m.i.e* have encouraged me a lot to read classic english literature. Thks.

I am excited to find your channel as we are in classical conversations for my two kids and they have a deep emphasis on history and classics:)

I love classics!! AlI genres. All my life. But there were authors that I thought that I 'didn't like'. I was really inspired by the debate. I have given up on Dickens after A tale of two cities. Thanks to you I went back and right now I'm enjoying his work. I'm going to apply these advices for russians authors. I've try them but is really hard for me. Amazing video!!!!🤗❤

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

Yes! So glad you were inspired by the debate, and that you're enjoying Dickens! I hope this helps with your Russian reading journey Thank you for attending! 😁

Speaking of expectations, with great trepidation, I read Great Expectations and was astounded by the author's sense of humor! It didn't take long before the trepidation evaporated. Thank you SO much for this channel! See you soon.

When you mentioned The Outsiders, I got so excited because that is my favourite book ever!

Classics do possess wonderful moments that capture in a sentence or a paragraph the essence of what it means to be human.In fact while reading Nicholas Nickleby,I had to put down the book at one such part in utter admiration for the author.Thank you professor for this charming lecture!

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, indeed! Thank you for attending!

ahh im so glad you posted this! I'm currently in college as an English major but I've been reading mostly ya for my entire life, so I'm having trouble adjusting to all the classical literature I've been having to read for my classes. thank you for this!!

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

Oh wow! That's very understandable! I truly hope this helped, and I wish you the best of luck with your studies! Thank you for attending! 😋

"one of the best things about classics is the memes" hahahaha yes, i agree!

I started with The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison 2 years because I wanted to be a better ally and I enjoyed reading it so much that it got me back into reading, so I followed it with The Bell Jar and The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Such a great video! I have read a good share of classics, but I always enjoy watching other people's videos about them :) And I wasn't a big fan of Eugene Onegin in high school when I read it, but I have seen the opera and enjoyed it. Definitely want to reread the book, since I've read it half a life ago LOL. I also really like your personality, keep up with all the good content :)

This was a fantastic idea and I really appreciated it. Wanted to get into classic but was scared to but you have made it sound so great, that I will be reading a classic from your list. Thank you again.

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

I'm so glad! Thank you for attending! I hope you enjoy whichever classic you decide to read! My pleasure! Thank you in return!

Andy Serkis does a great job narrating "The Screwtape Letters" as well.

Oh my god!!!! I'm so happy for this updated new Beginners video. This is just what I wanted 😁😁😁😁

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

So glad! 😄

Thank you, really enjoying this community of readers :)

Your voice is so soothing! I loved loved this video❤

I wholeheartedly recommend Journey by Midnight by Antal Szerb! It's a Hungarian classic written in the 30s, so the language isn't as archaic and it's easy to understand. It takes place in various different Italian cities and Paris, the atmosphere of this book is absolutely magical❤

Omg, i loved this! Thank you so much for posting this video, it was extremely useful!!!👏🏻

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

I'm so glad! Thank you for attending!

I love your channel Carolyn! And the BBC’s war & peace (2016) absolutely rules my life, and has since I first watched it, and made me want to read the book. I do find it so intimidating but your channel is helping me become more comfortable with getting to it!

@jmsl910

Жыл бұрын

are BBC production available on youtube?

This is my 1st video of you I'm watching and I thought this is just a thing you do, talking to us like a teacher. But then you burst out laughing and I did too 🤣🤣 so funny seriously

I do love to read more classics now thanks for the help

Your AMAZING Carolyn...Love ALL your videos..Im new to this whole reading thing...LOL...Im learning so much ...your such a FAB teacher...No joke !!.looking forward to learning more as you grow your channel.....Thank you for all your hard work Carolyn...Todd...:)

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much! 😁

Congratulations for your fantastic work! All those suggestions are amazing classics, but if I may add, try to bring more non-english spoken literature options, because it seems most of the greatest classics are english, american and russian. Consider the french, the italian, the brazilian, the portuguese, the german, and you'll have a second video!! Keep going the great work!

My day was made when I found Anna Karenina The Barnes and Nobles Classics edition, at my local library for $1. It’s been the first book on my TBR for this year and I’ve been avoiding it. Well no more , diving right in. 😊

This is amazing. Thank you so much!!

Thank you so much for your excellent reviews. I enjoy your enthusiasm and your excellent sense of humor. I am 82 years old and recently cut cable. I enjoy you so much more than anything the commercial world can offer. I recently (the last decade) started reading Russian writers. I agree with many of your viewpoints. Like seeing a movie can enrich the classics. Peter Fonda spectacles as Pierre and then another Pierre comes along. I'm still wondering what happened to that daughter that enjoyed science along with her father. I think she could be a book in her own right. Best wishes in your life and Thanx!

carolyn, i just had to let you know i am smiling so hard hahaha, i’m 2.5 min in to this video and it’s your funniest yet, thank you for this 👏👏💗💗

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

I'm so glad! Thank you for attending! 😋

My first classic was Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

Amazing video! Thank you! The thing is I find it sometimes difficult to cope with the massive amount of classics there are, usually I tell myself I should focus on enjoying them, yet I still struggle from time to time...I will check the Penguin black collection, seems very interesting!! Thank you for all!! Greetings from Spain!

As a classics lover i 100% agree with the recs! the book that made me love classics was frankenstein!

This was so gorgeous, the way you acted like in university, so gorgeous!! You have a really calming voice, I loved this videos!! Last week I finally ordered an Ernest Hemingway Portrait from your etsy shop and its already on its way to Germany, Im really looking forward to receiving it. Thank you so much for selling them!! Love from Germany

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! I hope your Ernest portrait arrives soon! Thank you for supporting me and my artwork! Love from New York! 😁

Growing up, I never encountered anything or anyone who made me think that classics can be intimidating or a special kind of books that would need mental preparation. I guess I was just too ignorant to be daunted. lol As a pre-teen, I just kept reading these titles and authors in encyclopedias (yes, I grew up with them at home) and I thought, wow these must really be good books if they're still being read by people. So, I just picked whatever classic books I could find and read them. Sir Walter Scott, Bronte, Austen, Hardy, etc. I was a kid in a time and place where YA books were not that ubiquitous so I never really had the chance to read a lot of YA books. I transitioned from children's books to classics as I was entering my teens so that influenced my taste in fiction as an adult. I mostly read classics and science fiction for fiction works; as for non-fiction, my interests are considerably more expansive.

A video on poetry alone.....pls

@alexasplace

2 жыл бұрын

👀🙌

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

Noted! 😁

Your amazing learning so much on classics

The thing about classics (in my experience) is that it only takes one book to make you a classic reader. I read Anna of The Five Towns and was astonished that it could be a page-turner while portraying a somewhat mundane life about class in a small town. Before that, I always thought classics are dull and boring. Like, holly hell, classics are so cool. Then I read Where Angels Fear To Tread by E.M. Forster and found a reflection of myself in Philip Herriton. And since then, I became an avid classics reader. It blows my mind how these "old books" could be so impactful. Also, I couldn't agree more with the cultural references and memes thing! Shakespearean memes are especially my favourite :) And thank you for the heartfelt and brilliant lecture! Listening to other classic readers gush about their love for classics is my favourite :))

Adore the history:) And the earlier I hear a book was written the more of a feeling happens within my chest. Oh my 💗 I shall very much look forward to delving into number 8

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

Yes! I completely understand! 😄

Amazing video!

Awesome video Carolyn! The book that got me into classics was The Kreutzer Sonata by Leo Tolstoy!

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Chris! Can't go wrong with Tolstoy!

@jamesduggan7200

2 жыл бұрын

I love that story, and often I listen to Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata in the morning.

Would love to see a Russian classics version of this! My classics recommendation is probably East of Eden by John Steinbeck but want to do a deep dive on Russian classics next

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

So glad! Will start planning it soon! I actually haven't read East of Eden yet, but hoping to get to it soon! Best of luck with your Russian lit. deep dive!

Can u pls make videos on art history, educate us about forms of art n how it evolved and all??🥺I really love your vids n the way u express...❤❤❤❤

YOU ARE PRECIOUS PLEASE 😭😭

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

Aw hahaha thank you! 😄

You’re simply amazing 🥰

great video 🙏 I love classic literature I really enjoyed Wuthering Heights❤

Very good intro ...Bravo!!

YESS, i love classics but booktube doesn’t talk about them enough!

After all these years of reading Russian (and Soviet) Literature, these are my picks for the best...." Quiet Flows the Don" Mikhail Sholokhov novel..."The Storm" Aleksandr Ostrovsky play....."The Cossacks" Leo Tolstoy short novel...& "The Lady With the Little Dog" Anton Chekhov short story (recommendations).

I love this video and your amazing channel please stay safe and enjoy your reading love your intro xx

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

😁

wishing u well miss carolyn!! ♥️

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

You as well!

This inspired me, and I've just ordered The Portrait of Dorian Gray and David Copperfield, both as Penguin Clothbound Classics! Thank you! 🙏

This is just the best… thank you for this

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for attending! 😁

You´re amazing. Thank you for this video.

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Great recommendations and video structure

I love classic literature discussion.

omg i was just searching for a guide like this and your video came up in my feed!

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

Perfect! I hope it helped!

@mgnusreads

2 жыл бұрын

@@CarolynMarieReads it really did! english is not my native language so the tips are very helpful

Thank you for this video! I adore classical literature! The only problem is, after reading so many well written books, it's hard to read modern books that may have a plot that I am very interested in but are not well written. It's frustrating sometimes!!

You can babble on all you like because its all good stuff.Well done!

Other people: You have to be smart to read classics. Me who reads primarily classics: Well you haven't met me...

Great video, thanks for that. Somehow you remind me of Meg Ryan's character in 'You've Got Mail'.

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! That’s one of my favorites!

I did the same with Pride and Prejudice. So I 100% agree on watching an adaptation first. I also did this for Dracula. I've been so intimidated by Russian classics, I've never read a single one. I'll try to incorporate these tips and try to tackle crime and punishment. I wonder if reading retellings like Song of Achilles or Circe would help in reading the Iliad and the Odyssey.

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

So glad you agree! Russian classics are incredible! I'd also recommend starting with some short Russian classics like White Nights by Dostoyevsky or First love by Turgenev! I've read and loved the Song of Achilles and Circe! They both definitely made me want to read the Odyssey much more!

@RoxIsReading

2 жыл бұрын

@@CarolynMarieReads Ooh, I'll definitely note those down! Thank you.

Some mystery classics that I would recommend The Maltese Falcon by DeMill, and of corse Sherlock Holmes. Thanks so much for sharing your tips, the big books intimidate me still. I think Jane Eyre is the book that got me started.

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the recommendations! Big books intimidate me too! hahaha Yes! Jane Eyre was the classic that got me started too! 😁

I'm so excitedddd for this video

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

😁

Me, an avid classic literature reader: Write that down! Write that down!

Oh, love the intro!

" Even if you don't like a classic and you've a copy of it , you've a beautiful book" HAHAHAHAH ! Amazing amazing video ! 😘

Omg!! Prof Carolyn is sweet but intimidating. 🤪 I like The friend Carolyn .. so natural!! 😍

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

hahaha 😄

Love this!!😂

Hey Carolyn, I just found you today- and have really enjoyed the couple videos I've had time to watch! By happenstance, I just did a bit of a Tolstoy/Dostoevsky deep dive and then realized that it may be time that I give Dickens a second chance (I narrowly avoided falling into a coma on a previous attempt at David Copperfield). I had no idea that this is apparently the hip transition to make. Anyways, I have a question. I'm embarrassingly and perhaps even offensively under-read when it comes to female authors in general (at least as far as "classics" are concerned). I just ordered Pride and Prejudice which seems to be a logical start. Which female authors and books more specifically would make for a good launching off point? I should mention that I ambitiously read Little Women when I was in the 4th grade as it was worth the most points for some scholastic something or other. I was, and am still, scarred from the experience. I am 33. This may or may not be relevant. Thank you. :)

For me classic books are more interesting to read.I think bcoz i developed this hobby growing up,i used to borrow books from book rental which is not existed anymore today.I already read wuthering heights,adam bede, Sidney Sheldon Novels, i ever read pride and prejudice and many more.Today i really like reading Pearl S.Buck novels.I'm 38 years now but i have a difficult reading contemporary books.And language is not a problem bcoz those books had been into Indonesia.Really like your video.Greetings from Indonesia.🙏

I had to get the audiobook of The Brothers Karamazov. I struggled with that book not gonna lie. But the Audiobook helped me a ton!

💖💖💖 wonderful!!! funny!!! brilliant amazing!!!

@CarolynMarieReads

2 жыл бұрын

😁😁😁

I wrote my thesis on the similarities between Lilith by George MacDonald and The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis :)

Yes,she is an enthusiast and charming too.

Nice Video, for Novels I am only readidng classics lately, I need to put a limit for now, otherwise I won't be able to get anywhere lol