As someone who joined the Hardcore Literature group a few months ago, I strongly encourage it. Everyone is very nice and loves books. And Ben's lectures have illuminated multiple novels for me, pointing out items in these great books that I never would've noticed on my own.

@BenjaminMcEvoy

3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! That is so incredibly lovely of you to say. You've completely made my day. I’m so grateful that you have been reading these great books with so much love with us ☺🙏

@Bontonification

3 ай бұрын

Just joined too! Really impressed!

@patriciadattoma4479

3 ай бұрын

Agree 100%!!

@pupperface

3 ай бұрын

Me too! Member for a year and counting

@hayaadil1479

3 ай бұрын

What tier have you joined?

So I'm a musician, and I've only recently gotten into literature. I have often found that a lot of my initial dislikes with certain books are similar to my dislikes of certain albums I initially detested as a teenager. But a lot of those albums went on to become my favourites, and I find that many books (Moby Dick comes to mind) prompted a similarly gradual response. I think the reason why we dislike certain works of art is because they require a radical shift in mindset, and not all of us are ready for that or have the time or energy. But if you do have the time, energy and most importantly, curiosity, it can result not only in a greater appreciation for art but life itself, and makes you more empathetic to other perspectives.

@diwataluna

3 ай бұрын

This is why I don't force myself to read a book or listen to music when I'm not in the right mindset. It will hamper my enjoyment and appreciation.

@DanielLopez-zt4ig

2 ай бұрын

@@diwataluna you can force yourself to finish a book, but you will forget it in days because there was not any experience.

@DanielLopez-zt4ig

2 ай бұрын

You can escape from the right mindset if you read translations.

I admire your receptiveness to critical reviews of your favorite books. It's the complete opposite of my reaction - when I come across negative reviews of my favorites, I have the urge to pull my hair out! Kudos to you

I hope you do a video on the books that give you hope or how literature in general gives you hope soon

Always a pleasure to hear your literary perspective/s -- it's a shame that people reading Austen, particularly Pride & Prejudice, see only the 'romance' which for me is the bare framework for what she's really doing which is laying bare our species, our social structures, maybe even the nature of our reality itself. P&P is also a *riotous* read -- there is so much wit and humor I can never pick it up without grinning from ear to ear and marveling at her laser perspicacity. I completely understand why Woolf considered her to be on a par with Shakespeare.

I fell in love with ‘Blood Meridian’ last year and decided I would read only the best stuff from then on. I’ve since read Moby Dick which has to be my favourite of all time, Heart of Darkness, War of the Worlds and I am now absolutely loving Middlemarch. I cannot wait to read Ulysses (after a closer look at Hamlet and a read of the odyssey) and I reckon I’ll love Austen as well. Thanks so much for these videos they have hugely inspired me which has actually changed my life! 👍

I'm an avid reader, but a huge auditory learner. So when cracking The Brothers Karamazov, I liked having the audiobook and the book in hand. Bouncing between the two and actually hearing the words while reading was the best way for me to tackle it. I'm not always someone who valued classic literature but I binged a fair bit of Flannery O'Connor, Kafka, and now getting through Brothers', I feel like I'm connecting to these more complicated novels. So I'm glad to have discovered your channel! New follower here!

Thats it im joining the bookclub! half of these are my favourites too

A lot of the reason as to why many classics are "big books", is because they were the soap operas of the 19th century. Those books came out originally in serial form so the people would read several chapters in a month then have to wait until the next installment. ALSo, authors often would be paid by the page so there was incentive to write as many pages as possible. It was the business model back then.

@MrSyntheticSmile

2 ай бұрын

Actually books, especially novels, became bigger in 20th and 21st century. A cursory look at the popular books is enough to prove this. In 19 century books were hardly that big. It is just that some of the books that became well known are big.

Every one of your videos turns me on to yet another "new" classic - thank you!

@BenjaminMcEvoy

3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, Kristina! That makes me so happy!! ☺

That was a lot of fun! You are undoubtedly the best classic literature reviewer on KZread.

You are a really good teacher that’s a wonderful quality 😁

@BenjaminMcEvoy

3 ай бұрын

Aw, thank you so much. I really appreciate that ☺️

Great video. Doing this myself with my own favorite books was really useful, and it was the thing that made me realize that literature (or art in general) is so subjective

@BenjaminMcEvoy

2 ай бұрын

Thank you so much :) That's such a great exercise to do with your favourite books! And very true about the subjectivity of art!

There's no accounting for taste, and as the great film critic Pauline Kael said, "There is no such thing as objectivity in the arts." For all my differences with Dostoevsky when it comes to religion (and they are serious differences), I find his novels endlessly fascinating and compulsively readable. I think his psychological revelations are mind-blowing. While reading "The Brothers Karamazov" (and "Demons"), I could barely think of anything else. I will never forget the chill I felt reading the scene where Ivan is listening to his father walking around.

Bahahahah! Just got to the section on Jane Eyre. I literally gasped right before you said,”I can almost hear the collective gasp.” 😂

The Count of Monte Christo was wonderful. I really enjoyed it. East of Eden was a smash hit for me. Once I started it I had to keep on going.

I’m sure it was not easy dealing with the one star reviews. You’re a braver man than I am.

I have joined the Hardcore Literature Book Club as well. The group is wonderful, and Ben's lectures have been so interesting and knowledgeable. I have added another favorite book of all time with The Count of Monte Cristo because of the group.

I'm currently reading the Penguin Classics David McDuff translation of The Brothers Karamazov. It took a few chapters to get used to the often complicated sentence structure but since then it has been plain sailing. I love the characters of Alyosha, Father Zosima, Ivan and I found Fyodor Pavlovich hilarious. It's definitely not a novel you can rush but I've always been a slow reader and it helps. I've almost read to page 800 and at the moment I can't say that I've ever read a better novel.

I loved your previous video discussing 1 start reviews and looking forward to watching this one! It's really interesting to see the wide range of opinions, and often these 1 star reviews point to things other people might actually really love about a book! Hope you make this into a series, it's an entertaining one for sure.

I agree with what you said about The Brother's Karamazov, about the fact that it needs to be read over the course of one's life. I read it in a two month span and I think I need to go back and read it more slowly with a pen. I liked it, but didnt love it like I thought I would. However, it is a book that has stayed with me, and I think about it often. For that reason, I feel like my esteem for it has grown.

My honours thesis was on Jane Eyre many, many moons ago. I analyzed what everyone was reading throughout the novel, and found a connection there. I still have the paper somewhere. Wide Sargasso Sea was wonderful as well. Thank you for your wonderful, informative videos.

Oh, Ben! Joining in with Hardcore Literature with you is a joy, but just listening to this is its own pleasure. I laughed aloud several times during this episode. You are a treasure.

@BenjaminMcEvoy

3 ай бұрын

Aw, thank you so much! That is so lovely of you. You've completely made my day! ☺️

Hello Benjamin, first time writing here. Came across your channel a few months ago while looking for tips & tricks to tackle James Joyce’s Ulysses. I wanted to congratulate you for the mammoth work you knocked out to create your videos and this high quality literary content! I’m happy to have found you! Listening to you the other day on "how to read short stories", I was thinking “Man if only that guy were my teacher back then, my high school years would have been so much more exciting!” (and another Ray Bradbury’s fan here, hello 😊) About the reviews: I quite agree with the one on Dracula, especially about the bad dialogues between certain characters but as for the epistolary style, I do think it works: though as you said, maybe the reader has to find a way to get to grips with it. I’ve recently decided to add a few classics to my reading list like Steinbeck’s East of Eden (so I won’t read any reviews about it!) and also Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. I’m also very drawn to Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy but haven’t decided where to begin… I have a second hand 1978 Penguin edition of” Jude the Obscure” so I might start with that. Do you have a favourite yourself (as difficult as the question might be!)? I heard you talking about Maupassant or Proust quite often, I was wondering if you have ever read them in French? I prefer to read in the original language as much as possible when it comes to English and Spanish, but I’m a bit shy with poetry and Ulysses… I might just give it a go with a fresh eye and let myself being surprised by the discovery and see how much I am able to understand! Have a lovely Sunday, and keep up the good work! P.S: went to Daunt Books in Marylebone last September and I just fell in love with that bookshop. Loved your video about it, instantly brought me back there !

Our book club has just read Possession by AS Byatt and agreed that this book was probably the most challenging we have ever read. The writing was so dense, complex, subtle with a reverberation of re-emerging themes. I felt “possessed” by the narrative and was heartily relieved to finish it / escape from its domination of my consciousness. I would love to hear your thoughts on this amazing book. I am in awe of AS Byatt - it seems incredible that one human being could create this masterpiece. She wrote “ everything connects and connects - all the time - and I suppose one studies literature because all these connections seem endlessly exciting and then in some sense dangerously powerful - as though we held a clue to the true nature of things” (maud)

People also need to realize that many of these classics (especially the long ones), is that they were normally meant to be commentaries of society at the time. That means needing to have details that might seem boring or unnecessary. And as a few ither commenters have mentioned, many books at the time were published as individual chapters in magazines and newspapers etc... And yea, some books are just not for everyone. A book, no matter how good, isnt going to grab everyone.

You need to be prepared to read The Brothers Karamazov. It is not easy even for us, russians. For anyone who want to indulge themselves into fabulous worlds of Dostoevsky's literature start from his earlier works, they are much more readible and still great. I suggest starting from The Gambler -> Humiliated and Insulted -> some short storys, for example White Nights -> Crime and Punishment -> The Idiot and then you could be ready to start The Brothers Karamazov.

Love, love, love this series❤! May there be many more...

Ive found that when i disliked a book it had more to do with me and where i am at the time. Give it another go and youl likely enjoy them!

I'm a very recent subscriber but I absolutely loved the concept of this video! Incredibly insightful and fascinating. Would be amazing to get more of these!

I agree. I've seen 1 star reviews of disco elysium, which absolutely blew my mind. Its a game but more of an interactive novel. If you enjoy flawed protagonists then i can't think of a better one.

Hello Ben and my fellow readers, I am shocked at some of the books reviewed as 1 star, because, as you mentioned Ben, at the Hardcore Literature Book Club, last year we read some of these books. I'm super proud that I read The Count of Monte Cristo (that was my favorite_, Jane Eyre (loved it), The Brother's Karamazov (loved it_, along with the other club selections. They were amazing and life changing. Yes, some were harder than others, but with your lectures, and discussions with the other members, it was doable and enjoyable. This year, running through East of Eden, and it's so good. Loving it. However, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and as you say Ben, there is a time in life to read these books, and coming back later in life, like I did for East of Eden, made so much more sense. Thanks M.

Thank you for this one Benjamin. It's terrific! As soon as I finished watching it I sent the link off to my book group. You covered so much here and, as always, I was astonished at how much you have read and can comment on with so much insight. I am 100% with you on Jane Austen. I remember being totally perplexed when our English teach brought in the stack of Pride and Prejudice in an all boys school in 1964. Now of course I find that I resonate with everything you say about that book - in particular I liked your reference to Elizabeth's Shakespearean inwardness. Your comments Brothers Karamazov also brought back memories of how powerfully I was affected by that book - particularly the reference to the Grand Inquisitor. I have a gripe though Benjamin. I have never seen any reference to Australian writers in you KZread commentaries. In particular I would have been interested to hear what you might have said about Gerald Murnane's writing. I find him to be very elusive. That aside, you are doing great work here - again, thank you.

Today I listened to your podcast on Spotify for the first time and I must tell you it was like a meditation. I kept looking outside the window of my office at some birds and went into deep thought. It's amazing!!!! I love literature and I hardly find anyone with the same kinda love for it. Plus you really know literature the way it should be known ❤❤

Usually I read classics, but the books that have affected my life the most in recent years have all been memoirs. Something about listening to someone tell their own true story in their own words, from people who live in the same country as me (united states). Just about all of what they say is also relevant to my own life. Maybe they could be helpful for you too. - The Day After Roswell, by Col. Philip J. Corso, 1997 - Stories I Only Tell My Friends, Rob Lowe, 2011 - Rescued by Ghosts, Timothy L. Drobnick, Sr., 2020 - The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love, Kristin Kimball, 2010 - An American Story, Debra J. Dickerson, 2000 - Making Weapons Talking Peace, Herbert F. York, 1987

I fully appreciate that someone may struggle to read The Brothers Karamazov but I don’t understand someone not enjoying the narrative. It’s a hugely entertaining book as well as being very fulfilling.

God I'm so happy you mentioned the importance of translation, Benjamin! I strongly urge English-speaking readers of WAR AND PEACE to read the Anthony Briggs translation. It's absolutely magnificent. I've read four or five of the English translations and it's my favorite by far. Avoid like the plague any translation by Pevear & Volokonsky, folks. I wish they could be sued for malpractice, those two clowns.

@dominicestebanrice7460

3 ай бұрын

Well said....I was shocked when I finally sampled P&V.....they make the baggy monsters feel like reading Harry Potter.....don't get me wrong, I love JKR for what she did for teen readers back in the day but Russian 'golden age' authors should not sound like that

@blakeray9856

3 ай бұрын

I am now reading (for the third time) W&P in the Briggs translation. I had read it previously in the Maude translation. Before I committed myself to Briggs, I read the opening 4 or five chapters in Garnett, Maude, Briggs, P&V, and compared these with Tolstoy's original Russian. (I studied this language in College and spent a semester in what was then the Soviet Union.) I also read the translators' essays in Briggs and P&V. Translation is tough work, and there are different philosophies on how to approach it. And, inexplicably, tastes differ. Someone brainwashed into believing that the translation in their hands is the latest and most authentic and best, and who can't compare it with the original, may somehow believe they are "hearing Tolstoy's true voice and style," etc., etc. To my ears, P&V are intolerable, since their English lacks tone, nuance, rhythm, and comes across (to me) as flat and boring. Not to mention some very odd word choices, so odd, in fact, that I think they concentrated on words, and didn't bother to listen to the sense or context. And this weakness shows up in their translations of other Russian authors as well. The Maude translation is superb, Constance Garnett very unfairly maligned in our current book market; she was remarkable. And Briggs may go a bit too far, for my taste, into completely idiomatic English expressions, idioms that don't exist in Russian, but the sense is there, and you get the feeling that he really understands what makes something readable, affecting, and respectful of the original text. Anyway, this is an endless discussion, and I don't have the time to cite specific examples here, but now I've got this off my chest! I was amused to watch a KZread video (in Russian) about Nabokov, who spoke both English and Russian fluently since childhood, and who translated his own work, but, in the opinion of the poster, did this very clumsily, with many examples cited. And Nabokov was so persnikity about language!

@todesque

3 ай бұрын

@@blakeray9856 You and I might be twins separated at birth; it would be hard for me to agree more emphatically with everything you've written above. So, yeah, I think I've read the Briggs three times -- five stars. Maude I regard highly. Same goes for Garnett. You didn't mention Ann Dunnigan. I quite like her translation. Hers is a fairly literal translation, but still sounds like normal English. (I've studied Russian for almost 4 years so I can form a rudimentary layman's opinion.) P&V write English with such clunkiness and artlessness. Would be hard to describe the disgust I feel towards them. Briggs takes poetic liberties, no question. His might not be the most accurate word for word translation, but his style is so beautiful and elegant that in side by side comparisons I nearly always prefer his choices. For sheer reading pleasure Briggs is my man.

@blakeray9856

3 ай бұрын

@todesque Just to be clear, I am now reading W&P in the Briggs translation for the first time; the two previous times I read it were in the Maude translation. My understanding is that the Maude translation has been revised, with the original French parts restored in the text, and perhaps a few very minor errors corrected, and some of the names restored to their original Russian form. I read the unrevised version in a Norton Critical Edition. I bought a Kindle version of the first two volumes of W&P in a bilingual edition that lines up the Maude and the original Russian paragraph by paragraph on the same page. Very helpful and not expensive! The rest of it is available as well, but...one step at a time! I have not seen the Ann Dunnigan translation, but I have seen it recommended elsewhere. It's also available on Kindle for two dollars. It seems to me that Tolstoy writes exceptionally clearly and directly all the time and that his writing lends itself easily to English translation. (With the acknowledgment, of course, that any translation involves approximations no matter what languages are involved.) There were some clunkers on the first two pages of P&V's translation that made me want to slam the book shut. I tried to read their translation of The Master and Margarita, and gave up after 30 pages or so. A Gogol story I read translated by them contains obvious mistakes, for example, "willow tree" was translated as "pussy willows," and "claws," in the sense of crab or lobster claws, was translated as "tongs." And you don't need Russian to determine from the context that these are errors. In a few places, I think even Briggs is too literal. He translates "Ты что" as "you what" which is exactly literal, but means in Russian something like "What are you going on about?" or, "what's up with you?" or "are you serious?"

I have been looking foreword to another of these one star reviews. Great fun which always brings a smile.

@BenjaminMcEvoy

3 ай бұрын

Thank you, Jan! I'm so thrilled you enjoy them :) I love doing these!

Such a fun video! Great job to your editor for picking such detailed and entertaining one-star reviews.

@BenjaminMcEvoy

3 ай бұрын

Thank you, Jessica!! ☺️

I am about 450 pages in, in The Brothers Karamazov trans by David Mcduff, I found it difficult but I really found The Grand Inquistor and Father Zosima speech were very very profound, I will keep reading it. I felt like I was not ready for this.

Fantastic video as always Ben Hope everyone’s reading some good stuff atm. If anyone’s in need of recommendations,two of my absolute favorite books are ones that I only discovered this past year: Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast series, and Dodie Smith’s I Capture the Castle. Wonderful, wonderful stuff.

I rated the Brothers Karamazov 2 stars on goodreads. And Gravity's Rainbow is my favorite book of all time.

Regarding Brothers Karamazov, it is inspired by Svedenborg's mystical elements and character types. Dimitri is fire, the passionate poet. Aliosa is water, the empathetic priest. Ivan is air, the tumultuous metaphysician. The illegitimate son is earth, the guy who gets things done: on him, the cook, the caretaker, falls the duty by some obscure notions alluded to by Ivan to become the murderer. What an all-encompassing, metaphysical AS WELL as psychologically deep, work of art! Keep posting discussions on books Benjamin! It makes for great viewing pleasure, though I disagree with you often.

I read Brothers Karamazov over the course of 2 weeks while I was in the hospital bed. No issues with the writing style , it's a very memorable and unique book but Dostoevsky's worldview just doesn't go for my Nietzschean heart. I definitely agree with "selfish characters" accusation :))

I like your sense of humour over these reviews Ben. Exactly as life should be don’t you think. Just good fun!

Again, many of these reviews hurt! Haha, great video Ben! Loved the point where some complaints that readers have are about things that other readers love. That’s the beauty of books. 🥰

Last year was a marvellous reading year ,Ben with the Hardcore Literature bookclub and this one has also started off beautifully with East of Eden and Walt Whitman 🎉 thank you 🙏

@BenjaminMcEvoy

3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, Jane! It has been such a joy appreciating these great works with you! I'm happy there's so much love for Steinbeck and Whitman ☺🙏

As a member of the Hardcore Literature Group I can honestly say that Ben is the best! Bring literature into your life is the best thing you can do.

@BenjaminMcEvoy

3 ай бұрын

Aw, thank you so much, Helen. That means the world to me 🙏☺️

I need a Benjamin McEvoy video right now. Cheer me up.

I just started reading "The Count of Monte Cristo" last night. Immediately, I fell in love with the writing and the characters. I find it almost unbelievable how enthralled I was after ten pages. Alexandre Dumas was undoubtedly a master at his craft! I am already in love with the book and can not wait to see everything it has in store for me. (Your description of Dantès' journey certainly made me even more anxious to keep reading!)

@kimbarbeaureads

3 ай бұрын

I adored the audiobook. It uses the lesser translation, but it was SO good.

@paladin1726

3 ай бұрын

I had a difficult time with the first several pages, just the writing style, and it ended up overtaking Pride and Prejudice as my favorte book of all time. 1a and 1b. The dialogue is brilliant. The development of the Count is phenomenal. The movie version of this is horrid, and frankly insulting to the book.

@jasminrothenfluh

3 ай бұрын

@@paladin1726 Alright I will remember NOT to watch the movie! Thank you for the warning :)

@m.c.3541

3 ай бұрын

i love love love The Count of Monte Cristo - read it with the Hardcore Literature Book club last year. I could not get it out of my mind and still thinking about it. I'm also super proud of reading all the great books in the book club. Join you will not be sorry. Best and great reading. M.

@pascalrouen

3 ай бұрын

I just finished The Count of Monte Cristo two days ago. Arguably my favorite book of all time. It's just enthralling from start to finish. Especially the final 400 pages. Not one chapter of the book is there without purpose - which I say as a heads up, if you ever get bored even for a moment - and each detail is carefully placed and plotted as you will see. Not one chapter or storyline is there by accident. Enjoy seeing how it all unfolds. I've considered watching one of the film or miniseries adaptations, but will not do so for now, as the images I have in my mind from reading the book cannot be matched. I look forward to rereading this novel for the rest of my life.

Great insights as always .... Thank you dear Benjamin for enlightening us ❤❤❤

@BenjaminMcEvoy

3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, Shabir!! 🙏❤️

Just looking at the title, I feel it’s going to be a brilliant video.

First of all, I absolutely recommend the Hardcore Literature Book Club to anyone who loves reading. Ben is so knowledgeable and it's wonderful to interact with other members of the Club. Second, I am devastated by the the East of Eden one star review. That hurt quite a bit lol. I read it almost a year ago and am reading mostly my marginalia for this round. But it's simply exquisite. Yes, Cathy is evil. But it is not as if Steinbeck celebrates her "evilness" - I would hardly say that putting Cathy in the novel shows a hatred of women. Having her in that novel does so much for it, I think. This was great fun to listen to.

@BenjaminMcEvoy

3 ай бұрын

Aw, thank you so much, Vickie! That means the absolute world to me :) I'm with you on feeling devastation at that one star review for East of Eden because I love the novel so dearly! Cathy really feels like the novel's beating heart to me. The story needs her in the fashion Steinbeck presented her for the book's theme's to hit as powerfully as they do!

I bought alot of dostoevsky this week. I love the reviews

Just finished the Count of Monte Cristo yesterday. Such an interesting perspective that it was perhaps meant to leave a dissatisfaction with the reader. Moving on to Don Quixote next, I know it’s one of your favorites. Might subscribe to the hardcore lit club to hear your lectures on that one!

I love these kinds of Videos. Keep it up Benjamin ^^

@BenjaminMcEvoy

3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much!! :)

This is the most thoughtful response to critics I have ever heard! 😊 you have really helped me to enjoy classics by the encouragement to slow down in the reading. I felt like such a failure in trying to read the classics, until I slowed down, asked questions, enjoyed the details. I am reading “A Tale of Two Cities” and really enjoying it. I am 6 weeks in and halfway through.😊

Thanks for this timely reminder that everyone has opinions on great books, even wrong ones! 😅

@warlockofwordschannel7901

3 ай бұрын

Writing and reading going well, btw.

You have no soul if you have given The Brothers Karamazov a one star review.

@JHS447

3 ай бұрын

Interesting. I could not stay with this novel when I tried it late last year. I gave up after 150 pages or so. Much too much discussion of religion for my taste. It bored me to death. Plus, I found the father and the brothers all unlikeable in one way or another, so I didn’t care about the characters. Many serious people consider this the greatest novel of all time. What am I missing? 😅

@kimbarbeaureads

3 ай бұрын

I got bogged down a few times, but I love Alyosha. He saved it for me.

@blakeray9856

3 ай бұрын

@JHS447 Don't feel bad. When I was in my late teens, I was quite taken by Notes from the Underground and Crime and Punishment. When you get older (in the words of Jorge Borges), you seek out more tranquil writers. I've read Brothers Karamzov twice, but, except for a few sections, it rehashes a lot of Dostoyevsky's perpetual themes and characters. The prostitute, the alcoholic, the person with tuberculosis, the troubled man turning himself inside out with self hatred, the epilectic--it all gets tiresome to me. Not to mention all the outrageous emotional outbursts, scenes, and self-debasement. I think there are many better Russian writers.

@JHS447

3 ай бұрын

@@blakeray9856 So interesting! I loved crime and punishment in my 20’s, but also couldn’t get through it a year or two ago. Give me Tolstoy, Austen, Dickens and Eliot any day.

Hi, muso getting into literature here. I’m reading Brothers Karamazov and it’s the it’s the most recent Penguin Classics version, it must be a direct translation and it contains a lot of explanations within the text as I’m not at the onion chapter and am 400 pages in. That being said, it’s probably the best book I’ve ever read and has reduced me uncontrollably to tears during certain passages. Sometimes when I lose focus, my mind wanders off, not to thoughts of my holiday in Thailand but reflections of my own shortcomings that I didn’t even realise existed and I’ve found myself thinking hard about life for long periods of time before going back and rereading a whole section. I think any powerful work can elicit a powerful reaction but depending on the circumstances in one’s life can be positive or negative. That’s why I think when you do experience that powerful reaction and it is negative, it’s definitely worth returning to the work multiple times.

@craigmckissick8840

3 ай бұрын

Also thanks Benjamin for introducing me to these classic works in such an approachable way, as I might never have read them otherwise!

My first experience with the Brothers Karamazov was with the McAndrew translation. I have the P&V translation and I'm looking forward to seeing the difference.

@Mentat1231

3 ай бұрын

I read the McAndrew one and loved it (I'd chosen it after seeing side-by-side comparisons of 4 or 5 of the most popular ones). If I read it again, I will probably try the P&V one.

The classics just rub some wrong. Recently i've devoted the rest of my life reading, mostly from my kindle as i can read in the dark lying down in any position, and anywhere, and to read up to 70 hours a week. Is it too unconventional to read from a whole lot of books at a time? It's what feels natural for me, it's the immediate sensation of the reading that does it for me, and whenever i read from a classic i think of you Ben the most inspirational, clear and compassionate literary appreciator guides around. TY

Happy February Benjamin. Just popping in a comment for the algorithm haha

@BenjaminMcEvoy

3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, Dave! I really appreciate it ☺️

These reviews are fun to hear. Brothers Karamazov is one of the greatest works every written. I adore East of Eden and I wholeheartedly agree with your comments on Cathy.

@BenjaminMcEvoy

3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much :) Reading through these reviews has honestly only made my love for great writers like Dostoyevsky and Steinbeck even stronger!

Have you ever tried reading greec Tragedy? I am from Germany and study classical philology and Biology. I can highly recomend you Medea, Antigone and king oedipus. Also a realy hidden gem of German literature is Hiob (Joseph Roth)

not me having another urge to read Gravity's Rainbow after watching this video.

I have difficulties loving Dickens. Up to now, I only tried three of his works: Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, and Bleak House. I really like CC, frustrated at GE, and DNFed BH after c17. For the latter two, I found coincidental plots very frustrating, especially when revealing main characters' parentage, in addition to the long-winded prose, meandering plots, and numerous characters. I really believe Dickens can write amazingly (CC is great in every way), and I really want to like at least one of his longer works.

I’ve been reading with Ben’s amazing series and the only book I’d give less than four stars is Gravity’s Rainbow - which is getting a 1 from me so far. My favorites have included Clarissa , The Count of Monte Cristo , Middlemarch and the best of all War and Peace

What a fun and interesting video ! You're my English literature teacher, thanks for sharing :)

I really enjoy your videos Benjamin.

@BenjaminMcEvoy

3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, Paul! I really appreciate that :)

I swear you could discuss product ingredients and I'd watch it, enthralled! Always excited to see a new Ben video. You've greatly reignited my love of reading and have given me a world of classics to choose from. Looking forward to one day joining your book club! ~Deborah

I'm reading the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation of War and Peace and don't mind the French at all. It just makes it a little closer to how Tolstoy wrote it. It's a great book, should have read it years ago.

If there’s one character I truly feel sorry for in Count of Monte Cristo, it is Mercedes

@BenjaminMcEvoy

2 ай бұрын

I'm completely with you there, Kat!

Hi Benjamin. First of all I wanted to thank you for all the great videos you give us. Secondly I want to ask if you have read any swedish litterature? (If you haven't I would highly recommend August Strindberg)

I was going to ask you what you thought of Wide Saragasso Sea! I enjoyed it quite a bit as an adjunct to one of my favorites JE.

@krishnathapa177

3 ай бұрын

Thats awesome book..Although author had lived really sad life.😥

Never stop this series. We want Part 3!!!

I read Dostoevsky in my late teens. I enjoyed it immensely. I am now in my sixties and have lost the ability to read long and complex novels. My brain has been dilapidated by the pace of modern life.

When reading a classic I often go to Wikipedia for the list of characters and descriptions to keep as a reference if I need it…….Thank you for one of my favorite channels

at :38 he says "I like holding great writers up against each other..." and suddenly I mentally pictured some weird sexual situation between Jack London and Henry James! LOL

People who give a book a one-star rating often haven't experienced the challenges of writing one themselves. It raises the question of why someone would assign a low rating to another person's work. Even if the book is not fully understood, recognizing the author's hard work is a gesture of appreciation. When encountering a book for the first time, the initial understanding may be limited. Rereading allows for a different perspective. Personally, I listen to the audio first to grasp the story before delving into the text. Thank you, Benjamin, for all your contributions!

thank you for this joyful video ☺️

@BenjaminMcEvoy

3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for watching! ☺

Ben, if you can help: I have been deep diving on the videos and podcasts and enjoying them very much. I recently listened to you speaking on one of these episodes and you mentioned a piece of early 20th century music that you (then?) had recently discovered-- was it a piano concerto? a symphony? Was the year 1902? You mentioned loving the second movement of the piece. Do you remember this piece of music-- it was a passing reference and I did not have the opportunity to make note of it and now, no idea in which episode this reference was made. Thank you if you're able to remember.

@BenjaminMcEvoy

3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, Tom! I'm so happy you're enjoying the discussions :) Absolutely, that sounds like it would be the second movement of Janáček's Piano Sonata 1.X.1905. A beautiful but intensely haunting composition in tribute to a man who was killed during a peaceful demonstration calling for a new Czech university. You can listen to it here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/lKdntbx9dMnJqbg.html

@THallBRM

3 ай бұрын

@@BenjaminMcEvoy YES! Thank you so much.

" I saw Hermann Hesse. He was not an enlightened one, what to say about those who have gone beyond enlightenment. He was just an ordinary human being, but in a poetic flight he has written one of the greatest books in the world, Siddhartha. Siddhartha is really the name of Gautama the Buddha, given to him by his parents. He became known as Gautam Buddha. Gautama was his family name; Buddha simply means ‘the awakened’. Siddhartha was the real name given by his parents in consultation with the astrologers. It is a beautiful name. Siddhartha also means ‘one who has attained to the meaning’. Siddha means ‘one who has attained’; artha means ‘the meaning’. Combined together Siddhartha means ‘one who has come to the meaning of life’. The astrologers, the parents, the people who gave him this name must have been wise people - if not enlightened, at least wise...worldly-wise at least. Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha repeats the story of Buddha in a different way, but in the same dimension, with the same meaning. It is unbelievable that Hermann Hesse could write it but could not become a siddha himself. He remained a poor writer. Yes, a Nobel Prize winner, but that does not matter that much. You cannot give a Nobel Prize to a buddha; he will laugh and throw it away. But the book is immensely beautiful, and I include it. Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha is one of the very rare books, something from his innermost depth. Never again could Hesse bring another jewel more beautiful and more precious than Siddhartha; as if he was spent in it. He could not reach higher. Siddhartha is Hesse’s height. Siddhartha is saying to Buddha, “Whatsoever you say is true. How can it be otherwise? You have explained everything that was never explained before; you have made everything clear. You are the greatest teacher there is. But you attained to this enlightenment on your own. You were not a disciple. You were not following anybody; you searched alone. You came to this enlightenment alone, walking a path, not following anybody.” “I must leave you,” says Siddhartha to Gautam Buddha, “not to find a greater teacher than you, because there is none, but to seek the truth on my own. Only with this teaching I agree,” - because this is Buddha’s teaching - “be a light unto yourself.” Follow nobody; seek and search, but follow nobody. “With this I agree,” says Siddhartha, “so I will have to go.” He is sad. It must have been very difficult for him to leave Buddha, but he has to go - to seek, to search, or to die. He has to find the path. What is my comment on it? There are two types of people in the world. Ninety-nine percent who cannot go alone… Alone, if they try, they will remain fast asleep for ever and ever. Alone, left to themselves, the possibility is nil. They will need somebody to wake them; they will need somebody to shake them out of their sleep, to shock them. They will need somebody to help them. But there is another type also, that is only one percent, which can find its way on its own. Buddha belongs to the first type, the rare type, the one percent. Siddhartha also belongs to the same type. He understands Buddha, he loves Buddha, he reveres him. He feels the sadness and the pain and the heartache when leaving him, but he knows he has to leave. He has to find his own way. He has to seek the truth on his own. He cannot become a shadow; that is not possible for him, that is not his type. But that does not mean that everybody has to seek on his own."

1:19 Yes, I take it personally lol

As a mature reader I've learned to take a book as it truly is, and not measuring my experience against my expectations. I'm currently slowly reading the Edith Grossman translation of Don Quixote and am enjoying it. It's nothing like anything I've read before and am most curious about the qualities it embodies as the first novel. Less than fifty pages in and happy to see how it all unfolds. Thanks Benjamin.

I really wish the Maudes did Dostoyevsky. I LOVED!!! The Maude War & Peace. It made me realize how important translations are. The Pevere translation of Anna Karenina I bailed on 100 pages in.

I love when you do these!

@BenjaminMcEvoy

3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! I love doing these too ☺

It's funny; I made it through the entirety of "War & Peace" without ever having to make notes because the characters were all contrasting and memorable. However, I gave up on "Pride & Prejudice" at the half-point because I was unable to tell the abundance of sisters apart (or even their lovers) and I just got lost. (Besides, I found the back-and-forth between Elizabeth and Darcy tiresome, but that's another story.)

I find that the majority of readers who gives bad reviews to long books is just because they are in some sort of competition with others or themselves as to how long would it take them to read 800 pages and then complain that it's too boring or complicated and the characters suck. Jane Austen can't be handled by those who don't understand her wittiness and critic. Her stories are never about a boy loves a girl lets get married. And who said that a protagonist should always be a good natured character? A bit of a rant here but when I check these readers accounts to what books they give 5 star reviews and how many books they read in a year (without being a literature student), I understand and dont give a second thought as to "maybe there is something to their review".

Brothers Karamazov was a hard read, but it is just so good. Especially upon reflection. I want to read it in the Katz. Inhaled crime and punishment, but I had to take several months with Brothers K.

Banana breakfast is incredible.

One of my favorite reads in my British Literature survey class was Paradise Lost. I’ve never read the Bible, so I can’t compare the two like the reviewer did, but as an atheist I find some of the criticisms of the poem interesting. I like many others absent the Christian faith interpreted Satan as something of an anti-hero in the poem-not intended by Milton, certainly, but when the very baseline assumptions made by the writer and reader differ so much along the lines of epistemology and moral origin, such intensely different readings are to be expected. As an aspiring author, it makes me wonder about the kinds of assumptions I’m unconsciously-and consciously-layering in my own works, and how differently my readers might feel about my works if I’m blessed to be read in two or four hundred years, as Milton has.

Sometimes I buy books I don't understand as an inspiration to one day be able to understand. Take 'The Principia' for example, or for me personally, Dostoevsky can be challenging, as I get lost with the Russian names

. I read A Tale of Two Cities during summer break of my sophomore year in high school. Bored, tedious, and such, taking a break here and there to reread and reread the opening paragraph, and then the last 100 pages had me totally engrossed. Imagine finding fault with a book because it varies from the Bible. That is just sad on so many levels.

Ben, my grandfather passed away last Tuesday and I have been dealing with it in a number of ways. i was wondering - what novel or novels would you recommend reading when trying to process grief? just a quick recommendation would be great. thanks in advance.

Ben recently found you. I would like to know if you have reviewed "Gullivers Travels", I picked it up a couple of years ago and found it to be one of the most fun books I have ever read. Published in 1625 it's incredibly, modern especially book three about the academy.

@BenjaminMcEvoy

3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for being here, John! I haven't yet, but I really want to :) Gulliver's Travels is incredible. I'm a huge fan of everything Swift has done. I like to reread his 'A Tale of a Tub' and 'Battle of the Books' regularly!

I am reading East of Eden at the moment and loving every word. Yes I have noticed the portrayal of Cathy in its extreme negativity but some of the men in the story are not exactly perfect. It is a 5 star from me and it has encouraged me to order more Steinbeck works. As for Jane Eyre, each reading over the years has been a totally different experience each time. I love Bronte’s writing and Jane is a wonderful witty independent minded young woman. Rochester can be read as abusive and selfish in his behaviour towards Jane and as a modern reader we recognise a codependency between these characters. Jane Eyre will always be a 5 star read for me.

@BenjaminMcEvoy

3 ай бұрын

That is so true! I'm thrilled that you're loving East of Eden so much, William. It's definitely a 5-star book for me too, as is Jane Eyre :) Steinbeck has a lot more great books to explore, so I'd love to know what you make of his other works!

@williamthomas2830

3 ай бұрын

@@BenjaminMcEvoy I will certainly do that Benjamin. I am waiting for a secondhand book bundle to arrive which includes his short stories I am very excited. Thank you so much for the feedback. I have many of your 2024 reading list already some in book form others digital and some in both. I will be starting the Master and Margarita soon as I am halfway through East of Eden. The Master and Margarita is also a secondhand find. I am curious to know what you think of the current, and what I consider to be disturbing trend in censoring of books? Would you consider doing a video about this subject?

Dear Ben, This video was all well and good until you named Jane Eyre as one of the novels. Immediate and audible gasp! How dare ANY mortal say a single bad word about my dear and beloved Jane Eyre. The character depiction and development of both Jane and Rochester...but, Jane’s strong, stoic character IS the shining jewel of the novel. Jane's willingness to sleep outside.. my goodness.. the strength! Also, yes Rochester was a tad manipulative, and a bit slimy, but he himself was “trapped” in much the same way as Bertha was in the attic. Ahhh I could go on and on. Jane Eyre is endlessly discussable and debatable. :) LOVED this video. Pure quality per usual Ben. Happy reading my friend.

Your feelings of rejection when someone doesn't love your favorite, it reminded me of "what I assume, you shall assume" by Walt Whitman.

@marjoriedybec3450

3 ай бұрын

PS. Have you read Mark Doty's book, What is Grass? My Life with Walt Whitman? I've just started it and WOW!!! I think you would love it.

A lot of my favourite books here! Loving this series 🤧 edit: that bit about Dracula!! Yes I absolutely loved Harker's journal and its one of my fav literary pieces. I, too, found the rest of the book dry and annoying (especially The Doctor's journal).