If you have been following my blog for a while now, you will probably have realised that I read primarily fantasy, but that I also love a good classic. So today I am doing a tag all about classics – you can see the original post here. I would say that I have read a fair amount of classics, although I would by no means say I am well read. Classics encompass such a wide range of books, so I have plenty more books to read.
1) An overhyped classic you didn’t really like.
Well it’s not that I didn’t like it, but so far I’m not a huge fan of Charles Dickens. I have read two books by him and I am planning to try out more, but so far it’s just not really for me. I can appreciate them for the writing and content but I haven’t really gotten into his writing style yet. Like I said though, I am planning on reading more by him so hopefully I’ll get into the writing style. Oh I would also say The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald – I enjoyed the book but I didn’t enjoy it as much as other people seem to.
2) Favourite time period to read about.
To be honest I don’t really mind. I’ll read any time period if I am interested in the book/plot and you have probably realised by now that I am not good at picking favourites :).
3) Favourite fairy tale.
I would have to go with Mulan, or Hua Mulan as she is known in Chinese folk tale. The Disney film of Mulan is probably my favourite by Disney, and there is also a live action film (2009) based on the Chinese legend – both of which I really recommend. I actually haven’t read it, I think it was originally a ballad and I don’t know whether a written version has been translated from Chinese. Let me know in the comments if you know of any written works of Hua Mulan.
4) What is the most embarrassing classic you haven’t read?
I don’t really get embarrassed about unread books, but I think I am going to choose Passage to India by E. M. Forster. Purely because it has been on my shelf for quite a long time and I still haven’t read it. I am hoping to read it this year.
5) Top 5 classics you would like to read soon.
Middlemarch by George Eliot, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, A Passage to India by E. M. Forster, Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens and The Ladies’ Paradise by Émile Zola.
6) Favourite modern book/series based on a classic.
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood, which is a retelling of The Odyssey by Homer from the perspective of Penelope, Odyssey’s wife. I highly recommend this book.
7) Favourite movie version/tv-series based on a classic.
There are a whole load of great BBC adaptations of classics. Obviously the 1995 TV adaptation of Pride and Prejudice is a favourite (staring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth), but I also love the BBC adaptation of Jane Eyre staring Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens, as well as the adaptation of North and South, staring Daniela Denby-Ashe and Richard Armitage. As you can tell I much prefer the TV adaptations.
8) Worst classic to movie adaptation.
I was not a fan of the film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, staring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. When you compare it to the classic 1995 TV series, it pales in comparison. I just feel you can’t do a classic justice in the form of a film. You don’t have the time to develop characters and relationships.
9) Favourite edition(s) you would like to collect more classics from.
I love the Penguin English Library editions (I think I have about 10) , and the Penguin Clothbound editions (again I think I have about 10). The Everyman Library editions are also really nice, although I only have one book from them. There are also these editions, I think from Virago Press, that are stunning – I have seen editions of Daphne du Maurier in them but don’t know what they are called.
10) An underhyped classic you’d recommend to everyone.
I don’t know whether it’s underhyped, but The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte. She is definitely the least known of the three Bronte sisters and I personally think she deserves alot more recognition. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is now one of my all time favourite classics.
Feel free to let me know what classic you think I need to read next, and tell me what is your favourite classics. Hope you have a wonderful day and have plenty of time to read :).
See you next time.
Pippa
thelittlebookowl 