favorite piece of classical literature? why? or what did you learn from it?

[katia]

mine is the grapes of wrath by john steinbeck.  Two themes that i could gather were that everyone is a part of everyone else and that people are interconnected.

[MeganRose]

Mine is definitely Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley.

I first read it when I was 15, and it really resonated with me. The whole concept of a struggle for self-identity in a society where self-identity does not - indeed should not - exist, rising through the normality and standing alone just so you can be the person that you know you need to be, that really spoke to me. The idea that human emotion cannot be held back by technology and the promise for a "perfect world". When our humanity has been taken away, it does not mean that it cannot return.

I also find it interesting to look at Brave New World in the context of a "modern" adaption of the utopian concepts found in Plato's Republic, with the use of technology to theoretically fix a lot of problems as far as the adaption of that type of society goes, such as: dissolution of the family, surrender of the self for the good of society as a whole, acceptance of a pre-determined social and political role that you are born to and die with, and the destruction of art, music, poetry and religion. The idea that technology, created by humans, could be used to strip us of the things that quintessentially make us human is a concept that intrigues me. Is the "perfect" human society really worth it if we cant really define ourselves as human anymore?

Megan

[tinkerbell]

Don Quixote de la Mancha (which is now spelled Don Quijote by Spanish-speakers  ) a novel by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. I'm sure you have read it, but just in case you haven't, the first part was published in 1605 and the second in 1615; it is one of the earliest written novels in a modern European language and is generally considered the most influential book in the Spanish language and a classic of world literature.

In addition to being a "classic", it is one of the first "modern" novels. Its main focus is love, friendship and dedication to a cause.  The funny thing is that everyone who reads it will get something different out of it, but you always get something; it is a great novel and a must read for everyone.


tink

P.S.  If you haven't read it, let me know.  I have a few extra copies.

[Cindi Jones]

I haven't read it Tink!  But I think I have a leather bound copy of it sitting on a shelf just waiting to impress someone with my good taste!  yea... War and Peace is there too.  It hasn't been read either.  I'll get to them one of these days.

The "classics" that impressed me more than the others were those that fell into the Orwellian bucket: Brave New World, 1984, and Farenheit 451.  I read them as a teenager.  I am astounded at just how prophetic they were.  Bush has invented "newspeak".  History has been rewritten.  We are herded, filmed, and watched.  It is amazing.  One of these days we may wake up and see what's really happening.

Cindi

[Jeannette]

It's "Pere Goriot by Honore de Balzac" without question.  This Novel's an adaptation of Shakespeare's play King Lear, a kind of pessimistic study of bourgeois society's ills after the French Revolution. It tells the story of an ambitious, poor man who sacrifices everything for the well-being of his children.  What I learned from it was that family is very important regardless of the circumstances.  When there's togetherness and true love within a family, anything can be achieved.  It teaches us to strengthen and value our family bonds.

[seldom]

The Trail - Franz Kafka
We - Predates 1984, Brave New World, Etc.  First Distopian Science Fiction work.
Anything by Virginia Woolf
The Stranger - Albert Camus
I have so many more.  I love reading. 

[Pica Pica]

Well, not sure what counts as classic, so i went for over 100 years old.

I really enjoyed Moby Dick (even some of the whaling bits)
As well as teaching me about whaling it has given me some interesting insights into the power and craziness of ambition.

I also really enjoyed The Life And Opinions of Tristam Shandy, Gentleman - because it helped me realise the writer is in control of the book and made me laugh.

I also enjoyed Dickens and Shakespeare, it's amazing how some of the ideas are still fresh and readable.

[Butterfly]

Personally, I'm quite a fan of Huckle Berry Finn.  s a child I read it and it was a great adventure story, but I recently read it again and saw it for its satyrical aspects, and it just adds to the overall goodness of the book.

[Judge Yourself]

Orwells 1984, that the world  -if not by now- would turn into a scary scary place where you cant turn round for fear of being watched. Though in Glasgow thats already happened - theres CCTV hidden cameras now to make sure we dont dundundun LITTER. *ahem* Oh and I learned not to watch reality tv.

[katia]

In addition to being a "classic", it is one of the first "modern" novels. Its main focus is love, friendship and dedication to a cause. 

it can also be interpreted as the pointlessness of chasing after unrealistic fantasies.   yeah, tink, i read it a few years ago.  thanks very much for the offer though.

[BeverlyAnn]

Oh my, I don't know if I can pick just one.  Antigone, Hamlet, Julius Caesar,  Paradise Lost, The Count of Monte Christo, Brave New World, Les Misérables.  I loved all of them but I don't know that I actually "learned" anything from them.  I just love to read.

[katia]

Oh my, I don't know if I can pick just one.  Antigone, Hamlet, Julius Caesar,  Paradise Lost, The Count of Monte Christo, Brave New World, Les Misérables.  I loved all of them but I don't know that I actually "learned" anything from them.  I just love to read.

since you've read all those novels, you could choose one (anyone) and briefly explain what you've learned from it.

[RebeccaFog]

   For me, Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels".  Not as old as Tink's choice, but kind of close.
   keenly insightful and very satiric of society and politics of the era. First published in 1726. The satire still applies to today's circus of a world. For those who believe it's a child's book, it is not. The regular adult edition touches on topics that you'd be surprised by.

   I also like the "Brave New World", "1984", "animal farm", "clockwork orange" bunch.

In addition to being a "classic", it is one of the first "modern" novels. Its main focus is love, friendship and dedication to a cause. 

it can also be interpreted as the pointlessness of chasing after unrealistic fantasies.   yeah, tink, i read it a few years ago.  thanks very much for the offer though.

   "Don Quixote de la Manch" is also used by the Jungian Robert Johnson (not the blues guy) as being symbolic of the 2nd stage of consciousness in the human mind.  The 3rd stage is "Hamlet". The 4th stage is represented by "Faust". I forget the reasoning behind it all.

[tinkerbell]

In addition to being a "classic", it is one of the first "modern" novels. Its main focus is love, friendship and dedication to a cause. 

it can also be interpreted as the pointlessness of chasing after unrealistic fantasies.   yeah, tink, i read it a few years ago.  thanks very much for the offer though.

Yes, Mrs. Smarty Pants, I know  .  That's why I said that everyone who reads "Don Quijote de la Mancha" gets something different out of it. But now that I think about it, we could easily associate it with what we commonly call schizophrenia nowadays. >

I haven't read it Tink!  But I think I have a leather bound copy of it sitting on a shelf just waiting to impress someone with my good taste! 

Leather copy?  Wow Cindi, don't tell me you have one of the old versions of this novel which are very rare to find.  That could be worth millions (I know, greedy me!)  Cindi, if you can't find that leather copy, let me know and I could send you one of the copies I have here.  

Honore de Balzac"

Do you know that he is very famous in SA?  I read a few of his novels in highschool, and even the Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa created an adaptation of Balzac's Comédie humaine titled La Tia Julia y el Escribidor.  I believe that this adaptation has been translated in several foreign languages, so you shouldn't have any problems finding one in French if you're interested.


tink

[Jeannette]

Yes, of course.  Vargas Llosa's very well-known here in France.  Incidentally, he lived in Paris for a number of years before returning to South America.  I also adore Balzac's novels and quotes especially.  My favourite quote is "A woman must be a genius to create a good husband"   lol

What a genius to come about with a classic quote such a this.  He surely makes a good point, as I'm sure that a woman who is not supportive of her husband's efforts might bring him down, but that is not to say that some have survived having chosen a wife who did nothing but cause them stress and managed to make out like a bandit, no?

[Elizabeth]

What I have learned from reading the "classics" is that I hate fiction. I only read it when forced to. Made up stories that are improbable, fantasies of someone else, just don't have meaning for me. I become so annoyed picking them apart, I just can't enjoy them. Most of them bored me to tears. Still being in college, I continue to be forced to read this stuff and continue to consider it a huge waste of my time. I prefer to read non-fiction. What really happened is what is relevant to me. Truth really is stranger than fiction.

Love always,
Elizabeth

[Pica Pica]

In addition to being a "classic", it is one of the first "modern" novels. Its main focus is love, friendship and dedication to a cause. 

it can also be interpreted as the pointlessness of chasing after unrealistic fantasies.   yeah, tink, i read it a few years ago.  thanks very much for the offer though.

I never finished it, I got too bored of the Duke or whatever he was who sent Sancho Panza to his own special island...but I thought the intended interpretation was that Quixote was a mad and misguided man and that the ending was a happy one for having him die recanting his fantasies. It is only recentish that we find his pointless quest noble, and view his death caused by recanting the fantasy. Something in our culture has risen fantasy up quite a lot higher than it ever was.

Or maybe it hasn't maybe the difference is in the elevation of personal fantasy instead of group fantasy.

[RebeccaFog]

In addition to being a "classic", it is one of the first "modern" novels. Its main focus is love, friendship and dedication to a cause. 

it can also be interpreted as the pointlessness of chasing after unrealistic fantasies.   yeah, tink, i read it a few years ago.  thanks very much for the offer though.

I never finished it, I got too bored of the Duke or whatever he was who sent Sancho Panza to his own special island...but I thought the intended interpretation was that Quixote was a mad and misguided man and that the ending was a happy one for having him die recanting his fantasies. It is only recentish that we find his pointless quest noble, and view his death caused by recanting the fantasy. Something in our culture has risen fantasy up quite a lot higher than it ever was.

Or maybe it hasn't maybe the difference is in the elevation of personal fantasy instead of group fantasy.

Stop fantasizing and get back to work, You.     

[Pica Pica]

Hey Man!

I'm being hassled by the pigs. What'll-I-Do? What'll-I-Do?

I Know!

I'll make some slogans, that'll teach him.

"Work is for Jerks! Dreamers should be Leaders!"
(Yell that enough and the pigs will be history)


---God Hippies are silly.

[Nero]

Plutarch's Lives. - self - explanatory. Don't know if I've really learned anything from it - but i love it.