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You can't love all of the classics, but it's not like it's a genre of its own that you can dislike. Legolas Send a noteboard - 23/01/2011 12:32:01 AM
Of the ones I've read...I don't think I actively liked any. And, here, there haven't exactly been amazing reviews rolling in on other people's challenge classics, they've been pretty bad. (yours included)...Why are these books classics?

My review of Paradise Lost was not wholly positive, to be sure, but there were parts that I loved, and the other parts were still good enough that I could see why the whole thing is such a big classic.

Certainly, sometimes people truly hate a book that is considered to be a classic, and have their doubts about that status. But it's not as if all "classics" belong together in some sort of genre which appeals to some people and not to others. "Classic" is merely a quality label, a term used for books from any genre that are considered very good. If you really hate a particular classic, then perhaps that's because you're not fond of the genre, or the subject, or the writing style; but it doesn't tell you anything about how you'd like other classics in other genres, on other subjects and with different writing styles.

So when people just feel a lack of interest in "the classics" in general, that's really a shame because while they doubtlessly have their reasons for that, having read some and disliked them, there are bound to be a good number of "the classics" that they would like, the trick is just to find the right ones to read.
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A few thoughts on my Classic challenge book. Well, books, as it turns out. - 22/01/2011 11:48:21 PM 1487 Views
This month is just making me hate classics. - 23/01/2011 12:06:08 AM 1317 Views
Aw. That's a shame. - 23/01/2011 12:21:10 AM 1233 Views
Re: Aw. That's a shame. - 23/01/2011 12:55:44 PM 1343 Views
Hrm... a high fantasy classic... - 23/01/2011 01:15:05 PM 1119 Views
Yeah? Okay... *NM* - 23/01/2011 01:16:15 PM 586 Views
Yes. - 23/01/2011 01:17:18 PM 1269 Views
Dunsany is good. And Grimm, but - 23/01/2011 01:25:40 PM 1143 Views
There's really only one high fantasy classic, no? Or two, if you count the Silm separately. *NM* - 23/01/2011 01:35:03 PM 586 Views
Perhaps Gormenghast? - 23/01/2011 01:58:50 PM 1300 Views
Perhaps, haven't read either Dunsany or Peake. - 23/01/2011 02:02:51 PM 1254 Views
Re: Perhaps, haven't read either Dunsany or Peake. - 23/01/2011 02:05:31 PM 1415 Views
Maybe Alice's Adventures in Wonderland? *NM* - 23/01/2011 02:20:49 PM 592 Views
Re: Dunsany is good. And Grimm, but - 23/01/2011 01:37:56 PM 1173 Views
Re: Dunsany is good. And Grimm, but - 23/01/2011 01:59:18 PM 1302 Views
H. Rider Haggard. - 23/01/2011 01:24:01 PM 1251 Views
Sounds interesting. - 23/01/2011 01:34:45 PM 1280 Views
Re: Sounds interesting. - 23/01/2011 01:39:34 PM 1340 Views
King Solomon's Mines is also awesome. - 23/01/2011 03:52:04 PM 1099 Views
You can't love all of the classics, but it's not like it's a genre of its own that you can dislike. - 23/01/2011 12:32:01 AM 1318 Views
Precisely - 23/01/2011 09:40:26 AM 1524 Views
True true... - 23/01/2011 12:58:42 PM 1269 Views
Fortunately, that's precisely what this site aims to do! *NM* - 23/01/2011 01:34:16 PM 606 Views
You just aren't reading the right books (and reviews), it seems - 23/01/2011 12:41:07 AM 1333 Views
The Swiss Family Robinson is hardly a "classic", unless by "classic" you mean "old". - 23/01/2011 06:55:30 AM 1130 Views
Fine then. - 23/01/2011 01:02:48 PM 1199 Views
Re: This month is just making me hate classics. - 23/01/2011 09:05:52 AM 1314 Views
A lot of "classics" need proper context to be appreciated - 23/01/2011 12:22:44 PM 1492 Views
Well said. - 23/01/2011 12:46:35 PM 1317 Views
Re: Well said. - 24/01/2011 02:33:10 AM 1377 Views
Very true - 23/01/2011 01:04:56 PM 1251 Views
Speaking of Dumas... - 24/01/2011 02:45:02 AM 1116 Views
ooooh - 24/01/2011 08:51:46 AM 1426 Views
The Molière movie is called... wait for it... - 24/01/2011 10:21:48 PM 1257 Views
oooh - 24/01/2011 10:24:19 PM 1304 Views
Re: oooh - 24/01/2011 10:29:23 PM 1161 Views
Re: oooh - 25/01/2011 01:15:39 AM 1252 Views
I really should watch that movie. - 25/01/2011 09:43:35 PM 1208 Views
Re: I really should watch that movie. - 25/01/2011 11:15:10 PM 1358 Views
Re: oooh - 25/01/2011 01:50:04 AM 1180 Views
Re: oooh - 25/01/2011 10:22:21 AM 1337 Views
Re: oooh - 25/01/2011 12:46:30 PM 1360 Views
That's it! - 25/01/2011 12:50:18 PM 1381 Views
Re: A few thoughts on my Classic challenge book. Well, books, as it turns out. - 23/01/2011 06:25:50 AM 1272 Views
The big problem with Dracula is that it's an epistolary novel. - 23/01/2011 06:58:25 AM 1270 Views
Yeah, agreed. - 23/01/2011 09:46:57 AM 1216 Views
But Frankenstein doesn't even have good writing to recommend it. - 23/01/2011 10:09:58 AM 1202 Views
The challenge is making me wish I hadn't already read Frankenstein - 23/01/2011 07:38:49 AM 1896 Views
Really? - 23/01/2011 07:52:24 AM 1172 Views
I didn't mind The Importance of Being Earnest too much - 23/01/2011 08:38:14 AM 1870 Views
Frankenstein - 23/01/2011 09:05:10 AM 1302 Views
... - 23/01/2011 09:08:03 AM 1145 Views
Thank you. *NM* - 23/01/2011 10:10:34 AM 574 Views
For, as usual, being my wonderful, divine self and bringing light to the world? *NM* - 23/01/2011 10:12:30 AM 605 Views
Something like that. *NM* - 23/01/2011 10:15:37 AM 530 Views
There's a reason why they include Wilde among the "decadents". - 23/01/2011 10:16:33 AM 1212 Views
Re: A few thoughts on my Classic challenge book. Well, books, as it turns out. - 23/01/2011 08:53:01 AM 1235 Views
Yes. - 23/01/2011 10:15:04 AM 1222 Views
Re: Yes. - 23/01/2011 10:18:02 AM 1221 Views
I just read A Christmas Carol as well. It's very short, alright. - 02/02/2011 08:46:16 PM 1278 Views

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