Classic Literature - the best - Science Fiction Fantasy Chronicles: forums

brian · 29th July 2003, 12:48 PM

I think it's time we started a thread for making our personal recommendations as to the real classics of English Literature.

By this I mean the books we have read, that actually struck out as being towering works that we generally enjoyed!

This shouldn't be limited or exclusive of genres, either.

After a while, I'll see about copying the information from all of the threads and merging them into one single recommendations thread.

I'll start with a couple:

19th century literature:

Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Jayne Ayre - Charlotte Bronte
Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy

Epic Poetry:
Paradise Lost - John Milton

Elizabethan plays:
A Midsummer Night's Dream - William Shakespeare
Henry IV, Part 1 - William Shakespeare

20th century general literature:
The Glass Bead Game - Herman Hesse

Science-Fiction
2001: A Space Odessy - Arthur C Clarke
Dune - Frank Herbert

Fantasy
The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien

Okay - that's a start from the top of my head!

Anyone else to join in? Feel free to comment on recommendations as well. I'd personally like to take this opportunity to discuss literature outside of the sf/f genre.

scifimoth · 10th August 2003, 08:07 PM

Dracula- Bram Stoker
Frankenstein- Mary Shelly

dwndrgn · 13th August 2003, 08:48 PM

I'll think on it...

Twelve · 14th August 2003, 12:08 PM

Classics that I've read, that have not been listed:

Withering Heights Bronte
Pride and Prejudice Austen
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn Twain
War of the Worlds Wells
Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare
Paradise Regained Milton
The Faerie Queen Spenser
Charlotte's Web E.B. White
The Bible, King James Version
Sense and Sensibility Austen
Beowulf Unknown Author
The Catcher in the Rye Salinger
Gulliver's Travels Swift
The Death of King Arthur (can't remember the author right now)

The list goes on and on...

By the way, Bryan, is Herman Hesse German?

12

brian · 14th August 2003, 02:19 PM

I just looked it up - apparently, he was born in Calw ni Germany - but moved his family to some un-named part of Switzerland in 1911 - and then by 1923 he had become a citizen of Switzwerland, living in Montagnola.

Btw - nice reading list. I love the classics.

Foxbat · 14th August 2003, 09:28 PM

For me: Moby Dick
Anything by Steinbeck
Frankenstein
all things HG Wells
To kill a Mockingbird
Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin (I think that was his name...many years since I read this - lost my copy)
Dune

Twelve · 14th August 2003, 09:40 PM

[quote author=brian link=board=6;threadid=415;start=0#msg3223 date=1060863599]
I just looked it up - apparently, he was born in Calw ni Germany - but moved his family to some un-named part of Switzerland in 1911 - and then by 1923 he had become a citizen of Switzwerland, living in Montagnola.

Btw - nice reading list. I love the classics.

[/quote]

He moved to a small dorf in Switzerland called Steffisburg, which is the town closest to...guess what?...THUN. I visited the house where he lived there for a short time.

12

brian · 15th August 2003, 12:41 PM

Ah - now that is interesting. Have you ever read any Hesse? I don't remember much about "the Glass Bead Game" other than I found it a "spiritual" read - if that means anything - namely because of the humility of the main character, I would imagine.

dwndrgn · 16th August 2003, 01:54 AM

A lot of good ones I thought of already mentioned here is a couple more:
Farenheit 451
Papillion

scifimoth · 16th August 2003, 02:32 PM

ohhh...Papillion...I love that book.

Has anyone mentioned "The Lord of the Flies" yet?
Awsome book....

Foxbat · 16th August 2003, 07:44 PM

Dandelion Wine
All Quiet on the Western Front
Cross of Iron
The list goes on and on....

Enferos · 24th August 2003, 12:40 PM

Volsung saga - Snorri Sturluson
Macbeth - Will Shakes
The Outsider - Albert Camus
Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson
The Theban Plays - Sophocles

GnomeoftheWest · 24th August 2003, 07:09 PM

Stranger In a Strange Land - Heinlein
Shogun - Clavell
Short stories of John Cheever
Catcher in the Rye - Salenger
Winter's Tale - Halprin
Candide - Voltaire
The Magus - Fowles
Ghost Story - Straube
The Time Machine- Wells
The Worm Ouroboros - Eddison
Something Wicked This Way Comes - Bradbury

Twelve · 25th August 2003, 10:56 AM

Treasure Island! YES...that's the name I was looking for. Great, great book for young boys...

12

X Q mano · 25th August 2003, 04:56 PM

I'm reading Ivanhoe by sir Walter Scott at the moment. It's very nice... Has someone mentioned that one yet?

29th July 2003, 12:48 PM	#1 (permalink)
brian Administrator Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 960	Classic Literature - the best I think it's time we started a thread for making our personal recommendations as to the real classics of English Literature. By this I mean the books we have read, that actually struck out as being towering works that we generally enjoyed! This shouldn't be limited or exclusive of genres, either. After a while, I'll see about copying the information from all of the threads and merging them into one single recommendations thread. I'll start with a couple: 19th century literature: Great Expectations - Charles Dickens Jayne Ayre - Charlotte Bronte Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy Epic Poetry: Paradise Lost - John Milton Elizabethan plays: A Midsummer Night's Dream - William Shakespeare Henry IV, Part 1 - William Shakespeare 20th century general literature: The Glass Bead Game - Herman Hesse Science-Fiction 2001: A Space Odessy - Arthur C Clarke Dune - Frank Herbert Fantasy The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien Okay - that's a start from the top of my head! Anyone else to join in? Feel free to comment on recommendations as well. I'd personally like to take this opportunity to discuss literature outside of the sf/f genre.

10th August 2003, 08:07 PM	#2 (permalink)
scifimoth Deity of Random Weirdness Join Date: May 2003 Location: Iowa Posts: 201	Re:Classic Literature - the best Dracula- Bram Stoker Frankenstein- Mary Shelly

13th August 2003, 08:48 PM	#3 (permalink)
dwndrgn Fierce Vowelless One Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Florida Posts: 3,663	Re:Classic Literature - the best I'll think on it...

14th August 2003, 12:08 PM	#4 (permalink)
Twelve Spirit of Zebulun Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 187	Re:Classic Literature - the best Classics that I've read, that have not been listed: Withering Heights Bronte Pride and Prejudice Austen The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn Twain War of the Worlds Wells Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare Paradise Regained Milton The Faerie Queen Spenser Charlotte's Web E.B. White The Bible, King James Version Sense and Sensibility Austen Beowulf Unknown Author The Catcher in the Rye Salinger Gulliver's Travels Swift The Death of King Arthur (can't remember the author right now) The list goes on and on... By the way, Bryan, is Herman Hesse German? 12

14th August 2003, 02:19 PM	#5 (permalink)
brian Administrator Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 960	Re:Classic Literature - the best I just looked it up - apparently, he was born in Calw ni Germany - but moved his family to some un-named part of Switzerland in 1911 - and then by 1923 he had become a citizen of Switzwerland, living in Montagnola. Btw - nice reading list. I love the classics.

14th August 2003, 09:28 PM	#6 (permalink)
Foxbat Haggis Connoisseur Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 2,362	Re:Classic Literature - the best For me: Moby Dick Anything by Steinbeck Frankenstein all things HG Wells To kill a Mockingbird Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin (I think that was his name...many years since I read this - lost my copy) Dune

14th August 2003, 09:40 PM	#7 (permalink)
Twelve Spirit of Zebulun Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 187	Re:Classic Literature - the best [quote author=brian link=board=6;threadid=415;start=0#msg3223 date=1060863599] I just looked it up - apparently, he was born in Calw ni Germany - but moved his family to some un-named part of Switzerland in 1911 - and then by 1923 he had become a citizen of Switzwerland, living in Montagnola. Btw - nice reading list. I love the classics. [/quote] He moved to a small dorf in Switzerland called Steffisburg, which is the town closest to...guess what?...THUN. I visited the house where he lived there for a short time. 12

15th August 2003, 12:41 PM	#8 (permalink)
brian Administrator Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 960	Re:Classic Literature - the best Ah - now that is interesting. Have you ever read any Hesse? I don't remember much about "the Glass Bead Game" other than I found it a "spiritual" read - if that means anything - namely because of the humility of the main character, I would imagine.

16th August 2003, 01:54 AM	#9 (permalink)
dwndrgn Fierce Vowelless One Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Florida Posts: 3,663	Re:Classic Literature - the best A lot of good ones I thought of already mentioned here is a couple more: Farenheit 451 Papillion

16th August 2003, 02:32 PM	#10 (permalink)
scifimoth Deity of Random Weirdness Join Date: May 2003 Location: Iowa Posts: 201	Re:Classic Literature - the best ohhh...Papillion...I love that book. Has anyone mentioned "The Lord of the Flies" yet? Awsome book....

16th August 2003, 07:44 PM	#11 (permalink)
Foxbat Haggis Connoisseur Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 2,362	Re:Classic Literature - the best Dandelion Wine All Quiet on the Western Front Cross of Iron The list goes on and on....

24th August 2003, 12:40 PM	#12 (permalink)
Enferos Registered User Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 9	Re:Classic Literature - the best Volsung saga - Snorri Sturluson Macbeth - Will Shakes The Outsider - Albert Camus Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson The Theban Plays - Sophocles

24th August 2003, 07:09 PM	#13 (permalink)
GnomeoftheWest Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 87	Re:Classic Literature - the best Stranger In a Strange Land - Heinlein Shogun - Clavell Short stories of John Cheever Catcher in the Rye - Salenger Winter's Tale - Halprin Candide - Voltaire The Magus - Fowles Ghost Story - Straube The Time Machine- Wells The Worm Ouroboros - Eddison Something Wicked This Way Comes - Bradbury

25th August 2003, 10:56 AM	#14 (permalink)
Twelve Spirit of Zebulun Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 187	Re:Classic Literature - the best Treasure Island! YES...that's the name I was looking for. Great, great book for young boys... 12

25th August 2003, 04:56 PM	#15 (permalink)
X Q mano Poet Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 90	Re:Classic Literature - the best I'm reading Ivanhoe by sir Walter Scott at the moment. It's very nice... Has someone mentioned that one yet?

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