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/lit/ - Literature

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2481820 No.2481820 [Reply] [Original]

Everything in this thread, please post lists of definitive/essential classics you've read that you think everyone should read. Let's do away with the entry-level stuff like 1984, Brave New World, too, shall we?


Picture related, to start us off. Too lazy at the moment to add more

>> No.2481825

Not sure if want old (née ancient) classics.

Arabian nights: 1001 stories from Arabian nights
Media


Or more recent:

Darkness at noon
Labyrinths

Two of each sounds good.

>> No.2481827

>>2481825
How does Arabian Nights read?

Darkness at Noon really moved me, probably a more well done psychological novel, especially since that shit actually went down.

I could never really get into Borges, not sure why...

>> No.2481833

>>2481827
Arabian Nights reads like a collection of slightly archaic, extremely racist fairy tales. Also there's a lot of nudity, sex, eunuchs and well-hung erect black men. Yes, I am being serious.

>> No.2481837

>>2481833
Over 1000 pages...

Should I read it in small bites? Somewhat similar on how I read The Book of Disquiet, which I am also adding as an 'essential'

>> No.2481840

>>2481837
The nature of the work lends itself to being read in smaller chunks--each "night" is a separate story. Some of the stories have stories-within-stories, and those at times have stories-within-stories-within-stories, so keep that in mind.

Also, 1000 pages would be a heavily abridged version. I read a seven-volume, leather-bound set I inherited from my grandfather. It's several thousand pages, and was a real chore to get through.

>> No.2481842

>>2481840
Would reading all 7000 pages be worth it? Considering the time sacrificed that could be used to read other classics?

>> No.2481844

>>2481842
No, not even close to worth it. It's very formulaic and gets stale fast. Stick to reading either the abridged version, or just read the most important "nights".
1001 Nights is not a work that you need to read all the way through to grasp. It is not exactly high literature, in any sense of the term.

>> No.2481850

>>2481844
Excellent.

I'll also add The Tale of Genji

>> No.2481910

Bump?

>> No.2481911

Behold a Pale Horse by William Cooper

>> No.2482053
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2482053

A huge fucking classic that is the foundational volume a shitload of our nations are based on.

Mandatory.

>> No.2482071
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2482071

>>2482053
Maybe you should read it before you recommend it faggot.

>> No.2482070

The King James Bible
The Seals of Wisdom by Ibn Arabi
Aurora by Jacob Boehme
The Conference of the Birds by Farid ud-Din Attar
The Poetic Edda

>> No.2482086

Ok I am gonna post some entry level books that I greatly enjoyed:

Crime and Punishment - Dostoyevsky

Probably one of the most well known books in russian literature. Some people might think it is overrated or overhyped, but I really enjoyed it. Still, Dostoyevsky's writing style or the russian writing style is not for everyone.

1984 - Orwell

Probably self explanatory. Enjoyed the book and Orwell's writing style. Its a pretty short, but good read.

Divine Comedy - Dante

Dante's bible fan fiction how some people call it. Only read the Inferno part so far, but it was a very interesting read. Highly recommend it for people who are interested in poetry and christianity.

War and Peace - Tolstoy

Tolstoy's epic masterpiece. Pretty much a must read for everyone. When it comes to characters, Tolstoy is pretty much godtier.

The Trial - Kafka

Very interesting book that is pretty much open for interpretation. For me this was a book that I want (must) reread at least once more, to really understand it (if that is possible with Kafka).

The Great Gatsby - Fitzgerald

A good old american classic. Really well written, I liked the characters and also the story of the book. It was a book that left me thinking about people...

>> No.2482189

Gogol' - Dead Souls

>> No.2483174

>>2482189
>>2482086
Cheers gentlemen.

>> No.2483199

>>2482086
Is War and Peace entry level? I read the first pages and I was already confused by the namedropping.

non-book reader though. Reads books on very rare occasions.

>> No.2483200

Is Faust too obvious?

Also,...

>> No.2483349

>>2483200
Also what?

>> No.2483375

>>2483349
>>2483200
I lold and don't know why

>> No.2483387

Vile Bodies
We, The Drowned
Nostromo
Northanger Abbey
If On a Winter's Night a Traveller
The 120 Days of Sodom

>> No.2483542

>>2483387
>Vile Bodies

Seconded. After reading it, Stephen Fry's film adaptation, Bright Young Things (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0325123/)) is also worth a look.

- Virginia Woolf, Orlando
- Longus, Daphnis and Chloe (either a good modern version, like the Oxford World's Classics or Penguin, or one like George Thornley's of 1657 - this ancient Greek "novel" was widely translated and read in early modern Europe)
- EC Bentley, Trent's Last Case (if you like detective fiction)

>> No.2483544

jr

>> No.2483757

>>2483542
YEAH, WHY IS IT THAT DAPHNIS AND CHLOE ARE NEVER BROUGHT UP IN /LIT/?

ADDING:
FATHERS AND SONS - TURGENEV