Hosted by Karen, the main rule is to read 12 books (1 per month) from various different categories, but all of them MUST be classics. The categories are as follows.
1. A 19th Century Classic -- any book published between 1800 and 1899.
2. A 20th Century Classic -- any book published between 1900 and 1965. Just like last year, all books must have been published at least 50 years ago to qualify as a classic. The only exception is books that were published posthumously but written at least 50 years ago.)
3. A Classic by a Woman Author.
4. A Classic in Translation. As in last year's category, this can be any classic book originally written or a published in a language that is not your first language. Feel free to read it in its original form if you are comfortable reading in another language.
5. A Very Long Classic Novel -- a single work of 500 pages or longer, regular-sized print. This does not include omnibus editions combined into one book, or short story collections. Updated: The 500 pages MUST be the actual text of the novel, not including endnotes, appendices, etc. When in doubt, check more than one edition, and use an average page count.
6. A Classic Novella -- any work shorter than 250 pages. For a list of suggestions, check out this list of World's Greatest Novellas from Goodreads.
7. A Classic with a Person's Name in the Title. First name, last name, or both, it doesn't matter, but it must have the name of a character. David Copperfield, The Brothers Karamazov, Don Quixote -- something like that. It's amazing how many books are named after people!
8. A Humorous or Satirical Classic. Humor is very subjective, so this one is open to interpretation. Just tell us in the review why you think it's funny or satirical. For example, if you think that Crime and Punishment and funny, go ahead and use it, but please justify your choice in your post.
9. A Forgotten Classic. This could be a lesser-known work by a famous author, or a classic that nobody reads any more. If you look on Goodreads, this book will most likely have less than 1000 ratings. This is your chance to read one of those obscure books from the Modern Library 100 Best Novels or 1001 Books to Read Before You Die. Books published by Virago Modern Classics, Persephone, and NYRB Classics often fall into this category.
10. A Nonfiction Classic. A memoir, biography, essays, travel, this can be any nonfiction work that's considered a classic, or a nonfiction work by a classic author. You'd be surprised how many classic authors dabbled in nonfiction writing -- I have nonfiction books by Dickens, Trollope, Twain, and Steinbeck on my shelves.
11. A Classic Children's Book. A book for your inner child! Pick a children's classic that you never got around to reading.
12. A Classic Play. Your choice, any classic play, as long as it was published or performed before 1965. Plays are only eligible for this specific category.
I will be ignoring the 50 years publishing rule and staying with the 25 years rule. But otherwise I am sure I can find books that fit each of these 12 categories. I will try and finish these categories by the end of 2015, but since I do have 5 years, I am not going to hold myself to the time limit. I just want to be able to read a variety of classic books.
No comments:
Post a Comment