The Illiad

For the classic written before 1800, I chose Homer's Illiad.  It took me a bit to get used to the rhythm of the poetry, but once I did, it was a great read.

A couple of things struck me about the book.  First, it was somewhat surreal to think about reading the oldest known work of western literature (commonly dated to the 8th century BC).  Then, if you think about the age of the story (which predates Homer's writing), it's amazing to think about how the story of Achilles, Agamemnon, and Trojan War has remained a captivating tale throughout time (most recently with Brad Pitt starting as Achilles).

In terms of the language, one thing that confused me was the mix of Roman and Greek mythological names.  For instance, the translation I read used Jove instead of Zeus; Ulysses instead of Odysseus; etc.  Some were consistent (I think Jove was used throughout), but others such as Odysseus and Apollo were a mix and match between Greek and Roman names.  I don't know if this is from Homer or a result of all the translations through the ages.

Dracula

For the Gothic Horror category, I chose Bram Stoker's Dracula.  To me, this is the quintessential classic of all horror novels.  I'm not a particular lover of the horror genre, but this book is one of the rare exceptions.  For anyone who has just seen vampire movies or modern TV shows, you owe it to yourself to read the original book.

Frankenstein

I started off by reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (published 1818).  Surprisingly, I had actually never read this classic before.  I found the initial letters somewhat difficult to get through (and found the writings to be a bit unbelievable considering the narrator was supposed to be uneducated).  However, considering Mary Shelley was 19 and essentially wrote this in a weekend...

Getting into the meat of the novel, I found that my reading and engagement picked up quite a bit.  I definitely enjoyed this much more than the initial letters.  What really struck me throughout the novel is that we use Frankenstein as a ubiquitous Halloween monster with little intelligence or speech and virtually no emotion except a quest for destruction or horror.  However, the "monster" in the novel really is the initial victim of the story.  He was shunned by his creator, beaten by townspeople, and then cast out by the one family he took time to bond with.  His initial intentions were nothing but noble.  However, society turned him into the evil monster we think of today.  Quite a strong social statement I think.

Book challenge 2017

For 2017, I've decided to try the Back to the Classics Challenge.  This entails reading 12 classics from the following categories:

1.  A 19th Century Classic - any book published between 1800 and 1899.

2.  A 20th Century Classic - any book published between 1900 and 1967. 

3.  A classic by a woman author. 

• January 2017 - Mary Shelley -  Frankenstein

4.  A classic in translation.  Any book originally written published in a language other than your native language. 

5.  A classic published before 1800. Plays and epic poems are acceptable in this category.

• February 2017 - Homer - The Illiad

6.  A romance classic. 

7.  A Gothic or horror classic. 

• February 2017 - Bram Stoker - Dracula

8.  A classic with a number in the title. Examples include A Tale of Two Cities, Three Men in a Boat, The Nine Tailors, Henry V, Fahrenheit 451, etc.

9.  A classic about an animal or which includes the name of an animal in the title.  It can be an actual animal or a metaphor, or just the name in the title. Examples include To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, The Metamorphosis, White Fang, etc. 

10. A classic set in a place you'd like to visit. It can be real or imaginary: The Wizard of Oz, Down and Out in Paris and London, Death on the Nile, etc.

11. An award-winning classic. It could be the Newbery award, the Prix Goncourt, the Pulitzer Prize, the James Tait Award, etc. 

12. A Russian Classic. 2017 will be the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, so read a classic by any Russian author. 

I'll be updating this list with books that I've selected throughout the year.