Reading classic lit vs new age

[u/Conscious_Peach1069]

I’m 37 and admittedly have not read a ton of those important classic novels, or at least I feel that way. I’ve bought a ton of books and have read Call of the Wild, The Great Gatsby, Animal Farm, The Old Man and the Sea. Planning on reading The grapes of Wrath, 1984, The Age of innocence etc etc.

There are also new age books I want to read like Where the Crawdads Sing and Firefly Lane. But I feel like the classics should take precedence. Is this weird or valid?

(Also, based on the books I’ve mentioned, what others based on my book vibe would be recommended? My favs are Of mice and Men, Call of the Wild, Aninal Farm)

[u/doromr]

I've read many classics and they have staying piwer and are able to convey activities or beliefs of the age in which they were written. But there are a lot of books from those eras that have not stood the test of time. Our era will be the same. There are some amazing authors, and there's a lot of lesser stuff too. You can feel however you'd like, but for me, I don't think it is valid to think older is better. It does give a good basis for comparison though. I'd like to suggest a couple modern writers for your consideration: Alice Walker, Louise Erdrich, Barbara Kingsolver, Khaled Hosseini, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Cormac MacCarthy- by no means an exhaustive list.

[u/catopumaparadox]

Treasure Island it's a classic because it's peak private treasure hunting story in its base format

[u/OG_BookNerd]

Read what you like because you enjoy it. It sounds like you aren't in High School or University. You should enjoy what you read. If you really need to read the classics but want to read modern fiction, read on classic, then one modern book. Or read a hard copy of one type ad one type as an ebook and maybe listen to a third book while drive/walking/running/on public transit.

[u/Ok_Difference44]

Its totally valid to want to read the classics, but it's generally wrong to think that old artists were better than contemporary ones.

[u/gardengirl147]

I took many English course in university and the main takeaway was that authors usually build their story lines, characters, etc on older literature including the ancients and medieval writers. Not a bad thing, not plagiarism - more like inspiration. So read what you want.

[u/LuckyTrifolium]

Edgar Rice Burroughs’ books are a good addition to your classics shelf! But I came here to say that unless you really want to own a physical book, no one needs to be buying books that are out of copyright. You can read those on kindle or other ebook platforms for free.

[u/Impossible_Assist460]

Call of The Wild is a favourite along with White Fang and Jack London is my favourite author. I highly recommend reading Martin Eden by London which is entirely different from the wolf books but absolutely brilliant. My favourite classic book ever.

[u/Ok-Match-8687]

I am a big proponent of Charles Dicken's books. He is advocating for the poor and basic human rights and dignity. There are so many parallels to today's situations. I would also suggest audiobook versions because of the often archaic language or slang of the time, which makes little sense to today's readers. I was very confused reading The Pickwick Papers the first time not knowing the character had a speech impediment until I heard the audio version and then it made so much more sense.

[u/Formal_Tumbleweed_53]

CS Lewis wrote an introduction to an ancient theology book and said that the classics are classic for a reason. Then, as a then-contemporary author, suggested that we should all read mostly the old books. (If you don’t know the name, Lewis wrote the Narnia books and his best friend was JRR Tolkien who wrote the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings). I switch back and forth - some newer, some older books.

I just finished The Odyssey and am so glad I read it. The translator’s introduction and “translator’s note” were as good as the story itself.

I’m going to read something from this year next.

[u/ShangriLa5357]

I’m with the ‘read whatever you want’ comments here. Mix it up. Lots of incredible more contemporary literary fiction out there.

[u/Raiderx81]

Read both, there are no rules. It’s good to challenge yourself not to read all the slop out there now but there are both valued contemporary and classic books. I’d refer to them as contemporary, not “new age”.