I have been looling forward to it for months now, because what could be more awesome than a summer full of Victorian Literature?
Unfortunately I was quite disappointed with the result after having piled up all Victorian books hidden on my shelves: there are only five I haven't read yet! These are pretty basic titles, so please keep in mind that I never consciously read a single classic until last November before laughing at me. Let's start the list with Dickens who is an obvious choice but also an intimate friend of mine:
- Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (I am a little afraid of this one because it is one of his best-known works and I usually tend to prefer those books of an author which are not so appreciated in general.)
- A Study in Scarlet and
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Exciting because I love Sherlock)
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (this is technically a re-read because I once read a simplified version, but it had only 70 pages and I don't remember anything except for desperate love)
- The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (Surprisingly, I have nothing to say about this one, but I am not especially looking forward to it.)
Additionally I have The Fall of the House of Usher and other Tales by E. A. Poe waiting on my TBR pile, but since some of these tales were written before the Victorian Era it will probably remain there.
I would like to finish all of these titles during the event because I really want to focus on Victorian Literature. If things go very well I will even make a huge Victorian Amazon order and post a new list at the beginning of July.
However, what I will not abandon during the Victorian Celebration is Les Misérables. I am finally on schedule with the readalong again and I am enjoying it. Also, the lovely trailer for the new movie just came out and motivated me extremely.
Probably I will continue with the Divine Comedy too, so I would like to finish Purgatorio in June. That way I will always have something to turn to when corsets, street children and Victorian psychopaths start getting on my nerves.
Which Victorians have you chosen? Anything else on your nightstand for June?
I hope you all have a lovely month and better weather than in Austria!
Sounds like a good list. I've read Wuthering Heights (not a big fan, but I'm in the minority with that opinion), The Picture of Dorian Gray (barely remember--want to reread!), and A Study in Scarlet (enjoyed, but not as well as some of the later Holmes stories). I'm planning on reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes this summer too! Also a reread of The Hobbit, once I finish The Silmarillion--I should have never set it down, because I'm having a hard time remembering the beginning. :)
AntwortenLöschenEnjoy your summer reads!
Indeed, I've never heard of anyone not liking Wuthering Heights! You never fail to amaze me :)
LöschenAh, those are the challenges of the Silmarillion. I'm still in awe that you manage to read it at all. The Hobbit is on my list for this year too, but I thought I would wait with it until autumn. Somehow that seems to be the right Middle Earth time for me.
So, I love all of these (though some more than others). I hope you enjoy them!
AntwortenLöschenOh, and Poe totally counts as a Victorian. If you have time I'd try to read some of his stories as well. Again: LOVE!
Thank you, dear Diana!(I could not resist the calling of the alliteration ;)
LöschenI hoped so. I'm really curious about Poe's stories, there seems to be some nice decent horror in them :)
Oh no, The Picture of Dorian Gray is so amazing! I love Wuthering Heights too, so I hope you enjoy them!
AntwortenLöschenYeah, love for my reading plans :) One can never have enough of that. Thank you!
LöschenOliver Twist is perhaps the most famous work of Dickens, with the most memorable characters. I'll be reading Dickens too this month: Sketches by Boz and Old Curiosity Shop). And Picture of Dorian Gray too!
AntwortenLöschenHere's my list: http://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2012/03/victorian-celebration.html
Your choices are AWESOME.
AntwortenLöschenOliver Twist was good (not my favorite Dickens) and I, too, love Sherlock Holmes. A Study in Scarlet & The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes were both good... I've been reading sequentially through the collection and A Study in Scarlet is my favorite so far, but The Adventures has some great stories in it, not to mention the introduction of Irene Adler!
Wuthering Heights is one of my favorites and The Picture of Dorian Gray could quite possibly be my absolute favorite book (although that always depends on my mood when I'm asked...). I adore Poe, too - hope you can squeeze him in. :)
I'm reading The Autobiography of Mark Twain now - finished/reviewed Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte a couple of days ago. I also have some Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell, George Eliot, and others on my pile.. hope I can get through all of it!
AWESOME LIST. Wuthering Heights is my all-time favorite novel. Strangely enough, I personally don't consider it a love story per se, but it's an unbelievably powerful tale of obsession, human nature, growth, disappointment and love.
AntwortenLöschenDickens and Wilde are some of my favorite authors, and Conan Doyle is amazing. You're in for such a treat :)