tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581982979984726349.post5907494651622292717..comments2023-09-07T14:14:50.539-04:00Comments on Free Listens: Literary Book Blog HopSayethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921075981432007616noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581982979984726349.post-56231522726428163872011-04-06T01:08:21.521-04:002011-04-06T01:08:21.521-04:00I approach works in the classic canon with healthy...I approach works in the classic canon with healthy skepticism. I try not to go in primed to make myself like it because it's a canonical work, but I also try to be generous and remain open to whatever element(s) gave it its rep. Don't forget that the literary canon is a powerful ideological tool: it's not just about whose work deserves to be read, but also about determining whose work should be held up as the gold standard for others to aspire to. Tastes in writing styles and topics change over time, however, and only over the past century or so has the canonical status been granted more readily to women and minority writers. That being said, I think our responsibility as readers is to be even more informed about a book--its history, influences, and effects--when it achieves the label "classic."<br /><br />So, like I said, healthy skepticism.Mattastrophichttp://strangetelemetry.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581982979984726349.post-53504517292679299022011-04-03T02:12:25.455-04:002011-04-03T02:12:25.455-04:00That makes a lot of sense...to discover why a clas...That makes a lot of sense...to discover why a classic is a classic - why it has stood the test of time, or is considered as likely to stand the test of time.Songhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09707280327803432082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581982979984726349.post-11368750267044060102011-04-01T11:41:05.399-04:002011-04-01T11:41:05.399-04:00I agree with you about those great ones having bee...I agree with you about those great ones having been placed there for a reason and deserving a good effort from the reader.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581982979984726349.post-4919101092716880432011-04-01T03:14:00.400-04:002011-04-01T03:14:00.400-04:00i like what you say here. BUT i wonder how much so...i like what you say here. BUT i wonder how much something having surviving classic status is due to everyone who reads it being very generous with time and thought because of that staus?<br /><br />i mean, if everyone who reads SUPER AWESOME CLASSIC NOVEL because it's a classic, and they each don't give up till they've worked out partly why it has that status, it's going to end up with lots more readers thinking it's great, than a similar quality book, that people don't give as much effort to, because nobody calls it a classic.<br /><br />this got long, sorry. good post!Ben Carrollhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03308876297341347389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581982979984726349.post-6340295424755800352011-03-31T21:17:32.466-04:002011-03-31T21:17:32.466-04:00My answer was very similar. I try harder with book...My answer was very similar. I try harder with books that have been critically well received. But in the end, I'm still either going to like the book or not.Susan (Reading World)http://susancoventry.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581982979984726349.post-61696740609927443782011-03-31T18:36:37.289-04:002011-03-31T18:36:37.289-04:00I really think I could read the same classic once ...I really think I could read the same classic once each decade and find something new to like or hate.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581982979984726349.post-89886037950489320042011-03-31T17:25:40.895-04:002011-03-31T17:25:40.895-04:00Classic status is a good signpost, pointing to a b...Classic status is a good signpost, pointing to a book considered to have merit, doesn't mean you'll enjoy it, doesn't always mean It's worthy, but it can act as a guide through the labyrinth we call literature.@parridhlanternhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12793548943992250238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581982979984726349.post-56399262184918908592011-03-31T13:56:31.161-04:002011-03-31T13:56:31.161-04:00Yeah, good point about trying to find out 'why...Yeah, good point about trying to find out 'why' a book has such critical acclaim.<br /><br />I like your blog, btw. Fantastic idea :)Toni Wihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10314745513137417924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581982979984726349.post-27484033378206083122011-03-31T13:01:14.092-04:002011-03-31T13:01:14.092-04:00I have been avoiding classics for years but in the...I have been avoiding classics for years but in the last few years I have been making an effort to try to read them, because as you say, if they're classics, it must be for some reason. I read Anna Karenina last year and found that to be a real slog, although I liked parts of it, but I read Sense and Sensibility this month and liked it a lot more than I anticipated, so I figure I'll keep trying.Anja K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04807435343847113353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581982979984726349.post-15513216483534819442011-03-31T12:13:25.358-04:002011-03-31T12:13:25.358-04:00I think you make a good point that books that have...I think you make a good point that books that have been in the bookish "hall of fame" for years probably have something going for them and trying to figure out the why they're there is a good way to approach certain classics.Redhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com