Back To The Classics Challenge – Complete!
I finished! Here’s what I ended up reading:
- Any 19th Century Classic – The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.
- Any 20th Century Classic – Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.
- Reread a classic of your choice – The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
- A Classic Play – The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare.
- Classic Mystery/Horror/Crime Fiction – The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
- Classic Romance – Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
- Read a Classic that has been translated from its original language to your language – Solaris by Stanisław Lem (translated from Polish).
- Classic Award Winner – As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (Nobel Prize in Literature).
- Read a Classic set in a Country that you (realistically speaking) will not visit during your lifetime – Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (Congo Free State).
This challenge has been a lot of fun. I’ve been meaning to get back into reading some classics for years now, and while I was just starting to get into it slowly over the last year, this really helped me along.
I read my first Shakespeare since high school and enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. I finally returned to finish Nineteen Eighty-Four and loved it. I made it through my first Faulkner finally, after having previously failed my first attempt. It’s been a fantastic shove in the right direction, and I plan to continue on from here with The Classics Club. I’ll join the 2013 challenge next year if Sarah decides to host it again.
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6 Comments
Geoff
Impressive! I still have a few more to go. I agree about it being a great challenge as it’s encouraged me to go back and read novels I’ve always wanted to but never have.
Rob
Yeah, I’m really glad I joined. Gave me the kick in the backside that I needed!
Sarah ReadsTooMuch
Congratulations! I appreciate the kind thoughts as well. I do have some ideas for a new challenge, and I’d really like to continue with it…. but I am also involved and engaged with the Classics Club now too. I really have no idea what I’m going to do! It really means a lot to me that you and others enjoyed the Challenge. Thank you for participating!
Rob
Thanks for hosting it! I’m really enjoying the Classics Club as well.
Christina
Now that I’m finally done with my challenge, I’m visiting everyone else’s wrap-up post. I had to go read your Pride and Prejudice review right away, since it is my Favorite Book in All the World! Interesting thoughts on The Taming of the Shrew as well.
Rob
I loved reading Shrew, and I did quite like Pride and Prejudice despite my slight ranting in that post. Hopefully it didn’t come across as too negative!