In the last two weeks I’ve delved into The Grapes of Wrath (Steinbeck) and I Am Legend (Matheson). I am currently reading The Sun Also Rises (Hemingway). I can’t get enough. Back in high school, somewhere in the late 80’s, I was loathe to read the assigned books. I read a lot of Stephen King and Robert Ludlum. Those guys wove (and still weave in King’s case) great stories that resonated with me. I still read both authors today.
Looking back, I think I avoided the classics was because I couldn’t relate, because I had such a narrow view of the world. Also, the writing style was just different enough as to sit crookedly in my brain, making it difficult to concentrate on reading and comprehending.
What a joy to read these books for the first time and fall in love with the characters, the prose, the whole deal. I should probably thank my wife, a devout devourer of all manner of books, classic and otherwise. My good friends in Indiana deserve credit for my rediscovering Steinbeck. The gushed about The Grapes of Wrath and went so far as to push a worn copy into my hands. I love having a great reading network.
If you stumble across this post, let me know your thoughts on some classics. I’d love to hear them.
You and I had similar reading tastes in high school. 😉
I’ve learned to love Wuthering Heights, almost everything by Hemingway, and while I was very heavy into Poe when I was young, I’ve developed an entirely new appreciation for his writing as an adult.
I’ve not been as much of a fan of Steinbeck, but I do appreciate the techniques that he uses. I’ve loved Orwell since high school, but as with Poe, I’ve developed a much deeper appreciation for his talents lately.
What a great topic! Those are the only ones that I can pull off the top of my head, but if I think of more, I’ll stop by again.
The ones I remember even remotely enjoying in high school were Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and, well, that might be it.
I have to say that after my initial read of Grapes of Wrath, I would put it in my top 10. Hmmm, Top 10 list. Maybe tomorrow.
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I think the Grapes of Wrath is the ‘great American novel’. And I think Steinbeck was our most distinctly American writer, back when we really wrote about the big issues instead of much of the navel-gazing that goes on now. I found you when I was looking for an image of Steinbeck for my blog. I love the internet. 😉
Glad you stopped bv! I’m glad I didn’t read Steinbeck until last year. There’s so much going on there that I would have missed had I read it in my twenties. I have yet to read something of his that isn’t thought provoking. I look forward to reading more.