Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

Heather L wrote: "I had 39 percent. Like others here, I read the first few “Anne” books (I forget how far I got in the series, at least the first 3-4) and there are also a couple “not in this lifetime” books. Most o..."

Haha...I love that term "Mount TBR" .

Glad people are having fun with the list. Lynn, if you scroll a bit further on the 'classics' tag page you found, there's a section you can click to see the listing of works by total tag count, which is a lot more stable of a list and is where I drew my data from.

Lynn wrote: "Heather L wrote: "Haha...I love that term "Mount TBR”."

Yeah, it surpassed “pile” status ages ago. 😶

Yes fun! LOL you have given me another list to look at!

So using the top 100 books:

Aubrey's list of Uninteresting Classics I had read 33%
This week's books tagged classics (top 100) I had read 48%
The total tagged classics on Goodreads (top 100) I had read 57%

That's a large measure of variation. Lists are just the luck of the draw.

I love book lists of all kinds!

Lynn wrote: "Just because I was wondering about which books are called "classic" I clicked on Emma by Jane Austen. Once at the Emma page I clicked "classics" in the tags on the right. ..."

I followed your steps, but I'm not sure how classic those classics are, when there's also a New Release with a publication date of 2021 and only 18 ratings??

Angelique wrote: "Lynn wrote: "Just because I was wondering about which books are called "classic" I clicked on Emma by Jane Austen. Once at the Emma page I clicked "classics" in the tags o..."

Both points are always a problem. Defining a classic is up to the individual. I wish the new editions would put first publication date, not their own edition's date.

Lynn, I wish that Goodreads would put a First Published Date in Book Details for every edition of every book so that I don’t have to go elsewhere to look it up.

I agree with you both, Lynn and Terry. :)

With used paperback books, what does "pp 13" mean?

Marilyn wrote: "With used paperback books, what does "pp 13" mean?"

Printed pages.

I understand pp. to indicate the total number of pages for the text. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

I believe you are both exactly right. "printed pages" included in the text.

I'm looking at a used book online that is 358 pages but is referred to as a pp 13 paperback. That's what is confusing me. What is the difference between page length and printed pages?

Marilyn wrote: "I'm looking at a used book online that is 358 pages but is referred to as a pp 13 paperback. That's what is confusing me. What is the difference between page length and printed pages?"

Lately Amazon or other online ebook publishers have been making book "editions". The information they input is rarely careful and accurate. If you are interested in that book, I would try to visit the Amazon page and take a look inside. Do be careful though. I once bought an ebook edition of something, can't remember what, and it turned out to be a Comic Book!!!! not the classic novel. I was not happy. It was one of the few times I have returned something and asked for my money back; which they returned.

Oh wait, once I ordered Middlemarch and was sent an abridged edition. That one I kept because it was actually a physical copy, and I am lazy. Again the information provided was insufficient for me to realize my mistake until I had the book in my hand.

I ordered the classic The Last Man on Kindle and what I get seemed like it had been translated back into English from some other language. I was able to return it and get the book through Gutenberg. After all that, although it was the only other novel by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, it was a terrible book - long-winded, flat characters, ridiculous plot, etc.

Many classics have abridged editions in print, ebook and audio. That might be ok as long as you know that's what you are getting. For me, I want the whole thing, no matter how long and rambling.

Robin P wrote: " For me, I want the whole thing, no matter how long and rambling. "

That is very true Robin. I personally avoid getting abridged editions for my children, too. I noticed that the first thing the abridgers do is scrap the prose and leave only the plot, to the point where Pinocchio and The Jungle Book sound exactly the same. We'll read them in nightly installments, thank you, and let the children slowly experience different styles and themes - and perhaps just drop the book until later if it turns out not to hold the attention yet.

I've never understood the appeal of abridged versions of books. I want the author's version of the work, not some random editor. Its the same issue with such things as "collected works", such as Samuel Pepys' diary, where they pick and choose the entries to include. Just give me all of them!

Tara, while I agree with you completely, I have had the experience of thinking that some books need a good editor!

Terry wrote: "Tara, while I agree with you completely, I have had the experience of thinking that some books need a good editor!"

Yes indeed Terry! There are many a book that could easily be cut down a quarter or a third and be better for it. But in my mind that should be done as the book is being crafted, not an afterthought later on. The one exception I would make to this rule is with Armed Services Editions, as they were restricted in the sense that the books needed to be able to fit in the soldier's pocket, and therefore it might be necessary to condense a book. Better for the GIs to have access to the work than not at all.

Jillian ❀‿❀ wrote: "Hi! This is perhaps a silly question, but in case anyone knows? I joined a couple days ago & have read some of the books on the group's bookshelf, but it doesn't auto-list my review under "WHAT MEM..."

Sorry I don't have an answer for you on this, I do know that I show up eventually if I'd read a book after the group read.

Hi! This is kind of a random question, but I'm making plans to teach Mary Shelley's Frankenstein for the first time for a high school English class. Does anyone have a particular edition of the book that they could recommend? Right now my thoughts are that I want the kids to have a "nice"-looking and feeling book that they can hold in their hands, with font and margins that are not too tiny. Thanks! :)

Amyjzed wrote: "Hi! This is kind of a random question, but I'm making plans to teach Mary Shelley's Frankenstein for the first time for a high school English class. Does anyone have a particular edition of the boo..."

Let me know if you find the perfect book. I just have an old tattered paperback, so would love to update my copy.

I don’t ha e an answer for you, but it heartens me to know that teachers care about such things! Thanks for being such a thoughtful teacher!

I also have no answer, but I am always amazed at the lengths teachers go to for their students. I got that from my teachers and I'm glad to see it still exists.

I have a beautifully illustrated steampunk edition, not sure how practical it would be for school though.

Steampunk: Frankenstein

Amyjzed wrote: "Hi! This is kind of a random question, but I'm making plans to teach Mary Shelley's Frankenstein for the first time for a high school English class. Does anyone have a particular edition of the boo..."

Hello, I am a teacher. I taught 8th grade ELA for five years - I just switched to 3rd grade. In 8th grade a few years back I bought eight copies of with my own money. It says "Amazon Classics" on the cover. It has a short preface. I am sure the copies were less than $10 a piece. The cover is paperback but durable. The font is slightly small for my tastes, but probably about right for teens. The dimensions are 8 inches x 5 inches, so it is a larger book.

Hope this helps.

Katy wrote: "Amyjzed wrote: "Hi! This is kind of a random question, but I'm making plans to teach Mary Shelley's Frankenstein for the first time for a high school English class. Does anyone have a particular ed..."

I bought a Penguin Classics edition from 2018 with an interesting cover illustration (the one with a figure with a misshapen face looking sadly at his reflection in a pond)... It seems like it may fit the bill so far!

Terry wrote: "I don’t ha e an answer for you, but it heartens me to know that teachers care about such things! Thanks for being such a thoughtful teacher!"

My students were mystified by the selections from Beowulf that we started the year with, and some said (or rather complained!) that it wasn't a real "book" (usually we read selections of the story from a grade 12 anthology...). It was hard for them to appreciate the idea that 'novels' weren't the first kind of literature. I ended up buying nice book versions of that full story as well, so they could feel the accomplishment of having read a "book" when they finished.

Anyway, after all they've been through with virtual learning last year and the fact that many of them struggle with reading and writing to begin with, it seems worth it to go the extra mile for some feel-good elements for their senior year! :)

Janelle wrote: "I have a beautifully illustrated steampunk edition, not sure how practical it would be for school though.

Steampunk: Frankenstein"


I love that! Thanks for the suggestion! I might want to have a copy of that edition as something to show to the students for visual analysis or appreciation every so often-- It can be helpful to use those kinds of related images for "warm up" questions at the start of class... But not necessarily buy a classroom set of that edition.

Thank you!

Lynn wrote: "Amyjzed wrote: "Hi! This is kind of a random question, but I'm making plans to teach Mary Shelley's Frankenstein for the first time for a high school English class. Does anyone have a particular ed..."

Thanks so much! That does look like a good edition!

Did your 8th graders like the story?
A few years ago I taught an abbreviated reader's theater version in my summer reading class to 7th graders -- It was published in Scope magazine I believe. I thought it was great at the time--I believe the students enjoyed it as well! :)

The usual adult text of Frankenstein is challenging for even high school and college students today because of the flowery language and the fact that the real story is embedded in another story which is embedded in another narrative!

Amyjzed wrote: "Lynn wrote: "Amyjzed wrote: "Hi! This is kind of a random question, but I'm making plans to teach Mary Shelley's Frankenstein for the first time for a high school English class. Does anyone have a ..."

I did not like the unit that we were told to teach. There was the wonderful "Flowers for Algernon" short story but paired with just a few chapters from Frankenstein. Personally, I do not like excerpts. Also, I thought the pairing was terrible. We read two chapters of Frank.. the short story and an article about Rorschach tests. The reason for the pairing was mean doctors in both, but it is impossible not to also draw the comparison between the mentally challenged and a Frankenstein monster!!!

The kids loved Flowers for Algernon. I love it too, both the short story and the full novel. So meh on Frankenstein. It was too much too youngl

Katy, I tried to private message this comment first, just so you know.

I saw this post in my feed: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

But the link does not work. Is that intentional/okay with you?

Cynda wrote: "Katy, I tried to private message this comment first, just so you know..."

I think it is fixed now. Thank you.

Anyone on good with languages? The downside to some of the books i read the untranslatable quotes. Google is next to worthless with this stuff. So if anyone can do any better than google please feel free.

1) farre pio et salente mica

2) Quo fugis? ah demons! nulla est fuga, tu licet usque
Ad Tanaim fugias, usque sequetur amor.
google version:
Where do you fly? Ah you devils! there is no escape, you are allowed to
You must flee to the Tanais, and love will follow you.
(maybe thats correct but no idea what Tanais is then)

3) Armatz de fuste de fere d'acier,
Mos ostal seran bosc, fregz, e semdier,
E mas cansos sestinas e descortz,
E mantenrai los frevols contra 'ls fortz.
google version
Steel iron armatz,
Mos ostal seran bosc, fregz, e semdier,
And more tired sestinas and descortz,
And you will keep the frevols against 'ls fortz.
(looks like it was only half trying on that one ;) )

Any help appreciated.

@Wreade1872, expanded quote of 1):
Horace, Od. 3:23, 17-20 —
   "Immunis aram si tetigit manus,
Non sumptuosa blandior hostia
Mollivit aversos Penates
Farre pio, et saliente mica."

It has something to do with pleasing God by offering grain (perhaps in comparison to "better" offerings:
https://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calc...

(See bottom of page)

[If a pure hand has touched the altar, the pious offering of a small cake and a few grains of salt will appease the offended gods more effectually than costly sacrifices. —Horace, Od., iii. 23, 17.]

http://teaching.quotidiana.org/essays...

LiLi wrote: "[If a pure hand has touched the altar, the pious offering of a small cake and a few grains of salt will appease the offended gods more effectually than costly sacrifices. —Horace, Od., iii. 23, 17...."

Thats great Lili, nice research :) , thx.

Quo fugis, in several (old-fashioned forms of) languages:
Propert.
Quò fugis, ah, demens? nulla est fuga: tu licèt vsque
Ad Tanaim fugias, vsquè sequetur Amor.
Non si Pegaseo vecteris in aëra dorso,
Nec tibi si Persei mouerit ala pedes.

Too late to fly.
Tis now in vayn to fly fond louer as thow arte,
It bootes thee not at all to run thow worst not where,
For that which makes thee fly thy self in thee doest beare.
But to fly from thy self surpasseth all thy arte.

https://emblems.hum.uu.nl/v1608015_co...

"Louer" appears to mean "lover", going by the other language translations. Not sure if this is a typo or not.

Further down the page is a more direct translation:
Propertius, Elegiae 2, 30, 1-4

Where do you fly, mad heart? There is no escape. Fly as far as Tanais, love will hunt you down. You will not escape, though you are borne aloft on the back of Pegasus, nor though the pinions of Perseus wing your feet.

LiLi wrote: ""Louer" appears to mean "lover", going by the other language translations. Not sure if this is a typo or not."

Great stuff again! In some old times U's were written as V's and V's sometimes as U's. I'd say that's what happened there. I've read at least one entire book written like that, had to parse everything in my head.

Tanais being a city in russian i guess its their equivalent of todays Timbuctoo.

I think the problem with 3) is that a) your spacing is off (happens with verse and with old texts), and b) this is an older form of the language, which looks a lot like French to me (but I can't be sure). I found an entry about this poem on teh Intarwebs, which has been traced to a certain troubadour who used this as part of his presentation of two complementary characters: the "ladies' man" and the "man's [warriors'/soldiers'] man. Your quote is from the man's man, singing about the glories of war.

https://trobadors.iec.cat/veure_davan...

It appears it's likely to be Catalan, although an older form, which could explain the French appearance of some of the spellings.

@Wreade1872, I'm aware of the u/v substitution, primarily in Latin; I just couldn't grab enough context from this webpage to decide if that's what were happening. It's a Dutch site, so I tend to assume the Dutch translation will be the primary/best; but that doesn't tell me what the English should be, only if it says roughly the same thing.

@Wreade1872, yeah, I agree with your determination re Tanais/Timbuktu. I hadn't looked up where it was located, but it appeared at least to be the name of a far-off region. Thanks for looking it up.

@Wreade1872, I didn't have much choice but to look these up after I saw you posted them. I see something in a foreign language, I have to know what it means.