November Prompt: A Classics Challenge

Published on by Margaret

This year I’ve been taking part in A Classics Challenge hosted by Katherine of November’s Autumn. The goal is to read at least seven classics in 2012 and every month Katherine is posting a prompt to help us discuss the books we are reading.

There are several questions for this month’s prompt:

Of all the Classics you’ve read this year is there an author or movement that has become your new favorite? Which book did you enjoy the most? Or were baffled by? Who’s the best character? The most exasperating? From reading other participants’ posts which book do you plan to read and are most intrigued by?

Before I started this challenge I’d have said my favourite author is Jane Austen. She’s still a favourite, but I must add Charles Dickens as a favourite too. It follows that the books I enjoyed the most are by those authors – in particular Pride and Prejudice and A Tale of Two Cities.

I haven’t been baffled by any of the books.

I think one of the ‘best’ characters in the classics I’ve read is Marian Halcombe from The Woman in White. She’s feisty, loyal, passionate, clever, resourceful and assertive.

The most exasperating are also from The Woman in White. They are Laura and Frederick Fairlie  because both are quite irritating – Laura because she is so insipid and her father because he is such a selfish hypochondriac.

After reading Jane’s post about Barchester Towers I decided it was time I read Anthony Trollope’s Barchester Chronicles and have begun with reading The Warden. The novels and their characters are all new to me as I’ve never watched any of the TV dramatisations.

7 thoughts on “November Prompt: A Classics Challenge”

  1. Margaret – It’s so interesting isn’t it how we discover or re-discover authors because of these challenges. I have to agree with you about Dickens. I read him as a child but then didn’t for the longest time. I ought to renew my acquaintance…

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  2. Margot, that’s been the benefits of this Classics Challenge – not just reading books I haven’t read before, like The Woman in White, but also re-reading old favourites.

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  3. Do I ever agree about the WinW characters. Marion is one of my favorites of all-time, Laura is insipid, and her father just dreadful. Glad you’re starting in on Trollope; it’ll be fun to compare notes with you as we navigate through the Barset novels.

    I’ve really enjoyed these Classics Challenge questions this year–great answers, and they remind me that I need to do my own post for the Challenge!

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  4. I need to do my post on this too. I agree completely with W in W. I love Trollope but have never got into Dickens and I can’t imagine I ever will somehow, but you never know.

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  5. Marian Halcombe is definitely a memorable character. Hope you’re enjoying Anthony Trollope – I read The Warden and then this year Barchester Towers which I loved .

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  6. Ah! The Women in White, I had it on my list for this year… but got distracted by a few other books. 😉 Hopefully I’ll read it next year.

    Thank you for participating Margaret! 🙂

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  7. I love The Woman in White, and I agree with you about both Marian and Laura. For me Marian is the heroine of the story.

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