read more classic literature

Well. I suppose it is a classic. And no one said all classics were going to be easy to read or even satisfying. I suppose. And while I did enjoy the gothic and ghostly elements of this book, they were too few and far between to keep me that interested. The real problem for me, besides the aforementioned unwieldy size of the actual book, was the skipping around of the narrative. I wasn’t sure, especially toward the end, who was telling this story anymore…and I almost didn’t care. My main goal became to finish it and so that’s what I worked for.
This particular edition also contains Jane Eyre and I’d thought I move right on to it but I think I need a break from this sort of dark and dense reading…

So I finished The Call of the Wild last night and it was quite un-put-downable and surprisingly easy to read. What a good story. I think what made it even more enjoyable was that the copy I read was a 1903 edition I found at my parents’ house that belonged to my grandpa and his brothers and in fact has their surname written in the front. Also, one of them, when reading it, must have scribbled notes in the margins and they were like little treasures to find. One part of the book describes how Buck played with some fellow dogs and one of my great-uncles or my grandpa scrawled at the side: “Old Pard did that.” At another spot, a protective dog licks Buck, like a mother and someone has jotted at the side: “Just as little Teddy licked old Pard.”
So my grandpa’s childhood dogs were named little Teddy and old Pard! What a gem of a find! I love it.

I started Wuthering Heights after that but I only read the first chapter. It is part of a collection of Bronte books in one bigger book so not as easy to curl up with and lose yourself…

I just finished Animal Farm yesterday. What an appropriate story for our recently passed era.
Then I started The Call of the Wild and am already halfway through it. I had forgotten how good a good story can be.

God, when you read a lot of so-so books and writing like I have been, it is just so downright wonderful to read something amazing like this. I want to read it again right away! Not only did it bring back wonderful memories of Paris (I was at some of the places he hangs out in!) but it was re-inspiration for sticking to some writing routines. There were fascinating stories of famous writers that Hemingway drank with and coddled and looked up to. And it was just a good story, too, in addition to being autobiographical. I think it was coupland who recommended this to me (I can’t tell now b/c once I clicked on the button indicating that I consumed this, the recommendation suggestion disappeared…) so many thanks to him. It was perfect.
Hopefully, I will be reading a lot more worthwhile writing. This is why they’re called classics. This book will stick with me and most likely be reread.

I coasted through. I went to a fairly good college and majored in English where it was just assumed that I actually did all the reading I was supposed to do, was assigned to do. But I just couldn’t see how that could be done. There was so much else to do – parties, friends, meetings, shows, other classes, papers, tunnels to explore! And I spent four nights a week in the library! Literally. I hated my housemate junior and senior year and so I spent every night at the library from about 5 until like 10. Yeah, the other nights, I’d go out, but… I’d see all these other people spending hours and hours in the commons talking and eating and laughing – when did they study? So I just thought they must not be actually doing the work for the classes, just blowing off what they can get away with… maybe… I should have read so much more of what I was supposed to. Even after college, I started reading crap. I don’t mean Danielle Steele or anything that bad but I didn’t read anything worth reading, nothing I remember now. I read complusively but now I’m going to start reading things that are worth reading…