Classic British novels...

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Anyone here like to read classic British novels? Sounds dry and geeky, I know, but this forum is supposed to be full of geeks. :)

Anyway, I've started reading "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" by Thomas Hardy and it's quite interesting. I never read it in school, and it seems these "classics" are more enjoyable when you don't have to write a report on it.

Was wondering if any of you here want to recommend some novels to me. Tragic stories tend to fly well with me, as well as good doses of psychology and suspense.

Oh yeah--unless it's a really obscure fantasy novel, don't recommend any fantasy to me. I've probably already read them.

[Lachesis]

. . .desperately trying to think of a British novelist besides Jane Austen. . .err.

If you like Tess D'Ubervilles, You'd probably like Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre (love the movie, worship the movie). Dickens is always agreeable. . . I found Melville a bit too much. . .never liked Robert Louis Stevenson. Was the Baroness Orczy British? I always liked the Scarlet Pimpernel, melodramatic as it was.


Oh, and I'm recommending the Gormenghast trilogy whether you like it or not.
So there. :p

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

I love the Gormenghast Trilogy!!! Truly one of the great bizarre pieces of fiction. I recommend it as well. Told ya to beware of fantasy recommendations. Don't you even try to think about E.R. Eddison either...

Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre...aren't they "girly" stories along the lines of "Little Women?" I mean, I can dig Little Women in film or TV, but the novel is a little harder for me to get through. I can dig romance, but there's "conventional" romance and twisted romance. "Tess" is shaping up to be kinda dark--there's rape, murder, betrayal, and a heavy psychological exploration of Tess. The same juicy elements as the show your avatar is from...;)

[Govan]

What about "Heart of Darkness"? Joseph Conrad wasn't born in Britain himself, but later on in his life, he went there and became a citizen. And come on, HoD is an awesome book!

[BourgeoisBuffoon]

ANYTHING Sherlock Holmes is good! Read one soon...or are they short stories? I read a long book of 'em, so I guess that counts...
....actually, I tend not to look where a book is made, so I'm sure I have read some British novels somewhere in my life....I just wanna read that novel!

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

If there's a classic book that's not British, but you're enthusiastic about it, speak up! While I'm looking more for British authors at the moment, don't hesitate to offer other suggestions. Still, I'd like to keep Russian and American recommendations to a minimum at the moment.

[Govan]

I've always been surprised at how British Joey Conrad sounds though. You'd never know he was a foreigner because he has such a masterful command over the language.

BTW, I have to say that I did not enjoy "Wuthering Heights" or "Jane Eyre" at all! And I don't particularly like Jane Austen, either... :/

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Originally posted by Govan
I've always been surprised at how British Joey Conrad sounds though. You'd never know he was a foreigner because he has such a masterful command over the language.

BTW, I have to say that I did not enjoy "Wuthering Heights" or "Jane Eyre" at all! And I don't particularly like Jane Austen, either... :/

Cool, I'll check Conrad out.

I guess it'd be hard to recommend girly stories to me. On one hand, I LIKE slushy romance, and I am partial to female leads, but I'm not into conventional romance plots. I like nutso characters who live slightly off the beaten path, and a good helping of "shock" tactics that keep the story edgy. So if you recommend a romance, make sure it's kinda twisted.

Thrillers are always good, but in the end, the Gormenghast Trilogy pretty much sums up my tastes. I like flowery prose, but not to the point where several pages are spent on a person's sleeve (a la Robert Jordan). The plot need not be super-tight, but the characters MUST be compelling and emotionally complex. I'll take a character-driven book over a plot-driven one any day of the week. The more convoluted the character, the better. Moral ambiguity is also a plus for me.

[batboy2001]

Miss Seeton, it was writen by a couple of people.

[Maxie Zeus]

Originally posted by Leaping Larry Jojo I guess it'd be hard to recommend girly stories to me. On one hand, I LIKE slushy romance, and I am partial to female leads, but I'm not into conventional romance plots. I like nutso characters who live slightly off the beaten path, and a good helping of "shock" tactics that keep the story edgy. So if you recommend a romance, make sure it's kinda twisted.

I shouldn't talk about "Jane Eyre," since I've only seen the 1940s Orson Welles film version, and never read the book. But I think it should qualify as a romance that's twisted. The film, at any rate, treated it like a love story set in a pretty freaky haunted house.

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Originally posted by Maxie Zeus


I shouldn't talk about "Jane Eyre," since I've only seen the 1940s Orson Welles film version, and never read the book. But I think it should qualify as a romance that's twisted. The film, at any rate, treated it like a love story set in a pretty freaky haunted house.

After looking at a plot summary, now I seem to remember reading the book several years ago (for school), and it had some mystery in it, but it never struck me as a particularly "dark" tale. It sometimes read like those old 60s Romance comics, except with better prose and more plausible characters.

I'm sure Welles played a big part in "darkening" the film, though I haven't seen it. But judging from his body of work, it would seem that he has a penchant for moody tales.

It is amusing to note that many "classic" novels were actually the popular fictions of their times. Many novels were published as serials in magazines, and were either soap stories or "pulp" fiction (though they weren't called that in those days). So many might have been considered pretty trashy. But it's the memorable "trash" that stands the test of time...

However, I truly doubt James Joyce was ever a "popular fiction" writer...

[Nightflower]

I didn't mind Wuthering Heights, but I would agree that it is pretty girly. It's the classic novel version of a chick flick. I didn't like any of the characters, they were all whiny and weak, but Heathcliff is a bit of an ass and lots of people who read the book say they like him because of that.

[The Mad Hatter]

About time this English major got over here.... as far as novels go, I generally prefer Carroll or Dickens. Not sure if you'd consider Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" a classic, but I'd throw that one in there.

Of course, I think the British-born Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a classic, myself... :D

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Originally posted by The Mad Hatter
About time this English major got over here.... as far as novels go, I generally prefer Carroll or Dickens. Not sure if you'd consider Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" a classic, but I'd throw that one in there.

Of course, I think the British-born Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a classic, myself... :D

Well, I'm already familiar with Dickens, and of course, Carroll. Carroll's work got more uneven after the Alice books, though...

"Cult" books are always welcome too. To this day, The Gormenghast Trilogy has always been an oddity--I like those "black sheep" books that have a healthy following, but is not discussed by many "mainstream" critics.

[BourgeoisBuffoon]

Ah, yes, Dickens. Never forgot the comic adaption of a TALE OF TWO CITIES I read, then I went out and read the actual thing. But it's been so long I don't remember anything but the basic plot. Oh well.
At least I still have Oliver Twist around. Dang, I was impressed with how Nancy was killed. And to think that these books reflected the times, too.

I know something thay should get a few stares-anyone 'remember' the Harry Potter books? They might become classic with their popularity....:rolleyes:

[Maxie Zeus]

Originally posted by BourgeoisBuffoon
Ah, yes, Dickens.

No, Edmund Wells. :D

[Lachesis]

Originally posted by Leaping Larry Jojo
I love the Gormenghast Trilogy!!! Truly one of the great bizarre pieces of fiction. I recommend it as well. Told ya to beware of fantasy recommendations. Don't you even try to think about E.R. Eddison either...

What did you think of the miniseries, if you saw it?


Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre...aren't they "girly" stories along the lines of "Little Women?" I mean, I can dig Little Women in film or TV, but the novel is a little harder for me to get through. I can dig romance, but there's "conventional" romance and twisted romance. "Tess" is shaping up to be kinda dark--there's rape, murder, betrayal, and a heavy psychological exploration of Tess. The same juicy elements as the show your avatar is from...;)

Yes, they're girly. Not Little Women girly, but girly enough. Wuthering Heights I'd call twisted romance, but Jane Eyre is pretty straightforward with darker elements. Loved the movie version with Orson Welles, which somebody mentioned.

And, no, neither of them come close to Utena.;)

[DR. BELCH]

Well, my favorite British writers are Shakespeare and Chaucer, but they weren't really novelists...so I guess they don't count. Though truth be told I'm more taken with the Italian Renaissance writers like Dante....

BourgeoisBuffoon:
Ah, yes, Dickens.[/quote]
Maxie Zeus:
No, Edmund Wells. [/QUOTE]

I wonder if you might have a copy of "Rarnaby Budge"?
No, as I say, we're right out of Edmund Wells!
No, not Edmund Wells - Charles Dikkens.
[pause; eagerly] Charles Dickens??
Yes.
[excitedly] You mean "Barnaby Rudge"!
No, "Rarnaby Budge" by Charles Dikkens. That's Dikkens with two Ks, the well-known Dutch author.
[slight pause, then exasperated sigh] No. Well, we don't have "Rarnaby Budge" by Charles Dikkens with two Ks, the well-known Dutch author...[tersely] and perhaps to save time I should add that we don't have "Karnaby Fudge" by Darles Chickens, or "Farmer of Sludge" by Marles Pickens, or even "Stickwick Stapers" by Farles Wickens with four M's and a silent Q.

I imagine this poor bookshop clerk never expected the Spanish Inquisition.... ;)

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Originally posted by Lachesis


And, no, neither of them come close to Utena.;)

Gormenghast does, at times. The surreal nature of Gormenghast and its characters reminded me of Utena. (Yes, I read the trilogy only mere months ago).

I haven't seen the mini-series, though fans say it was pretty good. I can't help but think much would be lost on film, though.