Olden Times Books Discussion

[HeadInAnotherGalaxy]

Wot are yer favourite older timez bookz? By older timez, ah mean: Sherlock Holmes, Oliver Twist, Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde, etc...

[Osu]

I have a love/hate relationship with Moby Dick the killer whale that never actually did anything, but I can't say I enjoyed anything anything else I was assigned in any of my old literature classes.

Wait, do Lord of the Rings or Narnia count as old timers?

[HeadInAnotherGalaxy]

Aye.

[Osu]

Then they're my favorites. *nod* 

[HeadInAnotherGalaxy]

Alzae meant by Olden Timez are bookz zuch az The Talisman, Any King Arthur book, (and to prevent any arguments aboat religion) the bible, an' any o' thoze bookz like that.

[Folgrimeo]

The only old-timey book I recall reading that I kinda liked was "The Glorious Adventure" by Richard Halliburton, done back in... good grief, 1927? Anyway, the main reason I liked it was it felt like a modern tale that didn't take itself seriously. Such as Roderick lazing away in a chair and the author making note of his ridiculous moustache. Or the author having delusions about Athens while drunk ("Ashens is shaved!"). The other reason I liked it is I deliberately imagined Tiny Toons characters for the roles and they somehow fit, which is easy when two of the characters are named Roderick and Fifi.

Some Mark Twain book was also good for a similar reason, not taking itself seriously. Whatever book it was, it was the one with the dreaded "Punch in the presence of the passenger!" jingle.

But for the most part I don't read those kinds of books, just because I fear they'd be pretentious and dry and have weird spellings and words. I have the same stance towards movies and TV shows, though I admit Green Acres was a good if goofy show (rest in peace Pat Buttram, his role in Green Acres positively shined), and Godfather's pretty good... I refuse to call it a masterpiece because I don't think that deeply about a movie's merits, but honest it is watchable and entertaining even today.

[Tiria Wildlough]

I didn't like Oliver Twist. Too...kind of...sad. If Charles Dickens wanted to reform society, he should have written a newspaper article. My mum still hasn't forgiven him for writing The Old Curiosity Shop.

[Redwall Musician]

Hmmm. I don't like Little House on the Prairie, because for me it was much too confusing and dull. Robin Hood stories are okay, same with King Arther. I liked Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott. I love the original Winnie the Pooh and it's sequel House at Pooh Corner (those might not be olden times books though). Narnia was my favorite before Redwall and is still pretty even with Redwall.

[Tiria Wildlough]

I love Narnia too, but not as much as Redwall.

[DanielofRedwall]

Narnia was good. I will soon start reading "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London. My brother says it's good. And not long after that, I'll start "Watershi Down" by Richard Adams, a book I've started to read many times, but never got very far through due to wanting to read other books. But the best is the Bible.

[HeadInAnotherGalaxy]

Narnia was good. I will soon start reading "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London. My brother says it's good. And not long after that, I'll start "Watershi Down" by Richard Adams, a book I've started to read many times, but never got very far through due to wanting to read other books. But the best is the Bible.

Yer brother'z right, tiz a great book. An' zpeakin' o' Watership Down, did ye ken tha' Down iz the term fer a group o' harez?

[Skalrag of Marshank]

I really like The Chronicles of Narnia.

I never read it for myself, but my dad read us The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien once. That one was epic.

[DanielofRedwall]

Narnia was good. I will soon start reading "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London. My brother says it's good. And not long after that, I'll start "Watershi Down" by Richard Adams, a book I've started to read many times, but never got very far through due to wanting to read other books. But the best is the Bible.

Yer brother'z right, tiz a great book. An' zpeakin' o' Watership Down, did ye ken tha' Down iz the term fer a group o' harez?

I think I knew that... I once heard that the place Watership Down is real. Is that true?

[Dawnwing]

I was sure I posted on this already... hmm.

Anyway, my favorite classics are White Fang by Jack London (I like it much better than Call of the Wild), Watership Down by Richard Adams... hmm... what were some others? The Grapes of Wrath I might have enjoyed more if we hadn't beaten it to death with analyzing it in class.  Ethan Frome was another one we read in the same class, but that one I liked a bit more; it kind of had a more modern feel to it.  Jane Eyre was another good one we read in that class - I read way ahead of our assignments!  I still think there were others, but I can't remember them right now.

Ones I do not like are A Tale of Two Cities and The Scarlet Letter.  I finished or at least nearly finished both, but they were very difficult for me to get into.

I think I knew that... I once heard that the place Watership Down is real. Is that true?

Yeah, in the book at the start it mentions that it's a real place but that the people living there in the book are fictional.

[Osu]

Watership Down! I'd forgotten about that one. Very, very good book. There's also all the Sherlock Holmes novels... I'm not sure if Poirot counts as old, or old enough, but he's a great character even if his mysteries struck me as subpar. The Illiad counts, right? Right. Gulliver's Travels?