A classic is not an old book. It is a book that has not finished yet. If it has been read for a hundred years, there are a hundred years of reasons. Three descend. If there are several translations, read the first sentences side by side and choose the one that lets you breathe. 1. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen — Few classics make you laugh from the first sentence. 2. Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky — No book goes deeper into one man’s head. 3. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald — Short and bright, and it breaks in the last chapter. Homer still asks the goddess to sing in his first line.

LOREVIVA 201

Question:“On classic novels”

On classic novels

A classic is not an old book. It is a book that has not finished yet. If it has been read for a hundred years, there are a hundred years of reasons.

Three descend. If there are several translations, read the first sentences side by side and choose the one that lets you breathe.

Pride and Prejudice, Jane AustenFew classics make you laugh from the first sentence.
Crime and Punishment, Fyodor DostoevskyNo book goes deeper into one man’s head.
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott FitzgeraldShort and bright, and it breaks in the last chapter.

Homer still asks the goddess to sing in his first line.