Old literature vs Modern day literature

[Lady Mokusei]

Hi there, guys!

So, nowadays people mostly read modern day literature, the books from bestsellers list. I think that people read works from today popular authors like Paulo Coelho, George Martin, Dan Brown more than they read Shelley, Yesenin or Verlaine.
What do you think?

Which books do you buy?
Do you like to read old or modern day literature?​

NOTE! I used terms old and modern day literature because I think they are better than terms classics and bestseller books, but if you know better terms for this topic please let me know!

 

[King Of Crows]

Modern for me.

Though I adore the Odyssey and Iliad, so I should probably try reading more classics <(-.-<).

 

[Dissonant Values]

Classics is a perfectly acceptable term for older literature. Whereas as classics can be bestsellers not all bestsellers are classics. A classic book is one that has been generally accepted as pivotal to western civilizations growth.

Crime and Punishment: Fydor Dostoyevsky
The Portrait of Dorian Grey: Oscar Wilde
The Count of Monte Cristo: Alexandre Dumas
The Cask of Amontillado: Poe
Ivanhoe: Walter Scott

Those are the sort of books I read. In fact, I really won't touch modern literature because I think it's poorly written compared to older works. The "Bestsellers" list is filled with a lot of good books, but also a lot of books that take minimal effort to read and literally no thought on the part of the reader...It's boring...

 

[Pervy Wrath]

I buy whatever entices me at the time and never read it. I'm planning on not reading Don Quijote now

 

[Hakairyoku]

I definitely agree. People are buying the books they hear about from reviews, best sellers lists and such. And especially in high school, I knew a lot of people who complained about old literature since they hated their English classes. XD But IMO, I go for whatever peaks my interest, whether it be old or new.

 

[King Of Crows]

I buy whatever entices me at the time and never read it. I'm planning on not reading Don Quijote now

That dog in your avatar is so fluffy :yayy: I wanna pet it !

 

[Katachi]

Aww, that reminds me of the times me and my sister had a Paulo Coelho phase - I suppose you'd call it. We literally bought like all his books one day -sat down and started reading them . XD
To be honest, I don't read as much anymore as I used to, but my taste is a mixture. I like some classics, but the majority of books I read are all modern.

 

[Pervy Wrath]

That dog in your avatar is so fluffy :yayy: I wanna pet it !

You can't, he's dead :| I totally ruined the mood =D

 

[King Of Crows]

You can't, he's dead :| I totally ruined the mood =D

You must be registered for see images

My day is ruined.

You must be registered for see images

 

[Forest]

Hi there, guys!

So, nowadays people mostly read modern day literature, the books from bestsellers list. I think that people read works from today popular authors like Paulo Coelho, George Martin, Dan Brown more than they read Shelley, Yesenin or Verlaine.
What do you think?

Which books do you buy?
Do you like to read old or modern day literature?​

NOTE! I used terms old and modern day literature because I think they are better than terms classics and bestseller books, but if you know better terms for this topic please let me know!

Modern Literature takes the cake. Yeah they are better terms because with those titles you can figure what era the literature was written in. LAtely I've been reading Brave New World By Aldous Huxley, and Dr. Sax by Jack Kerouac. Both sci fi ficiton classics. Good summer reads !

 

[Pervy Wrath]

You must be registered for see images

My day is ruined.

You must be registered for see images

Aah, you'll be fine =D

 

[Lady Mokusei]

Modern for me.

Though I adore the Odyssey and Iliad, so I should probably try reading more classics <(-.-<).

You definitively should do that. Without classics you can't understand properly world of literature. It's only my opinion, though.

Classics is a perfectly acceptable term for older literature. Whereas as classics can be bestsellers not all bestsellers are classics. A classic book is one that has been generally accepted as pivotal to western civilizations growth.

Crime and Punishment: Fydor Dostoyevsky
The Portrait of Dorian Grey: Oscar Wilde
The Count of Monte Cristo: Alexandre Dumas
The Cask of Amontillado: Poe
Ivanhoe: Walter Scott

Those are the sort of books I read. In fact, I really won't touch modern literature because I think it's poorly written compared to older works. The "Bestsellers" list is filled with a lot of good books, but also a lot of books that take minimal effort to read and literally no thought on the part of the reader...It's boring...

I am perfectly aware that classics is acceptable term for old literature but I prefer term old literature because classics can be bestsellers (sometimes) so I didn't want to be misunderstood.

I read all of these books except The cask of Amontilado.
Did you read Crime and Punishment in original? Good God, that grammar destroyed me.
Ivanhoe? Most people prefer The Heart of Midlothian. Only thing that I like in Ivanhoe is Rebecca, and maybe picture of that insane vicar.

I'm so glad that there is person who thinks like that. I wanted to make a thread where I would compare these two literatures but I knew that no one would read that. Modern literature really has some good books but it seems that people rather read simple works these days. I don't quite get that.

I buy whatever entices me at the time and never read it. I'm planning on not reading Don Quijote now

Why? Don Quixote is sure something that you need to read if you really like reading.

I definitely agree. People are buying the books they hear about from reviews, best sellers lists and such. And especially in high school, I knew a lot of people who complained about old literature since they hated their English classes. XD But IMO, I go for whatever peaks my interest, whether it be old or new.

Yeah, but I think that the most important thing is that we read books that possess quality no matter are they old or not.

Aww, that reminds me of the times me and my sister had a Paulo Coelho phase - I suppose you'd call it. We literally bought like all his books one day -sat down and started reading them . XD
To be honest, I don't read as much anymore as I used to, but my taste is a mixture. I like some classics, but the majority of books I read are all modern.

I suppose that we all have these phases; I remember that I had Dan Brown phase. :yeah:

Modern Literature takes the cake. Yeah they are better terms because with those titles you can figure what era the literature was written in. LAtely I've been reading Brave New World By Aldous Huxley, and Dr. Sax by Jack Kerouac. Both sci fi ficiton classics. Good summer reads !

I read Brave New World, and I like Aldous Huxley. His style is pretty unique. However I didn’t read Dr. Sax.

 

[Pervy Wrath]

Why? Don Quixote is sure something that you need to read if you really like reading.

I like the illusion of reading xD I've always been very fond of words, if that makes sense. Anyone who can speak differently than others, put more emphasis in their words and how they speak, I like those people. So books are appealing to me, but I can never just sit down and start reading something. I love visual entertainment, that's my thing. I've had Don Quijote right next to me for several months now, but I just can't seem to pick it up and just start reading.

 

[Damon Salvatore]

I like classics more. I adore Count of Monte Cristo, Iliad etc.
One of my favourites that I want to recommend is The Prince by Nicollo Machiavelli.Great story and a good read.
I like most of you I suppose like the vision classic authors have.I like the way they picture things in their work.In modern books you see the same attributes like in most works. There are too many mysteries that are similar with one another.

 

[Lady Mokusei]

I like the illusion of reading xD I've always been very fond of words, if that makes sense. Anyone who can speak differently than others, put more emphasis in their words and how they speak, I like those people. So books are appealing to me, but I can never just sit down and start reading something. I love visual entertainment, that's my thing. I've had Don Quijote right next to me for several months now, but I just can't seem to pick it up and just start reading.

Words are pure magic, at least for me. When I sit down and start to read I’m not in my room anymore. Maybe it sounds so cliché but I don’t know how to explain that. The similar thing happens to me when I am writing. I can live lives of my characters, I can feel their emotions, I can be any of them… I don’t want to sound creepy but words can give you power to be in the world hidden between lines of letters. And I can’t experience that when I am watching a film.

I like classics more. I adore Count of Monte Cristo, Iliad etc.
One of my favourites that I want to recommend is The Prince by Nicollo Machiavelli.Great story and a good read.
I like most of you I suppose like the vision classic authors have.I like the way they picture things in their work.In modern books you see the same attributes like in most works. There are too many mysteries that are similar with one another.

I believe that The Prince is his greatest work. I didn’t read it but I think I read a comedy from him (I can’t remember the name of the play, though).
Yeah, authors of classics have great power of expressing their thoughts. I mean, their sentences are out of this world. I think that modern literature tries to simplify art of writing when I compare some classics with today bestseller books.

 

[Pervy Wrath]

Words are pure magic, at least for me. When I sit down and start to read I’m not in my room anymore. Maybe it sounds so cliché but I don’t know how to explain that. The similar thing happens to me when I am writing. I can live lives of my characters, I can feel their emotions, I can be any of them… I don’t want to sound creepy but words can give you power to be in the world hidden between lines of letters. And I can’t experience that when I am watching a film.

No, I completely get that. You get immersed into the story the same way I do if I watch a really good movie. I have many big books that I want to read this summer, or at least over the course of the next 9 months. I'm planning on reading Don Quijote and all the Game of Thrones books except for the first two.

I wish I could get immersed like that when I write though. I really love stories, and I want to make my own, but I'm having a hard time getting the imagination going.

 

[Lady Mokusei]

No, I completely get that. You get immersed into the story the same way I do if I watch a really good movie. I have many big books that I want to read this summer, or at least over the course of the next 9 months. I'm planning on reading Don Quijote and all the Game of Thrones books except for the first two.

I wish I could get immersed like that when I write though. I really love stories, and I want to make my own, but I'm having a hard time getting the imagination going.

You mean A song of Ice and Fire books series? I read first three books few years ago. I'm too lazy to start to watch TV series and I'm little afraid that I'm going to be disappointed. It is true that I read too much, but 6 books for 9 months? Only? *_* A song of Ice and Fire is not hard to read, you can finish all books in three weeks. I read Game of Thrones in two days.

Oh, I wrote three novels, well, four if I exclude Silence, my novel that I destroyed and many, many short stories, poems, essays. Sometimes I'm not sure where I am because of my imagination. You have to be a character 24 hours a day if you want to give him/her a life. And if you want to write you need to read, to learn constantly. Writing your own story is really beautiful, but you can't just sit and start writing. Imagination is the smallest problem... you need to find your own style, you need to create your own sentence. Writing is really tyrannical job but it is also only thing in world that give me pleasure.
If you try to write seriously you need to work hard and to spend lot of time just in the world of writing, world of literature. *_*

 

[Pervy Wrath]

You mean A song of Ice and Fire books series? I read first three books few years ago. I'm too lazy to start to watch TV series and I'm little afraid that I'm going to be disappointed. It is true that I read too much, but 6 books for 9 months? Only? *_* A song of Ice and Fire is not hard to read, you can finish all books in three weeks. I read Game of Thrones in two days.

Oh, I wrote three novels, well, four if I exclude Silence, my novel that I destroyed and many, many short stories, poems, essays. Sometimes I'm not sure where I am because of my imagination. You have to be a character 24 hours a day if you want to give him/her a life. And if you want to write you need to read, to learn constantly. Writing your own story is really beautiful, but you can't just sit and start writing. Imagination is the smallest problem... you need to find your own style, you need to create your own sentence. Writing is really tyrannical job but it is also only thing in world that give me pleasure.
If you try to write seriously you need to work hard and to spend lot of time just in the world of writing, world of literature. *_*

Yes, those. Well, it's a bit harder to read when I can't read it in my first language, which slows things down a lot, plus I'm not really a fast reader in my own language either. So it takes some time. I finished the first book in about a week or so, if I remember correctly. I've got Don Quijote in Norwegian though, so I can get through that one quicker, if I get hooked.

I can definitely understand a lot of your points. It must really suck having a writer's block and stuff like that as well.

 

[Lady Mokusei]

Yes, those. Well, it's a bit harder to read when I can't read it in my first language, which slows things down a lot, plus I'm not really a fast reader in my own language either. So it takes some time. I finished the first book in about a week or so, if I remember correctly. I've got Don Quijote in Norwegian though, so I can get through that one quicker, if I get hooked.

I can definitely understand a lot of your points. It must really suck having a writer's block and stuff like that as well.

I see... But I hope you'll enjoy in reading. :bouncy:

Yeah... Days like that are the worst... especially for young people who are trying to become writers. But, sooner or later you get used to that. *_*

 

[Pervy Wrath]

I see... But I hope you'll enjoy in reading. :bouncy:

Yeah... Days like that are the worst... especially for young people who are trying to become writers. But, sooner or later you get used to that. *_*

Me too! ^^

That I believe. It might be a bit discouraging.