Good morning, how are you!
It's such a nice day today
I wish I could...
...be in it.
Welcome back to my channel, I suppose.
Uhm, I'm Dakota.
I'm 22.
I'm from Melbourne, Australia
and I talk about books...
that's all there is to it.
I've had like no motivation
to film anything recently because
lockdown blues but then
I suddenly went
perhaps talking to a camera would be nice!
Anyway, here are ten actually good
classic literature recommendations
for actual beginners.
Because I'm so hyperaware
of how beginners don't have those
preconceived notions that
everybody seems to think they do
we've all been beginners.
These are all varying degrees
of genre.
You will definitely see a theme
amongst my favourites.
I'm not going to recommend
an absolute beginner
Dostoevsky... or Shakespeare.
I think when it comes down to
classic literature for beginners,
there's a few aspects that
need to be considered like
the length of the book
because if it's quite wordy and
in older English or more advanced English
it's... a lot to deal with
especially in big chunks.
And captivating...
I think that captivating is
an imperative aspect.
Nobody wants to read a classic
that just draaags on.
That's gonna turn you off on classics forever.
First few classics that
somebody reads in their classic journey...
sets the mark for their
classic taste in life.
New drinking game:
take a shot every time she says classic.
You will also notice
that I source secondhand
whenever I can and
that's very attainable for classics.
So the covers for these books
will be interesting.
I get a lot of messages asking
where I got that edition from
and where the people can find it
and that it was $600 on Amazon and
that's because I got it from Savers for $1.50.
I'm sorry but covers don't matter
is what's on the inside that counts.
And without further ado,
onto the books.
The first book is very dear to me
and that is: Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland
slash Through the Looking Glass slash
whatever you will.
We all know what this book is about and
I don't need to detail it too much but
a young girl falls down a rabbit hole and
is exposed to the world of...
marvel and wonder and awe and
bizarre adventures.
This is written eloquently,
it's wise, it's humorous, it's captivating
from the get-go.
As a 22-year-old, I am still captivated
by this book.
It's also a very fast-paced read and
you can get through it quickly.
A.) because you're captivated and
B.) because it's short.
I also find that it helps reading classics
when you're in an unfamiliar territory...
that you already have an idea of the plot.
Try and look past the fact that it's a
"children's book" and consider it
to be a fantasy book with some
deeper meaning and some hidden themes.
Try to ignore
the constantly changing lighting
the sun is tucking itself beneath a new cloud
every minute. So it's going to be
a journey.
The next recommendation that I have
is more so an author than a book itself
and that is none other than Edgar Allan Poe
one of the most influential writers for me...
in my entire life.
"Father of the Modern Detective Story"
not so much the "Father of the Short Story"
though it definitely helps that gain momentum.
Not so much the "Father of Gothic Horror,"
though it definitely helps that gain momentum.
Just a very influential figure
in literature itself.
I'm in love with his mind.
He's a genius.
His writing is eery, it's creepy,
it's spooky, it's gruesome, it's raw...
but it's not terrifying.
Like it's not the stuff of nightmares
that's going to keep you up awake.
I recommend this book to anyone that
asks me for... recommendations
whether it be classics, gothic lit,
gothic horror, detective stories,
mysteries, anything!
Everyone I've ever recommended
Poe has thanked me with their life
and so I will recommend Poe
to everyone until the day I die.
It's very easy to find his works and collections.
I got this one at a bookstore
and I got this one secondhand.
They have a collection of his short stories
and his poetry
and I think that it's great
because you can power through them,
and you have that sense of accomplishment
and achievement and you're powering through
and you're finishing stories and
so you can tuck all of these books
under your arm at the same time.
My favourite short story of Poe's is
called the "Tell-Tale Heart."
and it is essentially the story of
an unnamed narrator who
is trying to convince you, the reader,
of his sanity.
Whilst he is describing to you, the reader,
of the crimes he committed.
The poetry and prose is magical.
The man is a genius.
The next book, we love some vampire fiction,
haha, just joking!
It's Carmilla.
Sheridan Le Fanu. Carmilla.
Bram Stroke's predecessor and inspiration
when it came to vampire fiction.
I think it came out 26 years before Dracula
We love some gothic romanticism
this is a classic Victorian vampire novela
and I think that is...
such an amazing starting point for classics.
Perhaps my affinity for gothic literature
is showing through,
in these recommendations.
This is a very important book,
in a historic sense.
It's also written very easily.
It's written beautifully
but very easily to follow and
it's a very quick read.
And a great one to say
you've actually read.
Also an absolute... moment
in homoerotecism.
We love some lesbian literature...
Sappho would be both proud
and terrified with this novel.
The next one is
very commonly on the lists
of classics for beginners.
Which is the first book I've seen
that rightfully so earned it's place
on our board.
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde is also a genius
for your information.
This is about
a seemingly good-natured young man,
who discovers the power behind...
his exceptional beauty.
It really explores the relationship
between beauty and morality.
Oscar Wilde plays a lot with
the presumption that...
gorgeous people are inherently morally good
and that "ugly" people are,
therefore, bad.
But it's a fascinating book.
It's considerably short
and it's written in a very nice
easy-to-understand way
for a beginner.
The next genre is exciting
because it's a philosophical classic
and that is
Albert Camus' The Stranger slash
The Outsider.
It's the exact same book.
It has two titles.
This was published in '82.
This was published in 2021.
I'm not sure if it depends on translation
or just the year of publication
but it's the same book.
Ahhh... ah books smell so good.
It's about alienation of an individual
from society, entirely self-inlicted
because he refuses to conform to social norms.
The first opening line of this book,
his mother dies
and he refuses to acknowledge his feelings,
let alone show them,
to uphold the expectations
of those around him.
And that sets up the novel...
in a perfect way.
It's written simply enough to grasp
a good understanding of.
But it's very fast-paced too.
And it will leave you feeling,
dare I say, enlightened.
After I read this,
after I read anything by Camus,
I feel more mature,
more intelligent, more philosophical,
more spiritual, more cynical.
I think that it's an amazing way
to cross off philosophy and a classic
in the same book.
It's raw and it's real and it's honest.
And I think it's a super book.
Russian literature is my favorite.
My absolute favorite due to its darkness, really.
But much of it is not for beginners...
except for The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy.
You can see how small and short this is
which is another great fast-paced read.
This book is one of the most
profound books I've ever read...
because of its nature.
As the title suggests,
the book is about death.
A man learns he's dying
and the entire novel is about him
coming to deal with that,
and face the reality of that,
and whatever that means...
to him and the world around him.
It is perhaps one of the greatest tales
of redemption and forgiveness
I've ever read.
I can't give much away,
but the last ten pages of this novella...
you have to read it.
It leaves you feeling sad,
and scared, and pensive.
It's just an all-around great book to read
due to the writing style,
the fast-paced nature,
the context, the substance,
and also the fact that it's from Tolstoy,
who is an incredible writer.
But much of his literature
is really really long.
The next book we have
is a psychological thriller
and that is, John Fowles' The Collector.
This... is a genius book.
It's so unsettling.
It makes your skin crawl.
It's basically about
to, grossly condense,
this man who is considered to be
a reject of society.
He collects butterflies,
he is obsessed with butterflies,
he dedicates everything to butterflies
until he comes across
a beautiful woman,
an art student, and he decides
he's going to collect her
like one of his butterflies,
by any means necessary.
It's been dubbed
as one of the most disturbing books
ever written.
And that's not because
of the way it was written
in a graphic sense.
It's the way that it gets under your skin,
and the way that... it creeps into your mind
and you think about it for a long time
after you finish the book.
And I think that's the make up
of an amazing book.
It's not too long
but it's not short either
but it's so captivating
that you're not going to want to put it down
regardless of the length of the book.
I think if you're looking
into psychological thriller
or just... books that get under your skin
this is an amazing recommendation for classics.
The next novel also pops up
on a lot of the classics for beginners lists
and this one's actually warranted.
George Orwell's 1984.
You would've heard of this
you might not have,
I shouldn't assume.
How to condense this plot,
a lot happens.
Ah, residents of this super state oceana,
are under this constant government surveillance,
this omnipresent, dooming,
government surveillance
called Big Brother.
There's war, manipulation,
and a lot of truth.
Truth to the year it was written– 1949?
Truth to the year it was intended to be written about– 1984.
In truth to the year of now– 2021.
It's a dystopian novel
and it's terrifying
but it's not frightening in the way of it
being gothic horror, psychological horror,
or thriller.
This also discussed a lot amongst literature
it's referenced a lot,
discussed a lot,
studied a lot,
it's in a lot of set texts,
it's really helpful
to just have a grasp on this book.
When I tell you the next recommendation
is Shakespeare,
I don't want you panicking
thinking I'm recommending you
Hamlet or Macbeth
or Antony and Cleopatra.
I want you to panic because
I'm recommending you poetry for kids.
This is Starlight and Moonshine Poetry of the Supernatural
and it is esentially just a compilation
of extracts from plays
that can be gorgeous poetry
and prose.
Maybe I'll read you one.
I'm going to read you Love Song
from a Midsummer Night's Dream Act 4 Scene 1.
"Come, sit thee down upon this flowery bed,
While I thy amiable cheeks do coy,
And stick muskroses in thy sleek smooth head,
And kiss thy fair large ears, my gentle joy."
I just think it's so pretty.
Reading Shakespeare
in Shakespearean language,
in the very particular way that his plays
are constructed, is a lot.
Especially for a beginner.
But when you take extracts,
and put it into nice, neat poetry stanzas,
that have one main focus,
it becomes really easy to grasp.
And it's an amazing gateway
into Shakespeare
and Shakespearian type,
plays, and language.
Hamlet's soliloquy... chef's kiss!
"To be, or not to be, that is the question,"
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer,
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them.
To die—to sleep, No more;"
I did thrift this book
and I am unsure
how easy it would be to find
a duplicate copy.
But I did take the liberty of looking up
Shakespeare poetry
and there is an abundance
of various forms of Shakespeare poetry
for "kids."
It doesn't even need to be "for kids"
but I just like "for kids,"
it feels safe and nice.
I must say, whosever idea it was to
create plastic slips...
should not have had that idea.
If anybody ever recommends me
a plastic slip book, they will ruin the day.
The last book, you guessed it,
you were probably wondering
where it was.
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
I set this as a text for my book club for August
and it got some mixed reviews.
A lot of people are dappling into classics
for the first time,
and said it was drawn out and lengthy,
and a lot of people said
"This was such an amazing introduction to classics!"
And I think that very much depends
on your patience
because it is a mid-length book,
and there are multiple chapters,
that it's just him rambling on about his journys
and his melancholy.
I talk about this more in-depth
in my first video, I believe,
about books that I'd sell my soul
for to read again.
So that very much says enough
about this book!
But it's such an essential
imperative read in the world of classics.
It's such a common misconception that
Frankenstein is the monster.
Frankenstein is a scientist!
It's also such a common misconception
that Frankenstein kills the monster
or Frankenstein builds the monster a wife!
This really clarifies the plot for you
and most people love it,
if you hate it,
you only have to read it once to say you have
And to recap,
here are the 10 classic literature books
that are actually good
for actual beginners.
And these are for me,
I know I say this a lot,
and dare I say it again,
God-tier.
I suppose now it's time to conclude the video.
Which is kind of sad
because this has been the most social interaction
I've had in two weeks.
Follow my social media,
I'll have all that linked down below.
I talk about books a lot more frequently on them
because YouTube is a drag
in a very lovable way.
Thank you so much to the unmatched
love and support.
It's incredible, it's so gorgeous,
I love every single one of you.
I don't want to be one of those people
that says like and subscribe but-