Teenagers nowadays and classic books.

[Rob Houghton]

I like the suggestions that others have made.

I wonder whether if a modern teenager is having trouble approaching classics because of the old-fashioned language, would it be maybe a good idea to start by reading children's classics, and then gradually move into "adult" classics?

Perhaps it would be beneficial to transcribe the Classics into txt spk.

[Courtenay]

Looks like it's been done already... "Heathcliff whr r u": Literary classics by text message (and here's the official website of the book)

[Machupicchu14]

I like the suggestions that others have made.

I wonder whether if a modern teenager is having trouble approaching classics because of the old-fashioned language, would it be maybe a good idea to start by reading children's classics, and then gradually move into "adult" classics?

that's an important point but surely when you are a child you begin by reading children's classics and then as one grows older you go into reading "adult" classics and the more long and 'difficult' books right? At least, that is what I did, that's why the language in classics doesn't really bother me at all. (There are exceptions though but overall, I'm just fine)

[Machupicchu14]

Looks like it's been done already... "Heathcliff whr r u": Literary classics by text message (and here's the official website of the book)

Omg! I'm dead now lol

[KEVP]

Yes Macchupicchu, I was a reader like you. For example, I read Alice in Wonderland, the original Lewis Carroll version not some adaptation, when I was about 7. A few years later I read Treasure Island. Other books from my childhood were Kidnapped, Call of the Wild, Dr Doolittle, the Hobbit. The first Dickens I read was A Christmas Carol, and of course I already knew the plot from television and movied adaptations. Then gradually I moved into adult classics.

So I am thinking that the teenagers who have never read any children's classics are at a disadvantage when they are asked to read adult classics. Maybe we first need to remedy this by assigning the children's classics to the teenagers.

[Rob Houghton]

For me, the most important thing is that teenagers be encouraged to read - doesn't matter what they read - anything that interests them!

[timv]

I was a great Dr Dolittle fan too - I read all the Puffin editions of Hugh Lofting's Dolittle books in quick succession when I was eight/ nine, at the same time as I was reading most of the Famous Five and Secret/ Adventure series books. Like Enid, Lofting seems to have been regarded in recent decades by many publishers with wariness on account of 'urban myths' about his work - in this case, the at times mildly patronising and jokey attitude that he takes to non-British peoples (especially Africans on Dr D's expeditions there) and his semi-caricatures of them in his own illustrations for the books. His stereotyped 'tribal culture' portrayal was perfectly normal for the 1920s-30s, cf Tarzan films - and has hit the same 'knee-jerk' modern attitudes as Enid's 'Secret Mountain'. The worst offender among HL's books was the first in the Dolittle series, The Story of Dr D, with a black prince who wants to become white to woo a white princess. Later books were more nuanced and even had sympathetic African cultures and exploitative European colonials (and HL attacked fox-hunting and circuses for cruelty too so this would appeal to modern readers) but by then the damage had been done.

HL, a traumatised First WW veteran writing in the 1920s, was 'into' the injustice of horses being dragooned into war service and killed long before 'War Horse', made fun of buffoonish generals, and was also a conservationist; he was constantly satirising bumptious and thoughtless Victorian 'establishment' attitudes in his children's stories and made readers question 'given' attitudes. I loved Dr D's 'little house in a big garden' where his animals in his 'zoo' could let themselves in and out of their huts for privacy, plus his huge menagerie and foreign trips . It's a pity his works have been shunted out of view and are not that easy to find because of his 'of his time' 1920s attitudes to 'race'. The 1967 film with Rex Harrison was nothing like the books, and I was disappointed when I saw it at the time!

[Darrell71]

As I said, I've read Heidi, Swiss Family Robinson, Gulliver's Travels, and I think I read Treasure Island when I was younger, but I don't remember. The language in those books didn't really bother me much. but I don't find myself able to enjoy that in adult classics. So I'm not so sure about your theories of getting teens not interested in classics to read children's classics first.

Anyways, thanks for all your suggestions guys, I will try to find a few of the suggested titles ASAP.

I'm one of those teenagers who doesn't really like classics.

I only just noticed this glaring error and now I want to crawl into a hole and die.

[Machupicchu14]

Thought about bringing up this topic once again, because oh well, my perception has greatly changed since then. During the last few months I’ve gotten to know many people, young people, teenagers of my age or younger who love reading classics. While during my time in school I felt alone, now I have realized I am one of many who love reading, and especially classics, which is both beautiful and uplifting to know. I have been able to share with like minded youngsters my love for authors such as Hardy, Tolstoy, Brönte, Dumas, Turgenev, Wharton, and the list continues. And recently, talking to my friend the other day she said something that really made me think and agree. She mentioned that the beauty of classics lies in the fact that 90% of the time they won’t disappoint you and you’ll end up liking them, while with modern bestsellers it’s rather a “hit or miss” process. I feel exactly like that and have been able to realize why the majority of books I have read (since I began to read classics) have been life changing, inspirational and I’ve truly ended loving then. Years can go by, but the magic of them always remains

[Fiona1986]

I read quite a sad comment today on Facebook in one of the Enid Blyton groups. Someone said "The younger generation can't read a book to save their life. Sad but true". It was on a thread about Indonesian editions of one of the series so I assume it refers to Indonesian young people. I've no idea how true it is, though!

[Anita Bensoussane]

I'm glad you've found some friends who love reading classics, María Esther. Recently I was pleased to learn that, like me, my sister loves Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence.

[timv]

Very encouraging to hear of a group of teenagers who like reading the classics, and I hope this will be more widespread as people look for something new to do in the current crisis. It might also help the numbers of people applying to do Eng Lit courses at university.
The apparent majority lack of interest by teens in reading classic books is however nothing new. At my state school in the 1970s there were only about three people my age in my entire year (around 100-120 pupils), all girls, who had read any Dickens or George Eliot, and one of them was a teacher's daughter; two of them went on to do Eng Lit at university. Some boys were into science but only one or two into books and none but me had read any Tolstoy ; the majority interests were pop/ rock music and sport. We did have a flourishing Drama society that even did Brecht plays, but that was the hard work of one dedicated teacher - and the default position of the careers officer was to aim people at 'steady' office jobs rather than the arts. My father, head of department at a local science college, started a regular careers programme to try to get more sixth formers (ie age 16-18) into science courses, girls included, with the help of our young physics teacher, but there was nothing like that for the arts. (One of our pupils later ended up in Hollywood, but that was due to her out of school background and links.)

I only hope the present possible five-month shutdown of secondary schools doesn't set careers guidance and pupils broadening their horizons back a generation, among families without interested and committed parents at least! Not to mention the lack of access to libraries, with only wealthier or more savvy families geared up to e-books.

[Boatbuilder]

There are so many ebooks, including the classics, available for free that shouldn’t really be a problem. I am sure that it is only a small minority who don’t have access to any device on which to read them. You don’t need a kindle, just the most basic of computers to access the internet and the free kindle reader app.