I love what you say about most Victorian literature not being high-brow "literary" fiction. You're so right! Dickens is just good fun and a little sensational at times. Great tips!
This is perhaps the most helpful video on reading that I’ve seen. I tend to read, and reread a sentence, or portion, of a novel that I’m not fully grasping. I think it’s because I don’t know how important that portion could end up being in the plot, or character development. I’m going to try and get past that, and perhaps flag the section to return to after I’ve finished the book. Thank you for your channel. It’s had such an impact on me. I may not have read Dickens otherwise, without your read a longs.
Katie, these were such helpful tips! I hadn’t actually thought through a lot of this but everything you said was spot on. I think there truly is at least a handful of Victorian novels out there that each and every reader could love!
Content like this is the reason, along with your enthusiasm and humility, that you have so many subscribers. I've always enjoyed the classics and found you in my late 40s, but still, you've changed my life. I couldn't believe a woman half my age has read all of Dickens, Hardy, Gaskell, etc and you sparked my love for Trollope too. It's wonderful and I so appreciate your time and the way you communicate. Your enthusiasm is so contagious and we are lucky to have you here on BookTube!
Fully agree with Laura's comment. You have been a huge blessing to me also while in my late 40s and early 50s I have rediscovered my love for classic literature and especially Victorian lit. You have only added to my enthusiasm and passion around these amazing authors and novels. Thank you!
I wish I had seen this video 35 years ago before I was assigned to read the Bronte's in high school. If my teacher had approached their books as you suggest here I might not have intentionally avoided Victorian literature for so long. I love to listen to Dickens on audiobook.
This was a much needed video on UA-cam. It helped me to get over some hang ups I had about Victorian literature. I fell in love with Victorian literature when I was in high school while reading Jane Eyre. I am listening to it on audible for #Victober and it has me experiencing it in a different way. It is still amazing and my favorite book of all time.
“A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens was the first Victorian novel I read when I was 12. I had seen the movie on television several times and was familiar with the plot. It was a short novel, a good Victorian gateway book. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott was another easy to read novel of the time period. It’s 19th C American and therefore not truly Victorian but it is another good stepping stone into the writing of that time.
This is such a great video, Katie! I love that you always emphasise the joy of reading as opposed to setting some sort of standard for oneself to only read the most literary books. And I agree that typesetting is hugely important. The worst thing is when the pages are so thin that you can see the print on the other side; couple that with a condensed typeface and hard-to-read font and I'm out... 😂
This was great! I'm reading Tenant of Wildfell Hall for the first time and I was thinking I should read the notes in the back, but then I found it was disrupting my reading. Thank you for affirming me in that!
Yeah, I like to check notes on rereads, and I do it more now than I used to on first time reads, but I just find it can get in the way a bit and disrupt the narrative sometimes. I do try and check the notes in Anthony Trollope books now though, because he has lots of characters that turn up in multiple books and sometimes the notes tell you about that. Otherwise, I often still ignore them!
Great suggestions, Katie! I hadn't even considered that the type would be a factor. I just read Silas Marner; I started with the Oxford World's Classics edition, but I switched to my Kindle version because of the font in the paper edition. It was so small, and the lines were so close together it looked like there were 2 million words on each page. Also, I always suggest starting Victorian classics with A Christmas Carol. It is so recognized in western culture that a beginning reader will be familiar enough with much of what's going on that it's not as daunting a task. I love your channel!
Typesetting is a major consideration for me, cos I had a stroke ten years ago that means it's kind of hard to hold some books open but also, as I get older (coming up on 45), my sight is deteriorating some and it's getting harder to read them too if the typeface is too small (or otherwise wrong; frankly even more recent Penguin Classics editions are hard for me cos the size is OK but there's something about the font itself I don't like for some reason). This is why pretty much everything I read is now in Kindle form cos I can play about with those settings, though I do still try and read physical books cos I don't want to lose the ability completely but also sometimes I can't get an electronic edition (which is the case with what I'm reading now). Length is definitely a consideration too, though a much more variable one which I think depends on the individual book. I recently read Walter Pater's Marius the Epicurean, which is somewhere under 400 pages and was hellish to read, whereas I also recently read Collins' Woman in White, about 750 pages and a lot easier. And when you consider the size of some contemporary books (particularly in the fantasy field), I don't know why people complain about books from that time being so long...
Thanks! Typesetting does make such a difference, and the shorter books can help make a bit more accessible, though that definitely depends on the book.
Completely agree with you katie!! And yes you are right about editions of classics, I don't enjoy books with smaller fonts, It's quite frustrating. And vintage classics red spine editions are also very good, they have nice font and paper and are also quite cheaper.
These are awesome tips. Thank you. I have read the Vics before but always lose faith, and never really fall in love with them. I have Wilkie White and Thomas Hardy on my list for this Victober. I am also going to put the Brontes back on my reading list.
So many great tips! I have had a difficult time getting in to Wuthering Height (which I'm currently reading for Victober), so I decided to watch an adaptation on Amazon/BritBox. Once I had a visual image and general idea about the story, it made reading the book somewhat easier. I also purchased an audio version, but found that I was still struggling with it, so I switched to a different narrator and it has made a huge difference.
every year around this time of year I binge re-watch your entire channel. I've read Vic lit for many years and yet I still found tips in this video. Then again, I just like listening to people talk about Victorian literature :)
I certainly need to stop reading the notes as I’m going along as it means it takes longer to read. Great expectations is on my tbr and I love Jane Eyre 😊
I completely agree about watching adaptations! When I read my first Jane Austen as a teenager, living in Greece and not having watched any period dramas at all, I just could't picture the characters or the set in my head at all, and so could not understand the books themselves. It was only after I had watched a couple of adaptations that I went back to Austen's books and fell completely in love with them. So I would definitely recommend to watch either a book adaptation or maybe an author biopic if you are completely new to the time period.
Great advice, especially about being okay with not understanding things. I'm reading Silas Marner at the moment (my first George Eliot), and every few pages I come across a word I've never heard before. I kept asking my husband for definitions, who unlike me is a native English speaker, but he also didn't know any of those words so I just gave up and accepted that I'd just have to figure it out from context. Also good tip about looking at the typeface and font, so many classics are printed in tiny letters on super thin pages, which does make it so much more difficult to read. That's why I enjoy reading classics on Kindle, because you can customise the size and font.
It's always so interesting to see how what words were common then that aren't now - there are still so many words I don't know in Victorian literature, but you can usually work out vaguely by context. I just find it makes it so much smoother to just read on and ignore them XD
Ignoring the notes is so true! It’s been one of the reasons I’ve liked the free ebooks and Penguin English Library editions. Just seeing that there is a note nags me into reading it 😂 so it’s nice that those editions don’t even have notes. It’s something I’d like on a reread, I think, not the first time through. Great tips as usual, Katie!
Struggling through learning a new language really helped with tackling classic novels. You're very used to the struggle of reading things that don't make much sense. You're practised to let go of things and to not dwell on every single detail. 10 years ago I quit a classic book after page one, now, as a solid intermediate foreign language learner of 8 years, I have a much higher tolerance for ambiguity, and, as a result, have completed a number of classic novels.
You are so right about font being an important part of reading enjoyment. In my early years classics generally had pretty small font and I blame this for my reluctance to pick them up at the time. As you say, Penguin produce really well sized and clear print and I love them. The copy of Deerbrook that I’ve bought for this year’s challenge has teeny tiny print and it put me off picking it up first. A recent tip I picked up from Britta Böhler is to keep a kind of family tree of characters as I find large numbers of characters very confusing. Thank you again for all your helpful input 💖
Those are great tips. And controversial as it might be, I agree with you that watching adaptations could be a way in for more inexperienced readers. Film/TV adaptations could never be a replacement but they could be a complement to reading the books. That is how I first got into Jane Eyre. I have read it many times now and it is one of my all-times favorite books.
I also really liked those small Collectors Library books from Barnes and Noble. I wish I had bought more of them when they were available in the stores.
I love, love, love this video. It's all fantastic. But especially your advice about just diving in and not getting bogged down. I've given similar advice to people about reading Henry James, Shakespeare, or poetry of any kind. You mentioned watching film and TV versions of books your reading. I agree that really helps. But I'd also add any book or movie set in the era can help. Because I've found younger readers have a problem reading books when they cannot visualize the world. Seeing any movie or book set in the Victorian period can help you see that world in your head while reading about it.
My love of Trollope started with The Warden and then I embarked on the Barchester Chronicles - that The Warden meant that I started with a short by Trollope's standard novel helped - it also helped that the BBC did their wonderful series with Donald Pleasance as Septimus Harding and a stellar cast including Alan Rickman as Obadiah Slope, Geraldine McEwan as the formidable Mrs Proudie LOL - I started small and worked up in that case to read the rest of the Barchester series.
Hurrah for your comment on fonts - I have DNFed several books because the font made the text so hard to read that it wasn't worth it. I always check the font when buying a text and steer clear of the dreaded Oxford World Classics if I can.
Thanks! Font definitely makes such a difference! I really enjoy the Barchester Chronicles TV adaptation too - it's great fun. There'll be a review of it coming up some time in Victober actually :)
@@katiejlumsden Slope's sermon in the cathedral which is alluded to but if I remember correctly is not quoted verbatim in Barchester Towers - was a great distillation of the material and sets the stage between the "evangelicals" and the "traditionalists" which is one of the big driving forces in the books.
Oh I didn’t even think about the literacy of the time in the Victorian period, makes total sense to heighten the string of a story when read aloud, then. And yes, movie adaptations! Any that I’ve watched of classics/Victorian books have only enriched my experience. Lovely tips Katie! I think especially tip #1 will aid a lot of people most!
Great tips! So much of what we read now in Victorian literature were the bestsellers of their time and still fun to read today. I agree with you about being wary of the freebies on Kindle - sometimes the typesetting is horrible.
My first book for Victober was Ruth (around 80 pages in)...but i took a break and read Dr. Wortle's School(Thanks a ton for the recommendation! It is a great read). Got 40 odd pages to go and with 199 pages, it ends up fitting perfectly into your Victober challenge, which i really really like by the way. In fact, i might end up doing another under 250 pages Victorian novel! Do you have a second (standalone) Trollope recommendation? Oh, and a great video! I have loved Victorian literature since i was 13. Pickwick Papers was my very first!
I hope you like Ruth! And I'm glad you're liking Doctor Wortle's School. Great next places to go with Trollope might be The Way We Live Now, Rachel Rae, Cousin Henry or He Knew He Was Right. Hope that helps!
I got 2 books from my library loans is your no.1 fave... our mutual friend,and domby and son. i know they are big reads,but i so want to read them. i came across some peguin books in the 60's in the classics and the type is so small that i just put back on the shelf. i always look at the type before i read or buy them. and great video as always katie! :)
I completely agree with all the points you've made here. I found Charles Dickens somewhat difficult when I first started reading him because I thought I wasn't smart enough for his books. Whilst reading Nicholas Nickleby, I remember thinking that it was like a Victorian soap opera - probably dumbing it down a bit too much - and as soon as I had that realisation, I was able to read the book without fear of not being smart enough to understand his works, and the rest of Victorian literature.
Thanks Charlie! Dickens does have something in common with soap operas - he was a really commercial writer in his day, and I think it's important to always remember that!
So true about Oxford World Classics being difficult to read! I bought their edition of Barchester Towers and wound up having to move over to the audiobook. Which was narrated by David Shaw Parker and absolutely fantastic. But still! I’m definitely avoiding their editions now.
One wonderful thing about reading Dickens aloud or listen to his works as an audiobook is that they become even more funny, I think! I mean especially the names of the characters - reading "Mr Wopsle" was funny enough, but having someone actually to say "Mr Wopsle" out loud ... absolutely priceless :D
Hi, thank you so much for the video! I'm not a native speaker of English language and now I'm lying on my bed with a really beautiful edition of "Pride and Prejudice" in English (I know that It's not a Victorian literature). I was scared a bit because I couldn't understand some things in it and you really helped me to start. I love it!
When I first started reading classics, I started with The Phantom of the Opera, The Picture of Dorian Gray, then Great Expectations and fell in love. Now the majority of what I read is from the 19th c.
Great tips! I hope you’ve encouraged someone to give Victorian literature a try! You certainly would have encouraged me if I wasn’t always a fan. 😊 Love your Starter Pack. Perfect!
Oh I absolutely agree with your opinion of watching an adaptation of a Victorian classic while or before reading the book itself. I remember watching the adaptation of Tess of The Durbervilles while I was reading it and I loved the experience. It made it alot easier for me to digest since it was my second Victorian book at the time (and after having read Jane Eyre, it was probably not the best book to follow it up with or to start with when it came to Hardy, but I adored it nonetheless.) I also loved how you pointed out that you don't have to be a super intelligent, critical reader with knowledge of the Victorian era in order to read or enjoy Victorian classics. When I started reading them, I had absolutely zero knowledge and I remember being surprised by how much i was enjoying myself. Now that I have acquired knowledge on the time period, I find that it makes my reading feel more layered and richer BUT it's not necessary for enjoyment or a requirement to read them. A person can definitely get by. Anyways, I love this video! It was well-rounded and all of the tips were fantastic! You pointed out all the things that I had to learn the hard way and I wish I had this video back when I first started reading Victorian literature. It would've made my life so much easier. But I'm glad that I now have a video i can refer people to whenever they tell me they want to read classics but find it daunting ♡
Thanks so much :) You definitely don't need to be a super analytical reader or know a lot about the Victorian period to enjoy Victorian literature. They have such a daunting reputation but actually they're very plot-driven and great fun.
I am deep into Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South and I am loving it. I think I may have to collect all her work. I’m enjoying reading the notes as I go along. Oh, this has nothing to do w/ Victober, but I must mention that right after Bellman and Black, I read A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki and a possibly other worldly crow played a big part in it! I think Bellman’s friend moved to Canada! It was a great read by the way.
Thank you so much for showing the insides of different editions. I find it very helpful before I actually start collecting my favourite classics. As far as I know, there are two sorts of black Penguin classics: the one you showed in the video and the one in which there is a white frame on the front cover. Would you be able to say which you would find more accessible?
We read Pride & Prejudice as a part of our ICSE 10th board exams, and believe me although we didn't understand much of the cultural references, criticism, we still had no choice but understand them to write in exams. I wish we had that just as a story book to enjoy the story. Later, an Indian version of this book was turned into a movie (Bride & Prejudice- played by Aishwarya Rai... I hated her acting as Elizabeth's Indian ver) but I atleast didn't want to blame Darcy anymore, as I did in the book, in movie he looked like a lovable character ( Martin Henderson played his role). My Victorian favs are of course Arther Conan Doyle's shorts and his Sherlock series.
Thanks for making retirement more interesting...Been following and really enjoying your thoughts on all things Victoria. Do you have any thoughts on C.S. Lewis? & what is your take on John Bunyan's "Pilgrims Progress" Pleas continue to share your thoughts...(Our Matual Friend is also my favorite though I'm not a feminist)
Great tip to ignore the notes. I usually skip preface notes in books because they give away so much and I'd rather let the story unfold as the author intended, even if I don't completely understand everything
Loved the tips some of these made me think of how I read or where to start or listen to a audio book which I like to but wouldn’t know where to start or what is the best one .thanks Katie
Thanks :) A lot of audiobooks are great - Audible do some great ones, and have a Dickens Collection they're releasing at the moment, where the quality is very high.
My first language is not English, and I started to read English Classics as a way to improve my reading skill, and I never find them hard to understand or outdated. They are just gread stories. I totally agree the first person narrative is more accessible. Jane Eyre is my first victorian novel, and it's such a nice way to begin the journey. It is told in one linear perspective, a beautiful love story with a mystery twist, so much gorgeous description of landscape with gothetic undertone. What to not love?
My first victorian novel that I'm currently reading is dostoyevskys the idiot. The way they speak is a bit different and the names of some of the characters are a confusing at times but I'm following it just fine so far.
Yes. Definitely look at the type size before buying a book. I made this mistake last year when i came across a copy of Anna Karenina by Tolstoy. I was just so excited to find this book in print i just threw it in my bag and the print is sooo small! 😆🙈😅
Thank you so much for your tips. I find them quite useful since this will be my first victober. I wanna ask you (and to anyone who read this comment too), what short books do you recommend for getting into victorian literature? Sorry if you already mentioned it in your tips, english isn't my native language so maybe I didn't get it right when you talked about it. Thanks in advance ✨.
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome is very short, easy to read and (in my opinion) hilarious. I will warn you that it's not plot-driven. It's joke-driven :) Jane Eyre is longer, but the story is very easy to follow and I've never met a person who didn't enjoy this book. I'll add that I'm also not a native speaker of English and it was the first Vistorian book I read. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Peter Pan are both Victorian, they're short and knowing the story might help with the reading experience.
There is a video coming next week on short Victorian books to get into! There'll be a lot on the list so look out for that. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Three Men in a Boat will indeed both feature - they're great ones!
Happy Victober to you too! Personally I wouldn't read the notes unless you're rereading or you've read a lot of that author before and sort of know where you're going, if that makes sense. I generally skip them except for rereads (and except for Trollope books, because lots of his characters turn up in multiple novels and the notes sometimes tell me about this!)
So, I am not intended to ever do another serialised readalong, to be honest - at least not for the foreseeable future. I haven't utterly loved reading serially. However, I do intend to do some more short-term Dickens readalongs in the future :)
You said it's recommended not to read the endnotes when reading a book for the first time - are there any titles where you think reading the endnotes would be necessary to understand what's happening?
Thank you for this. I am a new subscriber and not new to classics but am upset with myself for wanting to dnf Cranford. I am FORCING myself to continue something just silly. But I doubt myself - who can DNF a classic? Now Middlemarch was awesome! Yes, you inspired me to look for a mystery in Victorian literature. You have empowered me but I will finish this Cranford but it is torture. You said Gaskell has good love stories. Cranford is all silly notions of older women stuck in old thinking. Can you recommend a better Haskell? Not North and South, dont like the Industrial age and political discussion. Plus saw the adaption and so do not wish to read. What am I missing in Cranford? I recognize there is humor but it is not my idea of humor. Burning one candle??
I'm so glad this was helpful. It's fine to DNF a classic if you're not enjoying it - it just might not be for you. Personality I love all of Gaskell, but I also don't like George Elliot so I expect our tastes don't necessarily align. I'd recommend starting with North and South (it's not overly politic) or Wives and Daughters, which is incredible. Cranford isn't the best place to start - it's a bit episodical. I personally find it hilarious - but again, I don't find Eliot funny, so our senses of humour are probably different. I think Cranford also has a very British sense of humour, so that might well not help you.
@@katiejlumsden episodic? Yes I see that. I am 50 pages from the end. I will finish it today (she tells herself forcefully). I am not off Gaskell as an author so shall look for a copy of Wives and Daughters. Normally I very much enjoy the subtlety of British humor and you are right Eliot is not funny. I really appreciate your patience in replying to me. It means a lot. Have a great day.
So, I believe the font is all the same - in series (Penguin Black Spines and English Library, I'm not sure if they're the same font) - but the size varies depending on the length of the book I think.
Books and Things thanks, that's highly interesting. I never paid attention to this before, to be honest (and I don't own any Oxford classics, so I can't make any comparisons).
Small doses of Thomas Hardy as he can be depressing. Brontes can be dark....I remember reading Dickens and couldn't finish it because he described a small weird antagonistic man that ate his silver ware to scare his wife for breakfast!...now is that sane? If it gets to be too much read Jane Austin for relief.
I find it easier to read any classic not in the main language of the book. So when I read classics in english in portuguese they are much easier then when I read in the original english. When I read classics in portuguese and then I read in english or german they are extremely easier lol. I've never found Dickens difficult till I pick up in English and I was like: wtf.....
So, this is how I speak (in fact, most of my videos are already digitally slowed down!) and there's not much I can do about it - I have tried, believe me! There is a settings button on UA-cam where you can slow a video down to .75x if that helps.
I love what you say about most Victorian literature not being high-brow "literary" fiction. You're so right! Dickens is just good fun and a little sensational at times.
Great tips!
Agreed :D
This is perhaps the most helpful video on reading that I’ve seen.
I tend to read, and reread a sentence, or portion, of a novel that I’m not fully grasping. I think it’s because I don’t know how important that portion could end up being in the plot, or character development. I’m going to try and get past that, and perhaps flag the section to return to after I’ve finished the book.
Thank you for your channel. It’s had such an impact on me. I may not have read Dickens otherwise, without your read a longs.
Thanks so much Jan! Moving past bits you're not quite understanding does help in the long run I think.
Katie, these were such helpful tips! I hadn’t actually thought through a lot of this but everything you said was spot on. I think there truly is at least a handful of Victorian novels out there that each and every reader could love!
And YES Oxford World Classics editions have way too small of a font.
YES, WHAT IS UP WITH THEIR WEIRD FONT?! And thank you :)
Content like this is the reason, along with your enthusiasm and humility, that you have so many subscribers. I've always enjoyed the classics and found you in my late 40s, but still, you've changed my life. I couldn't believe a woman half my age has read all of Dickens, Hardy, Gaskell, etc and you sparked my love for Trollope too. It's wonderful and I so appreciate your time and the way you communicate. Your enthusiasm is so contagious and we are lucky to have you here on BookTube!
Thanks so much Laura! That really means a lot.
Fully agree with Laura's comment. You have been a huge blessing to me also while in my late 40s and early 50s I have rediscovered my love for classic literature and especially Victorian lit. You have only added to my enthusiasm and passion around these amazing authors and novels. Thank you!
I wish I had seen this video 35 years ago before I was assigned to read the Bronte's in high school. If my teacher had approached their books as you suggest here I might not have intentionally avoided Victorian literature for so long. I love to listen to Dickens on audiobook.
Thank you! I definitely think the way Victorian literature is taught in schools doesn't do much to help people.
This was a much needed video on UA-cam. It helped me to get over some hang ups I had about Victorian literature. I fell in love with Victorian literature when I was in high school while reading Jane Eyre. I am listening to it on audible for #Victober and it has me experiencing it in a different way. It is still amazing and my favorite book of all time.
Thanks so much :) I hope you enjoy your Jane Eyre reread - such a great book.
“A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens was the first Victorian novel I read when I was 12. I had seen the movie on television several times and was familiar with the plot. It was a short novel, a good Victorian gateway book. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott was another easy to read novel of the time period. It’s 19th C American and therefore not truly Victorian but it is another good stepping stone into the writing of that time.
A Christmas Carol is a great place to start with Victorian literature.
This is such a great video, Katie! I love that you always emphasise the joy of reading as opposed to setting some sort of standard for oneself to only read the most literary books.
And I agree that typesetting is hugely important. The worst thing is when the pages are so thin that you can see the print on the other side; couple that with a condensed typeface and hard-to-read font and I'm out... 😂
Thanks very much! I agree about the fonts - I love a nice clear font!
This was great! I'm reading Tenant of Wildfell Hall for the first time and I was thinking I should read the notes in the back, but then I found it was disrupting my reading. Thank you for affirming me in that!
Yeah, I like to check notes on rereads, and I do it more now than I used to on first time reads, but I just find it can get in the way a bit and disrupt the narrative sometimes. I do try and check the notes in Anthony Trollope books now though, because he has lots of characters that turn up in multiple books and sometimes the notes tell you about that. Otherwise, I often still ignore them!
Oh, interesting! Once I start to read Trollope I'll keep that in mind.
Great suggestions, Katie! I hadn't even considered that the type would be a factor. I just read Silas Marner; I started with the Oxford World's Classics edition, but I switched to my Kindle version because of the font in the paper edition. It was so small, and the lines were so close together it looked like there were 2 million words on each page. Also, I always suggest starting Victorian classics with A Christmas Carol. It is so recognized in western culture that a beginning reader will be familiar enough with much of what's going on that it's not as daunting a task. I love your channel!
Thanks :) The type really does make a difference!
Reading North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, my first book for Victober🤗
It's so amazing - enjoy!
Typesetting is a major consideration for me, cos I had a stroke ten years ago that means it's kind of hard to hold some books open but also, as I get older (coming up on 45), my sight is deteriorating some and it's getting harder to read them too if the typeface is too small (or otherwise wrong; frankly even more recent Penguin Classics editions are hard for me cos the size is OK but there's something about the font itself I don't like for some reason). This is why pretty much everything I read is now in Kindle form cos I can play about with those settings, though I do still try and read physical books cos I don't want to lose the ability completely but also sometimes I can't get an electronic edition (which is the case with what I'm reading now).
Length is definitely a consideration too, though a much more variable one which I think depends on the individual book. I recently read Walter Pater's Marius the Epicurean, which is somewhere under 400 pages and was hellish to read, whereas I also recently read Collins' Woman in White, about 750 pages and a lot easier. And when you consider the size of some contemporary books (particularly in the fantasy field), I don't know why people complain about books from that time being so long...
Thanks! Typesetting does make such a difference, and the shorter books can help make a bit more accessible, though that definitely depends on the book.
Completely agree with you katie!! And yes you are right about editions of classics, I don't enjoy books with smaller fonts, It's quite frustrating. And vintage classics red spine editions are also very good, they have nice font and paper and are also quite cheaper.
Thanks :)
Thankyou Katie, I loved Jane Eyre and it began my journey but I still have far to go! I want to read wives and Daughters this victober
I hope you like it - Wives and Daughters is amazing.
These are awesome tips. Thank you. I have read the Vics before but always lose faith, and never really fall in love with them. I have Wilkie White and Thomas Hardy on my list for this Victober. I am also going to put the Brontes back on my reading list.
Thanks very much! I hope you can get into some Victorian literature soon.
This was great, Katie! I like that you discussed different categories within Victorian literature.
Thanks so much :)
So many great tips! I have had a difficult time getting in to Wuthering Height (which I'm currently reading for Victober), so I decided to watch an adaptation on Amazon/BritBox. Once I had a visual image and general idea about the story, it made reading the book somewhat easier. I also purchased an audio version, but found that I was still struggling with it, so I switched to a different narrator and it has made a huge difference.
It really can make a big difference!
Thanks for demystifying certain beliefs about Victorian literature and the classics in general that have been prevalent out there for quite sometime!
Thanks :D
every year around this time of year I binge re-watch your entire channel. I've read Vic lit for many years and yet I still found tips in this video. Then again, I just like listening to people talk about Victorian literature :)
Thanks Andreea :)
I certainly need to stop reading the notes as I’m going along as it means it takes longer to read. Great expectations is on my tbr and I love Jane Eyre 😊
Haha yes making notes will definitely slow you down - but if you enjoy it, keep doing it! I hope you like Great Expectations :)
Books and Things the notes on Mary Gaskell are at the bottom of the pages so a lot easier 😊
I completely agree about watching adaptations! When I read my first Jane Austen as a teenager, living in Greece and not having watched any period dramas at all, I just could't picture the characters or the set in my head at all, and so could not understand the books themselves. It was only after I had watched a couple of adaptations that I went back to Austen's books and fell completely in love with them. So I would definitely recommend to watch either a book adaptation or maybe an author biopic if you are completely new to the time period.
Agreed! It can often really help to watch an adaptation.
Great advice, especially about being okay with not understanding things. I'm reading Silas Marner at the moment (my first George Eliot), and every few pages I come across a word I've never heard before. I kept asking my husband for definitions, who unlike me is a native English speaker, but he also didn't know any of those words so I just gave up and accepted that I'd just have to figure it out from context. Also good tip about looking at the typeface and font, so many classics are printed in tiny letters on super thin pages, which does make it so much more difficult to read. That's why I enjoy reading classics on Kindle, because you can customise the size and font.
It's always so interesting to see how what words were common then that aren't now - there are still so many words I don't know in Victorian literature, but you can usually work out vaguely by context. I just find it makes it so much smoother to just read on and ignore them XD
Ignoring the notes is so true! It’s been one of the reasons I’ve liked the free ebooks and Penguin English Library editions. Just seeing that there is a note nags me into reading it 😂 so it’s nice that those editions don’t even have notes. It’s something I’d like on a reread, I think, not the first time through. Great tips as usual, Katie!
Thanks :) I look at notes sometimes now, but often they just get in the way!
Videos about Victorian lit are absolutely my favourite!💜💜💜💜
Thanks :D
I never thought about how a first person narrative would be more accessible to start off with, such a good point.
It surprisingly does make a difference!
How did I miss this video??? 😂 ❤
Very helpful ideas & recommendations.
Struggling through learning a new language really helped with tackling classic novels. You're very used to the struggle of reading things that don't make much sense. You're practised to let go of things and to not dwell on every single detail. 10 years ago I quit a classic book after page one, now, as a solid intermediate foreign language learner of 8 years, I have a much higher tolerance for ambiguity, and, as a result, have completed a number of classic novels.
I definitely think that just reading through the language and not worrying if you're understanding it all does help.
You are so right about font being an important part of reading enjoyment. In my early years classics generally had pretty small font and I blame this for my reluctance to pick them up at the time. As you say, Penguin produce really well sized and clear print and I love them. The copy of Deerbrook that I’ve bought for this year’s challenge has teeny tiny print and it put me off picking it up first. A recent tip I picked up from Britta Böhler is to keep a kind of family tree of characters as I find large numbers of characters very confusing. Thank you again for all your helpful input 💖
Agreed! I just think Penguin Classics looks so nice. The family tree thing makes a lot of sense - I imagine it helps with some of those longer ones.
Those are great tips. And controversial as it might be, I agree with you that watching adaptations could be a way in for more inexperienced readers. Film/TV adaptations could never be a replacement but they could be a complement to reading the books. That is how I first got into Jane Eyre. I have read it many times now and it is one of my all-times favorite books.
Thanks! I really do think it can help.
I also really liked those small Collectors Library books from Barnes and Noble. I wish I had bought more of them when they were available in the stores.
They are really lovely!
I love, love, love this video. It's all fantastic. But especially your advice about just diving in and not getting bogged down. I've given similar advice to people about reading Henry James, Shakespeare, or poetry of any kind. You mentioned watching film and TV versions of books your reading. I agree that really helps. But I'd also add any book or movie set in the era can help. Because I've found younger readers have a problem reading books when they cannot visualize the world. Seeing any movie or book set in the Victorian period can help you see that world in your head while reading about it.
Thanks :D It definitely makes sense that any book or film set in the era can help. Just finding your way around the historical period helps.
My love of Trollope started with The Warden and then I embarked on the Barchester Chronicles - that The Warden meant that I started with a short by Trollope's standard novel helped - it also helped that the BBC did their wonderful series with Donald Pleasance as Septimus Harding and a stellar cast including Alan Rickman as Obadiah Slope, Geraldine McEwan as the formidable Mrs Proudie LOL - I started small and worked up in that case to read the rest of the Barchester series.
Hurrah for your comment on fonts - I have DNFed several books because the font made the text so hard to read that it wasn't worth it. I always check the font when buying a text and steer clear of the dreaded Oxford World Classics if I can.
Thanks! Font definitely makes such a difference! I really enjoy the Barchester Chronicles TV adaptation too - it's great fun. There'll be a review of it coming up some time in Victober actually :)
@@katiejlumsden Slope's sermon in the cathedral which is alluded to but if I remember correctly is not quoted verbatim in Barchester Towers - was a great distillation of the material and sets the stage between the "evangelicals" and the "traditionalists" which is one of the big driving forces in the books.
Just brilliant! Really great tips. Thank you!!
Thanks!
Oh I didn’t even think about the literacy of the time in the Victorian period, makes total sense to heighten the string of a story when read aloud, then. And yes, movie adaptations! Any that I’ve watched of classics/Victorian books have only enriched my experience. Lovely tips Katie! I think especially tip #1 will aid a lot of people most!
Thanks Alex!
Great tips! So much of what we read now in Victorian literature were the bestsellers of their time and still fun to read today. I agree with you about being wary of the freebies on Kindle - sometimes the typesetting is horrible.
Thanks :)
Well done! I've liked and subscribed... looking forward to watching some more of your videos!
Thanks :)
My first book for Victober was Ruth (around 80 pages in)...but i took a break and read Dr. Wortle's School(Thanks a ton for the recommendation! It is a great read). Got 40 odd pages to go and with 199 pages, it ends up fitting perfectly into your Victober challenge, which i really really like by the way. In fact, i might end up doing another under 250 pages Victorian novel!
Do you have a second (standalone) Trollope recommendation?
Oh, and a great video! I have loved Victorian literature since i was 13. Pickwick Papers was my very first!
I hope you like Ruth! And I'm glad you're liking Doctor Wortle's School. Great next places to go with Trollope might be The Way We Live Now, Rachel Rae, Cousin Henry or He Knew He Was Right. Hope that helps!
@@katiejlumsden Great! I have all 4 of these! I will read Cousin Henry next! It's a thin one and fits in great with your challenge!
I got 2 books from my library loans is your no.1 fave... our mutual friend,and domby and son. i know they are big reads,but i so want to read them. i came across some peguin books in the 60's in the classics and the type is so small that i just put back on the shelf. i always look at the type before i read or buy them. and great video as always katie! :)
I really hope you like them - they're amazing!
@@katiejlumsden oh i will katie! cannot wait to get them from my library soon! :)
Such a great video full of brilliant tips 😊 totally agree with reading books written in the first person!
Thanks Tom :)
I completely agree with all the points you've made here. I found Charles Dickens somewhat difficult when I first started reading him because I thought I wasn't smart enough for his books. Whilst reading Nicholas Nickleby, I remember thinking that it was like a Victorian soap opera - probably dumbing it down a bit too much - and as soon as I had that realisation, I was able to read the book without fear of not being smart enough to understand his works, and the rest of Victorian literature.
Thanks Charlie! Dickens does have something in common with soap operas - he was a really commercial writer in his day, and I think it's important to always remember that!
So true about Oxford World Classics being difficult to read! I bought their edition of Barchester Towers and wound up having to move over to the audiobook. Which was narrated by David Shaw Parker and absolutely fantastic. But still! I’m definitely avoiding their editions now.
I know - their font is just so odd!
One wonderful thing about reading Dickens aloud or listen to his works as an audiobook is that they become even more funny, I think! I mean especially the names of the characters - reading "Mr Wopsle" was funny enough, but having someone actually to say "Mr Wopsle" out loud ... absolutely priceless :D
Agreed! Dickens is just hilarious out loud.
Hi, thank you so much for the video! I'm not a native speaker of English language and now I'm lying on my bed with a really beautiful edition of "Pride and Prejudice" in English (I know that It's not a Victorian literature). I was scared a bit because I couldn't understand some things in it and you really helped me to start. I love it!
Thanks!
When I first started reading classics, I started with The Phantom of the Opera, The Picture of Dorian Gray, then Great Expectations and fell in love. Now the majority of what I read is from the 19th c.
Great tips! I hope you’ve encouraged someone to give Victorian literature a try! You certainly would have encouraged me if I wasn’t always a fan. 😊
Love your Starter Pack. Perfect!
Thanks very much Tia :)
Oh I absolutely agree with your opinion of watching an adaptation of a Victorian classic while or before reading the book itself. I remember watching the adaptation of Tess of The Durbervilles while I was reading it and I loved the experience. It made it alot easier for me to digest since it was my second Victorian book at the time (and after having read Jane Eyre, it was probably not the best book to follow it up with or to start with when it came to Hardy, but I adored it nonetheless.)
I also loved how you pointed out that you don't have to be a super intelligent, critical reader with knowledge of the Victorian era in order to read or enjoy Victorian classics. When I started reading them, I had absolutely zero knowledge and I remember being surprised by how much i was enjoying myself. Now that I have acquired knowledge on the time period, I find that it makes my reading feel more layered and richer BUT it's not necessary for enjoyment or a requirement to read them. A person can definitely get by.
Anyways, I love this video! It was well-rounded and all of the tips were fantastic! You pointed out all the things that I had to learn the hard way and I wish I had this video back when I first started reading Victorian literature. It would've made my life so much easier. But I'm glad that I now have a video i can refer people to whenever they tell me they want to read classics but find it daunting ♡
Thanks so much :) You definitely don't need to be a super analytical reader or know a lot about the Victorian period to enjoy Victorian literature. They have such a daunting reputation but actually they're very plot-driven and great fun.
Thank you Katie! these were such helpful tips especially for me a newbie into Victorian literature
Thanks :)
I am deep into Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South and I am loving it. I think I may have to collect all her work. I’m enjoying reading the notes as I go along. Oh, this has nothing to do w/ Victober, but I must mention that right after Bellman and Black, I read A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki and a possibly other worldly crow played a big part in it! I think Bellman’s friend moved to Canada! It was a great read by the way.
I'm so glad you're loving it - Gaskell is amazing! And yes, I have read A Tale for the Time Being ages ago - I loved it.
This is a very appropriate video for the month! Thanks :)
Thanks!
Thank you so much for showing the insides of different editions. I find it very helpful before I actually start collecting my favourite classics. As far as I know, there are two sorts of black Penguin classics: the one you showed in the video and the one in which there is a white frame on the front cover. Would you be able to say which you would find more accessible?
It really does make a difference! I think the ones with a white frame on the cover are just the older editions, but I could be wrong?
Thank you very much. Really useful tips.
We read Pride & Prejudice as a part of our ICSE 10th board exams, and believe me although we didn't understand much of the cultural references, criticism, we still had no choice but understand them to write in exams. I wish we had that just as a story book to enjoy the story.
Later, an Indian version of this book was turned into a movie (Bride & Prejudice- played by Aishwarya Rai... I hated her acting as Elizabeth's Indian ver) but I atleast didn't want to blame Darcy anymore, as I did in the book, in movie he looked like a lovable character ( Martin Henderson played his role).
My Victorian favs are of course Arther Conan Doyle's shorts and his Sherlock series.
Thanks for making retirement more interesting...Been following and really enjoying your thoughts on all things Victoria. Do you have any thoughts on C.S. Lewis? & what is your take on John Bunyan's "Pilgrims Progress" Pleas continue to share your thoughts...(Our Matual Friend is also my favorite though I'm not a feminist)
Great tip to ignore the notes. I usually skip preface notes in books because they give away so much and I'd rather let the story unfold as the author intended, even if I don't completely understand everything
Agreed!
Loved the tips some of these made me think of how I read or where to start or listen to a audio book which I like to but wouldn’t know where to start or what is the best one .thanks Katie
Thanks :) A lot of audiobooks are great - Audible do some great ones, and have a Dickens Collection they're releasing at the moment, where the quality is very high.
My first language is not English, and I started to read English Classics as a way to improve my reading skill, and I never find them hard to understand or outdated. They are just gread stories. I totally agree the first person narrative is more accessible. Jane Eyre is my first victorian novel, and it's such a nice way to begin the journey. It is told in one linear perspective, a beautiful love story with a mystery twist, so much gorgeous description of landscape with gothetic undertone. What to not love?
Jane Eyre is just so brilliant! I really do think it is an amazing place to start.
So true about the type setting its why I struggle with my copy of Emma and often find myself preferring the ebook as a result.
Yeah, ebook and being able to change the font and font size can help too.
My first victorian novel that I'm currently reading is dostoyevskys the idiot. The way they speak is a bit different and the names of some of the characters are a confusing at times but I'm following it just fine so far.
Yes. Definitely look at the type size before buying a book. I made this mistake last year when i came across a copy of Anna Karenina by Tolstoy. I was just so excited to find this book in print i just threw it in my bag and the print is sooo small! 😆🙈😅
It definitely makes a difference!
OMg yes like I know the merit / good notes of Oxford world classics… but I cannnnnot with the font !!!!
If there’s a vocabulary word that I’m not familiar with, I just underline it and come back later to look up all of my underlined words.
Thank you so much for your tips. I find them quite useful since this will be my first victober. I wanna ask you (and to anyone who read this comment too), what short books do you recommend for getting into victorian literature? Sorry if you already mentioned it in your tips, english isn't my native language so maybe I didn't get it right when you talked about it. Thanks in advance ✨.
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome is very short, easy to read and (in my opinion) hilarious. I will warn you that it's not plot-driven. It's joke-driven :)
Jane Eyre is longer, but the story is very easy to follow and I've never met a person who didn't enjoy this book. I'll add that I'm also not a native speaker of English and it was the first Vistorian book I read.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Peter Pan are both Victorian, they're short and knowing the story might help with the reading experience.
There is a video coming next week on short Victorian books to get into! There'll be a lot on the list so look out for that. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Three Men in a Boat will indeed both feature - they're great ones!
Thanks for the great tips Katie!
Thanks!
hi Katie, happy victober. regarding notes what is your opinion of annotated books should one read the story first then the notes after?
Happy Victober to you too! Personally I wouldn't read the notes unless you're rereading or you've read a lot of that author before and sort of know where you're going, if that makes sense. I generally skip them except for rereads (and except for Trollope books, because lots of his characters turn up in multiple novels and the notes sometimes tell me about this!)
These are great tips! Thank you.
Thanks!
The "decadent" literature, from 80-90' decades of XIX in english is awsome !!! Wilde , Firbank, Eric Steinbanck....
I certainly love Wilde!
Great tips.
Would you consider a read a long of great expectations? The way you did bleak house and our mutual friend?
Thank you
So, I am not intended to ever do another serialised readalong, to be honest - at least not for the foreseeable future. I haven't utterly loved reading serially. However, I do intend to do some more short-term Dickens readalongs in the future :)
You said it's recommended not to read the endnotes when reading a book for the first time - are there any titles where you think reading the endnotes would be necessary to understand what's happening?
I don't think so? Not that I can think of.
Thank you for this. I am a new subscriber and not new to classics but am upset with myself for wanting to dnf Cranford. I am FORCING myself to continue something just silly. But I doubt myself - who can DNF a classic? Now Middlemarch was awesome! Yes, you inspired me to look for a mystery in Victorian literature. You have empowered me but I will finish this Cranford but it is torture. You said Gaskell has good love stories. Cranford is all silly notions of older women stuck in old thinking. Can you recommend a better Haskell? Not North and South, dont like the Industrial age and political discussion. Plus saw the adaption and so do not wish to read.
What am I missing in Cranford? I recognize there is humor but it is not my idea of humor. Burning one candle??
I'm so glad this was helpful. It's fine to DNF a classic if you're not enjoying it - it just might not be for you. Personality I love all of Gaskell, but I also don't like George Elliot so I expect our tastes don't necessarily align. I'd recommend starting with North and South (it's not overly politic) or Wives and Daughters, which is incredible. Cranford isn't the best place to start - it's a bit episodical. I personally find it hilarious - but again, I don't find Eliot funny, so our senses of humour are probably different. I think Cranford also has a very British sense of humour, so that might well not help you.
@@katiejlumsden episodic? Yes I see that. I am 50 pages from the end. I will finish it today (she tells herself forcefully). I am not off Gaskell as an author so shall look for a copy of Wives and Daughters. Normally I very much enjoy the subtlety of British humor and you are right Eliot is not funny. I really appreciate your patience in replying to me. It means a lot. Have a great day.
Is charles Dickens great expectations a good book because I want to start reading that.
It really is! The best place to start I think!
It was my first Victorian novel...wonderful.
Frankenstein is a good short book to start with.
It's a great novel - but not Victorian! It's a bit pre-Victorian.
Second the audiobook suggestion.
It really helps!
great video! very useful :)
Thanks!
Is the typesetting consistently the same in all Oxford classics (and Penguin, respectively)?
So, I believe the font is all the same - in series (Penguin Black Spines and English Library, I'm not sure if they're the same font) - but the size varies depending on the length of the book I think.
Books and Things thanks, that's highly interesting. I never paid attention to this before, to be honest (and I don't own any Oxford classics, so I can't make any comparisons).
Small doses of Thomas Hardy as he can be depressing. Brontes can be dark....I remember reading Dickens and couldn't finish it because he described a small weird antagonistic man that ate his silver ware to scare his wife for breakfast!...now is that sane? If it gets to be too much read Jane Austin for relief.
Tips? I just did it. I learned by doing. Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead!
I learned to write symphonies by writing symphonies
--Mozart
Well yes. Many of the tips here can be combined into: read some Victorian literature.
I find it easier to read any classic not in the main language of the book. So when I read classics in english in portuguese they are much easier then when I read in the original english. When I read classics in portuguese and then I read in english or german they are extremely easier lol. I've never found Dickens difficult till I pick up in English and I was like: wtf.....
I can definitely imagine it's easier to read classics in translation if English is not your first language!
They use alot of latin terms that I don't even bother to Google. Nothing is lost the reading is still enjoyable.
Agreed!
Can you talk a little slower? :) I love to watch your videos but you talk way too fast. it makes my heart racing.
So, this is how I speak (in fact, most of my videos are already digitally slowed down!) and there's not much I can do about it - I have tried, believe me! There is a settings button on UA-cam where you can slow a video down to .75x if that helps.
Speak slower!