A Word on Reading Classics
A teacher once told me that it doesn’t matter if you understand every single word in a text, what matters is that you get the essence of the text. I think that is a really good thing to keep in mind when reading classics. There are a lot of small details, that I probably miss, but if I don’t feel like they’re essential for my understanding, I don’t stop to look up words or Google it. I just keep reading. Only if something comes back again and again and seems to play an integral part in the plot will I look it up. Mostly it isn’t necessary to look up stuff, so my reading flow is undisturbed. If you still feel slightly daunted by the old-timey language and terms, there is usually a film or a series adaptation of the book that you can watch. You can watch it before you read the book, but the BBC/Andrew Davies series are usually so true to the text that you can watch it and follow along in the book. By watching the film or series, you will know the story line an...