I was thinking this while reading The Canterbury Tales, which isn’t exactly the oldest I’ve read (I think that goes to Homer)
But The Canterbury Tales is just so delightful! Getting into the flow of the rhyming prose is very fun to read (I’ve just been reading the Penguin Classics Coghill translation which is fantastic)
I’ve already watched the Pasolini adaptation but I’m definitely going to revisit once I finish the book.
Beowulf fucking slaps
I read an abridged version but I agree!
Dunno if you’d count it as a book but the Epic of Gilgamesh is one of my all time favorite stories that I regularly go back to. Also, predates Homer by a long shot.
You definitely win the oldest book contest!
Probably something by Jane Austen? Actually technically Shakespeare but that was for school so it doesn’t really count.
The Count of Monte Cristo has held up extremely well for a 200 year old story. Same with Don Quixote
I’ll move them up in my theoretical TBR!
Not the oldest I’ve read, but the oldest I’ve properly enjoyed is Jane Eyre (and it happens to be my fave of all time too)
It would have to be The Iliad. I don’t really go for classics, but I was curious. It was the translation they have on Gutenberg, which wasn’t bad. I have yet to read The Odyssey, though.
I think I preferred The Iliad to The Odyssey but I really liked them both. The Odyssey was definitely more fantastical whereas The Iliad felt more epic and thrilling.
Beowulf
Beowulf
As a kid, the grandmother of one of my best friends used to read it to us at night in a cabin in Door County WI. She read it in the Old English version. Left a very lasting impression on me and I have read itany times since.
I love formative books like that!! Not nearly the same genre wise but I have vivid memories of my mom reading CS Lewis to us, though I haven’t revisited any of them since their movies came out years ago.
Well by the standards you’ve set this is positively modern, but I’d say my favorite ‘old’ book (indeed one of my favorite overall) has to be Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy.
I love how bold the story felt playing with the idea of gender and power in the Victorian English countryside. It was also surprisingly sweet, and I hold the storm scene after Bathsheba’s marriage to Troy in my hall of fame romantic hero moments.
The book is just pure comfort for me, like a blanket and a warm mug of cocoa by the fireplace. Bathsheba and Gabriel Oak were such good characters and i couldn’t help but cheer them on, I just loved it.
I also just find it so interesting that Hardy, who is in my opinion, author of some of the most bleak and hopeless stuff out there, is responsible for such a tender tale.
This was my first Hardy book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I next read “Tess of the d’Urbervilles” and I liked that even more.
Tess is amazing!!! I love that book.
I have a little collection of his books that I haven’t read yet, but this has me excited for one I haven’t heard much of!! The ones I’m most familiar with are Tess of the D’ubervilles and Jude the Obscure.
I am happy to be able to spread a bit of reading anticipation! This is markedly different in tone to Tess and Jude the Obscure, which I think both trend more in line with Hardy’s general vibe - it makes sense to me you are more familiar with those stories.
Hopefully you will enjoy his work :)
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Frankenstein is also great btw.
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I read that towards the end of last year, and I think it could just be the writing style of that time, but there were definitely some tough slogs to get through. At the same time though, there are some great passages that were pretty thrilling or spooky or even a bit funny. Especially the image of a cowboy character stuck in the middle of this got his style horror 😂
Probably the Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer, though the English translations are a lot newer than the base story!
Since someone already said Beowulf, I’ll go a bit later and say Le Morte D’Arthur. The Song of Roland is also really good.
The oldest book that I actually really enjoy is Frankenstein.
Moby Dick and War and Peace were both sick with it.
I really enjoyed Don Quixote! It’s a lengthy book but there were some genuinely hilarious scenes. I couldn’t believe how old it was - it felt quite modern.
Not that old (relatively speaking) but the Count of Monte Cristo is excellent. Such a grand and incredible adventure. Quite possibly my favourite book of all time.
Did you read it in Spanish or a modern translation - that might have helped?
It was a recent translation, but it’s more the scenes themselves and certain ‘meta’ parts of the story that felt quite modern.
I’ve probably read something older that I’ve liked, but the oldest book among my favorites is The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.
