The Classics Reclamation Project

At the end of 2010, I launched an ongoing classics project for myself. After years of reading classics for school, I came to believe they were difficult and anything but enjoyable. The Classics Reclamation Project (C.R.P.) is about breaking those assumptions and reclaiming the classics for myself. I struggled to define “classic” as it pertains to the C.R.P. I shared my thoughts in detail in my CRP intro post. (Note: As of May 2011, I’m no longer posting on a weekly basis. Instead, I’m continuing to read classics and share my thoughts on them whenever I’m finished, as I do for other books. So, the project continues…just in slightly modified form!)

For the purposes of the Classics Reclamation Project, a classic is defined by the following characteristics:

Age: the majority of the books I read for the C.R.P. must be 50+ years old, so published before 1961. 1 in 8 books I read for the project may be slightly younger, published between 1961 and 1969.
Personal sense: not all old books are classics, so I’m relying on my own sense of what makes a classic as well as age. Books that are well known, widely read, has survived at least a generation, or has a sort of cultural resonance is fair game.
Literary gaps: books I’ve always meant to read, cultural touchstones, books from the Western canon, etc. that fit the age criteria are eligible for the C.R.P.

I always have several books going at once. From now until whenever I decide to end the official Classics Reclamation Project, one of those books will be a classic that fits the criteria above. It can be in print or audio form; I can choose any book I want as long as it fits. I can read each book as quickly or as slowly as I want. But at all times, I plan to be actively reading a classic.

I am keeping track of my potential C.R.P. reads in a Google spreadsheet. I’m open to suggestions if you’d like to make a recommendation. Thoughts, in addition to being listed on my Books page by author, will be listed below in the order in which I read them. You can also browse my weekly C.R.P. posts.