Classics Reclassified

Yep it is time for me to be exposed to culture so I thought I would go see a classic (Troy "Brad Pitt".) but first I need to know a little about the story and the Author. Therefore, I turned to my trusty reference, "The Classics Reclassified" by Richard Armour. My copy must have been written about the time of Homer, as it has no ISBN number. This volume helps one understand the classics in a way they can be appreciated. It is refreshing to read a book by someone that had made the learning experience so palatable. (No, I did not eat the book.) Richard Armour starts out with a succinct and to the point biography of the classic writer. He makes clear what other books only imply. After this he follows up with the classic, it's self. Some time I am not sure if I should believe him. The contents: Homer The Iliad "From the original Greek, Whoever he was" William Shakespeare Julius Caesar "et tu, William" Sir Walter Scott Ivanhoe "upright knights, tilting and toppling" Nathaniel Hawthorne The Scarlet Letter "an A for effort" Herman Melville Moby Dick "strong men cry and whales blubber" George Eliot Silas Marner "a moral with a tale" Charles Dickens David Copperfield "or up from poverty" The book also contains sketches at relevant or irreverent intervals.

I first read Richard Armour when I was about 12, and I have to say that even the bits I didn't understand were funny enough to make me want to! As a result I began reading many classics just so I could get the joke. I would love to see these books reprinted.

This is a wonderful volume of literary humor that really should be back in print. Going through famous fictional works (including yet another Shakespeare), Armour goes through the work of fiction and, taking things to an illogical extreme, presents a very funny take on these classics. This book is hilarious, particularly, of course, if you've read the original work in question.

the author has selected certain famous classics.He writes a short biography about each author and thereafter reclassifies the classics.It is a very humourous book