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ccRumandChickenWings OP t1_j2j949l wrote

Reply to comment by smolly_ho1y in How to read more books and less fanfiction? by ccRumandChickenWings

I actually started "pride and prejudice" because I heard that I was the classic enemies to lovers and I have been enjoying it. I actually tend to go for classics when I buy books, but I am not sure if it is a good choice (because they are usually good) or not (I need to be more focused when I read them).

Until now my all time favorite book has been "the picture of dorian Gray" so I have then read almost everything by Oscar Wilde and loved all of it. I also liked The process by Franz Kafka and Damian by Hesse. I have tried to look for authors similar to Oscar Wilde but until now I haven't had any luck ahaha

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MaichenM t1_j2jgmqj wrote

You might be psyching yourself up too much with the need to read “high quality” published fiction, and gravitating toward fanfiction as a result.

Look: I read a lot of litfic. I am literally an English teacher. And litfic is not always fun to read. There are published novels that offer all the raw pleasures of fanfiction, but have the polish that fanfiction doesn’t have. This is very common in the fantasy, romance, and thriller genres. I read a huge mix of “smart” and “fun” books, and I won’t tell you that the smart books have never been enjoyable, but they have also almost always been work.

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smolly_ho1y t1_j2jaeyr wrote

If you enjoyed the picture of Dorian Gray, maybe you'll like The skin of Shagreen by Honore de Balzac. It has similar plot. Basically, about a man who found the way to fulfill his desires but has to pay his price for it. I also can recommend Steppen Wolf by Herman Hesse. It's a story about a man in the state of constant inner conflict (he basically divides his personality into "wolf" and "human", balancing on the line between them). The book tells his story of finding himself. It was surreal and fascinating book with a lots of food for thought

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ccRumandChickenWings OP t1_j2jd8va wrote

Thank you so much for the suggestions!! They really seem right up my alley!

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EmpRupus t1_j2lh5ti wrote

The classics are not always boring or less representational.

I read Carmilla, a lesbian vampire story (which is older than Dracula) and it was short novella with a pretty quick read. A lot of gothic books are like this.

I also like the mystery genre, and loved reading The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. This is considered a proto-mystery book older than sherlock holmes, and has very good rep of women and anti-colonial narrative, and also having an easy accessible prose style.

Song of Achiles is a modern take on the classical Greek story, and this one has lgbt+ protagonists. I have other criticisms of the book, but if you like intense romantic slow-burn fanfiction, you can go for this and also, in the process, learn about the classical greek story.

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karmacrossing t1_j2lflbq wrote

I also enjoy Herman Hesse- Knulp is one of my favorite short reads :)

I assume since you love Wilde that you’ve probably read The Importance of being Earnest? It’s a play, but the content is very easy to engage with as a story.

In a similar vein to Wilde’s humor and commentary toward social aristocracy: I’d also recommend Emma by Jane Austen and Candide by Voltaire.

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