Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Have Trouble Reading the Classics? Try This!

Everyone has used SparkNotes for books that they don't understand. It is a really useful tool for researching characters, reviewing summaries, and defining symbols. They even have No Fear Shakespeare, where you get regular English side-by-side the old English so you know what's going on. Unfortunately, what if it isn't just Shakespeare you have trouble reading? Author Wayne Josephson has started a series called Readable Classics, in which he "gently edits great works of literature to make them less frustrating for students and modern readers." According to Mr. Josephson, "each Readable Classic follows the original, chapter by chapter. A student can read my chapter first, and then better understand and enjoy the same chapter in the original version." Wayne Josephson has published Jane Eyre, The Scarlet Letter, Moby Dick, and Pride and Prejudice.

Even though I would recommend reading any classic novel in its original form, I do believe that the Readable Classics could definitely help students who struggle in English. So if you or anyone you know needs help, the Readable Classics would be a great resource.

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