The other day a friend of mine sent me a comic strip by Dave Kellet in which one of the characters was struggling to get past the 40 pages in Moby Dick related to tying sails. Having read Moby Dick myself, I knew exactly what the cartoon artist was trying to get across. The “classics” as we call them are full of these little pockets of dry, repetitive text in which we loose nothing from the value of the story if we simply “skim” it over. Before you raise your eyebrows at me think back to the last time you The Lord of the Rings. How many poems did you actually make it through? Or how about Les Miserables? Did you really stick out the Napoleon section? There are those of us readers out there that are purists and must read everything from front cover to back cover – no exceptions. But for those of us who have considered reading a classic novel, but are concerned about getting lost in the dialogue and description, below are 5 classics (according to myself) and what parts you can skim without missing much of the value of the story being told.
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo – Depending on the copy you have, Les Miserables is approximately 1194 pages long (or around 500,000 words). Generally the Battle of Waterloo section could most likely be skipped or skimmed with the exception of the very end where information pertinent to the storyline is given.Others have also admitted to skipping the dissertation on slang which happens in the last book and the first 70 pages as they are mostly regarding the character of Bishop Digne (we get it, he’s a good one).
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy – While an intriguing story and a lesson in malcontent and not appreciating what you have, Anna Karenina does have a quite lengthy passage in which agricultural practices are discussed and described in length. Feel free to skip this passage as it doesn’t hold much pertinence to the actual story itself.
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien – This action-packed, mythological story is full of surprises, danger, war and love. Each character that’s introduced is another enriching addition to the story overall and you’ll definitely have your favorite type of being by the end (personally I like the elves). However, the pages of these books are full of poems, songs and folklore, much of which can be skimmed or skipped altogether without impacting the story itself.
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy – War and Peace is considered one of the world’s most important works in literature and Tolstoy’s greatest achievement as a writer. While the Battle of Borodino is a rare gem in which calls for our full attention, the last 200 pages of this epic novel could probably be skimmed without issue. Save some time for the Epilogue though, you’ll want to make sure to devote some time to its conclusions.
Moby Dick by Herman Melville – And finally, the epic battle of man versus beast in which Captain Ahab seeks revenge on a giant sperm whale and faces the consequences of his decisions. While a great tale and an excellent moral metaphor, there are some areas in which you could possibly skim in Moby Dick and not loose much of the story. Like I said above, who really needs to read 40 pages about tying sails?
Do you have any skimming recommendations to those readers who are considering tackling a classic novel?
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