The Classics Club – August Meme Question #13

The Classics Club Monthly Meme
The Classics Club Monthly Meme

The Classics Club monthly meme is another way to bring members of The Classics Club together.

The meme question for this month is:

Do you read forewords/notes that precede many classics? Does it help you or hurt you in your enjoyment/understanding of the work?

This is a very simple and straight-forward question and my response is the same. Yes, I always read the foreword. I appreciate knowing the context of the book. I don’t worry about spoilers and such because hey, these are classics, and most of the times, I do know quite a bit of the story anyway.

What I love from a well-written foreword is some additional insights into the book, and pointers/aids that help me understanding the story.

After all, it’s a classic, and I am probably only going to read it once, and so it makes sense for me to enter the book well-prepared so to speak.

So, that’s my take on forewords. Do you like to read forewords? Why or why not?

3 comments

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  1. SRS

    Thanks to you, I think I might have found another blog / group that I might love…. 🙂

  2. deweydecimalsbutler

    I don’t because of the spoilers. Sometimes I know the details already and sometimes not. I had a pivotal moment in Howard’s End ruined because of one, so I’ve had a grudge against them ever since.

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