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?
I’m wary of spoilers so I read the foreword after I’ve read the book.
Thanks to you, I think I might have found another blog / group that I might love…. 🙂
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.