A New Take on an Old Classic

If you're like me you keep saying you're going to read (or reread) the classics, but you don't get around to it very often. Or perhaps you've tried to read one and found it to be too dry or difficult to get into. Maybe you got lucky and read one and hit the jackpot. I've actually had all of the above happen to me recently. I keep thinking I should throw a classic into my reading lineup every now and then. And then I read Wuthering Heights and it was awful (my apologies if you loved it). More recently, I read Lord of the Flies as part of a HS assignment that I did with my daughter. And if you've been reading this blog for a while you know I LOVED it. So, how do you find a good classic as opposed to a boring one? Up until now that has been the $64,000 question.

Well, I have good news.

Welcome to 60 Second Recap, a series of one minute video clips that give quick summaries of different aspects of classic literature - plot, themes, characters, etc. It's all hosted by Jenny Sawyer an energetic, insightful and cool 20-something. She doesn't give anything away and it's not a Cliffsnotes-type summary, but it does give you some idea of whether or not you might like the book. As a test case I watched the clips of Lord of the Flies, and they were very entertaining and I felt she did a terrific job presenting the book.

This would be a valuable resource for students who need to choose a classic for their English classes or could use a little help figuring out the themes of the story. It's also a wonderful resource for bookworms like me, who would love to read the classics, but don't know where to begin.

Check out the one minute Overview clip of Lord of the Flies.