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Practice your writing by typing out classic literature. This method not only enhances your understanding of rhythm, structure, and nuances but also connects you deeply with the timeless flow of literary history.This is a BETA version.
Crime and Punishment
by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Crime and Punishment is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It was first published in the literary journal The Russian Messenger in twelve monthly installments during 1866. It is the second of Dostoyevsky's full-length novels following his return from 5 years of exile in Siberia and is considered the first great novel of his "mature" period of writing. The novel is often cited as one of the supreme achievements in literature.
It was the New Testament in the Russian translation. It was bound in leather, old and worn. “Where did you get that?” he called to her across the room. She was still standing in the same place, three steps from the table. “It was brought me,” she answered, as it were unwillingly, not looking at him. “Who brought it?” “Lizaveta, I asked her for it.” “Lizaveta! strange!” he thought. Everything about Sonia seemed to him stranger and more wonderful every moment. He carried the book to the candle and began to turn over the pages. “Where is the story of Lazarus?” he asked suddenly. Sonia looked obstinately at the ground and would not answer. She was standing sideways to the table. “Where is the raising of Lazarus? Find it for me, Sonia.” She stole a glance at him. “You are not looking in the right place.... It’s in the fourth gospel,” she whispered sternly, without looking at him. “Find it and read it to me,” he said. He sat down with his elbow on the table, leaned his head on his hand and looked away sullenly, prepared to listen. “In three weeks’ time they’ll welcome me in the madhouse! I shall be
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In Our Time
F. Scott Fitzgerald
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Hjalmar Söderberg
Förvillelser
Victoria Benedictsson
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Marcel Proust
Within a Budding Grove
August Strindberg
Röda Rummet
Mary Shelley
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William Shakespeare
Romeo and Juliet
Jane Austen
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Emily Brontë
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Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
Cranford
August Strindberg
Inferno
Herman Melville
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
Lewis Carroll
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Marcel Proust
Swann's WayWhy Type a Masterpiece?
Typing out classical literature is not just an exercise in patience; it's a deeply immersive way to understand the rhythm, structure, and nuances of great writing. By manually reproducing the works of renowned authors, you engage with the text on a level that reading alone cannot offer. This method allows you to feel the flow of sentences, the choice of words, and the intricate construction of paragraphs that make these works timeless.
Style is a very simple matter; it is all rhythm. Once you get that, you can't use the wrong words.
– Virginia Woolf
literati is a unique platform where writers can select from a vast collection of public domain classics to type out. This practice is akin to a musician playing pieces by the masters to internalize the elements of composition and performance. Just as the musician learns the subtleties of each note and chord, the writer learns the power of each word and sentence.
Prose is like hair; it shines with combing.
– Gustave Flaubert
Engaging directly with masterpieces allows writers to absorb the rhythm of the text, the ebb and flow of its pacing, and the beauty of its imagery. It cultivates an appreciation for the craft of writing and provides invaluable lessons in how to construct compelling narratives, develop characters, and evoke emotions in readers. Happy typing!
The only truth is music.
– Jack Kerouac