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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.
shall think you are angry...” Raskolnikov did not speak; he listened, watching him, still frowning angrily. He did sit down, but still held his cap. “I must tell you one thing about myself, my dear Rodion Romanovitch,” Porfiry Petrovitch continued, moving about the room and again avoiding his visitor’s eyes. “You see, I’m a bachelor, a man of no consequence and not used to society; besides, I have nothing before me, I’m set, I’m running to seed and... and have you noticed, Rodion Romanovitch, that in our Petersburg circles, if two clever men meet who are not intimate, but respect each other, like you and me, it takes them half an hour before they can find a subject for conversation--they are dumb, they sit opposite each other and feel awkward. Everyone has subjects of conversation, ladies for instance... people in high society always have their subjects of conversation, _c’est de rigueur_, but people of the middle sort like us, thinking people that is, are always tongue-tied and awkward. What is the reason of it? Whether it is the lack of public interest, or whether it is we are so honest we don’t want to deceive one
Other classics
Louisa May Alcott
Aunt Jo’s Scrap-Bag Vol. 1
Virginia Woolf
Mrs. Dalloway
Franz Kafka
The Metamorphosis
Oscar Wilde
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Ernest Hemingway
In Our Time
F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby
Hjalmar Söderberg
Förvillelser
Victoria Benedictsson
Modern
Marcel Proust
Within a Budding Grove
August Strindberg
Röda Rummet
Mary Shelley
Frankenstein
William Shakespeare
Romeo and Juliet
Jane Austen
Emma
Henry David Thoreau
Walden
Emily Brontë
Wuthering Heights
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