Write as |
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.
The Picture of Dorian Gray
by Oscar Wilde
The Picture of Dorian Gray is Oscar Wilde’s only novel, a classic tale that warns against the dangers of vanity, obsession with youth, and moral disregard. Published in 1890, it follows Dorian Gray, a man who remains forever young and beautiful while a portrait of himself bears the marks of his degeneration and moral decay.
leaded panes of the window streamed the apricot-coloured light of a summer day in London. Lord Henry had not yet come in. He was always late on principle, his principle being that punctuality is the thief of time. So the lad was looking rather sulky, as with listless fingers he turned over the pages of an elaborately illustrated edition of Manon Lescaut that he had found in one of the book-cases. The formal monotonous ticking of the Louis Quatorze clock annoyed him. Once or twice he thought of going away. At last he heard a step outside, and the door opened. “How late you are, Harry!” he murmured. “I am afraid it is not Harry, Mr. Gray,” answered a shrill voice. He glanced quickly round and rose to his feet. “I beg your pardon. I thought—” “You thought it was my husband. It is only his wife. You must let me introduce myself. I know you quite well by your photographs. I think my husband has got seventeen of them.” “Not seventeen, Lady Henry?” “Well, eighteen, then. And I saw you with him the other night at the opera.” She laughed nervously as she spoke, and watched him with her
Other classics
Herman Melville
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
Louisa May Alcott
Aunt Jo’s Scrap-Bag Vol. 1
William Shakespeare
Romeo and Juliet
Emily Brontë
Wuthering Heights
Mary Shelley
Frankenstein
F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby
August Strindberg
Röda Rummet
Marcel Proust
Swann's Way
Lewis Carroll
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Virginia Woolf
Mrs. Dalloway
Victoria Benedictsson
Modern
Franz Kafka
The Metamorphosis
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Crime and Punishment
August Strindberg
Inferno
Jane Austen
Emma
Marcel Proust
Within a Budding Grove
Hjalmar Söderberg
Förvillelser
Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
Cranford
Ernest Hemingway
In Our Time
Henry David Thoreau
WaldenWhy 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