Booking through Thursday

Abridged it?

1. Are abridgements a good introduction to long, boring classics, or a blight on literature?

Depends on the work in question and the reasons for reading it. I personally find abridged Latin classics to be the only way I can get the point of the story. "Madame Bovary" abridged is a great thing. "The Grapes of Wrath" abridged, also a great thing. "Jane Eyre" abridged is horrifying.

2. If abridgements have their place, what is it?

I hinted at this above: I think if the reader is just trying to get an outline of the story and some sense of the flow, they are fine. If the reader really wants to get to know the author and the story, then they are the wrong way to go.
Some authors really need to have their work tightened up (Tolstoy, anyone?) but don't mess with my favorites!

Oh, and if all you've read is the abridged version of Tom Sawyer, you really shouldn't pretend to be an expert on Mark Twain. Not that I've ever met anyone who has tried to do that...{snort}

3. Have you read any abridgements, or will you read any? Why or why not?

Confession time: I haven't read too many, maybe 2 or 3. Reading them feels like cheating. I'd rather read Cliffs Notes. I always wonder what's been left out: the "dirty" bits? the descriptions of a scene I can't quite picture?