I was thinking this while reading The Canterbury Tales, which isn’t exactly the oldest I’ve read (I think that goes to Homer)
But The Canterbury Tales is just so delightful! Getting into the flow of the rhyming prose is very fun to read (I’ve just been reading the Penguin Classics Coghill translation which is fantastic)
I’ve already watched the Pasolini adaptation but I’m definitely going to revisit once I finish the book.
Well by the standards you’ve set this is positively modern, but I’d say my favorite ‘old’ book (indeed one of my favorite overall) has to be Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy.
I love how bold the story felt playing with the idea of gender and power in the Victorian English countryside. It was also surprisingly sweet, and I hold the storm scene after Bathsheba’s marriage to Troy in my hall of fame romantic hero moments.
The book is just pure comfort for me, like a blanket and a warm mug of cocoa by the fireplace. Bathsheba and Gabriel Oak were such good characters and i couldn’t help but cheer them on, I just loved it.
I also just find it so interesting that Hardy, who is in my opinion, author of some of the most bleak and hopeless stuff out there, is responsible for such a tender tale.
I have a little collection of his books that I haven’t read yet, but this has me excited for one I haven’t heard much of!! The ones I’m most familiar with are Tess of the D’ubervilles and Jude the Obscure.
I am happy to be able to spread a bit of reading anticipation! This is markedly different in tone to Tess and Jude the Obscure, which I think both trend more in line with Hardy’s general vibe - it makes sense to me you are more familiar with those stories.
Hopefully you will enjoy his work :)