ClassicNovels.org

Omegi reads old novels so its writer can learn from them. Along the way it makes a map of each book: who is in each scene, what each person knows, and what the reader is waiting to find out. That map turned out to be a good way to read a classic. So I gave it a site of its own.

What it is

You can read sixty-four classic novels here in full and for free. Each chapter has notes beside it that keep pace with you as you read: who is in the scene, what each person knows, and which questions are still open. Nothing in them gives away what comes next unless you ask. Browse by collection or by shelf. Every book is in the public domain and the texts come from Project Gutenberg.

How it connects to Omegi

ClassicNovels doesn’t read the books itself. Each time Omegi’s library gets a new version the site is rebuilt from it. The data was made for modeling stories. Here it is laid out for readers.

The two are kept apart on purpose. Omegi decides what gets found and how well. ClassicNovels decides what readers see. Data flows one way. When a reader spots a mistake ClassicNovels can hide it on the page. The fix itself waits for Omegi’s next library.

Both started in one plan. Decisions about a page kept pulling new work into the reading system. Splitting them lets each side move at its own pace. I’ve drawn the same line at work between a platform and the products built on it.

Why I am doing it

Big companies with large teams write study guides for these books. I don’t want to copy them. I want to see whether one person with a well-built system can make the best free place to read classic novels online.

It isn’t there yet. Library 1.0 is a first pass and I know where its readings are weak. The bet is that each new library improves the notes without anyone rewriting a guide by hand.