I think this post is ment for english majors. Will somebody tell me who decides what books are worth reading and what books arn't? I got through highschool and college without reading very much for classes, and so now i'm trying to catch up with "the classics". I picked up a copy of catcher in the rye today and I have got to say that it's horrible. It seems to be similar to "a clockwork orange" but not as good. It's kind of like the movie "babel", which was nominated for all kinds of awards, and the only reason you sit through it is trying to find out when its going to get as good as it's acclaimed to be.
Anyhow, i'm on chapter 19 of the book, more than halfway through, and i'm about to quit. I've taken it off the list.
After a little research, i'm going to go ahead and tell you other books that i've read in the "top 100" list that are (in my opinion) not worth reading:
Catcher in the Rye
Lolita
A clockwork Orange
But while we're talking, i will say that I noticed Kurt Vonneguts "slaughterhouse-five" on the list and that is one of the best books i've read in a very long time.
Also, some lists include "the lord of the rings" which, if i'm not mistaken, are three books instead of one. And I have to tell you that while the hobbit was worth reading, The other ones put me to sleep. I really didn't even enjoy the movies that much (i think i lost some friends just now).
well. thats enough ramble for now. Off to sydney in the morning!
-mike
Bloom Filter
1 day ago
3 comments:
hmmm...
it was hard to read this blog, mike. but everyone is entitled to their own opinion. and what makes a book "good" is its timeliness.
at least thats what THEY say.
but i disagree because i love Catcher in the Rye mostly because of the time it was written in and the deep seated issues of 50's American culture that it was speaking out against.
but i agree with you on vonnegut. you should read cat's cradle if you need to get a new book for the flight home.
Crap, I did this once and it deleted it, and I doubt my second response will be as good. Alas.
As a collegiate Mathematics Major, I'll leave the comments about how they decide things to the English majors among your readers (perhaps the lot of whom have already responded).
Much like you, I didn't do much "literary" reading in HS and college. Some of that was class selection (or lack of freedom therefore), and some was avoidance even in the classes that promoted it.
However, since graduating, I have been led back in to the world of classic literature by a few friends who informed me that the books are not nearly as dry as they seem in classes.
Remove many (not all) of the required-reading books from the classroom setting, and they take on new life. Instead of discussing boring and pointless things that the author very well may not have considered, the story itself has an opportunity to shine forth. This section was poetic and well-written before, but I'm no longer inspired.
In any case, the first book that I encountered on my road back to classic literature was To Kill a Mockingbird: Harper Lee. It is beautiful, compelling, and thought-provoking. I would (and do) recommend it to anyone - even people who swear they hated it when they were forced to read it in school.
Other items from the list that I have read and enjoyed since school - 1984: George Orwell, Fahrenheit 451: Ray Bradbury, The Fountainhead: Ayn Rand, Absolutely Anything: John Steinbeck, The Chosen: Chaim Potok, and Watership Down: Richard Adams.
A few other books that cannot be considered "classics" just yet, but are probably bound for the category are: Ender's Game: Orson Scott Card, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and perhaps A Wrinkle in Time: Madeline l'Engle.
a wrinkle in time IS already a classic.
and ender's game had better NOT make it there!
:)
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