|
|
Post by andreaisabbbw on Jun 9, 2011 22:14:58 GMT -5
I don't know. I never even finished reading it. Haha I didn't know that about Twain. Maybe I should try reading it again and I might like it. Everything I learned about Huck Finn was what was discussed in class and I don't remember any of it now. I like Faulkner. I had to read As I Lay Dying for one of my classes and I thought it was pretty good. I think that hypothesis is just something my English professor has, so don't take it as historical fact haha. He claims that the presence of Tom Sawyer at the end of the novel indicates that Mark Twain never meant to write the kind of expansive work Huck Finn was becoming, so he brought Tom Sawyer in to try and make the book light-hearted again. And I couldn't stand As I Lay Dying, but I'm not a fan of modernism. I think I should pick it up and actually read it this time. I was 16 when I read it and I didn't appreciate Twain and haven't given him much of a thought since. We would read his famous quotes and I wouldn't get them. I prefer modernist poetry over prose. With the exception of some Virginia Woolf. |
|
|
|
Post by KatjevanLoon on Jun 9, 2011 23:34:42 GMT -5
Okay, what about Death of a Salesman by Arther Miller? It drove me insane when we read it in AP English. The title was really obvious, so I sat there wishing it would happen already. Reading what I wrote, it sounds a bit harsh, but I'm leaving it up there. Totally agree. I hated Death of a Salesman. And it gets studied and talked about like the greatest thing ever not only in English courses but Theatre too. ARG. |
|
|
|
Post by Silva on Jun 9, 2011 23:42:09 GMT -5
Okay, what about Death of a Salesman by Arther Miller? It drove me insane when we read it in AP English. The title was really obvious, so I sat there wishing it would happen already. Reading what I wrote, it sounds a bit harsh, but I'm leaving it up there. Totally agree. I hated Death of a Salesman. And it gets studied and talked about like the greatest thing ever not only in English courses but Theatre too. ARG. I liked my lit teacher but he went on about it... and on. I was ready to scream. WHY WHY WHY OH WHY |
|
|
|
Post by Pencils on Jun 10, 2011 8:59:41 GMT -5
Perhaps it's not technically 'literature', but it has been constantly raved about the last couple of years and we had to read it for English class: The Kite Runner. It was okay, but I found it rather contrived, predictable, obvious, and, well, overrated. Not to mention the character development of basically anyone but Amir and Baba was either awful or nonexistent.
|
|
|
|
Post by suffixedishness on Jun 10, 2011 13:20:02 GMT -5
I'll second the Tolkien comment. If feels like a World of Warcraft quest log and the abundant dialog is awkward to say the least. Though I love LotR and The Hobbit, I do agree that Tokien's writing isn't the best. His prose is very heavy, and you have to be in the right mindset to get through LotR. That said, I find it pretty hard just to knock Tolkien aside; he was extremely influential with regard to the fantasy genre, and a lot of what is considered typical within the genre (Europe-esque world, tall elves who are very attuned to nature/music/healing...) was created by him. Not to say that he didn't draw from other things; his style is actually very similar to Beowulf in that both contain tangents and songs about heroes that don't have much relation to the story. And I'll stop defending Tolkien now and agree with onlyaworkingtitle that Harry Potter is overrated. Nice enough story, wonderful that it's gotten people reading, but really not as great as a lot of people say. Also, Twilight has had WAY more influence on Western culture than is right. |
|
|
|
Post by onlyaworkingtitle on Jun 10, 2011 15:00:52 GMT -5
I'll second the Tolkien comment. If feels like a World of Warcraft quest log and the abundant dialog is awkward to say the least. Though I love LotR and The Hobbit, I do agree that Tokien's writing isn't the best. His prose is very heavy, and you have to be in the right mindset to get through LotR. That said, I find it pretty hard just to knock Tolkien aside; he was extremely influential with regard to the fantasy genre, and a lot of what is considered typical within the genre (Europe-esque world, tall elves who are very attuned to nature/music/healing...) was created by him. Not to say that he didn't draw from other things; his style is actually very similar to Beowulf in that both contain tangents and songs about heroes that don't have much relation to the story. And I'll stop defending Tolkien now and agree with onlyaworkingtitle that Harry Potter is overrated. Nice enough story, wonderful that it's gotten people reading, but really not as great as a lot of people say. Also, Twilight has had WAY more influence on Western culture than is right. I kept reading this and thinking "This sounds like something S would say," and then I looked at the author and saw it was you! Oh, goody. And it's nice to be agreed with. |
|
Umbvix
Young Armadillo
SCHLURP :B
Posts: 64
|
Post by Umbvix on Jun 10, 2011 21:01:49 GMT -5
The only book assignment I didn't read in high school: Siddhartha. I bullshitted my way through the entire 6 weeks of that book. I couldn't stand it. Maybe it's actually enlightening by the end. I'll never know for sure, because I couldn't get past the first chapter before I was practically snoring in my seat.
|
|
|
|
Post by harleyquinn on Jun 11, 2011 15:49:39 GMT -5
I think The Scarlet Letter remains the worst thing I have EVER read. I hate it so much and I don't understand why people like it.
|
|
shaunanigans
Armadillo Pup
Love is merely a madness
Posts: 20
|
Post by shaunanigans on Jun 12, 2011 9:08:42 GMT -5
I think The Scarlet Letter remains the worst thing I have EVER read. I hate it so much and I don't understand why people like it. Agreed. I absolutely hated this book. I actually hate pretty much all American Lit, with a few exceptions. British literature forever! |
|
oaki
Armadillo Pup
Posts: 9
|
Post by oaki on Jun 12, 2011 13:58:56 GMT -5
I actually agree on Lord of The Rings, I haven't been able to get through it, although I love love love The Hobbit, I have it in leather bound  I love The Hobbit. The LoTR series...not so much. THIS^ Also, Lolita and Shakespeare are awesome. Huck Finn - overrated. |
|
|
|
Post by djcarter on Jun 12, 2011 20:00:32 GMT -5
I second Frankenstein and Gatsby as overrated - both of which I had to read for AP Lit.
One I don't think has been mentioned yet is Wuthering Heights. I found myself taking no interest in any of the characters, or perhaps caricatures, all of whom I found disagreeable. Although not insufferable, Bronte's writing only served to exacerbate that problem. A lot of people say that it doesn't matter the characters are unsympathetic as their love is redeeming, but I felt the plot line just sickly.
Would also like to throw in a second for To Kill a Mockingbird. Although I think its historical significance and subject matter are certainly important, on a literary front this book really did nothing for me.
|
|
Annie Ozone
Young Armadillo
Death of Cars, Reader of Books, Drinker of Booze, and Generally Accident-Prone Lady
Posts: 88
|
Post by Annie Ozone on Jun 12, 2011 20:36:11 GMT -5
Augh, Lord of the Rings. It's like he was all, "Look at this motherfucking world I have created!" and then remembered--"Yes, characters. I will get on that, as soon as I make three languages for my immortal elves to speak. Yes." That said, I love the Faramir/Eowyn storyline (both their separate ones, and then their romance). I would definitely read a book about them in Ithilien and the inevitable culture clash. In conclusion:  Also, in unpopular opinions: I have an absurd love for The Old Man and the Sea. Hate everything else by Hemmingway, but that book is my kryptonite. Ooh, better metaphor: espresso. Dark and bitter and amazing. I do not know why this is true, do not even bother asking. Kind of off-topic, but Wuthering Heights. I love the writing and structure of the novel and totally root for Cathy II, but when Heathcliff is held up as some kind of romantic hero, I don't know whether to scream with laughter or terror. So, not so much overrated book, but definitely an overrated hero, y/y? ETA: lol @ djcarter, totally did not see your post. Thought fraternal twins, maybe? Similar but mostly different! I found WH to be about Heathcliff's twisted obsession for his maybe-half-sister and how his quest for vengeance against those that "thwarted his love" lay waste to everyone around him. Then his obsession kills him and the second generation continues on, recovering from his abuse and making a life for themselves. Themes of abuse in the Brontes' writings, they intrigue me! |
|
|
|
Post by harleyquinn on Jun 12, 2011 21:25:58 GMT -5
I actually really really loved Frankenstein. I'm still not sure why but I was absolutely enthralled by it.
Shakespeare, however, generally doesn't appeal to me. Well, I LOVE Hamlet for some reason (I found it absolutely hilarious), but everything else is just eh to me.
|
|
Annie Ozone
Young Armadillo
Death of Cars, Reader of Books, Drinker of Booze, and Generally Accident-Prone Lady
Posts: 88
|
Post by Annie Ozone on Jun 12, 2011 22:51:43 GMT -5
OMG, I can't believe this hasn't been mentioned, but: MOBY DICK. Awful, or just plain terrible?
|
|
|
|
Post by djcarter on Jun 12, 2011 23:39:53 GMT -5
Thought fraternal twins, maybe? Similar but mostly different! I found WH to be about Heathcliff's twisted obsession for his maybe-half-sister and how his quest for vengeance against those that "thwarted his love" lay waste to everyone around him. Then his obsession kills him and the second generation continues on, recovering from his abuse and making a life for themselves. Themes of abuse in the Brontes' writings, they intrigue me! Yes perhaps! I would agree with that, but it's often touted as a romance novel, which I would definitely say it isn't! Maybe the plot would be more intriguing to me had I wanted to see the second generation characters recover, but I found the second generation an echo of the first, and given I wasn't so fond of the first... ;D I also found the narrative structure frustrating - the idea of a "meta" story did not appeal to me, and I felt the narrator (whose name escapes me) could've been more unreliable. |
|
