Amph Most boring books ever

Haha...so true. If I am not mistaken, I think that nearly ever book that students are expected to read, especially in High School, consists of drama and death in some form or another. Having been raised on such macabre drab themselves, teachers are less likely to assess the horror it bestows upon their students.

 

To GrandAdmiralJello

I get that and agree with it, but at the same time a large part of my brain is thinking "JUST ENJOY THE STORY DAMMIT. IT'S A GOOD STORY. DON'T MUCK IT UP ON THE FIRST READ THROUGH."

I mean, that's not true all the time. The main reason why dystopian fiction is one of my favorite genres is because no matter how much I like a book in the end it never fails to make me think, but on the whole I just like stories because I like stories. While I'll talk about symbolism and what the author's intentions were (though I find this laughable regarding anyone dead who didn't give any sign of saying what their intentions were) I'd rather discuss character development and arc structure, if anything.

 

My general rule of thumb is "It's hard to go wrong with a classic, and they're called classics for a reason." Of such books that I've read the vast majority have been highly enjoyable. They're just well-written. I don't mean modern works are generally less so; my list of favorite books is a mix of classic and popular literature. But I don't have a problem with the books being taught, because they're usually great. It's just the way the classes are structured that's the problem. Part of it is also the simple act of being told to read something instead of getting to choose for yourself what to read. You know what your tastes are, so you'll be better at choosing something you enjoy. That was a gripe I used to have back in high school, But now I realize that the purpose of these classes is partially to expose students to things they normally wouldn't choose for themselves; to broaden their horizons. Now I think it's a good thing. I never would have discovered my love for Wilde or Twain or Poe or Orwell without those classes, and it's also encouraged me to try out other classical authors and just other kinds of books in general.

 

I wish that it was required of me to read Mark Twain, Melville, Poe, and Wilde in high school. I did get to read The Crucible, so that was nice, and Orwell was par for the course, but I had to go out and read Melville on my own (and Moby-Dick is easily one of my favourite books, but that doesn't change the fact it can get really boring). Most of the classics, I wound up reading on my own or in uni.

 

Haven't read anything else by Salinger, Catcher left me with a very bad impression of his work when I read it in college and I wished that the book could be banned because it sucks so much. In fairness, I re-read it a few years ago and wound up hating it even more because Holden Caulfield reminded me of a lot of kids I went to school with who felt that the world owed them something just for existing. I saw the episode of South Park lampooning the book and just about died from laughing as they hit the nail on the head with their description of the book.

 

I feel like they overemphasize those techniques as both a crude stopgap to get you to actually think about what you just read, and as training wheels for Finnegans Wake.

 

Thank God. I thought I was the only one who couldn't stand that book(which is a lot more difficult when you've got two degrees in English and all your classmates LOVE Hemingway). It's a great cure for insomnia, btw.

Edit: And GrandAdmiralJello: why would you put yourself through the misery that is Madame Bovary? It's not a boring book, but there are much better literary classics to read IMO. It's supposed to be this big romantic story (and it's not), and Emma Bovary is one of the most unlikable female 'heroines' I've encountered. If you're anything like me, you'll want to throttle her long before the end.

I say all this 'cause I've read it twice: once, I read it for fun when I was a high school freshman. Had to read it again for a World Lit course when I was an undergrad. I had more fun pointing out the bad parts of the book during class discussions than I did reading the darn thing.

 

Two degrees in English? Whyyyyyyy?

 

Because the manager job at Burger King needed actual credentials.

 

One book I'm embarrassed to admit I hate is "Lord of the Flies." The philosophical questions it examines are really interesting, but that doesn't change the fact that I hate every last character and couldn't care less about what happens to any of them. Spending even a few pages in their company is agony.

 

I concur, for the most part. Choosing what one wants to read of ones' own volition is a key aspect in enjoying whatever material is put in front of you, and being forced to read certain literary works does most certainly expose a person to new things, which is generally positive. That said, enforcing a written work, decreeing a student mull it over, assigning homework associated with said work and implementing a time-limit on reading the material, all of which culminates in a test, causes a lot of undue stress and anxiety that feels misplaced upon a student of the age of 18 and under. My motto is, "if you are not old enough to drink away the sorrows and negative vibes brought on by most taught literature, then you are not old enough to be presented with such a burden". I do agree, though, that 'twas through school that I too learned of Twain, Poe and Orwell (of whom are among my favorite authors) but who is to say that anyone--myself included--would not have familiarized themselves with those writers through self-taught methods, such as going to the library?

 

Almost a year out from when I got my Master's degree and I'm still asking myself that question. I suppose it's because I plan on working in the publishing field as an editor/proofreader. I'll leave the Burger King stuff to Kyle.

 

I found Old Man and the Sea quite boring. While not boring I found Brave New World rather disturbing.

 

Twilight.

 

Gave that rigid body some simple harmonic motion?

 

I keep meaning to get to both Dumas and Flaubert and keep putting it off. I'm annoyed with myself because I'm positive I would adore both of them based on what I know. As it is Monte Cristo has been on my reading list for like eight years, and keeps being the book I think of buying when I'm at the bookstore but not because there's something else I want just a little more at the time.

 

The Dictionary.

Followed closely by the phone book.

 

I think the phone book trumps, the dictionary at least has some vulgarities in it.

 

You guys are the worst.

 

Heart of Darkness. Just no.

 

I hate that book you love. Yes, that one.

 

Well, Piggy gets forced off a cliff... that counts for some hilarity, doesn't it?