rowdypanther12 said:I can't quite agree with that; I honestly think everyone should pick up at least one or two books from every literary era, especially the major ones.
then, if you really want to boost your grade—say, if your GPA isn't exactly where you want it—you could dive into something like *The Scarlet Letter*.
Personally, I used to get so frustrated with Goethe and his cryptic way of writing. It drove me crazy. I felt like I had to force my way through *The Sorrows of Young Werther* just to get past every other page.
So, I powered through it, hated every second of it while reading 😁 and still managed to pull an A.
It’s the same deal with *Anna Karenina*. If you have a decent professor and some books that just rub you the wrong way, you'll end up reading them anyway, just so you can spend class time arguing about why the characters were so annoying or why the book is overrated.
I'm signing onto this whole post.
Obviously, we aren't going to love everything on the syllabus. Some books we'll slog through, some will be boring and pointless so we force ourselves to finish them, and others will be so dense or confusing that we won't even make it to the end.
The most important thing is having a smart, reasonable English teacher who lets students speak their minds and actually debate things during class.
I had that kind of teacher, and since a lot of my friends actually did the reading, literature class was honestly the highlight of my day.
By the way, I also had to struggle through both *Werther* and *Anna Karenina*. 😉
brightpuma said:"Quote:"
Man, I’ve always been a fan of quotations, so finishing a required reading book was usually a breeze for me. But lately? For the last two years of high school, I’ve basically dodged my assignments whenever I could get away with it. On the flip side, I actually sat down and read *The Great Gatsby* when everyone else in class skipped it... only to get a C for my trouble. Makes you wonder, doesn't it? 🤦
"brightpuma" said: Look, I’m not saying everything should be based on some trendy, easy-to-read bestseller. But honestly? The sheer volume of books assigned for high school reading lists is just overkill. They're often dense, confusing, and frankly, boring. Most kids are just checking boxes and getting through them to get it over with. It feels totally pointless.
It would definitely help if professors actually gave us some guidance before we dive into a book. Like someone already mentioned, why not just provide some directions? Instead of forcing us through every single page of an entire novel, why not just focus on the most interesting, essential parts?
The general culture? It hasn't gone anywhere. Still right here. 😉 Kids aren't even frustrated. Honestly? If someone actually enjoys a single excerpt, maybe they'll end up finishing the whole book. But most people just give up before they even start, opting for quick internet summaries or cheat sheets instead. |
Maybe we should break it down. Like the Iliad or Dante's Inferno, you just can't tackle some of these books all at once. It’s impossible to read them in their entirety. Wouldn't it be better to trim down those massive doorstoppers and make room for some actually interesting stuff?
"Quotation:"| Seriously, why on earth does HP get so much hate from churches? 😲 So it's just Fantasy then? Wait, does that mean guys like George R.R. Martin or Tolkien are on the blacklist too? |
Fantasy, especially when you throw in the crowns and stuff like that... it just doesn't really sit right with the folks in those priest robes.
"Quotation:"
That sounds fine. Personally? I only walked away with a C for reading something like that. 🙄
Quotation: Honestly, Goethe’s coded way of writing used to drive me crazy. Just hated it. I wanted to bash Werther on almost every other page.
pa I just powered through it, spat it out during my hourly breaks 😁 and ended up with an A. |
Werther is easy. Faust makes you want to lose your mind. Not sure if you've tackled that one yet, but if you have, hats off to you. 🙏
Quotation:| It was the exact same deal with Anna Karenina. If you have a decent professor and books that get under your skin, you'll read them—then spend your lunch break arguing about why the characters were annoying or why the book is overrated. |
Well, Anna Karenina was actually tolerable. Especially considering what came after. The only thing worth reading back then was the Naturalism era (Madame Bovary), but after that, everything just went downhill.
I actually read *Faust*; I had to write a paper on it once. 😳
I'll admit, it was a tough read.
brightpuma said:"Quote:"
Man, I’ve always been a fan of quotations, so finishing a required reading book was usually a breeze for me. But lately? For the last two years of high school, I’ve basically dodged my assignments whenever I could get away with it. On the flip side, I actually sat down and read *The Great Gatsby* when everyone else in class skipped it... only to get a C for my trouble. Makes you wonder, doesn't it? 🤦
"brightpuma" said: Look, I’m not saying everything should be based on some trendy, easy-to-read bestseller. But honestly? The sheer volume of books assigned for high school reading lists is just overkill. They're often dense, confusing, and frankly, boring. Most kids are just checking boxes and getting through them to get it over with. It feels totally pointless.
It would definitely help if professors actually gave us some guidance before we dive into a book. Like someone already mentioned, why not just provide some directions? Instead of forcing us through every single page of an entire novel, why not just focus on the most interesting, essential parts?
The general culture? It hasn't gone anywhere. Still right here. 😉 Kids aren't even frustrated. Honestly? If someone actually enjoys a single excerpt, maybe they'll end up finishing the whole book. But most people just give up before they even start, opting for quick internet summaries or cheat sheets instead. |
Maybe we should break it down. Like the Iliad or Dante's Inferno, you just can't tackle some of these books all at once. It’s impossible to read them in their entirety. Wouldn't it be better to trim down those massive doorstoppers and make room for some actually interesting stuff?
"Quotation:"| Seriously, why on earth does HP get so much hate from churches? 😲 So it's just Fantasy then? Wait, does that mean guys like George R.R. Martin or Tolkien are on the blacklist too? |
Fantasy, especially when you throw in the crowns and stuff like that... it just doesn't really sit right with the folks in those priest robes.
"Quotation:"
That sounds fine. Personally? I only walked away with a C for reading something like that. 🙄
Quotation: Honestly, Goethe’s coded way of writing used to drive me crazy. Just hated it. I wanted to bash Werther on almost every other page.
pa I just powered through it, spat it out during my hourly breaks 😁 and ended up with an A. |
Werther is easy. Faust makes you want to lose your mind. Not sure if you've tackled that one yet, but if you have, hats off to you. 🙏
Quotation:| It was the exact same deal with Anna Karenina. If you have a decent professor and books that get under your skin, you'll read them—then spend your lunch break arguing about why the characters were annoying or why the book is overrated. |
Well, Anna Karenina was actually tolerable. Especially considering what came after. The only thing worth reading back then was the Naturalism era (Madame Bovary), but after that, everything just went downhill.
I absolutely loved *Anna Karenina*. I actually wrote a report on it too. Looking back, I guess I always did have a thing for the thickest books... 🤣
Madame Bovary is such a great read. And don't forget Zola, either!
Plus, things didn't exactly fall apart completely afterward 🙂