What's the point of required reading?

nimblelynx7 said:Honestly, this is one of those books that actually holds up.
I've read plenty of much worse.

The servant answers to Smail aga,
within his own Tower of London,
deep in Germany.

Have faith—truly, have faith—and maybe, just maybe, that faith will be what saves you.
Well, I guess it happened to me too—that whole thing with the agency.

It’s a total disgrace to see a guy like him
Pay tribute, or don't pay tribute at all,
Acting crazy and missing the mark completely,
Where would he even lead people if he blinded them,
Or let his bitter resentment show through?

Come on, you little manchild

Back in Elementary School, my absolute worst nightmare was *Watch Out for the Senjak Hand*. It was just completely unreadable.
That Smile-aga guy was just as much of a drag, though at least it was a short read, so you could power through it. Since it rhymes, it moves a bit faster, even if absolutely nothing stuck in my brain—it was such a tedious assignment.

And don't even get me started on those early Greek tragedies; they were pure, unadulterated boredom. 🙂 Like trying to get through the *Iliad* or the *Odyssey*, where you have to wade through five sentences of footnotes for every other word you actually read.
Even certain passages from the *Bible* were a total slog (specifically the ones we were forced to read).

Generally speaking, I’ve actually finished pretty much everything on the required reading list, except for *Combray*. I didn't quite make it to the end of that one—I had about 20 pages left to go.

Michelle Nelson4 said:Back in Elementary School, my absolute worst nightmare was *Watch Out for the Senjak Hand*. It was just completely unreadable.
That Smile-aga guy was just as much of a drag, though at least it was a short read, so you could power through it. Since it rhymes, it moves a bit faster, even if absolutely nothing stuck in my brain—it was such a tedious assignment.

And don't even get me started on those early Greek tragedies; they were pure, unadulterated boredom. 🙂 Like trying to get through the *Iliad* or the *Odyssey*, where you have to wade through five sentences of footnotes for every other word you actually read.
Even certain passages from the *Bible* were a total slog (specifically the ones we were forced to read).

Generally speaking, I’ve actually finished pretty much everything on the required reading list, except for *Combray*. I didn't quite make it to the end of that one—I had about 20 pages left to go.

Man, Antigone, The Scream, Fury, Fishing... what the hell?

Honestly, Antigone was such a drag. Thankfully, we had Satyricon and Aesop to actually save classical literature for us. It’s similar with the Divine Comedy—it felt like it was everything before "comedy" even became a thing, but I ended up reading the entire Decameron even though I only needed five stories. In my eyes, that really helped mend my opinion of Renaissance literature 😁
I agree. We didn't have to suffer through Cry and Fury; we were allowed to pick a stream-of-consciousness novel instead, and I think most of us went with Mrs. Dalloway 😉

As for Mrs. Dalloway for laundry, I can't even remember if we ever actually read it... generally speaking, all that old American literature was just so incredibly unreadable because nothing makes sense. I mean, I struggle to understand modern Americans half the time, let alone people from 500 years ago 😁

Larry Walker24 said:Man, Antigone, The Scream, Fury, Fishing... what the hell?

That and Cyclops are probably the worst.

Antigone was actually great in my book! 😳

Some books were just universally loved back then: Crime and Punishment. Even people who hated reading would pick that one up. Not to mention The Catcher in the Rye. It feels like filler to me now, I guess, but back then it was top-tier stuff.

Anthony Ward6 said:That and Cyclops are probably the worst.

Antigone was actually great in my book! 😳

Some books were just universally loved back then: Crime and Punishment. Even people who hated reading would pick that one up. Not to mention The Catcher in the Rye. It feels like filler to me now, I guess, but back then it was top-tier stuff.

Yeah, Cyclops was gross

Decameron is awesome

Why did you all find Antigone so terrible?
It wasn't overly long, and it was easy enough to read. 🤔

Hmm. Maybe I’ve got my stories mixed up. Was it actually Antigone, or was it some other tragedy? Perhaps something like Prometheus Unbound?
I really ought to track down a complete reading list and see if I can jog my memory. I know one of those plays was absolutely dreadful—it was probably from my earlier studies, so it likely wasn't Antigone after all.

Goodness, I feel like I'm getting old... 😁 I'll probably look into renewing my subscription next year once my daughter starts high school. 😂

Anthony Ward6 said:That and Cyclops are probably the worst.

Antigone was actually great in my book! 😳

Some books were just universally loved back then: Crime and Punishment. Even people who hated reading would pick that one up. Not to mention The Catcher in the Rye. It feels like filler to me now, I guess, but back then it was top-tier stuff.

I forced myself to give it another read in my thirties. I made it halfway through. I still have this intense urge to hit the author with an axe.

So there’s your answer on what required reading is actually for. It exists to spark a desire to live through the events in the book and to stir up specific emotions toward the author.

copperpuma11 said:I forced myself to give it another read in my thirties. I made it halfway through. I still have this intense urge to hit the author with an axe.

🤣
I definitely felt that same impulse during my very first read. To me, the book is just a living, breathing snooze-fest. You know, some of those epistolary novels actually managed to have a decent plot ☕

My main memory of studying it back in school was just pushing through to the final page, purely out of fear that some random detail might pop up on a midterm exam...

I actually finished Crime and Punishment too. That one was a bit easier for me. But Anna Karenina? That was the first book I physically couldn't finish. And I used to be one of those kids who actually tried to get through all the required reading. Honestly, that book was the turning point where I officially stopped being a diligent student and started just skimming everything 😁

I suppose I should probably weigh in here—though I’m not entirely sure if anyone actually wants my take on this particular mess. It feels like we’re circling the same drain, doesn't it? I mean, looking at the way things are trending lately, it’s almost predictable, if you have the stomach for it. I guess what I'm trying to say is that there’s a certain level of inevitability to these situations—a sort of slow-motion train wreck that everyone just watches while sipping their coffee. Maybe I'm being too cynical, or maybe I'm just seeing the patterns more clearly than most. It’s hard to tell sometimes. Anyway, I’ll just leave that hanging there. kaže:
🤣
I felt that impulse from the very first time I picked it up—I mean, I really did. To be honest, the book itself feels like a living, breathing bore. It’s just... tedious. I guess some epistolary novels actually manage to pull off a decent plot, but this one? Not so much. ☕

I seem to have this lingering habit—if you can even call it that—where I find myself powering through a book just to see if any little detail might accidentally show up on a test... I guess I just keep reading until the very end, sort of obsessively checking for those tiny plot points that could trip me up later.

Keith Nguyen7 said:I actually finished Crime and Punishment too. That one was a bit easier for me. But Anna Karenina? That was the first book I physically couldn't finish. And I used to be one of those kids who actually tried to get through all the required reading. Honestly, that book was the turning point where I officially stopped being a diligent student and started just skimming everything 😁

Crime and Punishment is absolutely phenomenal.
Anna Karenina—well, that was just my impression at the time—what a total idiot.I have to say—honestly—that book was just... terrible. I really wanted to like it, but it was an absolute disaster from start to finish.

I haven't even run into Anne yet. I've scrolled through 300 pages and there's zero mention of her.

Azkerbi posted this on the forum

Emma is such a total idiot.
I honestly couldn't even get into Dorian Gray's stuff either, especially since I had to go out of my way just to decipher his writing style, which felt... I don't know, just unnecessarily provocative?
I haven't finished everything they've written, but from what I have managed to get through, I wouldn't say they were all just being hateful for the sake of it.
It’s been years now and I still struggle to actually sit down and finish a book properly; instead of actually absorbing the story, I’m just staring at the pages, panicking, trying to check off a box so I can say I "read" it, while my mind is drifting off into space somewhere else entirely.

Peter Rogers said:Emma is such a total idiot.
I honestly couldn't even get into Dorian Gray's stuff either, especially since I had to go out of my way just to decipher his writing style, which felt... I don't know, just unnecessarily provocative?
I haven't finished everything they've written, but from what I have managed to get through, I wouldn't say they were all just being hateful for the sake of it.
It’s been years now and I still struggle to actually sit down and finish a book properly; instead of actually absorbing the story, I’m just staring at the pages, panicking, trying to check off a box so I can say I "read" it, while my mind is drifting off into space somewhere else entirely.

In the original script
we never really had access to Dorian g.'s work.
Anyway, I'm glad I pushed through those school reading lists too; they do enrich you in a way, I guess. You gain a bit of general knowledge, a sense of culture, and maybe even expand your vocabulary a little.
Back then, though, I certainly didn't see it that way.

mellowskipper said:

I suppose I should probably weigh in here—though I’m not entirely sure if anyone actually wants my take on this particular mess. It feels like we’re circling the same drain, doesn't it? I mean, looking at the way things are trending lately, it’s almost predictable, if you have the stomach for it. I guess what I'm trying to say is that there’s a certain level of inevitability to these situations—a sort of slow-motion train wreck that everyone just watches while sipping their coffee. Maybe I'm being too cynical, or maybe I'm just seeing the patterns more clearly than most. It’s hard to tell sometimes. Anyway, I’ll just leave that hanging there. kaže:
🤣
I felt that impulse from the very first time I picked it up—I mean, I really did. To be honest, the book itself feels like a living, breathing bore. It’s just... tedious. I guess some epistolary novels actually manage to pull off a decent plot, but this one? Not so much. ☕

I seem to have this lingering habit—if you can even call it that—where I find myself powering through a book just to see if any little detail might accidentally show up on a test... I guess I just keep reading until the very end, sort of obsessively checking for those tiny plot points that could trip me up later.

Crime and Punishment is absolutely phenomenal.
Anna Karenina—well, that was just my impression at the time—what a total idiot.I have to say—honestly—that book was just... terrible. I really wanted to like it, but it was an absolute disaster from start to finish.

Yeah. You want to toss it under a train immediately. No hesitation. I read War and Peace instead.

Joining in.🙂
Honestly? High school reading lists were my absolute worst nightmare.🙄
I went to a vocational high school. Honestly, everything felt way easier there—the specialized stuff, the general classes, even the languages. It just clicked for me.

The teacher carried a good chunk of the blame here. We had reading assignments and those dreaded "reading comprehension tests" almost every single week. The whole class absolutely hated them.

I really loved *The Stranger* and *Anna Karenina*. As for *Crime and Punishment*, I mostly just remember it because of those stressful high school essays.