unforum

[Clairabel]

I did Drama back in college, and do you know one classic I loathe? Waiting For Godot. "Oh, it's so deep and meaningful, it's all a great metaphor for life, and limbo, and death..."

No.

It is two blokes, bored as hell, waiting for Godot WHO IS TOTALLY MEANT TO BE GOD OLOLOLOL and talking about nonsense.

I'm currently raging about my personal life, if anyone wants to get in on that?

[CraicIsMighty]

[Lithp]

I was actually really interested in Scarlet Letter, but I had trouble keeping up with it. Though I got really upset when, at the end, the thing about Pearl went nowhere.

I vaguely remember The Crucible. It's a pretty faithful reconstruction of the Salem Witch Trials, so I guess I can't say that it's a bad story. But I had kind of heard it all before.

Huck Finn was boring as fuck. If it was any indication, Mark Twain's quotes are more interesting than his actual books. Which I imagine he'd be fine with. Also, according to TV Tropes, it originally had a disclaimer against trying to find a message in it. If true, that's just...wow.

Also didn't like "To Kill A Mockingbird."

I've never read Frankenstein or Dracula. I keep saying that I'm going to one of these days, but then I never do. See, I think I liked the gothic short stories & poems best in high school. Particularly Masque of the Red Death.

[Enzd]

Right now I'm raging pretty hard about that jerk who posted the fake Entry #71 thread, and the other jerk who replied to it.

Consarnit, I actually got excited!

[Geneaux486]

Seems like it's been a while since we've had a fake Entry thread.

[Serum]

[Geneaux486]

[fawfulbowser]

[Serum]

[CraicIsMighty]

[Sha Noran]

ITT: kids who hate genuine literature but jerk off to marble hornet's plot. Just because you didn't like a book (or more likely, didn't read it cause your teacher told you to but you're such a badass rebel) doesn't have anything to do with how classic or important a piece is in literature. Just lost a good bit of respect for the lot of you, acting like you're above some of the most well known authors in recorded history. Sad.

And yeah there were plenty of books I didn't care for when i was a kid in school. That doesn't mean i can't appreciate the quality of the narative or grasp the underlying themes that make them keystones of literature (aka classic...). Amateurs....

[Grumplestiltskin]

[Lithp]

Oh wow, are you being serious right now? Lighten up. Literature classes aren't really about the quality of the story, but about the themes of the time, & testing your ability to construct a valid argument. Any language professor will tell you the same, you aren't being graded on whether or not you think it's a good story.

Also, you are employing the exact type of snobbery that I was making fun of. "Because it's old, well-known, & read in English classes, that makes it beyond criticism." No. Times change. People who were known as great artists in their day stop being consumed, people who were thought of as hacks become elevated. We lose a lot of stories because of the author's race or sex, & the literature chosen for the class is further filtered by things like time restraints, & the audience's anticipated reading level.

Also, frankly, if the shit is so good, you should be able to defend it without resorting to a barrage of ad hominem attacks.

Lastly, I didn't claim I was a better author than anyone, but for the sake of argument, how do you know I'm not? These people presumably always had talent, but they weren't recognized until they actually wrote something, & managed to get it published. They would not be claimed as "classic literature" until years later, perhaps not even while they were still alive.

Edit: Oh, right, & I happen to be very vocal about my belief that Troy, Joseph, & Tim make a lot of writing mistakes.

[Ztakk]

[Clairabel]

Weren't most 'classic' pieces of literature only counted as classics after the authors were dead? Or does that only count for artists?