This Week-Ten Books/Plays that were required reading when I was at school. The first eight were ones I was forced to read for my classes, the others were books that my friends classes had to read.
1) Arthur Miller-Death of a Salesman
Ugh! I had to read this two years in a row for my English class and it was so dull and boring! I didn't care why nobody went to his funeral or why he fell out with his son!
2) DH Lawrence-Sons and Lovers
I firmly believe that this may have been the dullest book I've ever read. Having to then sit and analyse every conversation for hidden meaning was a new form of torture! The obsessive love that woman had for her son was stomach churning!
3) William Shakespeare-Hamlet
Every other class was doing Macbeth but ours did Hamlet. Although it was a struggle to understand what he was saying with all ye olde language, I actually did quite like the story.
4) George Orwell-Animal Farm
I hate animal cruelty of any kind so I didn't enjoy large sections of this one. I know the reason we looked at it was the communism aspect but as a story, I didn't enjoy it much!
5) George Bernard Shaw-Pygmalion
I never understood the point in studying this one. I didn't care much about a girl getting taught society manners. I've never been interested in watching the musical either.
6) William McIlvanney-Laidlaw
I thought reading a book about a Glasgow police detective might be interesting but this was a dull book with a dreadful MC!
7) Katherine Paterson-The Great Gilly Hopkins
We had to read this in first or second year and I hated it. I just found it dull and boring. Could there not have been vampires or zombies or something...
8) Robert C O'Brien-Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
I liked a few bits in the book but others seemed to really drag on. It was suggested we read the sequels but I decided not to care...
9) Harper Lee-To Kill a Mocking Bird
My best friend's class were reading this one so I got it out of the library to read. Yes it was well written and it was a social issue that is important, but as a story I didn't like it, especially the ending.
10) JD Salinger-The Catcher in the Rye
My other friend's class was reading this but the only reason I was interested is because I'm a big Beatles fan and this is the book John Lennon's killer read before and after the murder. I wish I hadn't bothered as I hated the MC.
To be honest, being forced to read these books in school left me with a healthy dislike of the so called classics and I don't enjoy these kinds of books even now!
Overall, what a dreadful reading list. I remember having to read The Scarlet Letter (which I pretty much liked) as well as Beowulf, which I liked a lot. The rest I must have blanked out. I did take Appalachian literature one summer in college. It might have been an okay class but since it was an 8 week summer class, the amount of material we had to read each night was murder! And the books weren't THAT interesting to boot. Glad we're out of school!
ReplyDeleteIt's really bad isn't it! Is it any surprise that I was reading Stephen King for fun with that lot as required reading! I can understand why a lot of kids hate reading after being forced to read a load of waffle at school!
DeleteI totally agree about Sons and Lovers. I was supposed to read it in college, but I never finished it because . . . ugh. So boring. I read Animal Farm and To Kill A Mockingbird in middle school. I liked them. I’ve read Catcher in the Rye twice. I didn’t like it in high school, but I liked it in grad school. I agree about the main character, though. That kid’s a brat. Salinger’s short stories are much better than his novels (in my opinion).
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Sons and Lovers kills every fun brain cell in your head! I fail to see WHY we were studying it! I got the themes of communism and racism being important to read about but I got nothing from Sons and Lovers!
DeleteIt's so good to find other people who disliked The Catcher in the Rye. I never got the fuss about it!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it isn't just me that didn't really get it! Jeez I hated that MC!
DeleteI haven't read many of these, but I did like Mrs. Frisby probably because I loved the movie Secret of NIMH as a kid!
ReplyDeleteMrs Frisby wasn't the worst in the pile by any means! I don't think I saw the film but I can't actually remember now.
DeleteI have had a few of these titles forced on me in school. I am not a fan of classics. Death of a Salesman wasn't too bad but mostly because it was shorter than some of the other books we had to read.
ReplyDeleteRequired reading can put a lot of kids off reading which is a shame! Thankfully it had the opposite effect on me!
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