AS FAR AS I CAN TELL,
A YOUNG ADULT NOVEL
IS A REGULAR NOVEL THAT
PEOPLE ACTUALLY READ.
(Stephen Colbert)
Back in college, I read a lot of "classics" for various courses. I enjoyed some of them - like Lord of the Flies - but others made me want to poke my eyes out with my pen. Still, after graduation, I attempted to keep at it. I wanted so badly to be someone who read literary novels, who quoted famous authors, who was intellectual and interesting, and who sounded…smart.
What was I thinking?
Thankfully, those days are long gone. Now, I am who I am, and I read what I want to read. I still occasionally challenge myself to read something more literary, more experimental, something outside my comfort zone, but only because I want to, not because I think I should.
Life's too short to spend it trying to be someone we're not. And it's definitely too short to spend it on stories that don't move us in some way.
That made me chuckle!
ReplyDeleteMost classics bore me to tears. There are a few I like, but I don't force myself to read something I don't enjoy.
Exactly!
DeleteThe very reason a lot of my classics on Goodreads are still To Be Read.
ReplyDeleteHa! :)
DeleteGreat point! I think some young people are turned off to reading by what they're required to read in school. Some 'classics' use language that is difficult to follow, have terrible run on sentences, jump around POV and long passages of info dumping.
ReplyDeleteI think a mix of "classics" and more modern/contemporary works would keep interest high.
DeleteYes!! That third paragraph! Absolutely yes! It's great for us to challenge ourselves and read other things, but we like what we like. No harm in that! :)
ReplyDeleteDefinitely! :)
DeleteAgreed. I want to read stories that interest me. And I have a pretty wide variety of what I like and I try to branch into other genres from time to time too. It's good to broaden our horizons and try new things. :)
ReplyDeleteI think the trick is to not automatically say no to a genre etc, but to consider if the STORY itself sounds good.
DeleteThere's some classics I really want to read. But others, I refuse. No matter how many people say how 'classic' they are. Cause I'm just not interested. :)
ReplyDeleteThere's definitely a handful of classics I'd like to try that I didn't read in school. And there's a even a few I did get to that I'd re-read. :)
DeleteI love that Stephen Colbert quote.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way about the classics. I never wanted to read them when they were assigned to me, but I've gone back and actually read some in recent years. I really enjoyed Lord of the Flies, too.
As soon as I saw that Colbert quote, I knew I was going to use it here on the blog. Love it! :)
DeleteWonderful post - and I love that quote. I may have to use it!
ReplyDeleteGo for it, Simon! :)
DeleteI probably would never have read any of the classics without the pressure of a class assignment, but I did enjoy them. So every once in a while, I tackle another one. I;m like you, though - it takes time! I remember getting T.E. Lawrence's Seven Pillars of Wisdom after the whole Lawrence of Arabia foofarah, and never got beyond 50 pages! Please don't stick a pen in your eye - I want to read more of your posts; they make me laugh!
ReplyDeleteI'd like to think I'd have picked up some of the classics I did enjoy on my own, without the pressure of school assignments, but I'm not sure. :)
DeleteGlad my posts make you laugh!
Every once in a while I read a classic, just because I want to know what I've been missing. Some I like, some not so much. But I don't mind trying to expand my brain. That said, I read an awful lot more of what I know I will like to read.
ReplyDeleteExpanding our brains is a great thing to do! But there's nothing wrong with leaning toward what we like either. :)
DeleteI was only one in my middle-school class who loved Lord of the Flies! One of my favorite books when I was younger :)
ReplyDeleteYou'd think that book would be a favorite among the middle school group. It's got a Hunger Games/Survivor type vibe. :)
DeleteThat quote had me busting a gut. Seriously. Power to the YA books! I'm with you. I try to read something educational, something inspirational, and something for fun at all times, but occasionally that plan gets steamrolled. Like during promotion season. You know, at least Lord of the Flies wasn't as bad as the movie. *gag*
ReplyDeleteI tried doing the same - reading in those three different areas - but I got overwhelmed. Now I read one novel and usually another book, maybe short stories or nonfiction, at the same time. And I usually have a magazine or two at hand. :)
DeleteEvery time I read something literary, I find it's just to slow for me. I end up falling asleep, I get so bored!
ReplyDeleteI remember a few classics that made me sleepy, too. :)
DeleteHi Madeline, at one time I too wanted to read a few classic novels, so that I came across as a well read writer. Then I gave up. Nowadays I read the books I want to read, not necessarily classic novels. Most classics are way too slow for me.
ReplyDeleteI find most classics slow, too, but sometimes I do enjoy sinking into a good, complex, long read. :)
DeleteOh yes, some of those classics (of those few that I read) turned reading into a chore. Forced reading doesn't help foster a love of reading. At least YA is a thing now, though I haven't read many of them.
ReplyDeleteThere are some amazing YA novels out there. I would definitely give them a try. :)
DeleteYes! Yes! Yes! I completely and totally agree! Let's read what we love! and then, occasionally, read something that's a little interesting and challenging. :)
ReplyDeleteWe're on the same page. :)
DeleteMy degree is in English, so yeah, I read a lot of the classics. And I still love Literary stuff, but I love all kinds of books. So these days, I gravitate towards speculative fiction. But I still read non-fiction and literary works once in awhile.
ReplyDeleteThere was a lot of pressure to stay in that literary box in college, though. So I understand.
For me, it's become more about the story than about the genre. If it sounds good to me, I'll most likely pick it up and at least give it a shot.
Delete