Discuss a work of literary merit that you hated when you were made to read it in school or university. Why did you dislike it?
I'll admit I could not stand Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. I spent six weeks of the summer of my junior year of college studying in France, and one of my courses was on the theater of the absurd. (Thank God the other course was on medieval French literature.) I disliked the theater course in general, but mercifully, the other plays have faded from my memory. However I do remember Waiting for Godot because I had previously been made to suffer through it when it came on TV (PBS). It was interminable. While I realize it's supposed to be comic, I was too bored to be amused. And I know that it has been analyzed to death, and people have imposed all sorts of interpretations upon it-- but I was too bored to even try to pick the thing apart. Maybe I was too young when I was exposed to it. Maybe if I were to try to watch it or read it now I would have more patience. But I doubt it. Listening to two men sitting around doing nothing but whining, then repeating it all over again is not my idea of a stimulating evening.
What work of literary merit left you cold?
Oh, man, mine was Tom Jones. Amazon says 968 pages. Shipping weight is 1.5 pounds. You get the idea. Even if the story is good - it's so overly wordy and long. Ugggghhhh. You've brought back horrible memories.... I need to go read some fluff....
ReplyDeleteI had difficulty with Beckett, too. I read Endgame in university but after much discussion, I came to like it. I'm not sure about trying Waiting For Godot :/ Here's my Literary Hop post.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I missed a half-line in there. My comment should read "I read Endgame in university and had some difficulty with it, but..."
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying reading everyone's posts this week, so many titles that I haven't heard of! Why is Waiting for Godot unfamiliar to me when it was a PBS special? Normally I have heard of the titles...
ReplyDeleteI want to read Madame Bovary this year and everyone keeps telling me how terrible it is... have you read it?
I've not read Beckett yet and I'm not sure it sounds like something to add to the reading list just now...
ReplyDeleteAnd Mari--try the new Davis translation of Madame Bovary. I found it absolutely compelling and fascinating, although it was quite different from almost anything I had read before.
Ah, theater of the absurd can be rough, though I have to say, I did enjoy Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. It's funny how apologetic everyone is in identifying their dislikes. Thanks for hopping by.
ReplyDeletelove beckett, ionesco and the absurd, but read it through choice.
ReplyDeleteSome books are so difficult to get into. And those put us off that author too, for always.
ReplyDeleteAnd my teacher spoiled A Passage to India for me. But I did go back and loved it!
Here is my Literary Blog Hop: Disliked Book post!
Love your header.
ReplyDeleteMy read was STONEHENGE DECODED...uggh. Did anyone else have to suffer through it?
Stop by my blog if you like to see my full answer...I also have a giveaway that isn't very literary, but check it out.
http://silversolara.blogspot.com