Least Favorite Assigned Reading?

[xmascriminal]

WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS. Man I hate that book.

You, sir, have no soul and your heart is three sizes too small

Agreed Chode.
WTF!?? Criminal! >:( >:( >:(

I think we had to read that in 7th grade and I loved it so much I read it 2x before our assignment was due.  That was the 1st book I read that ever made me.... :'(

I hated reading Falkner and lengthier Steinbeck and all things Shakespeare.

So you loved Where the Red Fern Grows but you hated Falkner, Steinbeck and Shakespeare. Um. . . :-?

[weeniebeenie]

I hated 1984. I  barely remember it but I know I didn't like it. Maybe I should try that one again.
I did love Of Mice and Men and although they weren't novels I loved when we studied the poetry of Wilfred Owen.

[aMillionDreams]

1984?  Shakespeare?  Really?  I still read Shakespeare and think of 1984 everytime it feels like Big Brother is watching, which is a lot.

Good call on My Antonia, though.

[weeniebeenie]

1984?  Shakespeare?  Really?  I still read Shakespeare and think of 1984 everytime it feels like Big Brother is watching, which is a lot.

I think with 1984 I just didn't like being reminded of all the Big Brother/controlling people stuff. I found it too depressing and scary in a way.
As for Shakespeare, we read The Merchant of Venice and I liked that.

[TheBigChicken]

WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS. Man I hate that book.

You, sir, have no soul and your heart is three sizes too small

Agreed Chode.
WTF!?? Criminal! >:( >:( >:(

I think we had to read that in 7th grade and I loved it so much I read it 2x before our assignment was due.  That was the 1st book I read that ever made me.... :'(

I hated reading Falkner and lengthier Steinbeck and all things Shakespeare.

I did, however, enjoy the Canterbury Tales.

I have great resentment towards many of my English classes growing up because of the Western skewed literature filled with biblical allegory.  As a non Caucasian who had never picked up a bible in my entire life, I got punished for not recognizing every subtle biblical reference.

Wilson Rawls  :) :) :'(...or more like the grinch has no heart at all ;D

[mjkoehler]

1984?  Shakespeare?  Really?  I still read Shakespeare and think of 1984 everytime it feels like Big Brother is watching, which is a lot.

Good call on My Antonia, though.

My Antonia is really awful isn't it. Orwell is excellent stuff. I loved reading 1984 and Animal Farm in school.

I've said this someplace before, just because it's a "classic" doesn't mean it's good. Most "classics" are classic pieces of crap. Many do not translate well to the modern age which makes them difficult to read (or interesting). I've tried to go back and read many and zzzzzzzzz.

[Kimbos_Evil_Bread]

The book I had a terrible time finishing was The Sound and the Fury.  Faulkner's writing just doesn't do it for me and after half a semester discussing it, I still don't know what that book was about.

[Ruckus]

1984?  Shakespeare?  Really?  I still read Shakespeare and think of 1984 everytime it feels like Big Brother is watching, which is a lot.

Good call on My Antonia, though.

My Antonia is really awful isn't it. Orwell is excellent stuff. I loved reading 1984 and Animal Farm in school.

I've said this someplace before, just because it's a "classic" doesn't mean it's good. Most "classics" are classic pieces of crap. Many do not translate well to the modern age which makes them difficult to read (or interesting). I've tried to go back and read many and zzzzzzzzz.

I couldn't agree with you more MJK and I hope not to offend any teachers of classic 'canonized' literature.  I know the canon is being updated with non Western global literature but I still fail to see the relevance of spending our entire school days reading oft stilted, difficult reading in some form of English not used today.

Iambic pentameter did not help me pass the bar.  Falkner only taught me that long, boring run-on sentences are perfectly normal.

I don't see the logic in how learning the "classics" aid the learning of the English language as it is used today.  Something lean and powerful like McCarthy's No Country or Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Bladerunner) seem like more relevant reading appropriate for high school that balance substance, readability and depth.  Harry Potter would be great too!

I never understood how the religious right can complain about having children read a book such as that (Potter) in public school while I am forced to recognize parables of Cain and Abel. :P

When you take cooking class, you don't learn to rub sticks together.  You aren't taught geocentrism in science first before debunking it.

Rant over.  I just think that it would be in the best interests of modern youth to read books that appeal to their sensibilities that relate to the world that they live in while teaching them the language.

Having said all that, I guess I have no idea how much it has changes since I left high school.  I'm sure some of the required readings have been updated.

I also enjoyed 1984 and Animal Farm.  There just so much more 'readable.'  I also agree with Walden AMD.  I like spending some alone time in a cabin in the woods.  I just don't like reading about it.  That said, though Thoreaux didn't work for me, what came out of Bon Iver's time in the woods worked just fine for me. 8-)

[mjkoehler]

1984?  Shakespeare?  Really?  I still read Shakespeare and think of 1984 everytime it feels like Big Brother is watching, which is a lot.

Good call on My Antonia, though.

My Antonia is really awful isn't it. Orwell is excellent stuff. I loved reading 1984 and Animal Farm in school.

I've said this someplace before, just because it's a "classic" doesn't mean it's good. Most "classics" are classic pieces of crap. Many do not translate well to the modern age which makes them difficult to read (or interesting). I've tried to go back and read many and zzzzzzzzz.

I couldn't agree with you more MJK and I hope not to offend any teachers of classic 'canonized' literature.  I know the canon is being updated with non Western global literature but I still fail to see the relevance of spending our entire school days reading oft stilted, difficult reading in some form of English not used today.

Iambic pentameter did not help me pass the bar.  Falkner only taught me that long, boring run-on sentences are perfectly normal.

I don't see the logic in how learning the "classics" aid the learning of the English language as it is used today.  Something lean and powerful like McCarthy's No Country or Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Bladerunner) seem like more relevant reading appropriate for high school that balance substance, readability and depth.  Harry Potter would be great too!

I never understood how the religious right can complain about having children read a book such as that (Potter) in public school while I am forced to recognize parables of Cain and Abel. :P

When you take cooking class, you don't learn to rub sticks together.  You aren't taught geocentrism in science first before debunking it.

Rant over.  I just think that it would be in the best interests of modern youth to read books that appeal to their sensibilities that relate to the world that they live in while teaching them the language.

Having said all that, I guess I have no idea how much it has changes since I left high school.  I'm sure some of the required readings have been updated.

I also enjoyed 1984 and Animal Farm.  There just so much more 'readable.'  I also agree with Walden AMD.  I like spending some alone time in a cabin in the woods.  I just don't like reading about it.  That said, though Thoreaux didn't work for me, what came out of Bon Iver's time in the woods worked just fine for me. 8-)

Man, it's like my brain stepped out of my skull and starting talking there! Perfect! Yes, more contemporary lit would be helpful. Nothing wrong with Potter (one of my favorite series). Keep in mind, today's "classics" was yesterday's pop lit.

Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep- All is right in the world with this book and movie (my top 3 movie of all time even though the 2 really have no resemblence to each other).

[megalicious]

The book I had a terrible time finishing was The Sound and the Fury.  Faulkner's writing just doesn't do it for me and after half a semester discussing it, I still don't know what that book was about.

i love me some faulkner. the sound and the fury is probably in my top 5 favorite books of all time.

as a former english lit major, i've had to read more than my fair share of shit i hated.

meg's top 5 most hated assigned readings:

5. memento mori, muriel spark
4. anything by samuel taylor coleridge
3. wuthering heights, emily bronte
2. the countess of pembroke's arcadia, sir phillip sidney
1. leatherstocking tales, james fenimore cooper

runners-up:

my antonia, willa cather
ethan frome, edith wharton

[megalicious]

Oh yeah, Scarlet Letter sucked.  

i forgot about that! repressed memories, i guess. the preface to the novel (i think it is called "the customs house" or something) was pure torture to read.

[aMillionDreams]

I'm torn on Walden.  It was pretty boring and based on lies according to a lot of people.  Plus, he was way off on a lot of stuff, such as man's role in nature. So, yeah, that one should probably start collecting some dust.

[megalicious]

i remember discussing walden in class, and apparently thoreau's mom would come by daily to bring him food and do his laundry. so much for being one with nature.
;D

[The DARK]

Oh yeah, Scarlet Letter sucked.  

i forgot about that! repressed memories, i guess. the preface to the novel (i think it is called "the customs house" or something) was pure torture to read.

Forgot about the Customs House. Oh God it's all coming back...  :-/

[Jaimoe]

Reading untranslated Chaucer isn't a whole lot of fun; same with Beowulf.

[el_chode]

Maybe someone can shed light on this memory that I've mostly blocked out:

Puritan poem about god, like a page long, I think it's like "the something" but maybe it's not

It's definitely not the Crucible oh dear god that was awful


Currently, I'm really hating on the two books I'm writing a paper on, even though they've both influenced me profoundly.

[ManNamedTruth]

I hated 1984. I  barely remember it but I know I didn't like it. Maybe I should try that one again.
I did love Of Mice and Men and although they weren't novels I loved when we studied the poetry of Wilfred Owen.

1984 is probably one of the most important books there is.

[Jaimoe]

I hated 1984. I  barely remember it but I know I didn't like it. Maybe I should try that one again.
I did love Of Mice and Men and although they weren't novels I loved when we studied the poetry of Wilfred Owen.

1984 is probably one of the most important books there is.

I loved reading that book. Orwell rules!

[The DARK]

I hated 1984. I  barely remember it but I know I didn't like it. Maybe I should try that one again.
I did love Of Mice and Men and although they weren't novels I loved when we studied the poetry of Wilfred Owen.

1984 is probably one of the most important books there is.

I loved reading that book. Orwell rules!

Definitely. My favorite book for a while was Animal Farm.

[Ruckus]

I loved Robinson Crusoe! :)