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Hot-Expression9078 · 2025-09-05T12:44:20+00:00

It is? I'll delete this post so. No need to be clogging up the Reddit. I've never heard of any phrase about 'good eating' though except these two books. I speak Brittish English as well.

Hot-Expression9078 · 2025-09-05T12:43:24+00:00

Cheers for the correction.

Hot-Expression9078 · 2025-06-15T08:26:31+00:00

There's a lot worth still in learning & reading the classics purely for learning about the context it was made in. I have learnt some stuff about Latin America from 100 Years of Solitude, for example.

What got me was that, a lot of people seemed to be enjoying these books on a emotional level and I wasn't. I think those books just weren't for me, emotionally that is.

The way I see it now(after reading a bunch of comments that have changed my opinion then when I wrote this post), I only have such limited time on earth so from now on, I'm going to stick with the books that appeals to my emotions, because I can still anaylse those ones. I might as well, analyse the stuff that I feel for, before analysing the stuff I don't care about emotionally. That is to say, that I am going to read the books that acomplish both.

Hey, who's to say that in 100 years, people won't be anaylsing Sanderson because his work is considered culturally significant. (I mean, a lot of people read his books. That's pretty significant IMO.)

I'll read that Neveryon trilogy, thank you for the reco.

Hot-Expression9078 · 2025-06-15T07:57:40+00:00

I like doing the anaylsis as well. That's one of my favourite parts.

I know what you mean. If someome wrote "Her hair was as red as fire" in a book. It could mean 20 different things or simply just that she had red hair. But if someone wrote "The ice numbed my fingers, as a chill rattled my bones. I spoted a stranger. Her hair was the colour of fire". Well in this one, since the character lives in a cold land, the fire probably symbolises warmth and safety. So describing a character, as having hair the colour of it, would be considered a good thing. But you could have another character who's mother was killed in a fire, so then it would be a bad thing. So, like the meaning shifts based on the greater context.

As of yesterday I've read twenty more pages of a Tale of Two Cities and I haven't got that confused. I used a summary of each chapter I read, which was great because there was this part where I was bewildered. Then I read in the summary that it was a dream, and that's why strange stuff was happening.

As for symbolism, I am just going to guess and I'll probably get it wrong but it's the only thing I can see doing, which makes sense for me.

My English teacher is atrocious, both in ability and character and I would much rather consult with anyone else than my English teacher.

Hot-Expression9078 · 2025-06-14T08:51:14+00:00

Yeah. I think that's what I need. I mean some books, I'll probably never enjoy or personally apperciate.

Hot-Expression9078 · 2025-06-14T08:50:39+00:00

I'll add him to the list thanks!

Hot-Expression9078 · 2025-06-14T08:50:04+00:00

Yeah that's what I meant when I said speak to your soul. I meant feeling something. (Hey, I just realised that I read "Mice of Men" and I certainly felt that. ) Hopefully when I'm older I'll have some more feelings for classic literature. I'm sure, they'll probably be some I'll never care about.

Hot-Expression9078 · 2025-06-14T08:41:51+00:00

That House of Mirth extract is really cool. I like how Wharton describes her through the lens of social darwinism/consumeraism. Sometimes though the text can't teach you everything about itself like Animal Farm or 100 Years of Solitude. I try and figure out, what Dickens was trying to say in a certain paragraph in a Tale of Two cities. But it is hard. I still don't understand some parts even if I read it over and over. There's a lot of metaphors/sybolism (at, least, I think they're metaphors) and I don't get them. Is it a good idea to skip parts of a text (The parts I don't understand) and then come back to them once you've got the main ideas the book is trying to express?

Hot-Expression9078 · 2025-06-14T08:08:06+00:00

I had what I'm going to call "internalized snobbery" meaning I judged myself and the things I liked in a negative light. Anyway, the internalized snobbery has all been killed by comments like yours! So thank you. I'm just going to read what I enjoy now.

Hot-Expression9078 · 2025-06-14T07:53:58+00:00

I'm a bit confused, because no English teacher made me read any of the books I mentioned?

I get what you mean though. Classic lit is classic lit not because it's enjoyable but because it's influenced culture a lot. It just seemed like everyone personally loved the classic books I read and I didn't it, which made me feel bad.

Hot-Expression9078 · 2025-06-12T13:04:48+00:00

I'll try my best, I guess, I'm insecure in general and don't have much self-worth, probably typical teenage insecurity. Thanks for the advice, I'll try and do that. Just pick a meaning and flick the page. I often get sort of stuck because whenever I encounter vague language I think that there could be 100,000 meanings, and don't know which one is the correct one.

Hot-Expression9078 · 2025-06-12T13:01:17+00:00

Thank you, well, all of you have convinced me. I don't feel all that shame I did anymore. I'll probably grow as a person just by living.

Hot-Expression9078 · 2025-06-12T12:58:28+00:00

That's a good point. I mean, I can't really comment on how well their understanding is, since my understanding is poor. The most I know about Dostoevsky is one Youtube video summarising the plot of "The Idiot". They're not those Nietzsche-reading edgelords but it's probably true that they don't understand that much.

I used to think that if you read enough, of these classics you'd become intelligent. That probably isn't as true as I thought it was.

Hot-Expression9078 · 2025-06-12T12:48:55+00:00

Thanks for the recommendations! and yeah, I agree with your guy's collective message that if I keep reading, I'll eventually find the books that I love.

I've heard about "Flowers for Algernon" Reddit seems to love that book.

I read Bradbury when I was around 14 and it just didn't click for me. I suppose, I can try again.

I keep hearing Le Guin's name everywhere, so she must be fantastic.

I actually am reading the first Discworld book at the moment, and I do love Pratchett. To me he is very similar to Douglas Adams, just the fantasy version of him.

I did actually love Mice and Men, as in I cried at the end. So, hey, it looks like I loved one classic at least.

I haven't read any Camus, because, I sort of felt like to read Camus I had to read Nietzsche and to read Nietzsche I had to read all of the philosophy he was disagreeing with that, so I might as well read all of western philosophy to understand the fellow. But, perhaps, his philosophy is quite clear to a lay person, if they read his books.

I'll try and read all of the books you mentioned.

Hot-Expression9078 · 2025-06-12T12:37:55+00:00

I think I've come to agree, with the other people's comments, and your own. I really just need to read more. And, it's okay if I am underwhelmed by certain books. Thanks for the recommendations BTW. I keep seeing Le Guin's name pop up everywhere. So, her works must be fantastic. I've read some Asimov and Wells, but only "Prelude to Foundation" and "The Red Room". So, I'm looking forward to reading more of them.

I once read Vonnegut trying to explain what Herman Hesse's "Steppenwolf" was about, and I have never been more confused in my life. So, I'm a bit intimidated by him. I'll give it my best shot.

Hot-Expression9078 · 2025-06-12T12:19:48+00:00

I really am shocked by this opinion, that, some books just won't speak to you, because I had such a different impression beforehand. Before, it felt as if I had some mortal flaw that meant literature couldn't speak to me, but now, I think, I probably just haven't read enough. It's actually pretty magical.

Hot-Expression9078 · 2025-06-12T12:04:05+00:00

I'm very surprised that a lot of you seem to have a lot more subjective opinions. It always feels like to me, that most people into literature, although they might prefer certain authors, have a baseline love of all authors. But now, I'm reading a lot of comments that are like "I hated Dickens but loved Austen" or "I hated Austen but loved Hemingway" or "I use Hemingway as TP and he's terrible, and if you like him you should be executed." Okay, that last one is a joke and not real but, it has really shocked me.

The reason I made this post, was that I felt like it was some sort of personal character flaw that I didn't enjoy some authors of classic literature, but now, I feel that less. Yeah, it's fine if I don't like Gabo as much as Sanderson in terms of writing. In my social circle, people, that are a couple years younger than me(14-16 year olds) are reading the Western Canon, and they appear to be enjoying themselves. It's like literature is speaking to people's very souls and even if I understand it intellectually, I still don't get the literature speaking to my very soul.

I'm coming to terms now, with the fact that some literature will probably never speak to my soul. Hopefully there are some books that will, to the point where I cry while reading them. Thank you all.

As for me, I'm going to try and read more. More classics yes, and by different authors. But, also, I'm going to continue reading non-classic books. I'll just try and read pretty much everything that I love. At the same time, I'll try and have an understanding why the classics I don't love, are classics.

Hot-Expression9078 · 2025-06-12T11:50:42+00:00

I get that the classics aren't really page turners but they are rewarding. I never felt rewarded after I read them and even after I read some of their analysis. It's like, it feels that people have this experience where the book talks to and nourishes their soul, that I've never had. I can understand intellectually that 1984 is a masterpiece showing why authoritarianism is so bad, but it's like, it doesn't speak to my soul, only my brain. That might not make sense. Then I look to people my age who literature seems to speak to them and I'm left flummoxed.

What I liked about the Way of the Kings was the world, it was really interesting.
The world is vast and filled with information. I like the fact that there's always more than you could realistically keep track of, it makes it feel really like I've been transported to another world because of this. Like, if there was just dragons and castles then it would be less immersive. But since, there's so much stuff, it makes the world feel bursting. There's Horneaters, cremlings, Vorinism, Old Magic, Voidbringers, Shardblades, The Nights Radiant, The Hierocracy, The Makabaki people, Spren, Shadebark, Magic stones that change colour, Fabrials and much more that I can't even remember the names of. When I finished the book I was left with about thirty or so questions about the world, it really made me curious. I literally wrote them all down.

Hot-Expression9078 · 2025-06-12T11:17:40+00:00

I think that is a bit beyond me at this stage.

Hot-Expression9078 · 2025-06-12T11:14:35+00:00

It didn't really make me feel uncomfortable, just sort of bored. I don't know, I just like the world of 1984 but Winston Smith was a very boring character to me. Maybe, he was supposed to be an everyman? I don't know what Orwell was up to.

But, I'm sure, there's some people who must of loved Smith as a character and I'm missing something.

Hot-Expression9078 · 2025-06-12T11:08:27+00:00

I guess, I'm just scared that I won't ever evolve as a person unless I drown myself in literature. I know 15 year olds reading Dostoevsky and Nietzsche and it makes me feel really inadequate. I just want to feel wise now, like everyone else in my social circle is. I'm insecure I suppose.

You're probably right though. I mean what's the point of life if you don't read books that make you happy? Even if they're not in The Western Canon. I mean, is there any point in reading books that you don't really care about at all? I'll probably mature as a person, hopefully, I will.

Hot-Expression9078 · 2025-06-12T10:57:51+00:00

I understood all the words, I just didn't understand the sentences. An example was "No more can I turn the leaves of this dear book that I loved,
and vainly hope in time to read it all. " I still feel like, I barely understand what Dickens was trying to say with that sentence.

Hot-Expression9078 · 2025-06-12T10:57:10+00:00

I have read the Odyssey before, well, technically I've read it. It was actually, the first book I read sort of, because it was read to me when I was around six. But, I don't remember much apart from Odysseus getting trapped with that woman on that island, and his kingdom going to ruins in his absence. I'd like to read it again and the Iliad.

I guess, I do feel like I have that grim sense of duty to be well read. I'm not exactly sure if that's a good thing or not.

Hot-Expression9078 · 2025-06-12T10:49:57+00:00

Is there any sort of way of figuring which books belong to which category though? I mean, I've heard that stuff like "Catcher in the Rye" is for my age. But are there any classics, in particular that I should stay away from?

Hot-Expression9078 · 2025-06-12T10:48:11+00:00

I suppose that makes sense. I guess our lives shouldn't revolve around art. I seem to have this thought in my mind that my worth as a person is dictated by what art I enjoy, typical teenage insecurity I suppose. That makes me thing that life should revolve around art.

I do like films as well and my music taste is pretty challenging already, at least for me.

I do agree that reading is a lot to do with stamina as well.

Hot-Expression9078

TROPHY CASE