I've always had a bit of a back and forth relationship with classics. Some of them I love, many of them I'm too impatient to finish. Even books by the same author offer no guarantee to me that I will enjoy them all just because I liked one. And even though I like to tell people that classics still have a lot to offer even with a multitude of books being released every week, there are some that I'd be happy for people to skip.
1. Wuthering Heights
Possibly the book I hate most in the world. What is romantic about a semi-incestuous, emotionally abusive relationship? And it's not just Cathy and Heathcliff towards each other, but pretty much everybody gets either physically or emotionally abused all because the two "love" [read: are obsessed with] each other. I'll admit that some of the language is beautiful, but that doesn't make up for the atrocious plot and vile characters with Wuthering Heights centres on. My best friend absolutely fell in love with Wuthering Heights but no matter how much I trust her judgement, this is one thing on which we will never agree.
2. To the Lighthouse
Man this was tedious. I had to read it for an exam but I only just got through it. I had to read chapter summaries as I went because most the time I couldn't figure out whose point of view I was reading. Modernism and me have never got on but this was something else entirely. I guess you could say it follows the lives of the Ramsay's on either side of the First World War, but that would be a loose description; at times your following the life of the house more than the family which inhabit it. It seems like the kind of novel where there is plenty to pull out if you're studying it, but no means is it an interesting read to entertain yourself in your downtime.
3. Catcher in the Rye
I don't really get the fascination with this one? It was vaguely interesting to read about a boy struggling with being a teenager, but mostly it was just so negative that I didn't want to pick it up again if I paused. I'm not the most positive person ever, but I like my reading to..well, not depress me. Catcher in the Rye was boring and depressing and I can't offer a much more succinct review than that.
4. A Passage to India
I'm not sure I can explain quite why I dislike A Passage To India, but I can tell you I didn't finish it. Let's be honest, it was probably the heavy handed racism and colonialism which put me off. As far as I can remember, the flowery language and scene-setting did little to hide the imperialism Forster demonstrated in his novel. A nonsensical plot about a sexual assault that never happened really didn't help to win my favour.
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
I am aware that this is a cultural cornerstone for many Americans, the names Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn seem to be known by all. Reading synopses I can see why it is so important; published in the 1800s, Twain's approach to racial issues is one that still creates debate today. So yes, it is an important book. But I will never, ever be able to get through it.
Speaking in dialect serves a purpose in literature, yes, but it makes it so, so hard to read. This point should have come up in my discussion of Wuthering Heights too but Huckleberry Finn is a much worse offender - I found it so unreadable that what I did read of it was done via audiobook, and even then I struggled.
So there's five books that I really don't like. Normally at this point I'd be telling you to go read something from the list but today I really can't recommend them. You might love them, give them a go if they sound interesting, but don't say I didn't warn you: they are damn hard go get through.
Bình luận