I have taken it upon myself to read 100 books which are all considered classics of the literary world before the summer is out. Originally I thought this was going to be an easy task because:
1. I love reading. Anything with any form of script on it and I will read it. I have read cereal boxes, theses and even the Argos catalog.
2. One would assume that the classics would be given that title on the basis of them being the best of the best. Books so thrilling that they have been passed through the generations and put on a pedestal as the hierarchy of the written word.
3. I wanted to prepare myself for university by putting a huge workload ahead of myself. And that I did.
Thirty-six days into summer 2011 and I have read roughly nine of the classics. I have already come to a startling conclusion...they are classically unbearable. Fame in the literary world is most certainly capricious. This is why I was expecting greatness from the likes of George Orwell and Jane Austen as they have had acclaim as great writers for years. As the saying goes...life is full of surprises.
I thought that maybe I was being overly critical so I asked the most well read person I know, Mummy dearest. She confirmed with conviction that the classics were complete tat. She has a collection of classics which could rival the national library and said that most of them wouldn't even be worth the paper they were written on.
But why have they become so famous? Why have they been praised since they were published? Why do millions of people claim that they are their favourite books?
I have come to the conclusion that these books have reached their standing because people use them as a way of gaining respect. Choosing a book like "Wuthering Heights" or "The Mill On The Floss" demands respect and gives the impression that you are of a higher intellect. I think choosing a classic as your favourite book is a form of name dropping in essence. A question which I often ask people is what is their favourite book and if they say something like "Ulysses" or "1984" then I immediately know that they are pretentious and quite noticeably lying. Reading "Ulysses" could be compared to Nazi-style torture and "1984" is a very dull book about conspiracy theories, a solipsistic choice indeed.
As woeful as my task has been thus far I will continue looking for a true classic. A book which deserves its recognition and its author's place as one of the greatest writers of the English language. Until then I will use the title of my next classic written by Jack Kerouac as a pun: back "On The Road" to the search for the ultimate classic.
''A question which I often ask people is what is their favourite book and if they say something like "Ulysses" or "1984" then I immediately know that they are pretentious and quite noticeably lying. Reading "Ulysses" could be compared to Nazi-style torture and "1984" is a very dull book about conspiracy theories, a solipsistic choice indeed.''
ReplyDeleteDon't be a tit. Just because you can't extract enjoyment from these books doesn't mean no one else can either.
I've read my fair share of classics and they are typically more challenging to read than the average book and yes, often self-indulgent and pretentious. But the way I see it, it's not about how you feel while reading the book, it's what you gain from it in retrospect.
Self-education and reading isn't always easy. Often it's damn boring and difficult, but if you can stick with it, you can walk away from these classics at the very least a slightly better and more rounded reader and writer. If you put in the effort.