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Most hated 'classic' novel you've actually read

My Top Five Worst Classics

1. The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck (forced to read in 8th grade; first book to put me to sleep!)
2. The Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux (loved the plot and the characters, but the story was extremely slow, hard to understand, and very topsy-turvy. Everything happened at the same time, or not even in the same century--without any warning!)
3. The World According to Garp - John Irving (long, drawn out porn with a touch of every character's death)
4. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens (I got through the first two chapters before finally giving up and putting it back in the teacher's library)
5. Around the World in 80 Days - Jules Verne (I couldn't get into it; luckily, it was assigned! :mad:)
 
Everything I've read so far of James Fenimore Cooper, including The Last of the Mohicans. Would they be considered "classics" though?
 
I normally love the classics, but there are a few that were too boring for me:

1. The Grapes of Wrath - one of the most boring books I've ever read
2. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - got about halfway through
3. For Whom the Bell Tolls - that book never seemed to end, so I just gave up
 
Death Be Not Proud by John J. Gunther. This was a reading assignment for school (way back). After finishing this book all I wanted to was jump off a bridge. So very depressing. :mad:
 
Vespertilio91 said:
My Top Five Worst Classics

1. The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck (forced to read in 8th grade; first book to put me to sleep!)
2. The Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux (loved the plot and the characters, but the story was extremely slow, hard to understand, and very topsy-turvy. Everything happened at the same time, or not even in the same century--without any warning!)
3. The World According to Garp - John Irving (long, drawn out porn with a touch of every character's death)
4. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens (I got through the first two chapters before finally giving up and putting it back in the teacher's library)
5. Around the World in 80 Days - Jules Verne (I couldn't get into it; luckily, it was assigned! :mad:)
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You read The Grapes of Wrath in 8th grade?:eek: That is a bit much for that grade level IMHO.
 
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne-moralising and tedious.
Confessions of an English Opium Eater by Thomas Dequincey-self indulgent and tedious.
 
I hated Huckleberry Fin and Pride And Prejudice. But I never finished those two books. I did finish Great Gatsby and that was just a dumb story.
 
From reading this thread, I realize how much being forced to read a book can make people despise that book. I had to read Fahrenheit 451 and To Kill a Mockingbird for school and I hated both of them. The only book ever assigned for school that I actually LOVED was The Giver. Most of the classics I tried reading, but couldn't finish were ones I started when I was fairly young, so I plan on trying them again (Wuthering Heights, Pride and Prejudice, The Old Man and the Sea).
-Lyrica
 
I hated Victor Hugo when we were forced to read his (endless:rolleyes: ) novels in high school. Thought it was a bit too much for my poor brains. And still never venture to read anything... All I know about his books comes from movies and that is pathetic I realize:eek: .
Another thing that I hated was Pride & Prejudice. That book litterally put me to sleep as well as Jane Eyre. And only after I saw the movies (again! The 20th century...) was I interested in the authors and the books. Read Jane Eyre and was fascinated and charmed. A great story that teaches people how to love and remain youself inspite of adversity.
 
catcher in the rye

I didn't enjoy this book. I understand it's importance - teenage angst just after WWII was revolutionary - but it was depressing!
 
A Tale Of Two Cities puts me to sleep.

I find it hard to believe anyone doesn't love Pride and Prejudice though. :(

I am almost done with Jane Eyre though, and find Mr. Rochester to be a twit.
 
Lord of the Flies...gosh that was painful, there was probably one page in the whole book i liked and it was describing the ocean hitting the beach or something.:confused: school shouldn't assign books
 
jessibee said:
Lord of the Flies...gosh that was painful, there was probably one page in the whole book i liked and it was describing the ocean hitting the beach or something.:confused: school shouldn't assign books
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Gotta love Piggy, the beta animal in a social darwinian struggle.:cool:
 
tartan_skirt said:
I have developed a hatred for Thomas Hardy. I have actually threatened to dig him up and give him a good, hard slap. Tess of the D'Urbervilles was terrible and The Mayor of Casterbridge is also, but isn't quite as bad as the former. I don't want to get into another long rant about it...

I had to read them for English this year, but my teacher realised that I hated them so much that I don't actually have to study them for the exam (ahh, the benefits of having a class of 3 people).
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:eek: *SHOCK*:eek:

And I will be there to bury the dusty remains of good ol' Tom Hardy back!

The Return of the Native is pretty good IMHO. Loved it. I usually don't like romanticism but the scenery Hardy paints is beautiful...some characters got on my nerves (Eustacia, that tart!!:mad: ), but hey I can't love em all.;)

Oh yeah, I don't HATE any classic books really. But books I can do without ever seeing again are:

The Catcher in the Rye
Pride and Prejudice
The Old Man and the Sea
Grapes of Wrath
Robinson Crusoe
The Good Earth

blech!! :mad:
 
Golding uses a lot of symbolism in The Lord of the Flies. The entire book is symbolic of the nature of man and society in general as the island becomes a society metaphorical to society as a whole and the hunt at the end of the book symbolic of the war. A symbol Golding uses throughout the book is the conch. It represents authority and order. The person holding the conch had the power, and it created order and rules since when it was called, everyone had to listen. Another symbol is Piggy’s glasses. It symbolized knowledge and insight. While Piggy had them, he was able to give advice to the group, such as that of the signal fire. It was the glasses that created the fire. However, after the glasses are broken, the group loses what insight they had. The war paint is also a symbol. It symbolized the rejection of society. In a way, when they put on the mask of war paint, they took off the mask of society and revealed their true inner selves which was savage.
 
Some advice...I'm a HUGE fan of Jane Austen, but Emma is my least favorite book of hers. If you haven't read it already, try Pride and Prejudice...the heroine is much more likable! :p
 
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