Spoiled by Literature?

[Shade]

Thanks Kook - glad I make sense to someone!

 

[Kookamoor]

Oldhome, I'm about to launch into a diatribe. You have been warned.

Most (probably all) books that aren't classic literature are crap. Unless they're destined to one day become a classic. Which is unlikely because people today are stupid and write awful books. My god I never see anything worth reading in the book section in Wal-Mart. Guess there's nothing good out there.

I'm not sure if this is a joke... I'm going to pretend it's serious and if I'm wrong set me straight. Are you just waiting for someone to define what is "classic" literature before you choose to read something? A book is not like wine - it does not need to age. There are a multitude of excellent novels being published today - just look around this forum at a number of intelligent posts by intelligent people about the books they are discovering and reading every day. Are they crap simply because they are not yet defined as "classic literature"? How can you tell they aren't destined to be reknowned? I think you are putting far too much stock in labels. If you're shopping at Walmart for your books it isn't overly surprising that you are coming up with only genre fiction and popular titles, which may not appeal to you. Walmart caters to what is popular, because that's what will be sold in a department store. Perhaps if you visit a bookstore you will find something that hasn't been defined as "classic literature" that you will enjoy.

Seriously though I do hate just about any modern (as in 80's and post-80s) fiction/nonfiction and especially genre fiction and I almost never read anything that's not classic. I can only think of a few exceptions. Once my dorky D&D friend pressured me to read some stupid Dragonlance book about gnomes living in a mountain and these evil dark elves who attempted to take it over. It was total crap.

So fantasy didn't appeal to you? Well, that's fine, it's not everyone's cup of tea. But from what you said you've tried a few more modern releases of a fairly limited genre collection. You seem to be extrapolating a little too quickly to encompass the body of literature that has been put out in the last 25 years.

Why don't you outline what some of your favourite books are and we can attempt to change this perception?

 

[Dmitri Dmitriev]

I know where you're coming from, ions... but I think I'm more picky than spoiled. Bah, I'm impatient with more than just books, and this whole discussion is entirely subjective anyway!

I think, like Shade, I read more "literary fiction" than true classics. I do like reading classics though. I think the difficulty in reading them, especially with older works, does come from the language. If the writing is archaic, and the use of language is unfamiliar, of course it would be more difficult to follow along with the story. Like your -- I mean my -- first exposure to Shakespeare in school, it's very hard to really understand what is happening in those plays without someone explaining the finer details to you. That's not really my problem (anymore) though, and I don't think it's anyone else's here either.

For me, enjoying a book relies heavily on the characters. If I don't care about the characters, then I don't really care about their story, their plight, or their book... and that's just a downright shame.

Of course, I make an exception for porn.