On books.

[conuly]

I must link to yonmei's post which directed me to this other post on childhood classics various people just couldn't get into.

Until I do, let me add my bit to the fray:

Some people like to read. Some people don't - maybe it's hard for them, maybe they just prefer to do other things, maybe they never found the engaging story or they were told that what they do like to read (comics, non-fiction, romance) isn't good enough. Out of the people who like to read, sooner or later they'll find a book that they just don't like. And it's not always rational. But there's a number of books I was never able to get into. Cry, the Beloved Country? My entire class hated this. None of us, at Stuy, was able to read enough of it to pass a test. Lord of the Flies? I can never get past the second chapter. I've tried, I just *can't*. Lord of the Rings? Okay, I know why I don't like this, too much description.

It's all right not to like a book. It's also all right to not like a book, and not be able to explain why. Some people don't understand this. They look at a classic, find somebody who doesn't like it, and get upset. HOW COULD YOU NOT LIKE THIS BOOK??? *shrugs* Same way I don't like mushrooms. I. Just. Don't.

It's also all right to like a book, but for stupid reasons. It's got horrible dialog, no plot, gratuitous violence, but you first heard it read by a beloved kindergarten teacher? Great. It's terribly simplistic, presents a black and white view of morality, and has disturbingly sexist undertones (which were fine in its time, but no longer), but when you read it you remember the taste of cookies dipped in milk? Wonderful.

The only thing, as near as I can see, which isn't all right is to dislike a book for stupid reasons. Zel does NOT promote sex before marriage. In fact, the discerning reader can see that she is severely punished for having sex before marriage. Alanna is NOT a slut. She sleeps with no more than three guys in no less than three years. Tom Sawyer isn't all about that filthy N-word, nor is it all about children disobeying the authorities. And censoring the curse words out of a book about censorship? Pathetic.

*stretches*

That's a bit less coherant than I'd like. I'll try to do better next time.

Comments

[moggymania.livejournal.com]

"It's got horrible dialog, no plot, gratuitous violence, but you first heard it read by a beloved kindergarten teacher?"

It is just me, but does "kindergarten" just not seem to mix well with "gratuitious violence"? *grin*

[moggymania.livejournal.com]

Sigh. Language issues today.

I meant:

"Is it just me, or does..."

[interactiveleaf.livejournal.com]

I thought exactly the same thing when I read that sentence.

Just so's you know you're not alone.

[mortaine.livejournal.com]

Little Red Riding Hood
Nearly all of the Grimm Brothers stories, for that matter.

[moggymania.livejournal.com]

Except that the "violent" versions of those aren't standard kindergarten fare, at least not where I've spent my life.

[rho]

I think it depends on the stupid reason. I wouldn't have a problem with, say, someone disliking a book because one of the characters had the same name as their toxic ex, or because it was set in a city they went on holiday once and got really ill, or whatever.

I'll agree with you though that disliking a book based on a complete misinterpretation of what it's about is Bloody Stupid, and something that warrants repeated cluebatting.

[conuly]

That's not a stupid reason, though. It's an irrational reason which you no doubt recognize even when you say it (gee, my ex is in this book!) is irrational.

[rho]

It's as stupid as liking a book because it was first read to you by a beloved teacher.

[genepool23.livejournal.com]

I have a false allergy to mushrooms that I created just to keep people from asking me "How can you not like Mushrooms?" Like my tastebuds are deficient or something.

I agree totally with the rest, too.

[mortaine.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's wrong to dislike a book for stupid reasons. I dislike books for many reasons-- not all of them are particularly good. For example, I don't like Hemingway, because my sophomore class English teacher tried to shove The Old Man and the Sea -as-Jesus down our throats (in a public school, where it is not okay to give someone a failing grade just because she's never read the Bible).

However, and I think this is the point you're trying to make-- it is okay for me to dislike a book for any reason, as long as I don't try to force others to dislike, avoid, or remove the book from an institution.

[lakidaa.livejournal.com]

I just hated that book.

...um. And I totally did not notice the Jesus metaphor until I looked it up. it's too subtle.

And I just really really hate Steinbeck. and Dickens, because of stupidstupidstupid Great Expectations.

That book was Stupid. bold/cap/italics stupid.

[leora.livejournal.com]

I liked the book. I'm one of the only people I know who did. I had a long car ride with my brother when I had to read it. So, I read it out loud to him during the trip. We basically MST3K'd the book the whole way, and it had a lot of room for it. It was one of the funniest books I'd ever read.

But the old man is incompetent. So, comparing him to Jesus is also funny. So, Jesus was an incompetent fisherman... okay....

it's not like I had any respect whatsoever for the old man.

[rachelkachel]

I used to not like mushrooms, but then I decided (for whatever reason) that it would be good if I did, so I kept trying them and now I love them. Not that that has anything to do with your post really. I'm certainly not advocating that if you don't like a book you should keep reading it until you do...

[leora.livejournal.com]

I didn't just hate The Hobbit. I felt betrayed. How dare an author suck that much? He was just lazy and stupid.

You see, I was very young and I read books for the characters and cool ideas. I didn't really realize yet that some people read them for other reasons. (Part of why I hated the Narnia books too, couldn't get into them, way too dull) And I got partway through and there were suddenly multiple characters with long, weird, indistinguishable names. I stopped being able to keep clear who was doing what. When people spoke, I had no idea which character it was. Since I couldn't give each character its own bit of my brain to keep fleshing them out, there was no point in reading it.

And I felt it was simple poor writing on the part of the author to make the characters indistinguishable. This could be avoided. And if the author didn't care enough about his characters, then I most certainly was not going to.

[moggymania.livejournal.com]

"It's got horrible dialog, no plot, gratuitous violence, but you first heard it read by a beloved kindergarten teacher?"

It is just me, but does "kindergarten" just not seem to mix well with "gratuitious violence"? *grin*

[moggymania.livejournal.com]

Sigh. Language issues today.

I meant:

"Is it just me, or does..."

[interactiveleaf.livejournal.com]

I thought exactly the same thing when I read that sentence.

Just so's you know you're not alone.

[mortaine.livejournal.com]

Little Red Riding Hood
Nearly all of the Grimm Brothers stories, for that matter.

[rho]

I think it depends on the stupid reason. I wouldn't have a problem with, say, someone disliking a book because one of the characters had the same name as their toxic ex, or because it was set in a city they went on holiday once and got really ill, or whatever.

I'll agree with you though that disliking a book based on a complete misinterpretation of what it's about is Bloody Stupid, and something that warrants repeated cluebatting.

[conuly]

That's not a stupid reason, though. It's an irrational reason which you no doubt recognize even when you say it (gee, my ex is in this book!) is irrational.

[genepool23.livejournal.com]

I have a false allergy to mushrooms that I created just to keep people from asking me "How can you not like Mushrooms?" Like my tastebuds are deficient or something.

I agree totally with the rest, too.

[mortaine.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's wrong to dislike a book for stupid reasons. I dislike books for many reasons-- not all of them are particularly good. For example, I don't like Hemingway, because my sophomore class English teacher tried to shove The Old Man and the Sea -as-Jesus down our throats (in a public school, where it is not okay to give someone a failing grade just because she's never read the Bible).

However, and I think this is the point you're trying to make-- it is okay for me to dislike a book for any reason, as long as I don't try to force others to dislike, avoid, or remove the book from an institution.

[lakidaa.livejournal.com]

I just hated that book.

...um. And I totally did not notice the Jesus metaphor until I looked it up. it's too subtle.

And I just really really hate Steinbeck. and Dickens, because of stupidstupidstupid Great Expectations.

That book was Stupid. bold/cap/italics stupid.

[rachelkachel]

I used to not like mushrooms, but then I decided (for whatever reason) that it would be good if I did, so I kept trying them and now I love them. Not that that has anything to do with your post really. I'm certainly not advocating that if you don't like a book you should keep reading it until you do...

[leora.livejournal.com]

I didn't just hate The Hobbit. I felt betrayed. How dare an author suck that much? He was just lazy and stupid.

You see, I was very young and I read books for the characters and cool ideas. I didn't really realize yet that some people read them for other reasons. (Part of why I hated the Narnia books too, couldn't get into them, way too dull) And I got partway through and there were suddenly multiple characters with long, weird, indistinguishable names. I stopped being able to keep clear who was doing what. When people spoke, I had no idea which character it was. Since I couldn't give each character its own bit of my brain to keep fleshing them out, there was no point in reading it.

And I felt it was simple poor writing on the part of the author to make the characters indistinguishable. This could be avoided. And if the author didn't care enough about his characters, then I most certainly was not going to.