- Learn French
- Take an college course on American Indian politics
- Minor in the French and Indian War
- Commit to yourself in writing that you are willing to read countless sentences that are over 100 words long
- Don't read Eats, Shoots & Leaves
I have often heard that this book is one of the classics of American literature. Now that I've read it...uh...I can't really tell you why. I'm guessing that back in 1826 when it was first released, everyone was still concerned about getting scalped. But even then, Mark Twain (1835 - 1910) who was a bit closer to that time than me said the following, "Cooper's art has some defects. In one place in 'Deerslayer,' and in the restricted two-thirds of a page, Cooper has scored 114 offences against literary art out of a possible 115." Glad to know I wasn't alone in my opinion.
The book does have some exciting sequences. I think all of them involve people trying to avoid getting scalped. I've heard that the movie is pretty intense. It's probably because the producer cut out all of the non-scalping parts.
The writing style is pretty pompous at times; I've had more fun reading legal cases than portions of Cooper's book. The run-on sentences sometimes make the comings and goings of the plot fuzzy. Perhaps one of the redeeming qualities of the book though is that not everything ties up in a pretty little pink bow. It is very unlike all of the narrow escapes in the rest of the book. I found the ending both surprising and somewhat refreshing. But...I'm still only giving it a 3 of 5.
Anyone want to argue that this should still be an American classic? What other books did you read in high school that you think were overrated?
16 comments:
The Old Man and the Sea, The Pearl, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Of Mice and Men just to name a few. Which books in High School did you enjoy reading? (You ask a question but never answer it.)
I might agree with you on Old Man, Pearl and Mice, though I believe they do have some value. I don't agree with your assessment of To Kill a Mockingbird. I thought that novel was a powerful depiction of racial discrimination from the perspective of a child. I remember Atticus giving some pretty moving speeches during the trial.
I would put Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad at the top of my overrated list.
I think "Old Man and the Sea" is DEFINITELY overrated. I love "To Kill a Mockingbird." It might epitomize what it actually means to be a classic. I personally hated "Of Mice and Men" but that doesn't mean it isn't a classic. It just means I didn't like it.
My vote would go to "Their Eyes Were Watching God."
*And I deleted my last comment because I made two spelling/grammatical errors and after Jake's last post I have to be extra careful.
I have begun reading this book on several occasions, within the last six years, and I haven't ever finished it. I agree that it is just too involved, but the underlying story isn't bad. The books I read in High School that are totally overrated include; 1. The Grapes of Wrath (reading Of Mice and Men was a pleasure in comparison and I loathe Steinbeck) 2. Lord of the Flies (I was happy when Piggy died) 3. The Great Gatsby (My teacher was obsessed with the "Green Light" and all the other "symbolism" that English teachers make up to torture their students) 4. The Scarlet Letter (If they make us read Hawthorne, they should let us read something good like "The House of Seven Gables"). Harper Lee is easily one of my favorite authors "To Kill a Mockingbird" is masterful, it goes boldly (like the split infinitive Jake?) where a whole bunch of socially charged novels have gone before, but does it better.
To Tara: Too bad Blogger sends me an email with your comment as soon as you post it...there/their? Tisk. Tisk. What would you students think? :)
Although, There Eyes Were Watching God isn't necessarily wrong. It just changes the meaning a bit, which in the context of this book probably would work just as well as the original title. Irregardless of what the book is called, I still agree with your opinion. I remember sloshing through it my senior year.
To PJ: You can have Steinbeck but don't go dissing on my green light. You must come from East Egg, no? Don't understand the green light, do you old sport?
The portion of the book where Daisy and Jordan are sitting on the couches with the wind blowing through in the afternoon is one of the most beautifully depicted scenes in all of literature. Will anyone back me up on this? For all those that need a refresher course in Gatsby, check out this fantastic video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7dESbQaqWU&feature=fvw
We need more of these topics on here!
I will indeed back you up, Jake. I adore the tale of Mr. Gatsby. However, if PJ only read it in high school I can understand. I hated it in high school, but after two different college professors assigned it (and I grew up, I guess) its now a favorite and I would definitely label it "CLASSIC."
And to both you Steinbeck haters...Boo on you. I loved "The Grapes of Wrath." And "East of Eden." I hated that mouse book of his--as I've stated previous--but he's still a classic American author with some amazing titles to his name.
I didn't like Steinbeck, but he had an aweful lot of symbolism in his books, especially "The Great Gatsby". And I'm not saying that To Kill a Mockingbird wasn't a good depiction of racial issues, it's just that it's not what I would define as a "classic". (Which is probably why no one reads my reviews. Ha!!)
Anyway, I personally like the books that they have on the "Classics Shelf" at Barnes and Noble. Lots of good stuff there, but not much on your intellectual level.
I do have to say though, that while my younger siblings were in high school, they read a few good books like "Speak", "Scarlet Letter" (which I like), and some Shakespeare. Many good books out there.
Jake, "you" instead of your and "irregardless" (yeah its a word but it isn't proper :P) tsk, tsk yourself
Come now Paul Johnson (not the GA) - you think I did that unadvertently?
I've read Grapes and Mice, but not Eden. What's it about and how would you rate it relative to the other two?
Eden takes place in California. Story of twin brothers--very much connected to the Cain and Abel story (thus the title)--who deal with life in two very different ways. Compared to the other two, I think its a more "grown up" book. I really enjoyed it.
More grown up than one story about an accused rapist/killer, who happens to be mentally handicapped, and another which details the sexual exploits of a parole violator's family? I definitely don't want to read that. Plus if it is half as dry as Grapes I will be intellectually parched about 3 sentences in.
Oooh, someone gets testy when Steinbeck is on the line...
Post a Comment