Monday, July 7, 2008
Books everyone has read...right?
I just read Anne of Green Gables, prompted by Julia's shock that I had never read the Anne books. Now, there are plenty of things I haven't read, and plenty of things that I'm sure you wouldn't necessarily expect that I would have read. But aren't there certain books that you just assume that your friends have also read? E confessed that he has never read Hamlet. (He did finally read the Odyssey as a condition of our marriage.) I've never read the Bible. Any other confessions to add?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
Uh . . . I haven't read Anne of Green Gables either . . . at least I don't think I have.
As an English major, I can admit that I have never read King Lear (or A Thousand Acres) or Merchant of Venice.
By the way, I've never seen Casablanca either.
My list of "not read" books may shock this crowd, but I must admit that the older I get the more forgiving I am with myself for not having read all the "Great Books". From time-to-time, I pick up a book I was "supposed" to have read in my youth, but I usually never get too far. I last tried this with Moby Dick.
Now that Doc Jen has opened it up to movies, I must admit that I've never seen Saturday Night Fever, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and anything beyond the original Star Wars. All this is quite shocking to crossons. I finally watched ET for the first time about 2 years ago. Lord knows what I do with my free time.
I never read the Lord of the Rings series! I kept trying to read the Hobbit, and never got past the beginning. I heard later, as an adult, that starting with the trilogy is "easier".
I also never read all of the Narnia books.
Ah, I feel so much better now!
And back to my surprise at Anne. It has a place in my heart near and dear, just like Betsy-Tacy. But BT tends to be more regional when people haven't read/heard of it, vs. Anne seeming more universal.
I have read all the Anne of Green Gables!! But I'm sure my list of "not reads" would far exceed the rest of you!
I'd never read Jane Eyre until after I read The Eyre Affair.... and just read Pride and Prejudice. I've read very few Shakespeare plays... I've never read anything by Lloyd Alexander or Susan Cooper - how did I miss those?
I am working on John G. to make sure we hit some of these required movies.... maybe we all need a Movie Night to watch Casablanca!!!
While I think it's praiseworthy to try to go back to read those Great Books, I'm never very surprised to hear that people can't get through them. I'm sure Moby Dick is great, but I've never read it. And I definitely feel that it's not so bad not to have read Faulkner. (Read some in HS, and couldn't understand it.)
I haven't seen 2001 either, and the other movie I feel I should have seen is Lawrence of Arabia.
Our house is all Star Wars, all the time. There's no way to top seeing the movies with a wildly enthusiastic 7 and 9 year old.
J, I read the Hobbit and the first two Lord of the Rings books *2 times* - and then lost steam after that both times, so I never read the last one. Enjoyed the movies, though!
S:
Do try reading the Susan Cooper books some time. Start with the Dark is Rising and see what you think.
Like John, I don't think it's shocking that someone hasn't read a book (nor does it sound like any of your do). It's always funny to see what people have and haven't seen/read.
By the way, I couldn't see Saturday Night Fever when it first came out. (it was rated R and I was in 7th grade). However, when we (shana?) watched it in college, it was both a little funny but far better than I expected it to be.
Also, different books for different people. I actually liked Moby Dick but it probably had something to do with the teacher I read it with (Talmadage). Some books need a guide and some willing travelers to be worth the time while others can easily be enjoyed on your own.
JNJ, the big Star Wars exhibition has hit the Twin Cities.
http://www.smm.org/starwars/
Is this something that may show somewhere near you? Bet the boys would love it!
You're right - we saw it here in Philly in May. It was a must-see for our family, and the kids were enthralled. I found it pretty interesting, not least for the large number of fairly normal-looking adults (mostly men) who clearly knew way too much Star Wars trivia.
Post a Comment