"I think I speak for everyone when I say that vegetarian pigs in a blanket are bullshit."

[ninamazing]

As far as high school English class goes, the only books I actually considered classics -- the only ones that were really worth being forced to read -- were To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man.

(My supercool senior-English teacher also had us read Maus and then ran a fake-ish side class with me called "Women and

Comments

[aki]

I love Our Town, it makes me cry, but then, I'm from Vermont. It's practically about my grandparents. I think it's great and would recommend it but okay, I can agree that maybe we should force everyone to. Death of a Salesman, however, I think is an important play to read. There's lots of symbolism, but it's very approachable. That impotence of being old, being imperfect, being useless is not something that other texts cover and when you're 15, you aren't going to think about it on your own.

I'm not sure it's a classic, but my sophomore English class forced me to read "Something Wicked This Way Comes" by Ray Bradbury and I think more people should read that. Barring that, my must reads? Of Mice and Men and/or The Grapes of Wrath (I preferred the former, but I think the latter is more significant. The latter also drags on and lost my attention [I never read the last chapter, oops] and the former's an easier read), Cyrano de Bergerac (translation OK), To Kill A Mockingbird, Macbeth, and one of the three big dystopias: Brave

[aki]

Rather, I can agree we shouldn't force everyone to read Our Town

The jungle is deep, but full of diamonds.

[aki]

And other texts don't cover those topics of Death Of A Salesman. Sheesh.

[ninamazing]

I'm sorry I made you late for work!!

That impotence of being old, being imperfect, being useless is not something that other texts cover and when you're 15, you aren't going to think about it on your own.

That's probably true. And my animosity toward Our Town is more motivated by the fact that it made me really, really depressed. It was well-written and interesting ... I guess just not well-written and interesting enough for me to consider it a classic. Maybe in Vermont school districts. :P

I was never forced to read John Steinbeck! Which is sad, as I probably should at some point. And my favorite is definitely 1984. :) I like all your choices, and thanks for the tip on the Ray Bradbury story -- I've never read that, and now I'll be seeking it out.

[_mria]

As far as books I read my senior year (European Lit), the only books I considered worth reading were Dracula (because it was fun!) and Lolita (because it's amazing, even though it's not really European lit at all

[ninamazing]

DRACULA IS AWESOME.

And I have always meant to read Lolita, but just haven't gotten around to it. Siiigh. I think it's still pretty cool that your school went with banned books, because sometimes that can indicate quality. I guess I only pay attention to the books I read that get banned, so I'm not entirely sure, but "controversial" books are probably always a good idea if you have a good discussion leader.

Moby Dick is another one I didn't think was too classic. But I also read it too early. And it's not that I'm prejudiced against sailors, because Horatio Hornblower! :P

[marble_rose]

He's just some guy running around with other dumb guys stabbing people and talking to Cyclopses and being a total jerk to his wife.

*Snort* That's the best summary of The Odyssey EVER. I had the same reaction when I read La Morte D'Arthur. The glorification of Lancelot baffled me. Everyone in my class couldn't stop going on about how he was such a great hero and how noble his love for Guinevere was. Um. No? He was having an affair with the king's wife, a king who trusted him and loved him dearly, and then he kept lying about it. Anyway, I don't much care for epic poetry. I've had Beowulf shoved down my throat one too many times. I did like The Divine Comedy though, so I suppose the genre's not completely lost on me

[noblealice]

Let's run away together to sandy beaches where we can sit and read Margaret Atwood or whoever else you like that isn't a white priviledged male!!

I'm currently reading "Farewell to Arms" by Hemingway and it's BRUTAL. As a feminist I object to every other line (but what can you expect from the 20th century biggest misogynist?) His female characters are so insipid and weak. I want to slap them.

I actually like Gastby, it's my 'summer novel'. And I thought it would be enlightening to get a list of the top 100 books. I planned to read them all, but they are very tough to slog through. I'd much rather read Philip Pullman. Who cares about Mrs. Dalloway or the Scarlet Letter? Not me.

Is the Crucible the witchhunt that was supposed to be a 1950's allegory for the american obsession and persecution of communism? I haven't read it, but I always imagined it'd be snappy. (I may be kinda obsessed with the witch-hunt of communists in cold-war america after taking a course on it)

P.S. I COULD READ HOW TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD EVERY YEAR! OH SCOUT!

[madkrazyghetto]

Fucking Iliad. DO NOT GET ME STARTED. And the goddamn Malamud book, which technically was college, but it pissed me off so much in so many ways that I actually went to his grave and told the dead man how much I hated his book and how much I hated having to read it. NOT EVEN KIDDING. There were witnesses. It was a mission.

Sidebar: Odysseus, total tool. I am named after his wife.

Sidebar dos:
And it took Ulysses twenty years to sail home to Ithaca
because he was a great proud man and would not ask for directions.
And when he finally did get home, his dog died.

So it was pretty much a bummer
all the way around....what was the original question