I'm torn with the classics because I'm quite sure that most people won't touch a classic again after school. Not because they had to read it in school but despite it - So in school is the only time they come in contact with it - that's a chance! Reading classics is in general a good idea. But if you like it, depends on so many other factors as well. We read among others "The great Gatsby" and Shakespeare's "The merchant of Venice". I love shakespeare but TMoV was entirely the wrong piece to read in school. At least IMO.
The french "Madame Bovary" is a classic but I was so much struggling with French back then that it was a real torture. And no matter how much I know that, the book will always have my antipathy because of this one bad experience.
Goethe's "Faust" on the other hand I absolutely loved. That's a german classic more or less everybody reads in Germany in school. Despite the fact that I couldn't stand our teacher as a human being, she was a brliiant literature teacher and I'm certain that I wouldn't have understood half as much of "Faust" if she hadn't teach us. Her approach was great and it made me fell in love with this classic until today. But I do know a bunch of people who don't like it as much as I do TGG.
So see... there are so many things that play into reading and loving a classic that it's hard. But rather be forced to read a classic in school to get an insight in a classic book than never see, read or touch one like I'm sure most people would if they hadn't to in school.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2013-06-06 04:35 am (UTC)Reading classics is in general a good idea. But if you like it, depends on so many other factors as well. We read among others "The great Gatsby" and Shakespeare's "The merchant of Venice". I love shakespeare but TMoV was entirely the wrong piece to read in school. At least IMO.
The french "Madame Bovary" is a classic but I was so much struggling with French back then that it was a real torture. And no matter how much I know that, the book will always have my antipathy because of this one bad experience.
Goethe's "Faust" on the other hand I absolutely loved. That's a german classic more or less everybody reads in Germany in school. Despite the fact that I couldn't stand our teacher as a human being, she was a brliiant literature teacher and I'm certain that I wouldn't have understood half as much of "Faust" if she hadn't teach us. Her approach was great and it made me fell in love with this classic until today. But I do know a bunch of people who don't like it as much as I do TGG.
So see... there are so many things that play into reading and loving a classic that it's hard. But rather be forced to read a classic in school to get an insight in a classic book than never see, read or touch one like I'm sure most people would if they hadn't to in school.