High school literature

[hyphenate]

What classic novel did you hate most that you had to read for a high school English class? And vice-versa, which classic novel did you enjoy reading the most?


I think the one I hated most were

Lord of the Flies
Silas Marner
Wuthering Heights



The ones I enjoyed most were

Nicholas Nickelby
A Separate Peace




On my own, not required reading (and other than science fiction!) were

Tom Sawyer
Huckleberry Finn
a lot of Sherlock Holmes

[unpossibles]

1. I actually liked Lord of the Flies and Wuthering Heights

and was not into Nippless Nippleby. Although honestly, most of that stuff I did not read when I was supposed to, and just read it later. I love to read, but I guess I have a problem with authority. :)

I guess books are like music - everyone has their own opinions.

other favorite: Heart of Darkness

[hyphenate]

2. That's it exactly

>>>>>>>>>I love to read, but I guess I have a problem with authority<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Me. too!

It's like they give you a time limit, or a lecture that is essentially "read this or get an E" and I was never very good with deadlines. I preferred to read at my own pace, slower or faster as it may be.

For an example, I read Pierre Boulle's "Planet of the Apes" in one day because I got so wrapped up in it. John Myers Myers' "Silverlock" took me about a week, but at over 350 pages, it was relatively quick. Some of the school stuff I never even ifinished, even now, many years later.

[ElizabethDC]

3. mine

Hated the most:
Wuthering Heights
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
A Seprarte Peace
Beloved

Enjoyed the most:
The Awakening
The Magus
Tom Sawyer
Pride and Prejudice

most that I've enjoyed, I read on my own:
Rebecca
Jane Eyre
Sense and Sensibility
Age of Innocence
Gone with the Wind
Vanity Fair

[Reverend_Smitty]

4. Trying to think back at the reading list...

My favorites
The Great Gatsby
Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man
To Kill a Mockingbird (I read that in 8th and 10th grade)
Othello and Midsummer Night's Dream(not technically novels) in fact I enjoyed all the Shakespeare I read with one notable exception (see below)
Beowulf (again not technically a novel)
Being There (a short little novel but I loved it's theme)


Least favorites
Scarlet Letter
Jane Eyre
Tess of the d’Urbervilles
Julius Ceasar (not technically a novel as well)

[trackfan]

5. I didn't have to read Silas Marner (which it is a commonplace to hate)

I read it, finally, in my late 30's and really liked it.

[Left Is Write]

6. I don't think I hated anything I read in school.

Catcher In The Rye
To Kill A Mockingbird
1984
Animal Farm
Brave New World

Several Shakespeare tragedies.

[bigwillq]

7. I hated Catcher in the Rye

I loved To Kill a Mockingbird

[Reverend_Smitty]

9. I think the only reason why I liked Catcher in the Rye was...

the teacher gave us permission to curse in class when we were discussing the book. I'd have to pull out my old school papers but I'm pretty sure the one for Catcher had a few profanity laced quotations in it...just because I could :evilgrin: 11th grade english was one of my favorite classes :)

[bigwillq]

11. Fuck yeah.

I would think that would be cool too. Our teacher didn't let us swear during discussion.

I just thought that Holden was a whiny brat.

[Book Lover]

8. The Reader's Digest versions of Shakespeare we had to read in sophomore year

I am sure it was due to time constraints, but come on! That was the year that I sat in class and read on my own; I brought in the full versions of the plays we were doing in class, for one thing! Major props to Sister Please-Forgive-Me-That-I-Can't-Remember-Your-Name for letting me do so.

[MorningGlow]

10. The Old Man and the Sea

GAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH. BO-RING. I don't hate all Hemingway (loved For Whom the Bell Tolls), but that one was so sparse it was barely a narrative. Put me to sleep.

I ended up loving quite a few books that were assigned in high school:

For Whom the Bell Tolls
Ethan Frome
Rebecca

I'm sure there are others (Lord of the Flies, A Separate Peace), but those are the ones I still reread decades on.