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In my English class, we have started Milton's Paradise Lost. If I am not mistaken, it (along with Dante's Inferno) is a mandatory read for seniors.
I have started reading it but simply can not concentrate long enough to understand or stay with the archaic peotic prose of Milton. I realize that these books we must read in school are chosen for a reason, but I can't help but feel cheated in a way because I am missing all the current books written for what some blind man fantasizes to be the best epic poem ever written. It isn't just Milton that all of sudden caused this feeling of frustration, it's all the other archaic writtings that I've had to read because they are "classic." I have no problem with the contents of these books, but I just feel that we should be reading current books too because school curriculum makes me think that all the books written currently are inferior to Shakespeare, Milton, or Thoreau. I strongly disagree. Just because most current authors do not write with all of this symbolism/allusion bullcrap that teachers seem to find orgasmic pleasure from, doesn't mean that their ideas are not worthy of classroom time.
I'm not saying that the classics shouldn't be read at all, but I want to be exposed to the writing of the day also. And I realize that I could just go to Sparknotes and just read the synopsis, but then as nerdy as it sounds, that would completely destroy the purpose of being exposed to the classics. I'm just frustrated that English teachers in general are so excited about these books but they never promote current authors.
Now I have to go do my French project on Matisse. Dam.
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just research some background information before you start reading the book. it's probably given that you won't extract every profound detail that your teacher is hoping you'll discover through straight reading, so some initial research will facilitate the reading process in terms of comprehension and time :s
i mean, if you don't like the classics, sparknotes isn't a bad idea, although sparknotes isn't very good at the details. if you ever do want to come back, i'm sure you'll have forgotten nearly everything and will enjoy reading through the classics again =]
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You have to learn the rules before you can break them.
Also, at the college level, I can assure you modern literature is discussed. Just stick with it if it really interests you and plow through the old authors.
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They are classics for a reason. If you can't appreciate their beauty, go back to your Harry Potter and Da Vinci Code.
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Trust me, you're better off with Milton than you could ever hope to be with Joyce or Pynchon.
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United States20667 Posts
Yeah, Milton is actually quite accessible compared to many other classics.
Plus, you've got to love the storyline. The plot is really second to none.
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Pray, which books written currently are superior to Shakespeare or Milton? Reading them is difficult for some, but for others it inspires a liberation of mind from the petty cliche and dogma ridden prose of contemporary expression.
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On November 06 2007 14:04 man wrote:
They are classics for a reason. If you can't appreciate their beauty, go back to your Harry Potter and Da Vinci Code.
Who the hell told you I like HP or the Da Vinci Code? don't respond if you can't help.
Well it appears that most of you older guys know better. I guess the classics aren't that bad, I was just sick of reading them all the effing time. But I have to agree that the storyline is awesome and I'm pretty much over it.
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Satan's speeches have some of the most entertaining and air-tight logic in literature. Try to open your mind to it, obviously the aesthetic of the writing is going to be somewhat off-putting because it's so different and not necessarily easy to read for everyone. If you can stick with it, what you get from it will blow your mind. It's simply brilliant stuff.
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I see your point of view. In french class we had to read a ton of classics. But now I can see why most of them are still worth reading. The point is that it is better to know the orignal over copies or rewritings written years afer, your teachers aren't that much in the wrong way they give you a basis to apprehend the recent stuff on your own.
However you'll always find some books you just can't understand, for me the reading of Stendhal and Kant is just impossible even now. I really can't see why they are considered as masterpiece.
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United States20667 Posts
On November 07 2007 01:52 MoltkeWarding wrote:
Pray, which books written curently are superior to Shakespeare or Milton? Reading them is difficult for some, but for others it inspires a liberation of mind from the petty cliche and dogma ridden prose of contemporary expression.
Moltke made a TYPO.
Words cannot express my glee upon finding a mechanical mistake in Moltke's writing.
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The point is that you are supposed to become a stronger reader. It takes time and effort to read anything well, especially at first. It isn't supposed to be Harry Potter. It's school, you're supposed to be getting better at something. Not just the boiled down content. Once you are able to really read Milton you'll be able to enjoy it for what it is. It's not as hard as a whole new language, but it's somewhere in between. It's called education. It's not supposed to just entertain you and make you feel good while putting content into your skull. It's supposed to give you calluses and brain "muscles." Obviously Shakespeare starts out as foreign and difficult. That doesn't mean it isn't worth it to become able to really read it. And once you're able, then you can judge how good it is. If the "foreignness" difficulty of it is all you see then you need to get better at it before you pass judgment. You wouldn't say something sucks if it was in a language you couldn't read would you? It's the same for classics, and at that rate, anyone writing in a way above, beyond, or at least new to, you.
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EPT
