Monday, July 18, 2011

its good for you

do you know what is good for you?
reading outside your comfort zone and novels that are deemed classic and of literary merit.

if you don't understand why Hemingway, Faulkner, Austen or Steinbeck are so esteemed
go find out. they are for a reason.
go find out why some authors are award winning or talked about so much.
read them and if you don't like them then at least your opinon is well informed.
it bothers me beyond belief when people cricitze a book they haven't even read.
how am i even going to respect your thoughts on something you are totally ignorant of?
honestly!

it also bothers me when people snub a classic because "it's plot is boring/unpleasant. why would i want to read about real life situations".
not every character can't and shouldn't all be on a gripping quest for a ring, or dragon egg
or run around in some mythical world.
if the only books you read are thrillers you are be a one note bore.
not to mention it is a very low level of reading, people need t0 get over that once elementary school is over.

branch out, try and be more educated.
only lazy people stick to what they know and like.
only lazy people stay comfortable.
be brave and try something new.
you will be much more interesting because of it
not to mention you might have something valuable to a meaningful conversation
with bright people.
(people that don't play video games every night)
good literature exposes you to world you other wise wouldn't experience.
the plot may be about a dysfunctional Southern family which may sound dull or unpleasant
but what makes it great is how Faulkner writes
and makes the reader see through the lens he wants them to.
it is his style, syntax and turning words into art.
i may not personally love all the Greats but by reading them at least i can appreciate them.

A great book also summarizes and captures the time period in which it was written.
it helps you understand the mindset of that era.
if you made it through half of this post, not to mention the very end, i congratulate you!
and if you agree with a little bit of what i was saying go ahead and give yourself a pat on the back.
sorry for the lecture but it is my blog so i get to monopolize it with whatever i feel like,
oh the beauty of blogging.
and as my friend Abby said of this post:
"somebody needs to look out for the decline of western civilization" haha.

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