[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***Today that book, “Winesburg, Ohio,” is a staple of high school English classes and an acknowledged classic***

I have been a prolific reader since 1960, read hundreds of books, and this is the first time I have ever heard of this book.

Never heard of it in High School. We were saddled with pieces of dreck like Silas Mariner and Jane Eyre.

[Borges]

Jane Erye is a landmark.

[ifinnegan]

Same here.

I heard of the author, not that book, though.

[Dr. Sivana]

We were saddled with pieces of dreck like Silas Mariner and Jane Eyre.

At least you missed out on the existentialist and post-modern dreck written DURING the '60s. I had to be subjected to "Waiting for Godot", "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe", "The Floating Opera" and "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead". The only thing I have to say FOR them, is that they were easy to write papers on.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Dollars to doughnuts he’s being resurrected because he glorifies homos.

[Calvin Locke]

I’m going with the audio version: https://archive.org/details/winesburg_ohio_0708_librivox

[warsaw44]

I had not heard of the author until college.

In high school we had a rigorous American literature course in which all the great 20th American authors were represented.

What I found interesting was that these men ( Faulkner etc. ) were huge fans of Sherwood Anderson. He had to have had an influence on their writing.

Winesburg, Ohio is a magnificent book. Hope you pick up a copy - well worth it.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

“Silas Mariner”

I didn’t know he was a seagoing protagonist. Was he weaving linen sails?

[Buttons12]

I was homeschooled, so I didn’t find Silas Marner or Jane Eyre to be “dreck.” They weren’t as rollicking wonderful as Scarlet Pimpernel, but I enjoyed them.
I was told I could do without Winesburg and its type (modernist dreck), but I read it anyway. Boring, disappointing, and I should have avoided it.
Give me heroes, action or spiritual and preferably both combined.

[Sans-Culotte]

Never heard of it in High School. We were saddled with pieces of dreck like Silas Mariner and Jane Eyre.

I agree about Silas Marner. I found that so dull, I could only manage Cliff's Notes on that one. I quite like Jane Eyre, though. We had some good choices when I was in High School. I remember one year we had The Caine Mutiny as a choice.