Posted on 12/12/2025 3:13:21 PM PST by Borges
Senior HS English class, was assigned to read A Great American Tragedy.
That thang was 1,200 pages and divided into two books.
Very simple plot and conclusion, just a loooong way to get there.
After getting one third through, started reading every other chapter and missed nothing.
I remember that book ‘cause it was the stupidest thing I ever read.
*Just finished reading All The Way To Berlin by James Megellas.
True, but you write for the reader.
We don't read Middle English manuscripts anymore. We don't read pages of cursive handwriting. Styles, tone, language etc., all change. As the article points out; "kids rarely read whole books anymore, even in English class."
Many literary classics were meant to occupy people for a whole winter. In order to captivate the reader for that length of time, the author would use their talents not to accentuate the work but instead to lengthen it, fill it with details, and hold off the ending. Make it a saga instead of a poignant story.
There's a place for a modern version of a classic literary work that falls between the original and the CliffsNotes, possibly several versions - pre-teen, teenage, adult, etc.
Welcome to the party, you are late, all the guest have left.
They probably hear a lot. But no one listens to them.
“My experience is that teenagers are fascinated by Kafka.”
Probably because the few teens who have actually read Kafka are dark and suicidal. How many pages are needed to describe a crack on the wall? Kafka? Way too many.
Next year it’ll be 60 years for me. We didn’t have a choice. Beowulf. Moby Dick. The Pilgrim’s Progress. I can’t remember them all. But I loved to read so was OK with it.
Reading older texts requires some work. The effort is worth it.
I’m 75 and love to read, dozens of books every year. I recall the first book I read as a child, “The Babe Ruth Story” by Bob Considine which led me to a life long love of biography and history books.
I don't blame you. I don't know why they always made kids read the dreary, depressing novels. There are more light-hearted ones, like Pride & Prejudice, which is basically a comedy with a slight trace of romance.
I’ll be 75 later this month. The first full-length book I read was Doctor Doolittle. I was in, IIRC, 3rd grade.
Now, I largely read on my Kindle or iPad (with the Kindle app). I carry over 400 books with me, including 3 Bibles, wherever I go. The reading insights from Amazon say I’ve read 729 days in a row and 385 weeks in a row.
It has a book count, but isn’t accurate. In addition to the stand-alone books, I’ve read about 6 “sets” this year which can include anywhere from 3 to 11 books. The reading stats count each “set” as 1 book.
I love to read.
As a high school geek? It consisted of subject matter of no interest whatsoever. How would you have related to "The Boy's Fourth Book of Radio and Electronics"?.
Fast reader. Lots of practice. Enjoyment I wanted to write, and figured reading was a good way to start. Too bad the books I have in my mind will be lost.
What we had has been destroyed from within. There can be no reform that preserves the existing personnel.
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