DOSTOEVSKY - THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV
"All about sex and violence and drunkeness, really boring
This book is all about some badly behaved brothers and their mean father and how they do nothing but shout and drink and threaten one another and are lewd and then, one of them anyway, goes to England, or at least he wants to. You call that a story?"
NABOKOV - LOLITA
"I, personally, do no not think that Humbert Humbert's act of giving Lolita sleeping pills is justified, but with a closer analysis, this act can be justified. Humbert Humbert gives Lolita these pills so he can molest her, and Lolita would have no knowledge of it. This can be considered a justified act because this shows that Humbert Humbert cares about the Lolita's sanity and well-being. Who knows what Lolita would think if Humbert Humbert forcefully rape her. Her behavior can show signs of insanity or she can experience unstable conditions. Humbert Humbert is looking out for her well-being by giving her the sleeping pills with the intent of raping her."
PLATO - GORGIAS
"It's been clear that human thinking has really evolved over time. Socrates was an idiot who couldn't win a gradeschool debate contest."
CATULLUS - POEMS
"this iz our dear catullus?...a renowned poet. a poet?! a poet?!!! bloody pervert if there ever was one. i can see him as a 50-year-old man, crouching over his desk at three A.M., measuring his 'thing' and writing at the same tyme, and thinking, 'heeheehee, i wrote the perd 'penis' heeeheehee' WHAT A POO-MUNCH"
SHAKESPEARE - THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
"Shakespeare's Worst Play
This is one of the worst plays ever published. I thought Shakespeare was a fool after reading this complely pointless play. Do not wase your money on this book because it is completly worthless. A total waste of time to even read any of this play."
PROUST - IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME
"Proust sucks, and so does Dtocheimsky, or however you spell it."
POPPER - THE LOGIC OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY
"I hate Karl Popper and falsifiability. But then I don't believe in science in general."
CERVANTES - DON QUIXOTE
"What the hell is the big deal about Don Quixote?
And not knowing that he was the master of Sancho Panza? People are shrieking everywhere, OH MY GOD!!!!! U MUST BE TEH ILLITERATEZ IF U DO NOT KNOW WHO HE IS! Jesus, get over your ego-centric westernized world views."
HEMINGWAY - IN OUR TIME
"i can't respect a writer that i had to read his books laying on my back so that when i would fall asleep it would fall on me and wake me up because he was such a boring and crappy writer"
JOYCE - ULYSSES
"Proclaiming this the greatest novel of the 20th century is arguably correct for the technical structure, language use, observation etc but that is like stating Citizen Kane as the greatest film - technically brilliant but does anyone really enjoy or even truely understand it?"
Monday, January 30, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
James Joyce - Ulysses IV
"Ok, this is meant to be a masterpiece, and I know it is based on the Odyssey, but I don't get it. Stream of consciousness, is it that exciting? Joyce, was he really a genius or yet another man held up as some kind of marvel within a patriachal society just because he's done something different?
There are whole sections that seem like drivel to me."
"What would I achieve by reading something I'm not enjoying?
I'm not sure what Joyce was aiming for with the audience for this book but it isn't your average reader and I'm sure it wouldn't be the average reader of the times."
"Created, or so I have read, as a joke upon the literary critics of the time - an attempt to subvert by means of pseudo-pretentiousness, pandering to the supposed pretentiousness of those who might be drawn to read such a work. In my view there should be no intended audience for any work of art - it should be created purely for the selfish purpose of the creator ... However, it is my belief that this work was intended as a 'spanner in the works', and certainly not to be taken seriously. It's a joke on anyone - other than those versed in multitudinous mythologies and languages - who purports to understand it. Life is too short for this book."
"Ulysses is for people with lots of time on their hands whose education cost £20,000+. It is up there with the toughest of Opera, black and white French movie 'classics', and (insert largely unpopular passtime requiring doctorate here). We are intelligent people, I am university educated. I have enjoyed most other 20th century classics. But this is a different creature. I wonder how much patience you guys would have if I put a page of Maths equations infront of you- how long would you spend looking for the beauty within?"
"You don't want to remove the cash cow from all those academics who write papers about this author do you? Remove their sense of superiority? They might have to go off and study useful things like physics and engineeering instead of wallowing in the la-la land of Joyce and Dublin."
"Ulysses is/was an important book, in setting the scene for a lot of modern novels. It claims to be a novel, but it's very hard to see how it could be. The characters and story are virtually nonexistent ... He has a tremendous vocabulary and a mastery of all the styles _ever written_ in the entire history of English, but somehow overlooks the whole point of the effort, which was (I think) to write a novel, not a catalog of parodies or a pastiche of Homer or whatever you want to term this fashionable mess. It got worse: his next book was Finnegans Wake, and the rule he 'overlooked' in that treat of a book was that it needed to be _written in English_. That was too limiting for our Great Artist, so he wrote FW in any old language(s) he felt like.
I have an MA in English and I have worked as an English teacher. In my honest opinion, Ulysses and Finnegans Wake are not necessary to read. They are not novels. They're SOMETHING, I grant you. They're very hard to read, and all that. You can really get snobbish about having read them."
"A truly impenetrable and tedious 'novel'. Yes the language is beautiful, but this is closer to an epic poem than a novel. My advice, treat it as such; pick it up, read a passage and put it down, don't ever try to read it as a whole because it is simply not worth the effort."
"who would want to read a book following the outline of Homer's Odyssey...set in DUBLIN????"
YEAH; DON'T YOU PEOPLE REALIZE DUBLIN IS JUST A LA-LA LAND FOR PRETENTIOUS ACADEMICS
"Why has Ulysses been held in such high regard by many eminent authors (Yeats, Eliot and Hemingway are mentioned on the cover of this edition)? This is what I call 'literary snobbery'; it makes people almost afraid to say 'I think this is nonsense' because they don't want to seem foolish or ignorant. I wonder what would happen if an author sent the first forty pages to an agent today - one of the standard rejection letters?"
"I believe good art should be able to be appreciated by everyone, the lowest pit man to the greatest king can look at a painting, listen to music, recite a poem, or read a book and say it is beautiful."
IN FACT NOBODY SHOULD WRITE BOOKS, THAT'S RACIST AGAINST PEOPLE WHO CAN'T READ
"I think anyone who says they liked this book is either lying to appear intelligent or just mad!"
"This book in truth is an eruption of verbal flatulence, a screech in the literary void by a man who was not capable of doing what lesser writers could: compose a plot."
"what a pile of rambling nonsensical tripe . without doubt the worst book i have ever read . i believe Joyce must have invented crack and smoked it 24 hours a day"
"Proclaiming this the greatest novel of the 20th century is arguably correct for the technical structure, language use, observation etc but that is like stating Citizen Kane as the greatest film - technically brilliant but does anyone really enjoy or even truely understand it?"
YES
There are whole sections that seem like drivel to me."
"What would I achieve by reading something I'm not enjoying?
I'm not sure what Joyce was aiming for with the audience for this book but it isn't your average reader and I'm sure it wouldn't be the average reader of the times."
"Created, or so I have read, as a joke upon the literary critics of the time - an attempt to subvert by means of pseudo-pretentiousness, pandering to the supposed pretentiousness of those who might be drawn to read such a work. In my view there should be no intended audience for any work of art - it should be created purely for the selfish purpose of the creator ... However, it is my belief that this work was intended as a 'spanner in the works', and certainly not to be taken seriously. It's a joke on anyone - other than those versed in multitudinous mythologies and languages - who purports to understand it. Life is too short for this book."
"Ulysses is for people with lots of time on their hands whose education cost £20,000+. It is up there with the toughest of Opera, black and white French movie 'classics', and (insert largely unpopular passtime requiring doctorate here). We are intelligent people, I am university educated. I have enjoyed most other 20th century classics. But this is a different creature. I wonder how much patience you guys would have if I put a page of Maths equations infront of you- how long would you spend looking for the beauty within?"
"You don't want to remove the cash cow from all those academics who write papers about this author do you? Remove their sense of superiority? They might have to go off and study useful things like physics and engineeering instead of wallowing in the la-la land of Joyce and Dublin."
"Ulysses is/was an important book, in setting the scene for a lot of modern novels. It claims to be a novel, but it's very hard to see how it could be. The characters and story are virtually nonexistent ... He has a tremendous vocabulary and a mastery of all the styles _ever written_ in the entire history of English, but somehow overlooks the whole point of the effort, which was (I think) to write a novel, not a catalog of parodies or a pastiche of Homer or whatever you want to term this fashionable mess. It got worse: his next book was Finnegans Wake, and the rule he 'overlooked' in that treat of a book was that it needed to be _written in English_. That was too limiting for our Great Artist, so he wrote FW in any old language(s) he felt like.
I have an MA in English and I have worked as an English teacher. In my honest opinion, Ulysses and Finnegans Wake are not necessary to read. They are not novels. They're SOMETHING, I grant you. They're very hard to read, and all that. You can really get snobbish about having read them."
"A truly impenetrable and tedious 'novel'. Yes the language is beautiful, but this is closer to an epic poem than a novel. My advice, treat it as such; pick it up, read a passage and put it down, don't ever try to read it as a whole because it is simply not worth the effort."
"who would want to read a book following the outline of Homer's Odyssey...set in DUBLIN????"
YEAH; DON'T YOU PEOPLE REALIZE DUBLIN IS JUST A LA-LA LAND FOR PRETENTIOUS ACADEMICS
"Why has Ulysses been held in such high regard by many eminent authors (Yeats, Eliot and Hemingway are mentioned on the cover of this edition)? This is what I call 'literary snobbery'; it makes people almost afraid to say 'I think this is nonsense' because they don't want to seem foolish or ignorant. I wonder what would happen if an author sent the first forty pages to an agent today - one of the standard rejection letters?"
"I believe good art should be able to be appreciated by everyone, the lowest pit man to the greatest king can look at a painting, listen to music, recite a poem, or read a book and say it is beautiful."
IN FACT NOBODY SHOULD WRITE BOOKS, THAT'S RACIST AGAINST PEOPLE WHO CAN'T READ
"I think anyone who says they liked this book is either lying to appear intelligent or just mad!"
"This book in truth is an eruption of verbal flatulence, a screech in the literary void by a man who was not capable of doing what lesser writers could: compose a plot."
"what a pile of rambling nonsensical tripe . without doubt the worst book i have ever read . i believe Joyce must have invented crack and smoked it 24 hours a day"
"Proclaiming this the greatest novel of the 20th century is arguably correct for the technical structure, language use, observation etc but that is like stating Citizen Kane as the greatest film - technically brilliant but does anyone really enjoy or even truely understand it?"
YES
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Milton - Samson Agonistes
"erm, no!"
"Milton was a fascist turd."
"Olde English sucks balls"
"Classic literature lovers only. Do not read for fun."
"old english is pure gay"
"MILTON is a faggot who has far too much time on his hands"
"I really, really want to read this book. Is there a modern version? I cannot take the Olde English. It's like another language."
"Milton was a fascist turd."
"Olde English sucks balls"
"Classic literature lovers only. Do not read for fun."
"old english is pure gay"
"MILTON is a faggot who has far too much time on his hands"
"I really, really want to read this book. Is there a modern version? I cannot take the Olde English. It's like another language."
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Ernest Hemingway - In Our Time
"Absolutely awful book. In Our Time is a collection of short stories that *magically* fit together to form an entire whole."
"I hate Ernest Hemingway and his sexist, pig-headed ideals."
"As much as Twin is American, Hemingway is un-American. He is the most famous narrator of 'loosers but proud'."
"Over all this book was ok , but many of his thoughts were not expressed clearly so many of the stories were not going anywhere . In conclusion he could of done better with the all around basis of a book ."
"In honesty, the first six or seven stories, in my opinion, are somewhat worthless and don't necessarily possess any more writing skill than the average person maintains."
"Ernest Hemingway wasn't a novelist, he just accidentally published his somewhat interesting journal entries.
That's why there isn't even a plot structure to any of his stories."
"Hemingway is for intelligent people? Is not the very nature of his writing fixed so that it would take no more than a second grader to read it, a third grader to analyze it, and a fourth grader to call bullshit on his ethos as a good writer?"
"Why the fuck does everyone think he's a great author? He just wrote really shitty short stories that are over-analyzed. I FUCKING HATE READING HIS SHIT."
"i can't respect a writer that i had to read his books laying on my back so that when i would fall asleep it would fall on me and wake me up because he was such a boring and crappy writer"
"I hate Ernest Hemingway and his sexist, pig-headed ideals."
"As much as Twin is American, Hemingway is un-American. He is the most famous narrator of 'loosers but proud'."
"Over all this book was ok , but many of his thoughts were not expressed clearly so many of the stories were not going anywhere . In conclusion he could of done better with the all around basis of a book ."
"In honesty, the first six or seven stories, in my opinion, are somewhat worthless and don't necessarily possess any more writing skill than the average person maintains."
"Ernest Hemingway wasn't a novelist, he just accidentally published his somewhat interesting journal entries.
That's why there isn't even a plot structure to any of his stories."
"Hemingway is for intelligent people? Is not the very nature of his writing fixed so that it would take no more than a second grader to read it, a third grader to analyze it, and a fourth grader to call bullshit on his ethos as a good writer?"
"Why the fuck does everyone think he's a great author? He just wrote really shitty short stories that are over-analyzed. I FUCKING HATE READING HIS SHIT."
"i can't respect a writer that i had to read his books laying on my back so that when i would fall asleep it would fall on me and wake me up because he was such a boring and crappy writer"
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Cervantes - Don Quixote III
"Have you read Don Quixote?
How?
Wasn't it very very boring??"
"What the hell is the big deal about Don Quixote?
And not knowing that he was the master of Sancho Panza? People are shrieking everywhere, OH MY GOD!!!!! U MUST BE TEH ILLITERATEZ IF U DO NOT KNOW WHO HE IS! Jesus, get over your ego-centric westernized world views."
"I hate don Quixote. Or maybe I just hate reading or I hate BOTH"
"I. Did not. Enjoy this ... All of this is very, very wrong. He is a silly old man who goes crazy from reading too much and leaves his home to travel and perform feats of knightly-knightingness. However. Don Quixote is, to be blunt, an asshole. Each chapter consists of several episodes of him terrorizing innocent people and getting the snot beat out of him and you NEVER EVER feel sorry for him (or at least I don't). By page 400, you want someone to arrest him or kill him so you can stop reading about what a jerk he is ... Also, Sancho Panza is not funny."
"The real flaw with Don Quixote is in the content of the book. Most of the (more than a thousand) pages are occupied by extended duologues between the two main characters, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza."
"The main character is an annoying idiot. I assume that this is either an accurate portrayal of someone Cervantes knew or a stereotype he was exploring but none of it made me want to continue reading about his pathetic and ridiculous exploits."
"I will not finish this book. Perhaps the worst 'novel' ever written. And - yes - I *get* what's supposed to be humorous, it just isn't."
"Don Quixote does not come off as idealistic as dotty, stubborn and occasionally silly."
"there were parts that were completely unrealistic."
"You have to laugh at the antics of this poor deluded fool, and his sidekick who is just as gullible as his master (does he really believe D Q will give him an estate?) This is what comes of being a do-gooder who blindly goers out to conquer for causes without using common sense.
There are parts of the tale you can skip, just as there are boring tales in Chaucer you can give a cursory glance."
"Widely considered unfilmable. That's because it's rubbish."
How?
Wasn't it very very boring??"
"What the hell is the big deal about Don Quixote?
And not knowing that he was the master of Sancho Panza? People are shrieking everywhere, OH MY GOD!!!!! U MUST BE TEH ILLITERATEZ IF U DO NOT KNOW WHO HE IS! Jesus, get over your ego-centric westernized world views."
"I hate don Quixote. Or maybe I just hate reading or I hate BOTH"
"I. Did not. Enjoy this ... All of this is very, very wrong. He is a silly old man who goes crazy from reading too much and leaves his home to travel and perform feats of knightly-knightingness. However. Don Quixote is, to be blunt, an asshole. Each chapter consists of several episodes of him terrorizing innocent people and getting the snot beat out of him and you NEVER EVER feel sorry for him (or at least I don't). By page 400, you want someone to arrest him or kill him so you can stop reading about what a jerk he is ... Also, Sancho Panza is not funny."
"The real flaw with Don Quixote is in the content of the book. Most of the (more than a thousand) pages are occupied by extended duologues between the two main characters, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza."
"The main character is an annoying idiot. I assume that this is either an accurate portrayal of someone Cervantes knew or a stereotype he was exploring but none of it made me want to continue reading about his pathetic and ridiculous exploits."
"I will not finish this book. Perhaps the worst 'novel' ever written. And - yes - I *get* what's supposed to be humorous, it just isn't."
"Don Quixote does not come off as idealistic as dotty, stubborn and occasionally silly."
"there were parts that were completely unrealistic."
"You have to laugh at the antics of this poor deluded fool, and his sidekick who is just as gullible as his master (does he really believe D Q will give him an estate?) This is what comes of being a do-gooder who blindly goers out to conquer for causes without using common sense.
There are parts of the tale you can skip, just as there are boring tales in Chaucer you can give a cursory glance."
"Widely considered unfilmable. That's because it's rubbish."
Friday, January 20, 2012
Karl Popper - The Logic of Scientific Revolution
"I hate Karl Popper and falsifiability. But then I don't believe in science in general."
"Karl Popper sucks. :/"
"karl popper sucks btw."
"popper sucks ass"
"Karl Popper sucks. :/"
"karl popper sucks btw."
"popper sucks ass"
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Marcel Proust - In Search of Lost Time II
"Omg, I hated reading this. I could tell you why, like a real book review, but I can't even deal. I'm just glad I'm finally done. Freedom!!!!
Book dish: madeleine."
"i hate marcel proust... i dont know how much proust sucks in english but in french he sucks a _______ (insert nasty adjective and noun here).... i hate him and my french teacher for making me read over 100 pages of his rambling thoughts in one week... i mean no one wants to read my ADD thoughts for something like five volumes with each being a thousand pages long, so why would we want to read theirs...."
"Absolutely dreadful book cannot think of anything good to say about it. Awkward disjointed style, surprised there are not three pages devoted to paint drying. One feels no connection with the characters other than possibly distaste. Four or so pages devoted to a ten year old boy machinating on whether he is going to get a good night kiss from Mama. That's about as exciting as it gets."
"Nobody reads the book/ takes the assignment seriously because really, it is a pointless waste of time. Also, Proust was a whiney SOB"
"Proust sucks the big one. In search of lost time is the biggest waste of time I've ever put myself through."
"seriously, dude, fuck proust."
"Meh. Proust sucks as well.
:)
Kurt Vonnegut, John Fante and Donald Barthelme. One doesn't need more than that."
"Proust sucks dick. french people suck dick in general. only good thing to come out of france be like m83 and dior."
"Proust sucks, and so does Dtocheimsky, or however you spell it."
Book dish: madeleine."
"i hate marcel proust... i dont know how much proust sucks in english but in french he sucks a _______ (insert nasty adjective and noun here).... i hate him and my french teacher for making me read over 100 pages of his rambling thoughts in one week... i mean no one wants to read my ADD thoughts for something like five volumes with each being a thousand pages long, so why would we want to read theirs...."
"Absolutely dreadful book cannot think of anything good to say about it. Awkward disjointed style, surprised there are not three pages devoted to paint drying. One feels no connection with the characters other than possibly distaste. Four or so pages devoted to a ten year old boy machinating on whether he is going to get a good night kiss from Mama. That's about as exciting as it gets."
"Nobody reads the book/ takes the assignment seriously because really, it is a pointless waste of time. Also, Proust was a whiney SOB"
"Proust sucks the big one. In search of lost time is the biggest waste of time I've ever put myself through."
"seriously, dude, fuck proust."
"Meh. Proust sucks as well.
:)
Kurt Vonnegut, John Fante and Donald Barthelme. One doesn't need more than that."
"Proust sucks dick. french people suck dick in general. only good thing to come out of france be like m83 and dior."
"Proust sucks, and so does Dtocheimsky, or however you spell it."
Monday, January 16, 2012
Shakespeare - The Merchant of Venice
"Shakespeare's Worst Play
This is one of the worst plays ever published. I thought Shakespeare was a fool after reading this complely pointless play. Do not wase your money on this book because it is completly worthless. A total waste of time to even read any of this play."
"the worst book
hit had the worst plot and it was poorly written and it should not even be published"
"2 words. I. Love. Willy."
"This was one of the most complicated books that I have ever read in my life. This book is written in old style english when people talked weird."
"the excerpts of Mein Kampf I read were less enraging than this."
"The characters in this play are some of the worst I have ever read. Almost all of them lack intelligence and depth. I mean, the part with the caskets, come on. Absolutely pathetic."
"I'm just really annoyed that the characters (I assume) Shakespeare wanted us to like are so arrogant and entitled and intolerant."
"You are complaining about racial humor? People still tell jokes about Jewish people today, among many other things, and I defy you to claim that you have never laughed at a racist/offensive joke in your life."
"Well done on this play, Billy. Very well done. It actually contained some very relatable characters and good commentary on Jewish/Christian relations of the period. Portia is my girl. Love her. (I say this because generally, Shakespeare’s plays are usually overly doted upon and contain nothing other than some puns, made up words, and psychopaths.)"
"although we are fans of Shakespeare and his other works, we have found this play to be below usual Shakespeare standards. Billy Shakes did a poor job of combining three unoriginal story lines the result being something may have served as shallow entertainment for Elizabethian audience of peasants, but compared to other works it fails in containing any moral or intellectual value. Try MacBeth or even Romeo and Juliet.... We seriously believe, even though it has been emphasized that Billy has mocked the place of women in society though they seem triumphant. We resent the fact the switching of the roles, which looks as if Billy were jesting them. As stated before, other plays of Billy Shakes were better and we recommend those."
"I remember back in year 10 I think it was the drama teacher came into our english class and started going on about the nundertones of shakespeare's work, how emotions and feelings are universal and so on. I don't remember it that well because I didn't give a toss about Shakespeare, and that remains the same today. That same year we had to read the Merchant of Venice. The ending has always pissed me off it just feels like such a cop out. I don't exaclty know when this term is used, but I am pretty sure the ending suffers from Deus Ex Machina.
So no, I am not a fan of dear William's work. He can BURN IN HELL!!!!!"
This is one of the worst plays ever published. I thought Shakespeare was a fool after reading this complely pointless play. Do not wase your money on this book because it is completly worthless. A total waste of time to even read any of this play."
"the worst book
hit had the worst plot and it was poorly written and it should not even be published"
"2 words. I. Love. Willy."
"This was one of the most complicated books that I have ever read in my life. This book is written in old style english when people talked weird."
"the excerpts of Mein Kampf I read were less enraging than this."
"The characters in this play are some of the worst I have ever read. Almost all of them lack intelligence and depth. I mean, the part with the caskets, come on. Absolutely pathetic."
"I'm just really annoyed that the characters (I assume) Shakespeare wanted us to like are so arrogant and entitled and intolerant."
"You are complaining about racial humor? People still tell jokes about Jewish people today, among many other things, and I defy you to claim that you have never laughed at a racist/offensive joke in your life."
"Well done on this play, Billy. Very well done. It actually contained some very relatable characters and good commentary on Jewish/Christian relations of the period. Portia is my girl. Love her. (I say this because generally, Shakespeare’s plays are usually overly doted upon and contain nothing other than some puns, made up words, and psychopaths.)"
"although we are fans of Shakespeare and his other works, we have found this play to be below usual Shakespeare standards. Billy Shakes did a poor job of combining three unoriginal story lines the result being something may have served as shallow entertainment for Elizabethian audience of peasants, but compared to other works it fails in containing any moral or intellectual value. Try MacBeth or even Romeo and Juliet.... We seriously believe, even though it has been emphasized that Billy has mocked the place of women in society though they seem triumphant. We resent the fact the switching of the roles, which looks as if Billy were jesting them. As stated before, other plays of Billy Shakes were better and we recommend those."
"I remember back in year 10 I think it was the drama teacher came into our english class and started going on about the nundertones of shakespeare's work, how emotions and feelings are universal and so on. I don't remember it that well because I didn't give a toss about Shakespeare, and that remains the same today. That same year we had to read the Merchant of Venice. The ending has always pissed me off it just feels like such a cop out. I don't exaclty know when this term is used, but I am pretty sure the ending suffers from Deus Ex Machina.
So no, I am not a fan of dear William's work. He can BURN IN HELL!!!!!"
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Catullus - Poems
"I hate Catullus. He's emo, nobody gives a shit about sparrows"
"Nothing inspiring about his bitter writings of the world around him. I must say the Romans have always been quite the classless people in my eye ... I would say this was a waste of time and taste."
"this iz our dear catullus?...a renowned poet. a poet?! a poet?!!! bloody pervert if there ever was one. i can see him as a 50-year-old man, crouching over his desk at three A.M., measuring his 'thing' and writing at the same tyme, and thinking, 'heeheehee, i wrote the perd 'penis' heeeheehee' WHAT A POO-MUNCH"
"I hate Catullus. I have absolutely lost desire for Latin after him. Well I still have to read him. Not much thankfully but still. Urgh. It's just not quality."
"my class has a general consensus that we want to go back in time and punch Catullus in the face, haha. He is just a creeper."
"Man, I hate Catullus. Stupid poetry."
"Nothing inspiring about his bitter writings of the world around him. I must say the Romans have always been quite the classless people in my eye ... I would say this was a waste of time and taste."
"this iz our dear catullus?...a renowned poet. a poet?! a poet?!!! bloody pervert if there ever was one. i can see him as a 50-year-old man, crouching over his desk at three A.M., measuring his 'thing' and writing at the same tyme, and thinking, 'heeheehee, i wrote the perd 'penis' heeeheehee' WHAT A POO-MUNCH"
"I hate Catullus. I have absolutely lost desire for Latin after him. Well I still have to read him. Not much thankfully but still. Urgh. It's just not quality."
"my class has a general consensus that we want to go back in time and punch Catullus in the face, haha. He is just a creeper."
"Man, I hate Catullus. Stupid poetry."
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Plato - Gorgias
"Just be quiet, Socrates. You are being rude."
"Awful."
"Thanks to this book I now hate both Socrates and Plato.
Good job, Plato.
You douchebag."
"It's been clear that human thinking has really evolved over time. Socrates was an idiot who couldn't win a gradeschool debate contest."
"Socrates was an idiot.
I'd punch him in the face to prove my superior intellect."
"Awful."
"Thanks to this book I now hate both Socrates and Plato.
Good job, Plato.
You douchebag."
"It's been clear that human thinking has really evolved over time. Socrates was an idiot who couldn't win a gradeschool debate contest."
"Socrates was an idiot.
I'd punch him in the face to prove my superior intellect."
Monday, January 9, 2012
Lewis Carroll - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland IV
"Let's teach kids about eating everything in sight (so long as it doesn't have a label with 'poison' on it!), beheading anyone that isn't liked, and trespassing on anybody's territory."
"Alice's journey is definitely influenced by some sort of drug, but because this is a children's novel, the hint is subtle ... Sometimes, I think Lewis Carroll was high when he wrote this."
"The story is timeless, I must admit. And some of the characters are really interesting. However, the dialogue and plot make absolutely no sense at all. And in the end it's all just a dream! Isn't that the worst way to end pretty much any story."
"I think this would make a great book to read to an absurdly minded 6 or 7 year old, as the humor and situations work well as short vignettes. And if my vague grasp on it's history is correct, that's what it was written as.
For an adult, it's not terribly coherent and I had to force myself to finish it."
"It was awful. Not fun, funny, entertaining, or educational.
The book didn't make any sense. The characters were annoying. Alice was a brat. She was rude and obnoxious. She kept interrupting everyone and disagreeing with them, even after promising not to do so. She just got on my nerves.
Perhaps there is some hidden symbolism or message that I had overlooked.
The only good thing about it was that it was short. Therefore I didn't waste too much time on it.
I know that there are others who feel the way that I do. If only they had the courage to speak up..."
"I don't know what Carroll was on when he wrote this but it must have been some good stuff."
"youve got to consider how far back this is. and the knowledge of shrooms back then probably wasnt even known. so if anything hed have to accidentely take shrooms which he probably didnt. if anything there was alot of opium poppy seed plants around were he lived that is some what speculated to be the source of alice in wonderland"
"It didn't have the effect I was hoping for, I just... I didn't get it. And the characters (or the writing?) annoyed me most of the times. I didn't even bother to read the poems. The only characters I liked were the Queen and the Cat, the others were... queer. Too queer for my taste."
"I have wanted to read this book for a long time and must confess that in my opinion..... Lewis Caroll was partaking in serious drugs when writing this drival, which is complete and utter rubbish and nonsense. Highly over rated by most and truly not worth the time to read."
"Alice's journey is definitely influenced by some sort of drug, but because this is a children's novel, the hint is subtle ... Sometimes, I think Lewis Carroll was high when he wrote this."
"The story is timeless, I must admit. And some of the characters are really interesting. However, the dialogue and plot make absolutely no sense at all. And in the end it's all just a dream! Isn't that the worst way to end pretty much any story."
"I think this would make a great book to read to an absurdly minded 6 or 7 year old, as the humor and situations work well as short vignettes. And if my vague grasp on it's history is correct, that's what it was written as.
For an adult, it's not terribly coherent and I had to force myself to finish it."
"It was awful. Not fun, funny, entertaining, or educational.
The book didn't make any sense. The characters were annoying. Alice was a brat. She was rude and obnoxious. She kept interrupting everyone and disagreeing with them, even after promising not to do so. She just got on my nerves.
Perhaps there is some hidden symbolism or message that I had overlooked.
The only good thing about it was that it was short. Therefore I didn't waste too much time on it.
I know that there are others who feel the way that I do. If only they had the courage to speak up..."
"I don't know what Carroll was on when he wrote this but it must have been some good stuff."
"youve got to consider how far back this is. and the knowledge of shrooms back then probably wasnt even known. so if anything hed have to accidentely take shrooms which he probably didnt. if anything there was alot of opium poppy seed plants around were he lived that is some what speculated to be the source of alice in wonderland"
"It didn't have the effect I was hoping for, I just... I didn't get it. And the characters (or the writing?) annoyed me most of the times. I didn't even bother to read the poems. The only characters I liked were the Queen and the Cat, the others were... queer. Too queer for my taste."
"I have wanted to read this book for a long time and must confess that in my opinion..... Lewis Caroll was partaking in serious drugs when writing this drival, which is complete and utter rubbish and nonsense. Highly over rated by most and truly not worth the time to read."
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Friedrich Nietzsche - On the Genealogy of Morals
"This might be the most difficult book to understand that I have ever read. I'm a smart girl, and I had to go to office hours and have my teacher outline what he was talking about. The sentences go on for what seems like pages, which made it impossible to comprehend. This was 9 years ago, of course, but I doubt much has changed. DON'T DO IT :)"
"peppered with anti-semetic (e.g. 'slave morality') and chauvanistic references."
"IT WILL SHAKE ALL UR MORAL BeLieVES...
if u havnt read this yet,u r not ALlowed to have,tell,discuss any of ur own opinions about morals"
"I really hate Nietzsche. Reading his crap is like performing brain surgery on myself without anesthesia"
"I hate Nietzsche, why couldn't he have just kept his thoughts to himself!??"
"this is SO boring!!! i need jojo oppa or key! bb n co too u.u i just hate nietzsche, i tink i undrstant but god im bord!"
"Oh phylosophy....no!! God save me!! Nietzsche sucks a lot...."
"I had to read this book in a college philosophy class, and it turned me off of philosophy for a life time. Nietzsche was a fascist and a fraud, and it is not hard to understand, reading his work, why Hitler loved him so much, and why an outright devotion to him has turned so many people I've known into deplorable monsters who hated themselves almost as much as they hated the rest of the world."
"peppered with anti-semetic (e.g. 'slave morality') and chauvanistic references."
"IT WILL SHAKE ALL UR MORAL BeLieVES...
if u havnt read this yet,u r not ALlowed to have,tell,discuss any of ur own opinions about morals"
"I really hate Nietzsche. Reading his crap is like performing brain surgery on myself without anesthesia"
"I hate Nietzsche, why couldn't he have just kept his thoughts to himself!??"
"this is SO boring!!! i need jojo oppa or key! bb n co too u.u i just hate nietzsche, i tink i undrstant but god im bord!"
"Oh phylosophy....no!! God save me!! Nietzsche sucks a lot...."
"I had to read this book in a college philosophy class, and it turned me off of philosophy for a life time. Nietzsche was a fascist and a fraud, and it is not hard to understand, reading his work, why Hitler loved him so much, and why an outright devotion to him has turned so many people I've known into deplorable monsters who hated themselves almost as much as they hated the rest of the world."
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Vladimir Nabokov - Lolita IV
NABOKOV ONCE SPOKE OF HIS STUDENTS AS "The great fraternity of C-minus, backbone of the nation, steadily scribbling on." THE FOLLOWING SELECTIONS ARE FROM A BLOG I DISCOVERED, CREATED BY SOME WELL-MEANING PROFESSOR, TO DOCUMENT STUDENT RESPONSE IN A COLLEGE ENGLISH CLASS. LET US STEP INSIDE THE LECTURE THEATRE AND SEE THE FRUITS OF AN EDUCATION IN ENGLISH LITERATURE:
"After reading Lolita, I have come to a conclusion: Humbert Humbert is full of excuses. He acknowledges that his pedophilia is wrong. Rather than accepting his punishment, Humbert Humbert provides a series of excuses for his relationship with Lolita. As the jury, the readers must decide whether his excuses are the truth or the product of his defense. I believe that Humbert Humbert is an unreliable narrator, who uses excuses to defend his pedophilic thoughts and actions."
"Although one may find Humbert Humbert’s love for Lolita to be completely true and innocent, I believe otherwise."
"If Humbert Humbert 'loves' Lolita, than it is it excusable for him to try to control her."
"Throughout the whole novel, Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita contains the complicated concept of love and lust between Lolita and Humbert Humbert. However, in my opinion, Humbert Humbert and Lolita’s relationship leans more towards lust. Humbert Humbert may sound like he is a true lover, but after observing his past life style, he is a true pedophile."
"I, personally, do no not think that Humbert Humbert's act of giving Lolita sleeping pills is justified, but with a closer analysis, this act can be justified. Humbert Humbert gives Lolita these pills so he can molest her, and Lolita would have no knowledge of it. This can be considered a justified act because this shows that Humbert Humbert cares about the Lolita's sanity and well-being. Who knows what Lolita would think if Humbert Humbert forcefully rape her. Her behavior can show signs of insanity or she can experience unstable conditions. Humbert Humbert is looking out for her well-being by giving her the sleeping pills with the intent of raping her."
"Lolita would be considered as an immature teenager. She fell for Humbert Humbert’s superficial love and care. However, her actions prove that she is a child prostitute. The second part of the novel adds more negative image of Lolita. Her betrayal on Humbert Humbert was a tragic moment for Humbert Humbert, and Lolita was masked with an image of a heartless woman."
"If flirting is a form of seduction, than I do agree with Humbert supporters in the sense Lolita 'seduced' Humbert Humbert."
"At the conclusion of the novel, Humbert states the thought of a name 'And I have toyed with many pseudonyms for myself before I hit on a particularly apt one. There are many in my notes 'Otto Otto' and 'Mesmer Mesmer' and 'Lambert Lambert,' but for some reason I think my choice expressed the nastiness best' (Nabokov 308) ... It makes the reader wonder if Humbert is even Humbert's real name."
"I have come to realize that Humbert Humbert truly loves Lolita for who she is ... Although Lolita is pregnant with another man’s child, Humbert Humbert is willing to take Lolita and take care of her."
"Overall, I believe that Lolita remains powerful over Humbert. By receiving $4000 from Humbert and keeping her life the way it is, that shows that she has total control over him."
"People are judgmental and they will always remain that way. They believe that being gay or lesbian is wrong, that having sex with a brother or sister is wrong, or an adult having sex with a child is wrong. I believe that people should live their life and stop judging the lives of other people. Going back to the idea of pedophilia, if I were a man in my late 30’s, would I ever have sex with a young girl? No. Do I believe it is wrong for an adult to have sexual intercourse with a child who is willing to have sex with an adult? No. Right now, you may be saying in your head that I am disturbed or crazy, but think about it ... Lolita is a slut and she wants Humbert to fulfill her sexual desires.
Overall, I believe that pedophilia is not wrong if the child influences the adult to have sexual intercourse. If a child and adult both agree on having sex, leave them be. At the respectable age of 12, I believe that a child is old enough to make a decision to have sex with an adult just as Lolita made the decision to have sex with Humbert."
"Because French is a romance language, I believe Nabokov chose to write some words in French, because words in French sound more seductive than words in English when read aloud."
"Parents have a big impact on the way children are raised. Parents are the ones that instill morals and beliefs on their children. If parents do not lead their children by good examples, then who will? It is certain that society will not help to raise a child in the right direction. In today’s society, the youth is lured into unimportant notions brought on by the media. Our tragic flaw in society is that people make decisions without thinking about their actions. It is up to our parents to teach the youth about good morals and values that will raise the youth in the right path. And so I question, are parents raising their children wrong?"
MY POOR DEAR. THEY OUGHT TO HAVE STRANGLED YOU ALL AT BIRTH
"After reading Lolita, I have come to a conclusion: Humbert Humbert is full of excuses. He acknowledges that his pedophilia is wrong. Rather than accepting his punishment, Humbert Humbert provides a series of excuses for his relationship with Lolita. As the jury, the readers must decide whether his excuses are the truth or the product of his defense. I believe that Humbert Humbert is an unreliable narrator, who uses excuses to defend his pedophilic thoughts and actions."
"Although one may find Humbert Humbert’s love for Lolita to be completely true and innocent, I believe otherwise."
"If Humbert Humbert 'loves' Lolita, than it is it excusable for him to try to control her."
"Throughout the whole novel, Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita contains the complicated concept of love and lust between Lolita and Humbert Humbert. However, in my opinion, Humbert Humbert and Lolita’s relationship leans more towards lust. Humbert Humbert may sound like he is a true lover, but after observing his past life style, he is a true pedophile."
"I, personally, do no not think that Humbert Humbert's act of giving Lolita sleeping pills is justified, but with a closer analysis, this act can be justified. Humbert Humbert gives Lolita these pills so he can molest her, and Lolita would have no knowledge of it. This can be considered a justified act because this shows that Humbert Humbert cares about the Lolita's sanity and well-being. Who knows what Lolita would think if Humbert Humbert forcefully rape her. Her behavior can show signs of insanity or she can experience unstable conditions. Humbert Humbert is looking out for her well-being by giving her the sleeping pills with the intent of raping her."
"Lolita would be considered as an immature teenager. She fell for Humbert Humbert’s superficial love and care. However, her actions prove that she is a child prostitute. The second part of the novel adds more negative image of Lolita. Her betrayal on Humbert Humbert was a tragic moment for Humbert Humbert, and Lolita was masked with an image of a heartless woman."
"If flirting is a form of seduction, than I do agree with Humbert supporters in the sense Lolita 'seduced' Humbert Humbert."
"At the conclusion of the novel, Humbert states the thought of a name 'And I have toyed with many pseudonyms for myself before I hit on a particularly apt one. There are many in my notes 'Otto Otto' and 'Mesmer Mesmer' and 'Lambert Lambert,' but for some reason I think my choice expressed the nastiness best' (Nabokov 308) ... It makes the reader wonder if Humbert is even Humbert's real name."
"I have come to realize that Humbert Humbert truly loves Lolita for who she is ... Although Lolita is pregnant with another man’s child, Humbert Humbert is willing to take Lolita and take care of her."
"Overall, I believe that Lolita remains powerful over Humbert. By receiving $4000 from Humbert and keeping her life the way it is, that shows that she has total control over him."
"People are judgmental and they will always remain that way. They believe that being gay or lesbian is wrong, that having sex with a brother or sister is wrong, or an adult having sex with a child is wrong. I believe that people should live their life and stop judging the lives of other people. Going back to the idea of pedophilia, if I were a man in my late 30’s, would I ever have sex with a young girl? No. Do I believe it is wrong for an adult to have sexual intercourse with a child who is willing to have sex with an adult? No. Right now, you may be saying in your head that I am disturbed or crazy, but think about it ... Lolita is a slut and she wants Humbert to fulfill her sexual desires.
Overall, I believe that pedophilia is not wrong if the child influences the adult to have sexual intercourse. If a child and adult both agree on having sex, leave them be. At the respectable age of 12, I believe that a child is old enough to make a decision to have sex with an adult just as Lolita made the decision to have sex with Humbert."
"Because French is a romance language, I believe Nabokov chose to write some words in French, because words in French sound more seductive than words in English when read aloud."
"Parents have a big impact on the way children are raised. Parents are the ones that instill morals and beliefs on their children. If parents do not lead their children by good examples, then who will? It is certain that society will not help to raise a child in the right direction. In today’s society, the youth is lured into unimportant notions brought on by the media. Our tragic flaw in society is that people make decisions without thinking about their actions. It is up to our parents to teach the youth about good morals and values that will raise the youth in the right path. And so I question, are parents raising their children wrong?"
MY POOR DEAR. THEY OUGHT TO HAVE STRANGLED YOU ALL AT BIRTH
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Fyodor Dostoevsky - The Brothers Karamazov II
"Too much about religion."
"F.D. goes overboard on the character development. He continues to develop the characters for far too long."
"Silly ...
and sentimental mush ... It is interesting that Dostoevsky is so highly revered in America and the West as a great writer, but his status in Russia is (and has been)that of a 'mystic.' Russians regard the works of Tolstoy, and even Turgenyev, Chechov, and Gogol superior to those of Dostoevsky."
"Could have been a much better book if the editor would have cut about 80%. Absolute torture to get through this pointless book."
"First of all let me say that if an author wants to sell books in this country, then use some american names for gosh sake!"
"All I can tell you, it's that this is a fucking epic drama that happened 100 years ago and has nothing to really teach you."
"really difficult and boring
i found this really hard to get into all the names are too hard to pronounce maybe this should be called Brothers Jerkoff - i would recommend the movie instead if there is one"
"Sorry, folks, but the emperor has no clothes...
This is yet another of the 'classics' I've read where I said, 'This is it?...this is supposed to be a great book?' This book came across to me as the ramblings of a madman. No coherent theme, the characters all seem to be somewhat insane, and sections come to a grinding halt only to start another section completely unrelated to the last. Maybe it's the period in which it's written, but I could barely bring myself to finish it - but through agonizing months, I did. Never again."
"Just when you think its out of the depressing musings and going to get on with where it was headed it has an anti-climatic resolution which should be the end. Instead of ending the book at the natural place it goes on to repeat most of the plot in a very boring court room drama which takes up at least a forth of the book. This is what happens when publishers pay authors by the page."
"All about sex and violence and drunkeness, really boring
This book is all about some badly behaved brothers and their mean father and how they do nothing but shout and drink and threaten one another and are lewd and then, one of them anyway, goes to England, or at least he wants to. You call that a story?"
"F.D. goes overboard on the character development. He continues to develop the characters for far too long."
"Silly ...
and sentimental mush ... It is interesting that Dostoevsky is so highly revered in America and the West as a great writer, but his status in Russia is (and has been)that of a 'mystic.' Russians regard the works of Tolstoy, and even Turgenyev, Chechov, and Gogol superior to those of Dostoevsky."
"Could have been a much better book if the editor would have cut about 80%. Absolute torture to get through this pointless book."
"First of all let me say that if an author wants to sell books in this country, then use some american names for gosh sake!"
"All I can tell you, it's that this is a fucking epic drama that happened 100 years ago and has nothing to really teach you."
"really difficult and boring
i found this really hard to get into all the names are too hard to pronounce maybe this should be called Brothers Jerkoff - i would recommend the movie instead if there is one"
"Sorry, folks, but the emperor has no clothes...
This is yet another of the 'classics' I've read where I said, 'This is it?...this is supposed to be a great book?' This book came across to me as the ramblings of a madman. No coherent theme, the characters all seem to be somewhat insane, and sections come to a grinding halt only to start another section completely unrelated to the last. Maybe it's the period in which it's written, but I could barely bring myself to finish it - but through agonizing months, I did. Never again."
"Just when you think its out of the depressing musings and going to get on with where it was headed it has an anti-climatic resolution which should be the end. Instead of ending the book at the natural place it goes on to repeat most of the plot in a very boring court room drama which takes up at least a forth of the book. This is what happens when publishers pay authors by the page."
"All about sex and violence and drunkeness, really boring
This book is all about some badly behaved brothers and their mean father and how they do nothing but shout and drink and threaten one another and are lewd and then, one of them anyway, goes to England, or at least he wants to. You call that a story?"
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Fyodor Dostoevsky - The Brothers Karamazov
"I was incredibly unimpressed."
"Well, if you like VERBOSE, this is it! It was so l-o-n-g. Dotseoyevsky must be a great writer, just for the pure length of the story and the number of words he could add."
"It would be a good exercise for someone learning English to take parts of this book and summarize them down into less words. (If someone did that with the whole book it might be an enjoyable read.)"
"Absolutely could not enjoy this one ... It was just reams and reams of intricate characterization."
"Why?! Why would you do this to me, D.?"
"The characters were shallow and one dimensional that talked a lot without revealing anything about them or giving them an identity. For some reason everyone seems to have two names which meant I kept having to consult the internet to find out who was meant to be who."
"Tried...page 33...a killer of dull endless details that shags my mind...everything has meaning for this guy, and so overdose of Importance."
"What the heck is he talking about?"
"This book was the hardest book I've ever tried to read. There are several multi-page paragraphs, one paragraph is about 7 pages long!"
"I couldn't finish it. I barely put a dent in it. It makes your brain hurt way to much.
...I hate not being able to finish a book, but this was just.... to.... much like work."
"Thoroughout the book there is much discussion about God, psychology, etc. I must admit I skimmed much of this."
"Why did we need the many chapters that took place in the monastery - they had nothing to do with the central plot of the book?"
"There were so many names and nicknames in this book I got confused. It took me nine months to read this book LOL. Too much work to read!"
"what i learned from this book is that is was very very long and i don't want to say overrated...but overrated. it's supposed to be meaningful about something or another but what-ever."
"Well, if you like VERBOSE, this is it! It was so l-o-n-g. Dotseoyevsky must be a great writer, just for the pure length of the story and the number of words he could add."
"It would be a good exercise for someone learning English to take parts of this book and summarize them down into less words. (If someone did that with the whole book it might be an enjoyable read.)"
"Absolutely could not enjoy this one ... It was just reams and reams of intricate characterization."
"Why?! Why would you do this to me, D.?"
"The characters were shallow and one dimensional that talked a lot without revealing anything about them or giving them an identity. For some reason everyone seems to have two names which meant I kept having to consult the internet to find out who was meant to be who."
"Tried...page 33...a killer of dull endless details that shags my mind...everything has meaning for this guy, and so overdose of Importance."
"What the heck is he talking about?"
"This book was the hardest book I've ever tried to read. There are several multi-page paragraphs, one paragraph is about 7 pages long!"
"I couldn't finish it. I barely put a dent in it. It makes your brain hurt way to much.
...I hate not being able to finish a book, but this was just.... to.... much like work."
"Thoroughout the book there is much discussion about God, psychology, etc. I must admit I skimmed much of this."
"Why did we need the many chapters that took place in the monastery - they had nothing to do with the central plot of the book?"
"There were so many names and nicknames in this book I got confused. It took me nine months to read this book LOL. Too much work to read!"
"what i learned from this book is that is was very very long and i don't want to say overrated...but overrated. it's supposed to be meaningful about something or another but what-ever."
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