After a three week break because of exams, followed by problems with the computer, followed by a few days of illness, I'm finally back in the blogosphere. Answering this week's BTT question seems to be the perfect way to get back into blogging mode. :-)
When somebody mentions "literature," what’s the first thing you think of? (Dickens? Tolstoy? Shakespeare?) Do you read "literature" (however you define it) for pleasure? Or is it something that you read only when you must?
Whenever literature is mentioned, I am always reminded of books written in the 1700s or 1800s or even early 1900s. Shakespeare, Jane Austen and Fyodor Dostoyevsky are some of the names that I usually think of when I think of "literature".
As far as reading literature is concerned, I must admit to not reading too much of it. I have read a few books that could count as literature, but I generally prefer reading recently published books. I always find reading modern fiction easier than reading "literary" works.
9 comments:
I guess it's ye olde English language that makes reading the classics difficult, especially if it's Shakespeare. But there are a lot of good stories there ;)
Happy BTT!Ü
I also prefer to read more modern fiction.
Do you ever get that guilty feeling like "I really should read that book" ?? Lol!!
Some moderns works are DIFFICULT to read!
Here is my BTT post!
Literature is an ongoing thing. I've read very little that was written before the 20th century, not because the writing is not good, but because I can't relate to the mindset or the circumstances. I started off with writers like Camus and Sartre and moved on from there. Of course there are literary works still being written – I consider what I write as literary fiction – only time will tell if any of what is being written now will become "literature". I read literary fiction for pleasure in fact I find light reading a chore most of the time. I'm looking for more out of a book that a good story.
Is literature only confined to the classics? I would want to include those books written now that will become the classics of the future.
I know that classics are considered literature, but what about current fiction that you can (with confidence) qualify as literature? Such as Kingsolver,
Oops, forgot to finish. :-)
I consider Barbara Kingsolver, Wally Lamb, and the lady who wrote Brokeback Mountain...what's her name? Anyway, these authors' novels I would wholeheartedly place in the category of literature, and many of us have love affairs with authors such as these.
E. Annie Proulx wrote Brokeback Mountain.
Happy BTT.
I'm a firm believe that reading is one of life's great enjoyments, and life is too short to force yourself to read books you don't enjoy.
There's no right or wrong choices in reading - it's what works for you, and I've found my interests grow and change regularly, depending on my moods, and where I'm at in life.
We should never have to justify what we read!
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