Quote:
Originally Posted by issybird
Mostly, classics got that way because people liked them in the first place.* Over time, the situations and the language may become more challenging, but there’s something there that won people over initially.
*There are exceptions of course, hence the mostly. Finnegan’s Wake, anyone? Not that no one enjoys it; I recently finished Up in the Old Hotel by Joseph Mitchell and he said he read and reread it compulsively.
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I enjoyed it, until I realized that there was an actual plot buried somewhere in there!
Sadly, my copy is far away in physical book form, so I can't enjoy it. I had forgotten all about that book until you mentioned it!
I do tend to enjoy the sound and structure of words more than their meaning, and their semantic meaning more than their contextual meaning, and so on. Perhaps you have to be that way to enjoy it. I view language as an art form no different from painting. I find it ridiculous to think that the primary function of language would be for communication, considering what a poor job it does of it. For me, language is first and foremost about beauty - euphonic constructs, intricate patterns - it's music, it's jazz.