Hated then, love now?

DMcCunney · 07-25-2008, 03:40 PM

On the 10 Worst Books thread, poster montealan commented "Pretty much any book I had to read in high school".

Which made me wonder. I think a lot of us got force fed books in school and hated them because they were force fed. Are there books that you hated back then that you've tried again as an adult and discovered you liked? If so, which books, and why?
______
Dennis

DixieGal · 07-25-2008, 03:44 PM

Easy answer: Milton's Paradise Lost

Totally not what a HS senior is thinking about. Not even in the special "advanced" class.

However, in college, I got to be the "brainy one" who already had a background with the material. Still don't love it, but certainly appreciate it as important literature.

DMcCunney · 07-25-2008, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DixieGal

Easy answer: Milton's Paradise Lost

Totally not what a HS senior is thinking about. Not even in the special "advanced" class.

However, in college, I got to be the "brainy one" who already had a background with the material. Still don't love it, but certainly appreciate it as important literature.

As it happens, I do love Milton. Dante as well, though the Inferno seems superior to the Purgatorio and the Paradisio. And approaching Dante as an adult with a broader knowledge gave it more depth. Dante had a lot of fun skewering political opponents of his day by placing them in various circles of Hell, but Italian Renaissance politics wasn't part of the HS English curriculum.

I knew a guy who taught English, and got interesting responses when he asked his students what circle of Hell they thought they might wind up in. The one reserved for folks guilty of the sin of Lust was pretty popular. However, no one saw themselves as a Satan munchy.

______
Dennis

DixieGal · 07-25-2008, 04:05 PM

Speaking of Satan's munchies, have you ever seen Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights and it's accompanying side pieces in person? I knew the drill, supposed to be scary, etc. I'd seen pics of it in books and was never that impressed. Then in Madrid, I stood in front of it and starting shaking from a panic attack. Live and large, it really is frightening. After a couple of minutes, it gets to you in a very visceral way. Pun intended.

Patricia · 07-25-2008, 04:51 PM

I expect that I'm odd, but it has been working the other way round with me. I'm now impatient with books that I had time for when a teenager, when I was an omniverous reader.

I was once fond of the more arcane works of Frederick William Rolfe ('Baron Corvo'). I still like some of them but the Borgia novel is now unreadable. I am now only mildly interested in Tennyson, but used to like him a lot.
The same has happened with music. Recently someone put on a Strawbs album. How did I ever like such pretentious drivel?

DMcCunney · 07-25-2008, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patricia

The same has happened with music. Recently someone put on a Strawbs album. How did I ever like such pretentious drivel?

<blink>

Which one? I love the Strawbs, and Hero and Heroine has been in my top ten since it was released.
______
Dennis

Patricia · 07-25-2008, 05:04 PM

Grave New World (1972).

RickyMaveety · 07-25-2008, 05:11 PM

I don't think there were any assigned books that I ever hated. However, for a number of years, I wasn't able to get any further into "Atlas Shrugged" than about 50 pages.

Then, sometime in my late twenties, I picked it up and simply could not put it down. I loved it!!

DMcCunney · 07-25-2008, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DixieGal

Speaking of Satan's munchies, have you ever seen Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights and it's accompanying side pieces in person? I knew the drill, supposed to be scary, etc. I'd seen pics of it in books and was never that impressed. Then in Madrid, I stood in front of it and starting shaking from a panic attack. Live and large, it really is frightening. After a couple of minutes, it gets to you in a very visceral way. Pun intended.

No, I haven't, and wish I could. I have reproductions of it, but the sheer scale will be important.

One of the books in my library is a title called "The Gothic Cathedral: Origins of Gothic Architecture and the Medieval Concept of Order". The author points out that the times when these things were built were pious in a way we probably can't comprehend. He mentions a ceremony where a cathedral was dedicated, attended by the King of England and all of his major nobles. When the choir sang "Oh Lord, how awesome is this place", the King clapped a hand to the hilt of his sword, and swore his royal oath "by the death of God", that indeed, the cathedral was awesome.

That was part of the intention of the builders. For the medieval folks, the cathedral was literally on divine ground, and an entrance to Heaven, and God was assumed to be present within it.

Given that sort of attitude, I can only imagine how people reacted to the Garden when Bosch painted it.
______
Dennis

RickyMaveety · 07-25-2008, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

No, I haven't, and wish I could. I have reproductions of it, but the sheer scale will be important.

One of the books in my library is a title called "The Gothic Cathedral: Origins of Gothic Architecture and the Medieval Concept of Order". The author points out that the times when these things were built were pious in a way we probably can't comprehend. He mentions a ceremony where a cathedral was dedicated, attended by the King of England and all of his major nobles. When the choir sang "Oh Lord, how awesome is this place", the King clapped a hand to the hilt of his sword, and swore his royal oath "by the death of God", that indeed, the cathedral was awesome.

That was part of the intention of the builders. For the medieval folks, the cathedral was literally on divine ground, and an entrance to Heaven, and God was assumed to be present within it.

Given that sort of attitude, I can only imagine how people reacted to the Garden when Bosch painted it.
______
Dennis

Did they actually believe that their god could die?? That seems so strange to me ... or were they talking about the execution of Jesus of Nazareth??

DixieGal · 07-25-2008, 05:20 PM

Quote: Given that sort of attitude, I can only imagine how people reacted to the Garden when Bosch painted it.
______

Standing there looking at it, I thought to myself, "It looks like something out of a horror movie." And then I thought, "Wait, the target audience didn't know anything about movies." It must have scared them right into confession!

DixieGal · 07-25-2008, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

Did they actually believe that their god could die?? That seems so strange to me ... or were they talking about the execution of Jesus of Nazareth??

I betcha they said something closer to "Gadzooks," which sort of boils down to "God's Blood," which was a very powerful oath back in the day. If one swore by Gadzooks, then it was not something that could be taken back.

Patricia · 07-25-2008, 05:30 PM

Gadzooks = 'God's hooks' ie the nails used in the crucifixion. Oaths on the instuments of the Passion were apparently quite common.
The Christian God involves three persons. The second person of this trinity died and allegedly rose again.

DMcCunney · 07-25-2008, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

Did they actually believe that their god could die?? That seems so strange to me ... or were they talking about the execution of Jesus of Nazareth??

The latter, I believe. We are talking about extraordinarily pious Christians, after all.
______
Dennis

DMcCunney · 07-25-2008, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DixieGal

Quote: Given that sort of attitude, I can only imagine how people reacted to the Garden when Bosch painted it.
______
Standing there looking at it, I thought to myself, "It looks like something out of a horror movie." And then I thought, "Wait, the target audience didn't know anything about movies." It must have scared them right into confession!

I suspect that was part of the idea.
______
Dennis

07-25-2008, 03:40 PM	#1
DMcCunney New York Editor Posts: 6,384 Karma: 16540415 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: PalmTX, Pocket eDGe, Alcatel Fierce 4, RCA Viking Pro 10, Nexus 7	Hated then, love now? On the 10 Worst Books thread, poster montealan commented "Pretty much any book I had to read in high school". Which made me wonder. I think a lot of us got force fed books in school and hated them because they were force fed. Are there books that you hated back then that you've tried again as an adult and discovered you liked? If so, which books, and why? ______ Dennis

07-25-2008, 03:44 PM	#2
DixieGal Hi There! Posts: 7,473 Karma: 2930523 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Ft Lauderdale Device: iPad	Easy answer: Milton's Paradise Lost Totally not what a HS senior is thinking about. Not even in the special "advanced" class. However, in college, I got to be the "brainy one" who already had a background with the material. Still don't love it, but certainly appreciate it as important literature. Last edited by DixieGal; 07-25-2008 at 03:46 PM.

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07-25-2008, 04:05 PM	#4
DixieGal Hi There! Posts: 7,473 Karma: 2930523 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Ft Lauderdale Device: iPad	Speaking of Satan's munchies, have you ever seen Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights and it's accompanying side pieces in person? I knew the drill, supposed to be scary, etc. I'd seen pics of it in books and was never that impressed. Then in Madrid, I stood in front of it and starting shaking from a panic attack. Live and large, it really is frightening. After a couple of minutes, it gets to you in a very visceral way. Pun intended.

07-25-2008, 04:51 PM	#5
Patricia Reader Posts: 11,504 Karma: 8720163 Join Date: May 2007 Location: South Wales, UK Device: Sony PRS-500, PRS-505, Asus EEEpc 4G	I expect that I'm odd, but it has been working the other way round with me. I'm now impatient with books that I had time for when a teenager, when I was an omniverous reader. I was once fond of the more arcane works of Frederick William Rolfe ('Baron Corvo'). I still like some of them but the Borgia novel is now unreadable. I am now only mildly interested in Tennyson, but used to like him a lot. The same has happened with music. Recently someone put on a Strawbs album. How did I ever like such pretentious drivel?

07-25-2008, 05:04 PM	#7
Patricia Reader Posts: 11,504 Karma: 8720163 Join Date: May 2007 Location: South Wales, UK Device: Sony PRS-500, PRS-505, Asus EEEpc 4G	Grave New World (1972).

07-25-2008, 05:11 PM	#8
RickyMaveety Holy S**T!!! Posts: 5,213 Karma: 108401 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: San Diego, California!! Device: Kindle and iPad	I don't think there were any assigned books that I ever hated. However, for a number of years, I wasn't able to get any further into "Atlas Shrugged" than about 50 pages. Then, sometime in my late twenties, I picked it up and simply could not put it down. I loved it!!

07-25-2008, 05:20 PM	#11
DixieGal Hi There! Posts: 7,473 Karma: 2930523 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Ft Lauderdale Device: iPad	Quote: Given that sort of attitude, I can only imagine how people reacted to the Garden when Bosch painted it. ______ Standing there looking at it, I thought to myself, "It looks like something out of a horror movie." And then I thought, "Wait, the target audience didn't know anything about movies." It must have scared them right into confession!

07-25-2008, 05:30 PM	#13
Patricia Reader Posts: 11,504 Karma: 8720163 Join Date: May 2007 Location: South Wales, UK Device: Sony PRS-500, PRS-505, Asus EEEpc 4G	Gadzooks = 'God's hooks' ie the nails used in the crucifixion. Oaths on the instuments of the Passion were apparently quite common. The Christian God involves three persons. The second person of this trinity died and allegedly rose again.

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