Books that studying English has ruined for you

Wuthering Heights, thought I would like it as I had heard such great things about it....Ended up wanting to burn the copy and myself about 3 weeks in..

I was really confused by the book the first time I read it. Having all the names so similar, the confusing timeline, etc, I found it really complicated. The second time I read it, however, I was able to enjoy it and now it's one of my favourite novels.

I know some people who read it and still didn't like it, but you might want to give it another try?

Original post by Carnationlilyrose

Pretty well everything I've had to teach I would not pick up again unless forced with a cattle prod.

That's really sad :frown:

Are you still teaching? Shouldn't you find another profession if teaching these books ruins them for you so much?

Reply 41

Carnationlilyrose

18

Original post by Plumstone

That's really sad :frown:

Are you still teaching? Shouldn't you find another profession if teaching these books ruins them for you so much?

No, I've retired. The fact that I've had to teach Of Mice And Men more than 25 times isn't really sufficient reason to jack in an entire career. That's what the job is. It just means I am never going to read OMAM again for my own amusement, and frankly I can live without that perfectly happily.

Reply 42

chikane

20

In year 9 we studied Noughts and Crosses and loved reading it so i reread it again then decided to read the 2nd and 3rd book in the series which wasn't as good as the first one.

Loved reading Of Mice and Men in year 11 and i am trying to read more books by John Steinbeck.

Disliked Great Expectations and the film as well.

Reply 43

Plumstone

16

Original post by Carnationlilyrose

No, I've retired. The fact that I've had to teach Of Mice And Men more than 25 times isn't really sufficient reason to jack in an entire career. That's what the job is. It just means I am never going to read OMAM again for my own amusement, and frankly I can live without that perfectly happily.

Ah, fair enough. I just had this awful mental image of someone whose love of literature was slowly being poisoned and eroded (mixed metaphors, I know...) by their job. As long as it's just OMAM and not all literature :smile:

Reply 44

Carnationlilyrose

18

Original post by Plumstone

Ah, fair enough. I just had this awful mental image of someone whose love of literature was slowly being poisoned and eroded (mixed metaphors, I know...) by their job. As long as it's just OMAM and not all literature :smile:

If work was fun, you'd have to pay them to be allowed to do it.

Reply 45

valkyrie-grey

11

Original post by Plumstone

I was really confused by the book the first time I read it. Having all the names so similar, the confusing timeline, etc, I found it really complicated. The second time I read it, however, I was able to enjoy it and now it's one of my favourite novels.

I know some people who read it and still didn't like it, but you might want to give it another try?

That's really sad :frown:

Are you still teaching? Shouldn't you find another profession if teaching these books ruins them for you so much?

Ah, I personally didn't find it confusing, I just really didn't enjoy it as I wasn't keen on most of the characters.The second part I feel is a lot better than the first! I had to read it quite a few times for revision so believe me, I think it'll be a book I won't open ever again :')

Reply 46

Kitta

11

I must be an oddball because studying great expectations, tess of the d'urbevilles, she stoops, as you like it makes me actually enjoy them! I usually hate reading and really dont enjoy it until I get a greater appreciation for the writing!

Reply 47

AmyGeorge98

1

1. Holes
2. Of Mice and Men
3. Heroes
4. An Inspector Calls
5. The Great Gatsby
6. The Color Purple

Pretty much nearly every book I've studied for English throughout high school, GCSE and A level has been ruined :frown:

Reply 48

alexschmalex

19

To Kill a Mockingbird was a total snooze fest, I honestly didn't find anything about it interesting but then again the purpose of school is to make everything boring.

Great Gatsby was an absolutely useless book, glad I didn't waste money on the movie

Siddhartha was another waste of time book that they made us read over summer, only to only spend 15 minutes discussing it when we got back ¬_¬

Reply 49

elen90

12

Of Mice and Men, An Inspector Calls, Animal Farm (watched it to death afterwards too), Rome-bloody-o and Juliet.

I didn't study English Lit at A-Level because I knew it would ruin books for me.

Reply 50

WhimsicalSloth

2

Tristram Shandy :unimpressed:

Reply 51

The Empire Odyssey

21

Of Mice and Men when at GCSE. Hate it with a passion! However, it hasn't discouraged me from reading other Steinbeck novels. I've read Winter of Our Discontent which I really enjoyed.

I studied WW1 Literature at AS level and pretty much hated all WW1 Lit since. I read A Farewell to Arms last summer and brought back the hideous moments of AS. I don't think I'll ever read another WW1 book as long as I live now tbh.

I detested Wuthering Heights at A2. Was the worst Victorian novel I have ever read to dead. I didn't even end up finishing it, it was that awful.

I never studied Great Gatsby, but read it... twice and still hate the bloody thing. But do love Fitzgerald's other woks like Damned and Tender. Those novels are really something!

I had to read Three Sisters by Chekhov at uni and managed the first 10 pages and hated it. Even though it's play, it was awful to read!

Reply 52

The Empire Odyssey

21

Original post by Reader106

I'm currently doing 'A Streetcar Named Desire' and it's as much fun as shooting yourself in the foot. It's absolute torture and don't even get me started on Geoffrey Chaucer :angry:

Oh, I love Streetcar. It's so good! Poor Blanche! Might you want to look into it on a social context level? The mistreatment of the mentally ill, injustice against women, patriarchal society!

His play, A Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is really good, far better than Streetcar.

I studied a bit of Chaucer during my 1st yr at uni and I actually enjoyed him. A bit slow if you don't get his type of humour, but try reading it at an interlinear viewpoint and might be a little less frustrating for you!

Books that studying English has ruined for you

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