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Canterbury Tales is awesome. And there are rewrites that put it into modern English you know
One of my classes did let us read Beowulf in the original writing. Its shocking that just looking at it, it makes no sense, but then you just sound the words out and you can understand it!
Rented Tritium wrote: Every year older you get, the better GG gets. If you read it in high school PLEASE read it again. It's one of the best books ever written, but schools consistently make kids read it too young, when it's not really "for" them yet.
I never read it in school, but many of the books that I did read during my education I bought and re-read later in life because I enjoyed them first time around in school;
To Kill A Mockingbird
Hamlet
MacBeth
King Lear
Snow Falling on Cedars
Of Mice & Men
Canterbury Tales
I can also chime in and say that my own experience of English teachers was overwhelmingly positive. They had no problem with a difference of interpretation, so long as you could provide evidence to substantiate it.
It was 50/50 for me. Half of my english teachers were excellent and the other half were awful. GG was taught by a good teacher, though, I was just not ready for it yet.
I suppose I was fortunate to have good English teachers in middle school and high school.
Some of my favorite books included The Yearling, The Canterbury Tales, Where the Red Fern Grows, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Of Mice and Men, Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, A Wrinkle in Time, and some others I'm probably forgetting.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/05/09 17:28:59
DA:70S+G+M+B++I++Pw40k08+D++A++/fWD-R+T(M)DM+
2013/05/09 18:18:25
Subject: Re:We need to talk about the Great Gatsby
azazel the cat wrote: Whoa, who the Hell reads Canterbury Tales in high school? It's written in Middle English!
We did. We read the prologue in 4th or 5th year (roughly 15-16), and we read the Wife's Tale at A-Level (17-18). It was fun trying to scribble a translation between the lines
LordofHats wrote:Canterbury Tales is awesome. And there are rewrites that put it into modern English you know
One of my classes did let us read Beowulf in the original writing. Its shocking that just looking at it, it makes no sense, but then you just sound the words out and you can understand it!
Beowulf was an oral tale originally; I have absolutely no idea what the original written version is.
A translation of Canterbury tales seems strange to me, just because it kills rhyme scheme and the metre of it.
I recall the only book I had to read in english lit classes in high school which I despised and found little to no value under its surface was Jane Eyre. To this day I think that book is best used to level desks and tables.
I've said it before, and it bears repeating: I have absolutely no idea why East of Eden is not mandatory reading in english classes in American high schools. I think it may be my pick for the best novel written in the 20th century (Sorry, Joyce, but I do not care for stream-of-consiousness; though you are far, far better than Proust.). On that note, why isn't Ulysses mandatory as well? Is it because Joyce wasn't American?
Beowulf was an oral tale originally; I have absolutely no idea what the original written version is.
I mean I got a copy written down in its original language (which I guess is what, old english?). Like This. Twas a fun day when we did that. EDIT: Knid of lkie taht day wehre you do tihs for the frsit tmie and ralezie you can slitl raed it. Fun stuff
I recall the only book I had to read in english lit classes in high school which I despised and found little to no value under its surface was Jane Eyre. To this day I think that book is best used to level desks and tables.
Did not read the book but I watched the movie... It wasn't very good.
This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2013/05/09 19:28:40
Easy E wrote: I'm still pissed that in HS English they didn't let me read Batman: Year One or Charlotte's Web!
As a positive for English teachers:
1. My 6th grade teacher let me include the manual for Panzer Blitz as books for a competition on number of books read. If you're not familiar this is like permitting the FOW manual as a replacement book.
2. Another teacher took ten minutes talking about a gang fight, then showed us West Side Story and then revealed it was actually Shakespeare. He also showed Ran after we read King Lear.
3. One of my Boy's English teachers officially added Ender's Game to the reading list options after The Boy did a synopsis of it, and most of the boys jumped on that instead of the usual dreck.
With the exception of Great Expectations, and GG (Both had Great interestingly) I enjoyed the books and plays we did. But I was a nut for Shakespeare.
I rememebr writing a compare and contrast paper on X-wings vs. Tie Interceptors. I had used various source material from the old West End Star Wars RPG, Star Wars Technical Guides, and I think novelizations of the films. Good times.
I had that English teacher wrapped around my finger that semester.
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From what I hear the movie is a bland spectacle film but that Leo D is pretty awesome (which I can see). If you asked me which actors would be good for playing Jay Gatsby I'd probably pick Johnny Depp, Leonardo Decaprio, and Robert Downy Junior.
I rememebr writing a compare and contrast paper on X-wings vs. Tie Interceptors. I had used various source material from the old West End Star Wars RPG, Star Wars Technical Guides, and I think novelizations of the films. Good times.
I had that English teacher wrapped around my finger that semester.
You've got that backwards. That teacher knew exactly what they were doing.
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LordofHats wrote: From what I hear the movie is a bland spectacle film but that Leo D is pretty awesome (which I can see). If you asked me which actors would be good for playing Jay Gatsby I'd probably pick Johnny Depp, Leonardo Decaprio, and Robert Downy Junior.
A bland spectacle?
It's almost like that's the entire point of the book.
What? The scathing critique of jazz age excess contains hollow spectacle? You don't say.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2013/05/14 14:13:17
Critics in the UK have savaged the Great Gatsby. Judging by some reviews, you'd be forgiven for thinking Tom Cruise had been cast as Gatsby....hmm not a bad idea
"Our crops will wither, our children will die piteous
deaths and the sun will be swept from the sky. But is it true?" - Tom Kirby, CEO, Games Workshop Ltd
2013/05/27 18:28:04
Subject: Re:We need to talk about the Great Gatsby
I really enjoyed the film, I haven't read the book but I imagine that a fair bit of character interaction has been left out to try and squeeze it into one film. I didn't connect to the characters but I felt that it was entertaining to watch. Leonardo DiCaprio really brought the film to life. I wasn't sold on some of the Modern music (Jay Z, Alicia Keys), but some of it fitted well (Lana Del Ray/Winehouse). Absolutely loved the visual style of the film, the outfits were dapper as feth.
I'd recommend this movie for a rainy afternoon, or if nothing better is on. It's not a classic film, but it's definitely enjoyable.
Ignore the naysayers who cling to their adolescent bitterness; it's a fantastic piece of literature. It's a quick read, too. Only a little bit over 100 pages, if I recall correctly.
