BellaOnline Forums Books and Music Literary Fiction The most boring classic novel?

I like to read Shakespeare before seeing a performance. I find it makes the language more reqadily understandable.

Without such pre-reading, it might easily take the entire prologue or more before I can pick up on the vernacular.

hundreds of childrens and teenage books are literary classics LOL.

LOL, Steven, LOTR is my single favorite book ever, ever, ever. I have read it dozens and dozens of times. Every few years I read it again. It's magnificent, and gets deeper with every re-reading.

I could not get into Count of Monte Cristo, or The Scarlet Letter, which i found disappointing. Maybe if i tried harder? Skipped the first half of the books or something?

I'm having a rough time getting involved with F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night. Great Gatsby was no problem but Tender is moving a little slow.

I nominate "As I Lay Dying" by Faulkner. Thin little book that I tried to read because I thought I "should". and ugh! horrible.

I'm listening to Anna Karenina right now and enjoy it in that manner. It may be dull to read it, though.

I tried Brothers Karamazov and sometimes I was pulled into it, then bored out of it just as quickly - made it 1/3 of the way through that.

As for the twilight series... I'm a little grossed out by a 100 year old man hitting on a teenaged girl. My daughter, in her mid 20's, says it's everything you don't want to read... tons of teenaged angst ABOUT teenaged angst, and a girl who gives up everything she is for a boyfriend.... and an undead one at that... who is 100 years old... and has a thing for teenagers.

Grapes of Wrath...

I agree with you on the tomes, Debra, though not on Ethan Frome, which is on the short side, if not the sweet. Austen does write tomes, but I don't find her as ponderous as Melville or, say, Dostoyevsky.

Hemingway I still cite as one of my favorites, though I don't think I've actually read any novel other than The Old Man and the Sea. I do admire his short stories.

I didn't get past the first chapter of Tender is the Night either, Sandy. I figure, since Gatsby was his self-acknowledged masterpiece, once you've read it, everything else is obviously just practice or, in the case of Tender, all that remained of his talent.

Amy, I once tried to read Faulkner�s Sanctuary (didn�t make it to second chapter) and undeterred, on another occasion Intruder in the Dust (with the same result). I find him unreadable, but doesn't he have great titles!

I did � a long time ago � read The Brothers Karamazov and a several others of Dostoevsky�s works. I had studied philosophy and I liked the challenge of them. Don�t think I could do it again.

But Steinbeck, Alyssa. I�m a great fan of his. I�ve read The Grapes of Wrath more than once. But it�s not a cheerful read.

Jilly, yeah - I know lots of ppl that read 'Lord of the rings' every year - I just don't get it. Though I liked the cartoon and movies.

Amy, I completley agree with what you said about Twilight. I recently wrote an article about what a terrible role model Bella Swan is for young women and girls LOL.

If you want something really boring, try Rasselas by Samuel Johnson. I can't even remember what it's about and I only read it because Helen reads it in Jane Eyre. You'll probably find it listed on Project Gutenberg.

Also some of Louisa May Alcott (author of Little Women)'s other books are pretty hard going.

On another note has anyone read Anne Radcliffe? (Romance of the Forest, Mysteries of Udolpho and The Italian)