Finished Tom Brown's Schooldays last night.
I found myself slightly bored by this novel and getting impatient for the ending as I was reading it - never a good sign.
I suppose it was the fact that Tom's pre-Victorian public (private) school experience - rambunctious, innocent, pious, full of moral rectitude - contrasted so starkly with the previous novel I read (A Kestrel For a Knave), which depicts an entirely different (and to me, much more realistic) view of English schoolboy life.
I suppose, for its time, Tom Brown's Schooldays was insightful and made good commentary on the state of English education, but for me, it felt fusty and outdated.
Oh well - I can't enjoy them all, can I?
Next up: A complete diversion again...One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey.
March 2010 | Chapitre Onze
14 years ago
Ah! All these texts I've barely or never heard of! It's driving me crazy (because there's no way in hell I can read them in the next handful of years due to time constraints) but at the same time it's good for me to 'hear' about them from you, eh?
ReplyDeleteAll I can suggest, and this is for you to accept or reject at your pleasure!, is for you to do what we do with texts: analyze why you dislike or are bored by them; is it because they are period novels with no continuing relevance (as the classics have, which is why they're classics) or some other reason?
As an informed reader of your blog, I think that would be interesting for you to discuss in your comments about the novels in your posts.
Duly noted. I think I was bored by Tom Brown's Schooldays PRECISELY because it was a period novel with no continuing relevance.
ReplyDeleteIn future, I will be a bit more in-depth as to why I liked or disliked a novel.
Thanks for the tip!