(no subject)

[rootofnewt]

I can't remember his reasons, nor how he came to the conclusion, but boy is compiling a spreadsheet of literature he must read. I forget why. I think he wants to be more politically and philosophically aware and has decided that he needs more background reading.

It does make sense. I just wish I could remember why he's doing this. It has something to do with pop culture.

I've read some of the stuff on his list. He's going to be visiting the library a lot. Hopefully the books won't be too dusty or stinky. It would be nice if libraries would only give cards to people who didn't smoke or use perfume, fragranced lotion, air freshener, or scented candles. That's not likely to happen. *sigh*

I've threatened to just take his list and read it in a month, but that wouldn't be very nice of me.

Instead, I just act scandalized at the fact that he made it out of high school without reading Theodore Dreiser AND made it through a Literature baccalaureate degree program without reading him, either.

I'm not really scandalized. I actually read Dreiser by choice, but I'm not telling him that.

I'm going to see if I can get him to put the computer down and watch Hedwig with me soon.

Comments

OK

[agentleman.livejournal.com]

OK who's this Drieser geezer? (this is less fitting if his name takes the German pronunciation.)
Agent Philistinian L.

Re: OK

[krasota.livejournal.com]

Theodore Dreiser was a fairly important US writer of the turn-of-the-last-century. His stuff is horribly dry and entertaining. ;)

He was a Realist writer and one of his novels, Sister Carrie, follows Naturalism canon perfectly. Some of his themes were revolutionary at the time and some of his works were censored for decades, some not published in entirety until well after his death.

[pixiecrinkle.livejournal.com]

I made it through high school and an English degree without Dreiser. Then again, I made it through without reading about 80% of the male canon either. Quiz me on early renaissance women writers who no one's ever heard of, and I'm fine. But ask me something about Chaucer, Dickens, etc. and I've read them, but retained nothing.

This all became apparent when I took the English GRE subject test and got the lowest standardized test score of my life. I did get all the questions about Toni Morrison's Beloved right though.