I found it boring, that's why I never finished it.

[QUOTE=Happy]I found it boring, that's why I never finished it.[/QUOTE]

Oh, well they killed the fat kid.

Which signified the death of order within the society. Or something like that.

I thought it was good, at least for a school book. There's much worse out there (The Scarlet Letter).

[QUOTE=Happy]Which signified the death of order within the society. Or something like that.[/QUOTE]

No it didn't. Scholars make up that sh[SIZE="2"]it[/SIZE]. Don't you ever think an author writes a story just to write a story?

[QUOTE]I thought it was good, at least for a school book. There's much worse out there (The Scarlet Letter).[/QUOTE]

The title makes me not want to read it.

[QUOTE=Joe]No it didn't. Scholars make up that sh[SIZE="2"]it[/SIZE]. Don't you ever think an author writes a story just to write a story?
[/QUOTE]
That's precisely what I think. I think he wrote it, not intending for it to be like that and some teacher made the link between his death and the collapse of society and think it's really clever.
Same goes for crappy poems.

Hey guys I just woke up. Its about 11:00 here in New York. I have a snow day and all the snow has melted already. Its great...

NP: Iron Maiden - Flight of Icarus

[QUOTE=GenuineImitation]Hey guys I just woke up. Its about 11:00 here in New York. I have a snow day and all the snow has melted already. Its great...

NP: Iron Maiden - Flight of Icarus[/QUOTE]
I hate it when I have a snow day, choose to lay in and when I wake up it's gone. I like to play in the snow.

[QUOTE=Happy]That's precisely what I think. I think he wrote it, not intending for it to be like that and some teacher made the link between his death and the collapse of society and think it's really clever.
Same goes for crappy poems.[/QUOTE]

Well there are some books and some poems that I do think have a meaning like that. When we read Of Mice and Men our teacher showed us that's the whole thing is an allusion to Paradise Lost, which was total bull. She had like three clues that are probably in nearly every book if you really take the time to look that hard. It's crazy some of this stuff.

There was one scene in Lord of the Flies that "scholars" said is similar to a rape scene and I was like "no sh[SIZE="2"]it[/SIZE]!" I hate how every book according to "scholars" has to have a specific meaning, and if in class you disagree with the scholars you get a bad grade

[QUOTE]I hate it when I have a snow day, choose to lay in and when I wake up it's gone. I like to play in the snow.[/QUOTE]

Me too. It's a snow day here too down in Maryland

[QUOTE=Happy]I hate it when I have a snow day, choose to lay in and when I wake up it's gone. I like to play in the snow.[/QUOTE]

I love it when that happens. Sure, I dont get to play in the snow, but I don't have to shovel he snow also.

[QUOTE=GenuineImitation]I love it when that happens. Sure, I dont get to play in the snow, but I don't have to shovel he snow also.[/QUOTE]

Good point. I had to get out and shovel this morning.

[QUOTE=Happy]That's precisely what I think. I think he wrote it, not intending for it to be like that and some teacher made the link between his death and the collapse of society and think it's really clever.
Same goes for crappy poems.[/QUOTE]

I've always had that feeling with Hemingway. People really like to over-analyze everything he did.

Funny thing is, I once read a book on low-budget filmmaking where the author said, "Don't worry about making complex metaphors, imagery, or symbolism. The critics and film-snobs will do that for you."

[QUOTE=Steerpike]I've always had that feeling with Hemingway. People really like to over-analyze everything he did.

Funny thing is, I once read a book on low-budget filmmaking where the author said, "Don't worry about making complex metaphors, imagery, or symbolism. The critics and film-snobs will do that for you."[/QUOTE]

I just finished reading The Great Gatsby and it was really good and well done in class because we didn't go over anything scholars said or anything stupid that experts think is important and how it relates to society and such.

:lol:

Gatsby doesn't really need metaphors and symbolism to relate to society or whatever else, the meaning and point of the book is pretty clear cut and obvious.

Exactly. That's why I liked it. It was a great book.

[QUOTE=Steerpike]I've always had that feeling with Hemingway. People really like to over-analyze everything he did.

Funny thing is, I once read a book on low-budget filmmaking where the author said, "Don't worry about making complex metaphors, imagery, or symbolism. The critics and film-snobs will do that for you."[/QUOTE]
Heh, it's true. They must scour the books for metaphors, imagery and symbolism. I pesonally couldn't see the links.

[QUOTE=Joe]Exactly. That's why I liked it. It was a great book.[/QUOTE]

Yea, I enjoyed it because it was to the point and simple.

[QUOTE=Lunch]Yea, I enjoyed it because it was to the point and simple.[/QUOTE]

Yea, exactly. There aren't many books like that. I can't stand the fictional books that experts make total nonsense out of. Books should be read for fun, not necessarily for a message

It's off topic but has anyone read "A Child Called It"?

[QUOTE=Happy]It's off topic but has anyone read "A Child Called It"?[/QUOTE]

Haven't. Why do you ask?

[QUOTE=Joe]Haven't. Why do you ask?[/QUOTE]
It's not a fictional book, it's a true story about a man who was abused by a mother as a child. She tortured him almost, making him sit in the basement, not giving him clean clothes and making him go to school in soiled underwear. She used to strangle him until he passed out too I believe but it's been a long time since I read it. It's the first book in a series that documents his life, form child to adult but I think it's the best one and it's my favourite book. I was just asking to see if anyone else had read it.

You guys are exaggerating, there are a lot of authors who intentionally put in layers and deeper meanings in their novels. It's not just all 'story'.

Yes, I'm a linguistics and literature student, I'm supposed to say it, but it's true. If everything was just story, you wouldn't have to call it literature.

[QUOTE=Superpeer]You guys are exaggerating, there are a lot of authors who intentionally put in layers and deeper meanings in their novels. It's not just all 'story'.

Yes, I'm a linguistics and literature student, I'm supposed to say it, but it's true. If everything was just story, you wouldn't have to call it literature.[/QUOTE]

Well yes, there are tons of stories that are supposed to have meanings. I like the ones where there aren't meanings forced into them.

Happy: That book sounds pretty interesting

[QUOTE=Joe]Well yes, there are tons of stories that are supposed to have meanings. I like the ones where there aren't meanings forced into them.

Happy: That book sounds pretty interesting[/QUOTE]

Well, stories are good, yeah. But even if the author didn't intend something, why wouldn't you be allowed to see it? It's like a painting, the painter makes it, but a lot of people see different things in it. Why not interpret things differently in novels?

That's the beauty of art, my man. :p

hey super...


how can i get my previously hijacked account back?



I changed the password btw

[QUOTE=Superpeer]Well, stories are good, yeah. But even if the author didn't intend something, why wouldn't you be allowed to see it? It's like a painting, the painter makes it, but a lot of people see different things in it. Why not interpret things differently in novels?

That's the beauty of art, my man. :p[/QUOTE]

But there's a lot of entertainment in it too. It's not necessarily to prove a point to someone or critique society. Yes every story has a theme, but I don't think you can take every scene of a book like in Lord of the Flies and relate it to society. I agree about art, its all open for interpretation, but then you reach the point eventually where you're so off on a tangent where its not even related to the actual piece of art anymore

[QUOTE=Che Guevara]hey super...


how can i get my previously hijacked account back?



I changed the password btw[/QUOTE]

Not sure, you should ask Jim. (DBJ)


[QUOTE]But there's a lot of entertainment in it too. It's not necessarily to prove a point to someone or critique society. Yes every story has a theme, but I don't think you can take every scene of a book like in Lord of the Flies and relate it to society. I agree about art, its all open for interpretation, but then you reach the point eventually where you're so off on a tangent where its not even related to the actual piece of art anymore[/QUOTE]

I agree that not everything goes, but just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it can't be there. Take your user title, for example. A lot of people think it's about suicide, while it's actually about the theft of equipment. Those two seem pretty far off, but a lot of people find it's beauty in the first interpretation, so, why not?

[QUOTE=Steerpike]
Funny thing is, I once read a book on low-budget filmmaking where the author said, "Don't worry about making complex metaphors, imagery, or symbolism. The critics and film-snobs will do that for you."[/QUOTE]

A Media Studies A-Level managed to ruin films for me. I never watch anything remotely serious anymore - it's just horror or comedy. I've just got so fed up of seeing stupid imagery and symbolism everywhere that I now aim for films without any artistic content!

[QUOTE=Superpeer]I agree that not everything goes, but just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it can't be there. Take your user title, for example. A lot of people think it's about suicide, while it's actually about the theft of equipment. Those two seem pretty far off, but a lot of people find it's beauty in the first interpretation, so, why not?[/QUOTE]

True. I think its one of those cases we're talking about where there is that depth in it, but there are some songs/books/paintings where it seems the meanings are forced. The user title is about suicide, but writtin because of the theft. It's not necessarily supposed to be anything else but the feeling of suicide. I just disagree with literary scholars that seem to force a lot of ideas into books that weren't necessarily supposed to be there, but for all I know maybe they were supposed to be there. Maybe William Golding meant for Piggy's death to be the death and collapse of society, who knows.

[QUOTE=Jondur]A Media Studies A-Level managed to ruin films for me. I never watch anything remotely serious anymore - it's just horror or comedy. I've just got so fed up of seeing stupid imagery and symbolism everywhere that I now aim for films without any artistic content![/QUOTE]
I was considering that for 6th form but once I saw the crowd of people taking it (people I hate) I changed my mind.