Day #24 of the 30 Day Book Challenge

[shadowkat]

The prompt is A book you were supposed to read in school but didn't

Rest of the meme is HERE

Hmm..I've either lost count or the person who did this meme did? It looks longer than it should be. I'm guessing I did. But who knows?

A book I was supposed to read in school but didn't. First of all - school was a VERY long time ago - I don't remember most of it.

Ah, I am going to go with two books for a Myth and Meaning Course I took in undergrad - that I somehow managed to avoid reading.

1. The Odyssey by Homer

and

2. Til We Have Faces by CS Lewis

I managed to bluff that I'd read them, when I hadn't. I read a portion, gave up, and bluffed.

Comments

[mtbc]

Till We Have Faces is an interesting one in that I recall it leaving me with very mixed feelings. Someday I may reread it to see what I make of it again. It's interesting and different, I'll give it that, not sure what I think of the underlying intent though.

[shadowkat]

I tried to read it several times, but couldn't get past the first few chapters. I've issues with CS Lewis - he's incredibly preachy and religious in some of his novels, and I find myself arguing with him.

I think it's why I liked Philip Pullman - who also had issues with Lewis, and Tolkien, who did as well.

[cactuswatcher]

Along with everyone else, I was supposed to read John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress for my high school senior English class. A few days before the Friday we were due to talk about it in class, I realized I wasn't going to get it done. Now, I can partly blame dyslexia for making it such an impossible chore to read. But then I didn't know why reading it wasn't working. I just knew our teacher was making a big deal out of it, and I could barely remember anything. So when the day came, I decided to skip school and fake it when the test rolled around.

I came to school the next Monday and several of the kids who were in that class with me, made a point of telling me our teacher was out sick the same day I was out pretending. She'd left word for the substitute to have *me* lead the discussion on the book while she was gone. So when the last period came around, our teacher, who was back, discovered fairly quickly I didn't know beans about the book. So she gave a semi-impromptu lecture. Enough for me to comfortably pass that test, but too late to hide my initial ignorance. ;o)

[shadowkat]

Oh god. Evil teacher. I feel for you. Oh well, at least you were able to pass the test. I remember people in school passing around the cliff notes to Moby Dick and Candide. (I admittedly did review cliff notes - but mainly in law school.)

I tried Piligrim Progress too once and did not get past the first chapter. Possibly because I was allergic to the book (it was an old copy) or it just did not interest me?
I've never been able to get into Moby Dick or Candide either (although I read Candide in French - so that may have been why?)

[cactuswatcher]

Rather than evil I'd say she was kind of in a bind. I must have contributed well to discussions before on Canterbury Tales and whatever else we'd read before we got to Pilgrim's Progress. I got an A in the class, and she didn't do it to embarrass me. I was shocked that she'd chosen me, but also more than a little flattered. If I'd read the book and shown up, who knows how it would have gone, but I'd have tried. She couldn't know any more than I could predict that of all those older English works that a lot of kids have trouble with that Pilgirm's Progess would be the one I'd crap out on!