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Faulkner isn't for everyone. He's not my cup of tea, either, but there are a lot of people I respect who love him. One thing is for sure -- it isn't an "easy read".
All the Ulysses haters -- I sympathize but disagree. It's very hard to read and understand, plus it isn't 10% as good as some critics make it out to be. But it's still pretty good.
Joyce reminds me of what some wag said about Wagner's music: "It's better than it sounds."
My personal choice for the worst book I ever tried to read (repeatedly) would be The Color Purple.
Faulkner isn't for everyone. He's not my cup of tea, either, but there are a lot of people I respect who love him. One thing is for sure -- it isn't an "easy read".
All the Ulysses haters -- I sympathize but disagree. It's very hard to read and understand, plus it isn't 10% as good as some critics make it out to be. But it's still pretty good.
Joyce reminds me of what some wag said about Wagner's music: "It's better than it sounds."
My personal choice for the worst book I ever tried to read (repeatedly) would be The Color Purple.
Actually, Faulkner happens to be my favorite author. Which is why I hated TSATF, b/c it was almost nonsensical, especially compared with his other works, which I love. In short, I was seriously disappointed.
I also love Joyce but can also sympathize with Ulysees haters (that book is what I would call a "tome" and is difficult to get through for sheer size alone not to mention language and stream-of-consciousness-ness.)
I will be sure to stay away from TCP; I already saw (and liked) the movie anyway, but I can definitely see how its book-form would be hate-worthy.
Just my opinion, but Brian Aldiss and James Joyce. I have yet to find an Aldiss book that makes sense, even the coherent ones are boring or insane...Helliconia #1 was about the most boring thing I have ever read, and don't get me started about the book where aliens communicate by eating each others poop. Joyce I find the most pointless and depressing thing have ever read, I hate to end a book where I am wondering weather to off myself.
Just my opinion, but Brian Aldiss and James Joyce. I have yet to find an Aldiss book that makes sense, even the coherent ones are boring or insane...Helliconia #1 was about the most boring thing I have ever read, and don't get me started about the book where aliens communicate by eating each others poop. Joyce I find the most pointless and depressing thing have ever read, I hate to end a book where I am wondering weather to off myself.
*LOL* You are so right about Joyce--he is depressing. I read "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" in highschool, though, and loved it b/c I was suffering from typical teen angst, so it was very cathartic and therapeutic. I am not familiar with Aldiss (and don't think that I ever will be.)
Some books you have to read at the right time. I am sure that if I read some Joyce now, I would find it very disturbing and depressing. But at the time, it was one of my favs for sheer dramatic melancholy alone
Susan Howatch "Glamorous Powers". I'm 260 pages into the book and it's just awfully boring! Certainly not as interesting as the text on the back promises to be. I don't like putting a book away before finishing it but I guess I will make an exception.
The Sound and The Fury was the first Faulkner I read and I actually really liked it. I picked it up to read it a 2nd time recently but couldn't get into it this time. But that first time I loved it. I'd say get it from the library and give it a shot.
All kinds of opinions on Faulkner. Personally, I love him, but I could not get through Sound and Fury--but love the title. I did like (a lot) "Absalom, Absalom" and "As I Lay Dying". Also read "The Hamlet" part of a trilogy which I thought very good.
Just saying "The Sound and the Fury" may not be the best indicator of whether or not one likes Faulkner.
"The Oxford American" a southern literary magazine had a biographical article on Faulkner several years ago--was quite interesting. He did some screenwriting (1930's) because he couldn't support himself and family as a novelist.--Hated Hollywood.
No One Here Gets Out Alive: The Biography of Jim Morrison by Jerry Hopkins and Daniel Sugerman
The writing is like this, "This happened, and then this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened..."
This book immediately crossed my mind when I saw this thread. I read the whole thing, but it took a while. I also really disliked American Taboo-A Murder in the Peace Corps (and I usually love true crime books) by Philip Weiss, and I just couldn't get into Body Surfing by Anita Shreve. Ugh!
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Me, too!!
