NietzscheKeen
Well-Known Member
I've been trying to do some catch up reading on the classics. Since I've begun, I've noticed that many great books were banned for at least a short period at some point in time. I'm currently reading Lolita. It's taken me much longer than it should have to reach part 2, but I've had a lot going on. I was curious about thoughts on the book from those that have actually read it.
The content isn't what I was led to believe it would be. I often wondered why it is always rated one of the top ten books on many of the lists I've found. To me, it's the language that makes the book so amazing. The style and techniques are actually fun and interesting to pick apart and analyze. I haven't read much fiction up to this point, so it's been enlightening. For so many years, I thought reading fiction was a waste of time; I turned my nose up at them in favor of non-fiction. Now I'm finding that the great thing about literature is it is a mirror with which to look at myself. I see WAY too much of myself in Holden Caulfield and realized about 2/3 of the way through The Catch in the Rye, that he was completely obnoxious; made me aware that I probably am obnoxious as well and should work on that. While reading Lolita, I begin to question my ethics as I find myself almost rooting for the pedophile on occasion. Being in the mind of Humbert, a mind that seems to almost lack a moral compass, has been an interesting experience and has caused me to think about the ethics of thinking about ethics.
I never finished it, but the idiot also allowed me to see myself from an outside point of view with a clarity that I'd never imagined possible. I'm finding that it's not so much what you learn from the characters that will enrich your life, but what you learn from the guided introspection that these books facilitate.
The content isn't what I was led to believe it would be. I often wondered why it is always rated one of the top ten books on many of the lists I've found. To me, it's the language that makes the book so amazing. The style and techniques are actually fun and interesting to pick apart and analyze. I haven't read much fiction up to this point, so it's been enlightening. For so many years, I thought reading fiction was a waste of time; I turned my nose up at them in favor of non-fiction. Now I'm finding that the great thing about literature is it is a mirror with which to look at myself. I see WAY too much of myself in Holden Caulfield and realized about 2/3 of the way through The Catch in the Rye, that he was completely obnoxious; made me aware that I probably am obnoxious as well and should work on that. While reading Lolita, I begin to question my ethics as I find myself almost rooting for the pedophile on occasion. Being in the mind of Humbert, a mind that seems to almost lack a moral compass, has been an interesting experience and has caused me to think about the ethics of thinking about ethics.
I never finished it, but the idiot also allowed me to see myself from an outside point of view with a clarity that I'd never imagined possible. I'm finding that it's not so much what you learn from the characters that will enrich your life, but what you learn from the guided introspection that these books facilitate.
