to read "Jane Eyre'.

Explaination: I read 'Jane Eyre' several years ago, and was absolutely determined to get through it. I struggled, but I got there. After re'reading TEA for about the 4th time, I decided I'd best re-read 'Jane eyre' to refresh my memory. I thought it would be easier second time around. I was wrong. I decided by chapter Ten that there are far more interesting books out there waiting to be read, so I needn't waste my life on this one.

Anyone agree? Or am I opening myself up for all sorts of censure?

I love 'Jane Eyre' these days, but I can well understand what you mean. I had tried reading it lots of times and gave up in frustration. I was stuck at home for awhile and started re-reading it and for some reason it clicked with me and became a favourite read. To switch sisters, for the life of me I can't enjoy 'Wuthering Heights', and I have tried.

Generally the more I feel I 'have' to read something the less I can get any enjoyment out of it and just give up trying to understand what I'm reading.

No, I didn't like Wuthering Heights at all. I haven't tried Jane Eyre yet, but I have just downloaded it for my Palm - it might be next, actually, I've just finished Wizardry Compiled by Rick Cook, which is fantastic, by the way. But I'm lugging around bags big enough for proper books just now because I'm totally hooked on Sewer, Gas and Electric by Matt Ruff.

Oooh, and I got this email yesterday:

> So I read 'The Eyre Affair' at the weekend. I absolutely loved it - I
> can't wait to get the second book. Many, many thanks for the
> recommendation... ;)

Hurrah!



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Do something pretty while you can...

Had to do Wuthering Heights for A level (just one of 10 books set including King Lear, Measure for Measure and poems by Tennyson - what a happy lot we were that year!) and haven't been able to pick it up again since. Of the other 6 books, I've re-read Emma (very funny), ignored both books 9 & 10 of Paradise Lost, read more of the Canterbury Tales - we did the Franklin's Tale - and for the life of me I can't remember the other 2! So must have been very memorable!

Like Jane Eyre though.

Ah. I had to do Wuthering Heights for uni, I think. Emma for Higher English. It was great.

Measure for Measure is one of the plays on in the Botanics here in a couple of weeks, and I realised I knew *nothing* about it at all - not even history/comedy/tragedy. Very odd.



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Do something pretty while you can...

We had to do both "Jane Eyre" and "Wuthering Heights" at school. The former made me weep copiously during English lessons (it took me years before I could actually read it and enjoy it), and the second made me want to give Cathy a good kick up the backside and tell her to go and find herself a man who was less trouble. Even at the age of fourteen I could see that Heathcliff was really bad news from a romantic point of view. I expect I'd feel even more inclined to kick her these days!



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That which does not kill us makes us stranger.
(Llewelyn the dragon, Ozy and Millie)

Sarah

I vaguely recall that it was Cathy I wanted to kick - all that wailing! But I could be wrong.



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Do something pretty while you can...

Dante - you don't want to know anything about Measure for Measure, I assure you!

I thought that nearly the entire cast of characters from 'Wuthering Heights' deserved a good long bout in group therapy and I wouldn't usually wish that on anyone, fictional or not!

Thinking of 'life's too short to read..' and the mentions of Shakespeare; does anyone actually read his plays for enjoyment? Shakespeare has my respect and admiration but I am about as likely to pick up one of his plays to read as I would be to settle down and read Beckett, Ibsen or Chekov. I have not met anyone as yet who felt the true magic of a play unfold through studying it first rather than going to see it performed. Maybe they should have moved Shakespeare to Drama class instead, we never did any performance of his work just deconstruction.

belochka, you will be in for a surprise after 1st July ...

*mmmmfmmmmfmmmf* *Carla is dragged away with someone covering her mouth*

Carla - Damn, now I don't know whether to expect surprises about group therapy or Shakespeare!! lol

grrr, about time for Jasper to open a WOLP fforum methinks, so you lucky lot can talk without spoiling it for us plebs without contacts, or obscean amounts of money for eBay :p

Only.....how many days? 14? (Carla, are the bookshops opening at midnight on the 31st? Heh. Ooh, 30th, so that means it's only 13 days...)



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Do something pretty while you can...

Kaz, remain uncensured.

I also read Wuthering Heights, after it had been serialised on the TV (showing my age again). At the time I thought it was brilliant, but every year between has increased the distaste. Agreed, I have no sympathy with any of them. I think I only liked it the first time because I was 14 (I think) and not adult enough to know better.

Regards much other olde worlde fiction, I do find it hard going, there is so much to do to put yourself in their world. One of the advantages of reading or writing about imaginary worlds is that the author is forced to explain their inner workings, whereas period fiction was written for the period, and leaves the future reader to wallow.

I like to have something I can latch onto in a book; believable characters (or unbelievable ones!) that I can understand help a lot.

You may be surprised to learn that I heartily believe the worst book ever written was 'The Notion Club Papers' by JRR Tolkien. I think it may be a case of 'Crustaceans Revenge'.

I read Jane Eyre when I was quite young (9 or 10), and got thoroughly bored after she left school! I had to do Pride and Prejudice for GCSE and actually celebrated when I finally managed to trawl my way through the d*mn thing. Haven't actually managed to read many more of the 'classics'. Read a couple of Hardy's short stories, and refused to touch him ever again, to the point of refusing to do an essay on him for GCSE (the supply teacher we had was a walkover, and I got to do an essay on Rime of the Ancient Mariner instead!)
OTOH, I've always loved Shakespeare, both reading the plays and watching them being performed.



I drink to drown my sorrows. Unfortunately they've learnt how to swim.

I've never had to 'do' a book. Didn't do English Lit at 'O' level, 'A' level or any other level.

It has the advantage that I've never been put off reading anything by having to analyse everything in detail. However, it means I've very little critical faculty when I do read.

I've never read Shakespeare although I like his plays. Always seems best to see plays rather than read them. I bought Rozencrantz and Guildenstern to read the witty dialogue but have never managed to read the thing through. Much better to go see the play again.

I actually enjoyed analysing some of the stuff - the ones that were written to be analysed (Toni Morrison's "Beloved" is a case in point). But I am so glad I decided not to do it at degree level - I have too many friends who never want to see a book again!



I drink to drown my sorrows. Unfortunately they've learnt how to swim.

I've managed to survive the English degree thing, but probably because I only read about half the books I was meant to, and went to less than half the lectures... I do know never to go anywhere near William Blake or James Joyce. Except for one good bit in Portrait of the Artist where Joyce does a great 3 page description of fiery hell...



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That must have been fun!
One of my friends is mad enough to be doing a PhD in English - based entirely on late 19C authors.



I drink to drown my sorrows. Unfortunately they've learnt how to swim.

I often wish I'd done some English Lit. I do really struggle to explain why I've liked or disliked what I've read. I does have some advantages in that I never think about the writer when I'm reading so suspend my disbelief totally.