Staid, Painful, Turgid Literature in the English Language

[bobbybittman]

I always said that Henry James was less an author than he was a sleep therapist.

[Arteum]

I really can't go for Joseph Conrad. Right now I'm reading Lord Jim. Most of it so far has been describing the beuty of the sea. I guess I would appreciate it if I was a sailor or something, but I just can't relate to it. I hope the book gets beeter, and I hope Heart of Darkness isn't as boring. I would be really disapointed since I have heard many good things about it.

Have any of you guys read W. Somerset Maugham? I am in the middle of Of Human Bondage and am loving it. I can seriously relate to many of the quirky philosophical views on life that it offers. Speaking of which, why don't we have the book on this site?

Robert E Lee:

> I've read Nostromo and The Secret Agent by Conrad. While Nostromo
> drags, it doesn't match my definition of stolid, painful literature. What I > have in mind is stiff, conventional, genteel crap about characters about > whom one can't give a ****. The Secret Agent is far from boring.

> Yes, I've read Of Human Bondage. I find it overrated. It's loaded with
> trite moralistic messages and follows every generic convention in the
> book (no pun intended).

We, guys, have something to talk about
I am reading "Nostromo" by J. Conrad and I already spent 3 months although I'm still in the middle of it. I usually read 3 or 4 books at a time and it is only once a week or so that I force myself to a few pages of "Nostromo". Oh, how happy I will be when this slow, turgid, gooey novel ends!

"Of Human Bondage", on the contrary, is a genuine pleasure to read. Although by the time I have read it I had already discovered many of the truths of life which Maugham describes, I still felt like I've learnt a lot from this book.

Shuai, also try Maugham's short stories. He's one of the best English short story writers.

[gterpenkas]

James Joyce, the Bronte family, and Charles Dickens are my most hated of all authors. I find Joyce to be overly verbose and pretentious, and I think he had no concept whatsoever of exactly what he was writing. The Brontes are probably the most annoying of all authors (especially Charlotte). I could write you a hundred-thousand page essay describing why I hate Dickens; he was the most boring, wordy, arrogant hothead to ever sit down and write. He had no good ideas of his own, as just about everything I've ever read from him has a slew of themes "borrowed" from other works and he passes them off as his own. He uses the most bland symbols I've ever heard of that dont communicate anything but refuse. As I've already stated, I could go on forever, but I'll have to truncate it before I turn out some boring, drawn out ramble that makes you want to vomit in terror.

[Vronaqueen]

I agree with gterpenkas 100% especially when it comes to Dickens and the Brontes, but although Joyce is pretentious and overtly aristocratic with his style, above all his stories are entirely depressing. The American for instance was simply rapped up with the lead female characterlocking herself in nunnery! it's a little tidy don't you think?

[Helen]

i sympethise, i took 'the ambassador' on holiday with me after i had read 'the europeans' which i liked, but has anyone noticed nothing much seems to happen? anyway could not get past chapter 1 of the former, and had to read magazines!!!!!

[gterpenkas]

I agree with gterpenkas 100% especially when it comes to Dickens and the Brontes, but although Joyce is pretentious and overtly aristocratic with his style, above all his stories are entirely depressing. The American for instance was simply rapped up with the lead female characterlocking herself in nunnery! it's a little tidy don't you think?

What I find really depressing is that the 'depression' in his books is a borrowed idea that he ruined. Also, I prefer bitterness over depression. For example, read the opening page of Evelyn Waugh's A Handfull of Dust; it involves describing no people as being hurt, but two maids killed themselves. For depression, read Aldous Huxley's Brave New World (If you don't find the ending depressing, there's something wrong with you), and then theres the more classic examples, like the Oedipus trillogy, and one of my personal favorites, Euripides' The Baccae.

Basically, my literary appetite does not crave any of that turgid victorianesque garbage that came out of those things that called themselves authors.

[Johnpug]

My brother in law (whose opinions on books is usually quite good) gave me Dreiser's American Tragedy to read saying it was his "favorite book of all time" - oh my god, it is like chinese water torture to read. I have started it several times but about 25% through I can't read any more. Then I usually read some Vonnegut or O'Brians' Aubrey-Maturin's books to clean my head out a little. The bum has yet to read my #1 read of all time "100 Years of Solitude!"

I agree about Dickens being somnogenic too. My favorite Dicken's novel was C. Palliser's The Quincunx!

BTW, Dubliner's is a both a great read and and nice movie...

JP