The most influential literature you've ever read

[Stargazer86]

What is the most influental piece of literature you've ever read and why?

1. Title and author
2. Type of literature (poem, essay, novel, short story etc)
3. What has made it so important/impactful to you


1. Ryme of the Ancient Mariner by S.T. Coleridge
2. Poem
3. I fell in love with this poem from the very first time I read it. I love the story, the imagery, and really everything about it. This was the first poem I'd ever read by Coleridge, and since then, he has become my favorite poet by far. This poem encouraged me to take and focus on English literature classes when I enrolled at my community college after high school and to further study the Romantic era. I have one stanza of the poem tattooed on me and plan to add at least another stanza at some point in time. I feel as if the poem is part of me (if that makes any sense)

[JBI]

What is the most influential in regard to literary history, or what is the book that influenced you the most?

[Stargazer86]

That's influenced you the most/means the most to you personally for whatever reason.

[JBI]

Eugene Onegin got me reading, and probably put me on the course from going into finance, to going into literature. I Canti by Leopardi got me to study Italian, which has been incredibly influential in my life. Also, numerous other poets, notably Eliot who shapes the way I read symbols today, and Keats more so than ever these days. I think I got started on Can-Lit by Lampman's poetry, and Anne Hebert's and various other sources, and I stole a great deal from for personal composition, when I was writing poetry still, from many obscure sources, namely Inuit traditional pieces, and Ojibwa folklore.



Beyond that though, I think, in terms of how I read, I seem to cross a strong sense of Frye, namely The Great Code, and The Bush Garden, as well as the Anatomy of Criticism to some extent, with a strong blend of existential theory thrown in, and various stylistic theories. I still read Stephen Adams' sections on prosody and rhetoric from Poetic Designs about once a month, which seems to have built my poetry discussing terminology to a better level, but beyond that - far too many texts to think about right now.

[Stargazer86]

It certainly is difficult to narrow it down to just one! I had trouble doing so myself.
I confess I'm not familiar with anything you referenced in your post (I feel rather dense!)
Thank you for sharing :) I plan on looking in to at least some of what you listed

Has the majority of your reading/education been self discovered and self taught, or as a result of formal education (or both?)

[john_stepp]

Eugene Onegin got me reading, and probably put me on the course from going into finance, to going into literature. I Canti by Leopardi got me to study Italian, which has been incredibly influential in my life. Also, numerous other poets, notably Eliot who shapes the way I read symbols today, and Keats more so than ever these days. I think I got started on Can-Lit by Lampman's poetry, and Anne Hebert's and various other sources, and I stole a great deal from for personal composition, when I was writing poetry still, from many obscure sources, namely Inuit traditional pieces, and Ojibwa folklore.



Beyond that though, I think, in terms of how I read, I seem to cross a strong sense of Frye, namely The Great Code, and The Bush Garden, as well as the Anatomy of Criticism to some extent, with a strong blend of existential theory thrown in, and various stylistic theories. I still read Stephen Adams' sections on prosody and rhetoric from Poetic Designs about once a month, which seems to have built my poetry discussing terminology to a better level, but beyond that - far too many texts to think about right now.

What is your profession?

[The Comedian]

Has the majority of your reading/education been self discovered and self taught, or as a result of formal education (or both?)

I think most of my literary habit have come via formal education. However, when I say this, I do not refer only to those book that I was assigned in a class. But rather, my formal education put me on the literary path; when I was young, I found literary worth and meaning in school. School helped to foster and direct my love of environmental writing, poetry, non-fiction, and novels. A friend in graduate school recommended that I read a comic book, and since that moment, I have a passion for comics.

So while most of the books that I have read and my continued search for meaning and worth in words is primary self-taught, I would not have known where to begin, what questions to ask, what books to search out, or what to look for, if it had not been for formal schooling.

:)

[LostPrincess13]

1. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
2. Novel
3. It took me months to finish the book because I had to take long breathers, digesting the profound ideologies and reflecting on them (well, I also sort of lost it and took me a while to find it :D). I recognized my own suppressed beliefs in Ms. Rand's philosophies. It made me appreciate and accept myself in a way I would never have before, and it brought me inner peace. The things which society taught me to be believe as selfish and morally unacceptable, may be the very things that would set me apart from a life of misery and despair. The book provided the answers and explanations to the questions I've long been asking. I am offer my deepest gratitude to Ms. Rand for speaking out and standing by what she believes in no matter what. I applaud her for her intellect and courage in stating things as they are, without pretenses. her work has left an impression that I will carry all throughout my life.:)

[JBI]

What is your profession?

Student at university.

[maraki16]

1. paulo coelho's books, especially the alchemist and the fifth mountain
2. novels
3. the philosophical elements he blends with the plot really touch me. his writing is absolutely inspirous

1. the sonnets of dark love( free translation) by federico garcia lorka
2. poetry
3. i adore the intensity of the sentiments and the beautiful, lyrical and romantic way he uses to express them. he inspires me when i attempt to write poetry. the emotions that raise in my soul when i read lorka cannot be described. i can even cry when thinking of his verses, i can even see them unfold in front of my eyes. it is magical.

[maraki16]

Eugene Onegin got me reading, and probably put me on the course from going into finance, to going into literature. I Canti by Leopardi got me to study Italian, which has been incredibly influential in my life. Also, numerous other poets, notably Eliot who shapes the way I read symbols today, and Keats more so than ever these days. I think I got started on Can-Lit by Lampman's poetry, and Anne Hebert's and various other sources, and I stole a great deal from for personal composition, when I was writing poetry still, from many obscure sources, namely Inuit traditional pieces, and Ojibwa folklore.



Beyond that though, I think, in terms of how I read, I seem to cross a strong sense of Frye, namely The Great Code, and The Bush Garden, as well as the Anatomy of Criticism to some extent, with a strong blend of existential theory thrown in, and various stylistic theories. I still read Stephen Adams' sections on prosody and rhetoric from Poetic Designs about once a month, which seems to have built my poetry discussing terminology to a better level, but beyond that - far too many texts to think about right now.
you sound like a very cultivated person. certainly not like a university student.

[kiki1982]

My first book for grown-ups: The Assault (Mulisch) about a boy whose parents and brother were killed by the nazis because someone was killed before the neighbours' door, who put the body before their door. Later he discovers there was a bl-dy good reason for it.

Profound beginning (I remember reading it clandestinely in bed, my God, I was hypnotised by it) and the rest... It was my first touch of real grown-up literature and the first book I really liked to read. I suddenly understood why I hadn't been such a reader before: I was too grown-up so didn't like children's literature because it was too simple and straight-forward. Anyway: made a brilliant book-review and have been a reader ever since (to great joy of my father).

I'm afraid my love for books is not due to my teachers. They seemed to be determined to ruin it for me (certainly the French ones seemed out to ruin the reputation of their language), apart from the English one who was a great reader herself. I carried on by myself and found a lot more that was worth it.

My fancy for English classics was tickled by the BBC's bad adaptation of Jane Eyre. I had seen the one with Ciaran Hinds and thought that that was too different for the two to be the same work. I read the original and I have never stopped investigating since. It also made me a lot more self-confident as to my English, the same as Dumas did with my French.

Scott is my latest discovery. What a writer!

[prendrelemick]

Interesting question.

Different books have influenced me at different times.

The first book that was mine alone and not shared with six siblings was Winnie the Pooh, thats where I learnt to read independently.

Then there are the pulp books that were so bad, they set me on the way to look for something better. It's through them I found Austin, Shakespeare, Dickens and the rest.

But the books and plays of the ancient Greeks have influenced my perspective on life the most, so its probably Xenophon's Anabasis . Not a great work of literature, but as they bicker, fight, pull together, fall out, make up and struggle through, you get to see that people are people, no matter what age or civilisation they belong to.

[Hurricane]

1: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
2: Novel
3: Got me to stop worrying about what other people wanted me to think or do and to follow my own dreams and ideals. When I first read it, I was going through kind of a tough time trying to balance what I wanted to do with my life compared to my friends and what I felt was "expected" of me.

1: Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot
2: Poem
3: It made me not hate poetry, which is a bigger deal than it seems. All through middle and high school, I'd been taught poems I hated. I read "Leaves of Grass" and hated it. Every time we did poetry in English, I died inside. This poem (and "Dulce et Decorum est") changed that. It's the only poem I have on display in my room and I'm looking at it now.

[mayneverhave]

you sound like a very cultivated person. certainly not like a university student.

I'll try not to take offence to that, as I myself, am a university student, but it seems that being cultivated and being a university student are not necessarily congruous, but not necessarily paradoxical qualities, either.

At my university, at least, I'm not sure many of even my fellow English majors, my peers, so to speak, would know who Northrop Frye is, but its clear that, in order to really understand and master a thing, one has to go beyond what is normally required in the University.

[Mr Endon]

"Waiting for Godot", by Samuel Beckett. It is perfect in too many ways to mention. It made me take an interest in nothingness and ignorance. Makes me question my everyday reality every time I read it (routine, "the great deadener"). Besides, it's hilarious.

Also, "Crime and Punishment", by Dostoevsky. It made me cultivate a keen interest (borderline obession) for psychology and madness. It made me realise how I like prose to be written.

--
Just noticed I'd given a different answer to a similar question a week ago. Oh well.

[JBI]

I'll try not to take offence to that, as I myself, am a university student, but it seems that being cultivated and being a university student are not necessarily congruous, but not necessarily paradoxical qualities, either.

At my university, at least, I'm not sure many of even my fellow English majors, my peers, so to speak, would know who Northrop Frye is, but its clear that, in order to really understand and master a thing, one has to go beyond what is normally required in the University.

Here it is kind of expected that if you are in English, you know who Frye is - after all, he has a building named after him, and, so far as I can tell, has never not been mentioned in any of my literature courses.

That being said, Frye hardly works anymore. I think schools more than ever put a strong emphasis on theory in order to reduce the number of people attempting to get Ph.D.s, as, there is a surplus of Ph. D.s and not enough academic positions for them to all join Academia, much less get tenure (though in Canada, I feel, it seems much less of a problem than in the U.S.).

Really, I find you need to make yourself before you go in there, or you'll have a much harder time. You need to know how you stand on issues, what you think of certain texts, what you are interested in, and really have a sense of the discourse in order to write well. I've had courses where the second term had only 10 poems and T. S. Eliot's Four Quartets as required reading, but anyone who did well, really, had most certainly read at least 10 books of criticism on the Quartets before the essays came around. Some thing it isn't a competitive field - it is. More so than many others. Though, I don't envy people interested in getting Ph. D.s in English - it seems like English as a discipline has become a somewhat dangerous one to choose, as all humanities ones have become, in a sense, but I think more so English, as really, there are way too many Ph. D.s floating around.

In other words, if you want to succeed, and this works for the U. S. mostly, and I know the UK is having similar problems, make sure to cultivate yourself early.

[mayneverhave]

Here it is kind of expected that if you are in English, you know who Frye is - after all, he has a building named after him, and, so far as I can tell, has never not been mentioned in any of my literature courses.

That being said, Frye hardly works anymore. I think schools more than ever put a strong emphasis on theory in order to reduce the number of people attempting to get Ph.D.s, as, there is a surplus of Ph. D.s and not enough academic positions for them to all join Academia, much less get tenure (though in Canada, I feel, it seems much less of a problem than in the U.S.).

Really, I find you need to make yourself before you go in there, or you'll have a much harder time. You need to know how you stand on issues, what you think of certain texts, what you are interested in, and really have a sense of the discourse in order to write well. I've had courses where the second term had only 10 poems and T. S. Eliot's Four Quartets as required reading, but anyone who did well, really, had most certainly read at least 10 books of criticism on the Quartets before the essays came around. Some thing it isn't a competitive field - it is. More so than many others. Though, I don't envy people interested in getting Ph. D.s in English - it seems like English as a discipline has become a somewhat dangerous one to choose, as all humanities ones have become, in a sense, but I think more so English, as really, there are way too many Ph. D.s floating around.

In other words, if you want to succeed, and this works for the U. S. mostly, and I know the UK is having similar problems, make sure to cultivate yourself early.

Your reasoning behind Frye is a compelling one. Here in Philadelphia, however, there seems to be a general unawareness of literary critics or linguists that even come from Philadelphia. One example is Chomsky, who came from Philadelphia and attended U Penn - which is only slightly more prestigious than my University (this is a joke). Outside of the actual department professors, I would be hard pressed to find someone among my peers that knows of Chomsky.

I, myself, am a curious case as I generally acquired the majority of my knowledge while already in college, after a British Lit. class basically kicked my a$$ and forced me to educate myself. That being said, now-a-days my reading of criticism (which is hardly extensive when compared with someone like yourself) puts me at a great advantage when competing with other students, as the majority of students' interest stops at the reading of the primary text, and no thought is given to going beyond to theory or criticism unless it is required by the professor.

Do I lament that fact? No, not really. I consider my own personal education as distinct from that of others my age, and therefore it's irrelevant whether the others in my department take it to the same level.

[Jozanny]

I'll try not to take offence to that, as I myself, am a university student, but it seems that being cultivated and being a university student are not necessarily congruous, but not necessarily paradoxical qualities, either.

At my university, at least, I'm not sure many of even my fellow English majors, my peers, so to speak, would know who Northrop Frye is, but its clear that, in order to really understand and master a thing, one has to go beyond what is normally required in the University.

I know who Frye is, but he does not impress me all that much as a critic, scholar, or theorist. Levi-Strauss does, and some others, but I am still unpacking and not in functional literary mode. If I had the nerve may, I'd pm you my address and beg nicely for you to put your body at my assistance, assuming you are functionally able.

As to the subject of this thread, I am a crabby old woman and reject the methodology behind the question. There is no one over-riding influential author who makes a reader, another writer, or a critic. When I was a teen, it was science fiction, a too-early reading, but fortunate one, of Tony Morrison, and Robert Creeley, whom I met, later, in person, and made him laugh while my hands were shaking. For one god damn moment in 1986 I was actually enthralled. I am going to go curse fate and ponder lunch.

[Drkshadow03]

What is the most influental piece of literature you've ever read and why?

1. Title and author
2. Type of literature (poem, essay, novel, short story etc)
3. What has made it so important/impactful to you



"Goodbye, Columbus" by Philip Roth
Novella

It was the first story that made me really love literature. I enjoyed the funny playful style Roth exhibits. It was readable and understandable, but there was more happening under the surface. It was also the first fictional text that I read which focused on American Jewish experience. Yet, what really hooked me was the teenage failed romance plot. I had been getting over my first real relationship with a girl that I dated over a year in high school. This was such a powerful line to me at the time:

"What was it inside of me that had turned pursuit and clutching into love, and then turned it inside out again? What was it that had turned winning into losing, and losing -- who knows -- into winning? I was sure I had loved Brenda, though standing there, I knew I couldn't any longer."

It was the same questions I was dealing with. It was the first time literature connected so directly with my own life experiences.

By the way, nice to see you back, Jozanny.

[Jozanny]

It was the same questions I was dealing with. It was the first time literature connected so directly with my own life experiences.

By the way, nice to see you back, Jozanny.

OT: Thanks. If you have any buddies in Philly who are decent blokes willing to be put on loan, my friend, please pm me. I cannot really start to reorganize and really get back to freelancing until I have someone else's legs and hands to dictate to, and I have big bills coming in.

I apologize for disrupting, but a volunteer for a couple of hours would at least let me start returning to normal, my normal.

[mayneverhave]

OT: Thanks. If you have any buddies in Philly who are decent blokes willing to be put on loan, my friend, please pm me. I cannot really start to reorganize and really get back to freelancing until I have someone else's legs and hands to dictate to, and I have big bills coming in.

I apologize for disrupting, but a volunteer for a couple of hours would at least let me start returning to normal, my normal.

Where-abouts in Philly do you reside Jozanny?

[Jozanny]

may: I sent you a private message.

To explain my discomfort with the Op's question, it is not so much the question, but the framework. I prefer open-ended influences, and not a single exclusionary one. Like Drk, I read tomes of science fiction when I was his age and younger, classics, but contemporary titles as well, of the late 70's, 80's, and this complimented major impact writers, like S.E. Hinton-- The Outsiders is a great novel for future English majors. Just like Morrison's Milkman provided me with my first exposure to magical realism--not that I knew what MR was when I was fourteenish--but I never forgot Song of Solomon. It had a major impact on what I wanted my creative vision to become, which only broadened with post-graduate rereading.

Don't be so quick to lop the nose off of the face, that is what I'm trying to convey ;), perhaps more softly the second time around.

[promtbr]

I would have to approach it in three stages:

Stage 1

Don Quixote --Miguel de Cervantes

Novel

Read an out-take in a textbook as a sophomore in HS, on a whim I read the whole thing. It planted the seed of possibilites that 'ther be monsters' under the surface of the text in some books (ie literature) than shallow emotional responses (:lol: or :bawling:)

Stage 2

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock --T.S. Eliot

Poem

As a freshman in college came across it in a lit survey class. It sprouted the seed Don Quixote had planted. I thought hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm:idea:

Stage 3

Waiting For Godot --Samuel Beckett

Play

Saw the old Masterpeice theater production on PBS with Ralph Waits and ?, then read it (about 53 times) and said WTF!
HUGE influence on several levels. In my waking existance, from that point on, I pay more attention to what is said (and the silences before and after)...




------

[Stargazer86]

I think most of my literary habit have come via formal education. However, when I say this, I do not refer only to those book that I was assigned in a class. But rather, my formal education put me on the literary path; when I was young, I found literary worth and meaning in school. School helped to foster and direct my love of environmental writing, poetry, non-fiction, and novels. A friend in graduate school recommended that I read a comic book, and since that moment, I have a passion for comics.

So while most of the books that I have read and my continued search for meaning and worth in words is primary self-taught, I would not have known where to begin, what questions to ask, what books to search out, or what to look for, if it had not been for formal schooling.

:)

I'm very much the same way. Formal education gave me the right start and opened the doors to discovering new authors, poets, and genres which I have grown to love. I remember reading the tell tale heart when I was in 4th or 5th grade. It was a major discovery to me at that time and opened up this whole new world of literature beyond children's classics.

[Reader90]

1. "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
2. Novel
3. I absolutley adored this book. It really opened me up to the classics firstly. Dostoevsky turns words into art and he does so ina very seemingly effortless manner. The book made me think about so many different things because it was so unlike anything that I had ever read before. There were the obvious psychological elements to consider, and then the deeper moral issues, the "lesson", human nature, depravity, meaning, the theory, redemption, suffering, hopelessness, free will, the governement and law. Just a list of everything that it made me think about would fill a book of its own. I think that it just really opened my mind to alot of different things and made me want to read everything.

[k.brignell]

1) 1984 by George Orwell
2) Novel
3) Changed the way I percieve life and truth

[Mortis Anarchy]

1: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
2: Novel
3: Got me to stop worrying about what other people wanted me to think or do and to follow my own dreams and ideals. When I first read it, I was going through kind of a tough time trying to balance what I wanted to do with my life compared to my friends and what I felt was "expected" of me.



I'll second that one!

1-Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut
2-Novel
3-Really opened up my eyes. I wasn't very aware of the world my freshman year, so when I read Vonnegut, it made me really look into the actions of people and so on.