Wordsworth is a genious, and he suceedeed Coleridge as a poet laureate. I know that this sort of thing is subjective, but if Wordsworth's are the worst in the world, they would'nt last until this day.
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Originally Posted by RococoLocket
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Wordsworth is a genious, and he suceedeed Coleridge as a poet laureate. I know that this sort of thing is subjective, but if Wordsworth's are the worst in the world, they would'nt last until this day.
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Originally Posted by RococoLocket
Well it's just my personal opinion. I'm certain there are things you think are utter rubbish that have had accolades pour upon them too which you don't agree with :)Quote:
Originally Posted by subterranean
Sedaris isn't the best writer in the world but he is good for what he is: a humourist. I saw him read from "Me Talk Pretty" at the Sydney Writer's Fest. His stories are funny and engaging. They aren't going to win the National Book Award but I would say that isn't what he is going for.
As far as the Worst Book debate goes: I think Nicholas Sparks has to be one of the worst writers ever. I picked up Message in a Bottle after my friend raved about it. I have no idea why people think that tripe is readable.
I agree that Nicholas Sparks is pretty high on the list. I've never been able to read more than a few pages of his work at a go--it all reads like bad sentimental poetry written by a small girl. And yet, lots of people seem incredibly enthusiastic about the stuff. Maybe I'm just missing something.
Whether Dickens is boring is a matter of opinion, and whether he's slow is definately open to debate (how many pages does David Copperfield spend mooning over Dora?), but I don't find him at all depressing. He tackles some depressing subjects--social injustice, poverty, workhouses, screwed up old ladies with moldy wedding cakes--but he writes with such wit and irony that personally, I find it very entertaining. On the other hand, the whole paid-by-the-word system was definately not the brightest of publication ideas.Quote:
Originally Posted by RococoLocket
I think James Fennimore Cooper deserves a spot on the worst list. Twain's essay on his literary crimes was hilarious, and right on target.
Lucky this thread was asking me of my own opinion then ;) But I respect yours too m'dear; There'd be little point in a literature forum if we all had the same tastes :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Rosalind
Plus I was expecting a tirade or two anyhow, you can't expect any less when you rubbish any authors of Classics.
almost anything by Shakespeare. I'd rather trawl through Poetic Edda than read one of his plays.
James Copper wasn't a writer - he was a storyteller and a damned fine one at that.
Nicholas Sparks is a one-trick pony. If you are into mushy, staid, middle-aged angst than he'd fit right up your alley - most others will find him meandering and repetitive.
Not that he doesn't manage to tell powerful stories sometimes. 'Notebook' was a compelling story (If only to get a measure of the genre of books It spearheads), and 'A Walk To Remember' was an excellent deviation from the usual style, one of the sweetest books I have ever read. The insights it offer are pretty basic so no wonder it gets overlooked so much.
Alice Sebold is just vindictive - her reviews of Rowling's books make for an amusing read.
I know, I know! :) That's actually what I was saying--it's such a subjective matter of opinion that I wasn't going to argue about boringness. And, though I personally happen to like Dickens...well, the man could wax a bit dull. Imagine what a pleasant book 'David Copperfield' would be, were it about two hundred pages shorter.Quote:
Originally Posted by RococoLocket
And drat, now I'm about to embark on another 'tirade or two.' But come on, the Bard? He works absolute magic with words, he does comedy, tragedy, adventure, the lot, and most of his plays never get old. I think the biggest problem with Shakespeare is the way he's taught today. Thousands of middle school and high school students are poisoned against Shakespeare, because his works are meant to be seen, not read, and because most teachers won't go into the interesting stuff, like the puns, the sexual innuendo, and the great characters. And then, half of its just a matter of attitude. No one likes required reading. But if someone's exposed to really good Shakespearian drama early on, then how can they help but enjoy it? I'll never forget the first time I saw 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.'
That has been Rosalind's ten second tirade. Opinions are good! ;)
^ Now I must agree with you on ol' Shakey! I adore his work! The Boyf & myself went to see a new production of The Tempest on Saturday night infact! I've visited his house & we have a mini statue thingy of it too :lol: I played Hermia in A Midsummer Nights Dream & our sister youth theatre is a part of the RSC in Stratford.
His wordplay is quite wondeful :D
I'm absolutely envious! I take it you're quite in to drama? Do you do everything, or mostly Shakespeare? It must be wonderful being connected to the RSC--I've only seen one of their productions, but it was the most incredible version of 'MacBeth' I'd ever seen. I love that play, but I'm perfectly aware that it's long and has a few superflous scenes floating around that never get performed. But they did the whole thing, unabridged, and pulled it off in spectacular fashion.
Shrugs.
I tried Shakespeare in an abridged version. Did not work. I tried reading the original plays. I nearly fell asleep. I tried watching the BBC adaptations (Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet). It was promising initially but once the story got into the flow... I nearly fell asleep again.
Leaves of Grass Walt Whitman To quote Dorothy Parker: "This is not a book to be lightly tossed aside. It should be thrown with extreme force!" Preferably into a waste receptacle... Can you say, "Boring"? :as-sleep:
I've said it before and I'll say it again Orlando by Virginia Woolf. Bleck!!
Hear, hear!!! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by papayahed
But wait till you read Mrs Dalloway by... one and only Virginia again!
I remember trying to read a book by Jules Bonavolonta called The GOOD GUYS: How We Turned the FBI 'Round Q and Finally Broke the Mob. I really tried to read it because it was a gift from my Dad on my 12th or 13th birthday. I spent like two months trying to read it but it was just basically profanity with the author butt-kissing his superiors. After stopping my Dad asked how the book was going. I told I stopped reading it and let him read a couple of chapters. After reading the chapters he came by asked if all the chapters were like the last two. After confirming that they were, he said he was sorry for getting such an awful book. I put it in my bookcase where it collects dust till this time.
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Originally Posted by Scheherazade
Why would I do that? And don't think of nominating it either!!! :eek: