# "Great Books" that no one seems to like...what are we missing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [July 29, 2021, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-books-that-no-one-seems-to-like-what-are-we-missing/947575 "2021-07-29T06:26:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-books-that-no-one-seems-to-like-what-are-we-missing/947575/161 "2021-07-31T16:24:10Z")
Φοβάμαι ότι οι Έλληνες φέρουν δώρα! 🐎 ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-books-that-no-one-seems-to-like-what-are-we-missing/947575/162 "2021-07-31T16:26:46Z")
You know, I remember about 17 words in Greek (and can even decline or conjugate a few of them). So that was funny. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-books-that-no-one-seems-to-like-what-are-we-missing/947575/163 "2021-07-31T16:37:18Z")
I remember the Latin version from reading _ **Asterix** _. 😊 In college, I took three semesters of Latin and two of New Testament Greek. I might be able to read them today if I used the respective grammars and dictionaries, but no way could I write (or speak) them coherently. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-books-that-no-one-seems-to-like-what-are-we-missing/947575/164 "2021-07-31T16:45:37Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I struggled with “The Odyssey” but I forget which translation I read). The 2018 translation by Emily Wilson is perhaps the best I’ve seen. It’s in blank verse, but highly readable. > Odysseus ripped off his rags. Now naked, > he leapt upon the threshold with his bow > and quiverfull of arrows, which he tipped > out in a rush before his feet, and spoke. > > “Playtime is over. I will shoot again, > towards another mark no man has hit. > Apollo, may I manage it!” > >                         He aimed > his deadly arrow at Antinous. > The young man sat there, just about to lift > his golden goblet, swirling wine around, > ready to drink. He had no thought of death. > How could he? Who would think a single man, > among so many banqueters, would dare > to risk dark death, however strong he was? > Odysseus aimed at his throat, then shot. > The point pierced all the way through his soft neck. > He flopped down to the side and his cup slipped > out of his hand, and then thick streams of blood > gushed from his nostrils. His foot twitched and knocked > the table down; food scattered on the ground. > The bread and roasted meat were soiled with blood. > > Seeing him fall, the suitors, in an uproar, > with shouts that filled the hall, jumped up and rushed > to search around by all the thick stone walls > for shields or swords to grab—but there were none. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-books-that-no-one-seems-to-like-what-are-we-missing/947575/165 "2021-07-31T16:49:08Z")
Thanks! I wish that existed when I had to read it (old fart here). I honestly may give that a try. Well, really honestly I probably won’t but I feel like I should. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-books-that-no-one-seems-to-like-what-are-we-missing/947575/166 "2021-07-31T16:59:10Z")
> [@LVBoPeep](#): > > > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > > > She loves the Chronicles of Narnia though. I still cannot sort out what she does and does not like in books. > > Compared to Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia is just so much more readable and relatable. They don’t have the same rich world building (though I think Narnia is still pretty amazing) as Tolkein’s world but I only made it through the first two of the LOTR trilogy before I gave up out of exhaustion. > > Backtracking a little- I read Great Expectations for the first time in my early 30s and the first half was hard to get through but there was just a point mid-way where it all came together and you could see the genius of it. I loved it though would rather watch adaptations of it then try to read it start to finish again. Also, perhaps not irrelevantly, it has many female characters. LOTR has what, two? ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-books-that-no-one-seems-to-like-what-are-we-missing/947575/167 "2021-07-31T17:22:33Z")
One of the great scenes in all of literature. That piece of crap Antinous, that freeloading asshole, finally gets what’s coming to him. If the _Odyssey_ had been a movie (yes, I know, it’s been done, but they all suck), the audience would have stood up and cheered. I haven’t read Wilson’s translation, but I’ll have a look. I loved Fagles’ translation, but everything can be improved upon. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-books-that-no-one-seems-to-like-what-are-we-missing/947575/168 "2021-07-31T17:38:11Z")
> [@kitap](#): > > Also, perhaps not irrelevantly, it has many female characters. LOTR has what, two? Fair point. Susan and Lucy Pevensie (especially Lucy) are great characters. Not to mention Jadis, who is a surprisingly complex character. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-books-that-no-one-seems-to-like-what-are-we-missing/947575/169 "2021-07-31T19:34:18Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Shakespeare is definitely not meant to be read, apart from the poems. I didn’t like it at secondary school, but did like it at college (age 16-18). The choice of texts made a difference. As a teacher, The Merchant of Venice is the one that went amazingly well, way more than I expected. Most of the language is pretty accessible because the context makes it obvious, and the characters are fascinating. There’s lots of stuff to get your teeth into. Maybe true, but one of my retirement projects was to read all of Shakespeare. After a few plays the language became quite readable, in fact I was dreaming in blank verse. It helps to start with the fun ones like Henry V or a few comedies. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-books-that-no-one-seems-to-like-what-are-we-missing/947575/170 "2021-07-31T20:05:04Z")
I’ve been slogging through Anna Karenina for about the last six months. I’ve been debating whether or not to power through it until the end, but I think you’ve convinced me it’s not worth it. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-books-that-no-one-seems-to-like-what-are-we-missing/947575/171 "2021-07-31T22:36:11Z")
> [@kitap](#): > > Also, perhaps not irrelevantly, it has many female characters. LOTR has what, two? Only one with a really significant role. Off the top of my head, I count 7 more with bit parts, but I had to count Shelob to get that high. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-books-that-no-one-seems-to-like-what-are-we-missing/947575/172 "2021-07-31T23:20:22Z")
I felt that way about “Watership Down.” I also gave up on “Arrowsmith” rather quickly, because I just plain old didn’t like the main character. “The Handmaid’s Tale” isn’t that good either, I don’t care what it’s about. I have decided that I need to read classics, because I didn’t do much of that when I was young, and recently finished “The Good Earth” and am currently reading Marilynne Robinson’s “Gilead”, which is on its way to classic status. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-books-that-no-one-seems-to-like-what-are-we-missing/947575/173 "2021-07-31T23:23:30Z")
I read “Catcher in the Rye” a couple years ago. I enjoyed it, although I can see why a lot of people didn’t. (No need to spoiler, because if you’ve read it all, you’ll know what I’m talking about) When I got to the last two chapters, that’s when I started to wonder how that ever found a publisher in 1951. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-books-that-no-one-seems-to-like-what-are-we-missing/947575/174 "2021-07-31T23:49:19Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > > [@SciFiSam](#): > > > > Heart of Darkness is a weird one in that I enjoy reading the first half but have never got any further. I think it’s just too much depression piled on top of depression. > > You are 100% right. And that’s why I _love_ Conrad. Every book, everything he ever wrote. I liked “Jonathan Livingston Seagull”. My HS Lit teacher was half appalled. She (and her kids) thought it was trite twaddle. She observed that I was pessimistic and depressed to start with, so JLS was an attractive and uplifting viewpoint, whereas she (and her kids) were basically happy and optimistic anyway, and found depressing literature attractively grounded. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-books-that-no-one-seems-to-like-what-are-we-missing/947575/175 "2021-08-01T00:46:11Z")
Glad to be of service! 👍 ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-books-that-no-one-seems-to-like-what-are-we-missing/947575/176 "2021-08-01T07:00:41Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > I’ve been slogging through Anna Karenina for about the last six months. The thing is, Anna Karenina is a far inferior work to War and Peace. Anna Karenina did nothing for me, it left me cold. But War and Peace is one of the best books I’ve ever read. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-books-that-no-one-seems-to-like-what-are-we-missing/947575/177 "2021-08-01T07:45:00Z")
I read _ **Gormenghast** _ (Mervyn Peake) when I was young, had good eyesight, and read everything. But … even then, I couldn’t see the point. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-books-that-no-one-seems-to-like-what-are-we-missing/947575/178 "2021-08-01T09:10:44Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > _My contribution to the thread: Doctor Zhivago , by Boris Pasternak. I was assigned this as an undergrad, and no matter how I tried, I simply could not get into it._ That’s one of the first that came to my mind. Loved the movie. Everyone did at the time. The book was a worldwide best seller. When I finally got around to reading the novel, some 30 or 40 years later, I was very disappointed. So many characters, known by so many different names that often you lose track of who is who, and just an overall lack of any real tension or drama. I have to credit Robert Bolt for crafting such a dull novel into a compelling screenplay. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-books-that-no-one-seems-to-like-what-are-we-missing/947575/179 "2021-08-01T10:35:37Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > I’ve been slogging through Anna Karenina for about the last six months. I’ve been debating whether or not to power through it until the end, but I think you’ve convinced me it’s not worth it. That’s one where the translation matters (assuming you’re reading it in English). ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-books-that-no-one-seems-to-like-what-are-we-missing/947575/180 "2021-08-01T13:06:18Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > That’s one where the translation matters (assuming you’re reading it in English). My wife and I once decided to read Madame Bovary side-by-side, chapter by chapter together, so we went out and bought two paperback copies. I think we were only a few chapters in when I said something to the effect of, “I’m having trouble imagining a pigeon-breast colored parasol,” and my wife said something to the effect of, “what the hell are you talking about? The word ‘pigeon’ doesn’t even occur in my version.” It turns out we had two different translations, and either one of the translators had taken a lot of poetic license, or the other one had taken a really reductive view. Either way, our translations were radically different, and after a few more comparisons we abandoned the project. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-books-that-no-one-seems-to-like-what-are-we-missing/947575.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-books-that-no-one-seems-to-like-what-are-we-missing/947575.md?page=10)