# Really Tedious Literary Passages **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 18, 2003, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-tedious-literary-passages/202402 "2003-09-18T16:34:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-tedious-literary-passages/202402/1 "2003-09-18T16:34:28Z")
While Victor Hugo’s “Les Misérables” has an enthralling story line, the author’s somewhat frequent excursions can become rather annoying. He spends nearly a dozen or more pages informing readers of implications surrounding the French word “gamin” (street child). Anyone who peruses the book will find a score or more pages awaiting them, flush (as it were) with a detailed description of the Parisian sewers. After a few of these lengthy sidetracks one becomes tempted to shout aloud, “get on with it you flaming snail-eater!” It’s all too tempting to classify the whole of Henry James’ work in this same category. That pom can make a few seconds internal dialogue cover half a chapter. On a similar footing is Jane Austen’s “Emma.” One is often brought to nearly wishing violence upon Miss Bates as she blathers so incessantly. Well now, what bits of execrable writing (buried in otherwise decent books) have you stumbled across? ---
**Author:** ![Opengrave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/919ad9/32.png) [@Opengrave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opengrave)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-tedious-literary-passages/202402/2 "2003-09-18T16:50:55Z")
Dallas Willard’s _The Divine Conspiracy_. His writing style is so bad I wanted to trash it at page 20 but stuck it out to page 60. His writing style is so bad I’m not sure he ever made a point. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-tedious-literary-passages/202402/3 "2003-09-18T17:19:45Z")
[_Moby Dick_](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=208682) is anything but tedious, if you’re obsessed with fish. (Melville’s original title for the novel, which thankfully his publisher talked him out of, was _Fishy Fish Fish Fish, and the Fish they Fish Fish Fish: A Fish Story_.) ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-tedious-literary-passages/202402/4 "2003-09-18T17:25:27Z")
Nathaniel Hawthorrrrr…zzz…zzzz huh? Oh, sorry. That guy puts me to sleep every time! ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-tedious-literary-passages/202402/5 "2003-09-18T17:30:02Z")
“… This is John Galt speaking…” zzzzzzzz ---
**Author:** ![Sat\_on\_Cookie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/71c47a/32.png) [@Sat\_on\_Cookie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sat_on_Cookie)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-tedious-literary-passages/202402/6 "2003-09-18T17:30:02Z")
An otherwise great book, “Foucault’s Pendulum” is chock full of tedious passages… ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-tedious-literary-passages/202402/7 "2003-09-18T17:33:30Z")
**John T** beat me to it. That speech was what-fifty pages or more? ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-tedious-literary-passages/202402/8 "2003-09-18T17:36:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JohnT \* > \*\*"… This is John Galt speaking…" > > zzzzzzzz \*\* Har. Such fascinating badness though! I was never bored; too busy giggling and cringing. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-tedious-literary-passages/202402/9 "2003-09-18T17:37:46Z")
I can NOT read Henry James; it feels like having all the moisture sucked out of brain until it’s nothing but dust and hollowness. ---
**Author:** ![MetalDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@MetalDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MetalDog)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-tedious-literary-passages/202402/10 "2003-09-18T17:48:26Z")
Dracula’s a pretty good read - except for that six page soul-sucking lecture from Van Helsing on the train. I barely made it past that alive. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-tedious-literary-passages/202402/11 "2003-09-18T17:50:47Z")
Anything by Ayn Rand. The first 100 pages of anything by Michener. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-tedious-literary-passages/202402/12 "2003-09-18T17:53:38Z")
Though (and this will bring unto me great shame and alienation here at the SDMB) I really enjoyed Francisco’s speech at Reardon’s party - never thought that people could sound so perfectly _bitchy_ in matters of economic theory. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-tedious-literary-passages/202402/13 "2003-09-18T18:17:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lissener \* > I can NOT read Henry James; it feels like having all the moisture sucked out of brain until it’s nothing but dust and hollowness. Feels like? _FEELS LIKE_? Reading that long winded twit’s crap can lower your I.Q. by several points per page! ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-tedious-literary-passages/202402/14 "2003-09-18T18:42:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zenster \* > **Anyone who peruses the book will find a score or more pages awaiting them, flush (as it were) with a detailed description of the Parisian sewers. After a few of these lengthy sidetracks one becomes tempted to shout aloud, "get on with it you flaming snail-eater!"** Actually, I think some of the digressions are rather interesting. That said, the long, LONG passage on the battle of Waterloo was the first thing I thought of when I saw this thread title… ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-tedious-literary-passages/202402/15 "2003-09-18T18:42:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lissener \* > \*\*[_Moby Dick_](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=208682) is anything but tedious, if you’re obsessed with fish. (Melville’s original title for the novel, which thankfully his publisher talked him out of, was _Fishy Fish Fish Fish, and the Fish they Fish Fish Fish: A Fish Story_.) \*\* I’m alternately amused and baffled by **lissener’s** obsession with Moby Dick aka Fishy McFish A Lot. The most tedious literary passage of all? The entire of **Frankenstein** ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-tedious-literary-passages/202402/16 "2003-09-18T18:46:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sat on Cookie \* > \*\*An otherwise great book, “Foucault’s Pendulum” is chock full of tedious passages… \*\* I know what you mean. But OTOH it has some interesting digresions. For instance, the conversation in the bar where Casaubon describes the Templars. OK, this was a conversation, which injected some light into it, but that’s kind of the point - IMO Eco made it interesting, and I learned more about the Templars than from anywhere else. I just think it’s good to see an info dump done well as well. Has anyone any good examples? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-tedious-literary-passages/202402/17 "2003-09-18T18:47:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lissener \* > \*\*[_Moby Dick_](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=208682) is anything but tedious, if you’re obsessed with fish. (Melville’s original title for the novel, which thankfully his publisher talked him out of, was _Fishy Fish Fish Fish, and the Fish they Fish Fish Fish: A Fish Story_.) \*\* Jerry: “They’re mammals.” George: “Whatever.” ---
**Author:** ![Orual](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orual](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orual)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-tedious-literary-passages/202402/18 "2003-09-18T19:00:31Z")
The thrice-bedamned turtle at the beginning of _Grapes of Wrath_. Although at least Steinbeck has the decency to put this at the beginning of the book, before much happens, unlike Hugo, who sticks his 100-page treatise on the Paris sewers in at one of the MOST EXCITING PARTS OF THE STORY. **Poor little 16-year old arisu reading _Les Mis_ for the first time** : “Why do I care about the gross fertilization practices of the ancient Chinese?!? Tell me what’s happened to Jean Valjean and Marius!” ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-tedious-literary-passages/202402/19 "2003-09-18T20:02:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Katisha \* > Actually, I think some of the digressions are rather interesting. That said, the long, LONG passage on the battle of Waterloo was the first thing I thought of when I saw this thread title… Good call, **Katisha**! The house by house description of the battlefield is almost as interesting as reading a telephone book. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-tedious-literary-passages/202402/20 "2003-09-18T20:09:09Z")
I read the title, and I immediately though, “Hunchback of Notre Dame”. I’m usually all about the long, pointless digressions: Foucault’s Pendulum and Moby Dick are two of my favorite novels, but after a hundred and fifty page mediatation on how cathedrals are like corpses, I just wanted to scream “Christ, Vic! Reel it in and get back to making cringingly racist generalizations about gypsies, already!” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-tedious-literary-passages/202402.md?page=2)