throwaway-clonewars t1_j2fbqkz wrote
Reply to comment by PotterAndPitties in I read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and I didn't find a deeper meaning in the story. Am I dumb? by -greek_user_06-
Honestly, I read this way- I HATE when I'm asked to take things apart for "deeper meaning" and plan to write very straightforward with no hidden meaning because of it. (As in whatever I put is just cause I think it'll be cool for the story and not some fancy meaningful thing to analyze- like red curtains are red because i like red)
ThisVicariousLife t1_j2fin2m wrote
I can tell you, though, as an English teacher, that when you just read for reading’s sake, you often do miss the very clever and wildly entertaining deeper meanings and Easter eggs built into classic literature! But admittedly, some texts are beaten to death and people are truly reaching past the intended meaning because, yes, sometimes a red curtain is just a red curtain!! But there are so many books I love teaching because I know when I read them in school, I had no clue that the author buried this little nugget in there because of the time period and inability to be blunt about certain subjects, so they’d obfuscate! The Great Gatsby!! The Yellow Wallpaper! Of Mice and Men! The Hour! The Lottery! The Tell-Tale Heart! So many greats that deserve a deeper analysis or else we miss some really important aspects of them.
throwaway-clonewars t1_j2fnkcl wrote
I suppose, though I usually don't partake in classics (unless scifi like Frankenstein or fantasy-esque like Dracula) because they don't peek my interest too much.
I think its mainly for me, I'm surface level when it comes to reading because I want an escape and only have my mind working on creative ideas for other works. I've never really felt drawn for deeper meaning or connection to like the outside world or philosophies or such and deep analysis to get to those always felt like homework to me. Something which is a minor stressor for me because of high absence as a child in school, I would end up with piles of homework when I got back.
I mean, I do enjoy researching (specific topics) but breaking things down was never one of the activities I enjoyed, even pre-absence issue
ThisVicariousLife t1_j2ftm5z wrote
Yes, I can definitely see the aversion to it. And most students carry that aversion their entire lives, which breaks my heart. If I could read a book with my students without making them think more deeply, I would (except for the fun ones with Easter eggs and such), but all of this analysis for analysis’s sake aggravates me, too, and why I also got away from reading for many years. I only started reading for pleasure again about a decade ago. Being forced to read something sucks the fun out of reading, which is why I hate that we do it in school, but I understand why we do it so it’s a dichotomy for me. However, you don’t even need to do a deep analysis to see some of the hidden gems that are in literature (not even classics, but I read Stephen King and he has hidden gems everywhere in his books!). I read easy books when I just want to take my mind off something but when I want a good story or something to really think about, I go with more complex material.
PotterAndPitties t1_j2fkjyw wrote
True. And some books definitely are better that way. I think my issue was the Profs tried to push political views into the analysis.
ThisVicariousLife t1_j2fkxk1 wrote
Oh, yeah… I guess that can depend on the professor. My literature professors were pretty awesome! And so were my high school English teachers. I enjoyed them… probably why I do what I do now.
PotterAndPitties t1_j2fcez8 wrote
University English classes almost broke my love of reading. They would break down literature and offer some ridiculous viewpoints on it.
throwaway-clonewars t1_j2ff58a wrote
I HATED those classes. Thankfully the books we analyzed weren't ones I acutely liked to read so it didn't have a strong effect. They were mainly nonfiction or "realistic fiction" and I'm mainly a fantasy and scifi reader
PotterAndPitties t1_j2finjv wrote
Not a book but I had am English prof who claimed Top Gun was a "homosexual fantasy" movie and I checked out for the rest of the semester.
ThisVicariousLife t1_j2fiu6k wrote
Oops, I think I meant to reply to your comment but I replied to the tier above yours.
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