Irulan wrote:
jawbrodt wrote:
I had to read it back in 11th grade, and I don't remember much about it. I remember a big, clumsy guy
According to my American Literature teacher poor Lennie wasn't any tall clumsy dude
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but (from my notes I was taking) "a symbol of man - gentle but he could crush things in a second"
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I always wondered if authors of those novels which are discussed at schools REALLY were thinking about all those hidden meanings, symbols and stuff while writing or if they’re rolling in their graves listening to things they are accused of by English teachers.
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Or other critics. I hope they do.
I just ”love” the claim I see every time I read commentary on sci-fi: ”Science fiction writers roll their eyes when someone says that their books are about aliens, space, time travel et c. Their stories are
really about commenting on contemporary society.
Granted that I’m not a published author, but I can assure everyone that when I write about something whether it be monsters or aliens or whatever, I am really writing about monsters or aliens or whatever. No hidden messages. Just a story I need to write. Nothing more or less than a strike of imagination.
Grrr….. Why can’t something simply be what it is, why is it so important to destroy it by over analysing it? I remember from my childhood a lovely series about the space girl Majka (”She came out of the blue sky”). I haven’t seen it since I was about 10. Now it’s not sufficiently educational to be sent in rerun.
OM&M: Yawn… Back in high school we were supposed to read this bore of a book. I couldn’t even finish the first chapter, it was
that painstakingly boring. The teacher later let us watch the movie. It was so boring I actually fell asleep. I got the main parts though, I just didn’t
get it. We were later asked on a test what the theme of the book was. (Not the plot, mind you.) I couldn’t even answer the question, as I had no idea. Still don’t. A written soporific?