Just because books are famous “must-reads,” considered classics or some other distinction that I haven’t yet thought of… doesn’t mean they should be a) taught in schools b) are any good or c) easy reads. It’s as likely, to be honest, that they’ll end up being a slog, not fun, boring AF and generally not worth your time.
Yeah, I said it. Classics are boring AS F**K. Books can be considered classics for all kinds of reasons, and as far as I can tell, “readability” typically isn’t one of them.
These 12 people, at least, seem to agree.
12. Chekov: The Complete Short Novels
Sure, dunk on a dead guy.
Goodreader annihilates Chekhov
byu/DHLawrence_sGhost inBadReads
11. Wuthering Heights
There are lots of dead angry people.
10. The Trial
It’s hard to argue with that.
I feel like this is an allegory for something
byu/Dead_Kennedys78 inBadReads
9. Of Mice and Men
We’ve got this depression things, down.
I’ll just think, not read.
byu/ewsheslikeemo inBadReads
8. Poetics
I mean. Yeah. But still.
7. Sex at Dawn
A question for the ages, really.
6. Adolphe
This is all true. Don’t @ me.
5. All the Pretty Horses
When you find a sentence that just does you in.
All the Pretty Horses: Goodreaders have a lot of beef with McCarthy’s punctuation
by inBadReads
4. Ulysses
Gone by an act of God.
Ulysses: gone the way of Matcham’s Masterstroke
byu/scoronam inBadReads
3. The Tempest
And this is the best Shakespeare.
The Tempest: If your English teacher assigns you this KILL. THEM!
by inBadReads
2. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
That’s one theory, I suppose.
1. The Island of Dr. Moreau
Quick and succinct.
It’s kind of hard to argue with these, don’t you think? And if you want to argue, please do on that on Facebook. We don’t need that here.
Alright… give us your own honest review of a famous book in the comments – we want to hear it!
