The End of the English Major

Re:The End of the English Major by Apocryphon on Tuesday February 28, 2023 @12:28PM (#34972109)

> Some years ago—never mind how long precisely—having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off—then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship. There is nothing surprising in this. If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me.

Sure there are. But unless they're Mark Twain or Ambrose Bierce, they're probably not much worth reading.

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Re:The End of the English Major by cpr on Tuesday February 28, 2023 @12:41PM (#34972304)

* * *

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Re:The End of the English Major by Apocryphon on Tuesday February 28, 2023 @01:05PM (#34972609)

I was dismissing the previous post that claimed that "more readable" - less "convoluted" - 19th century texts existed by saying such texts are probably not worth reading, as the much more complex works are heralded as classics of English literature.

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Re:The End of the English Major by jeffjobs4000 on Tuesday February 28, 2023 @01:26PM (#34972881)

I find this passage to be far more readable than the Scarlet Letter one posted above. Sure, it's long, but it's developing the character.

Before screens, people must have gotten far more enjoyment from authors painting mental pictures in tiny detail.

We have HD video as an option now. A long description of a rose bush doesn't do it for me unless it's needed for the actual narrative.

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Re:The End of the English Major by SyzygistSix on Tuesday February 28, 2023 @04:45PM (#34975304)

What is different about literature is that things are being described through the viewpoints of particular people.

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Re:The End of the English Major by watwut on Tuesday February 28, 2023 @03:16PM (#34974223)

> But unless they're Mark Twain or Ambrose Bierce, they're probably not much worth reading.

I strongly disagree. Being convoluted does not make the text more worth reading. It makes it more fun for one kind of reader. That is about it.

Being well written and pleasant to read does not make the text, whether fiction or real like account less worthy.

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Re:The End of the English Major by Apocryphon on Tuesday February 28, 2023 @03:33PM (#34974427)

Right, but much great writing from that era was convoluted, like the work of Herman Melville.

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