The Outhouse - The Greatest Comic Book Forum

[spidertour02]

I got into an argument the other day by claiming that the three worst books ever written are Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, and Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beacher Stowe.

Now, that might be a little extreme, but the point stands: I think all of these suck donkey balls.

Does this make me a nutjob, a moron, or a genius? You decide!

(C'mon, let's make a game out of this. Humor me, I need it.)

[eyp]

I hate dickens too

[Kid Kamikaze]

Meh, they were all made for a different time period, and/or a different audience for the most part.

I mean, I know the historical and literal relevance of Jane Erye, Beloved, and 1984, but I don't like any of them, at all. Doesn't make them any less great, just not my type of books.


In other words, it's your opinion. You can like or dislike whatever you want. But at least understand why they were considered so great at the time.

[spidertour02]

I hate dickens too

Great Expectations is a special kind of awful that transcends even his other works.

[spidertour02]

Meh, they were all made for a different time period, and/or a different audience for the most part.

I mean, I know the historical and literal relevance of Jane Erye, Beloved, and 1984, but I don't like any of them, at all. Doesn't make them any less great, just not my type of books.


In other words, it's your opinion. You can like or dislike whatever you want. But at least understand why they were considered so great at the time.

I can see why people could like I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, but the other two have no redeeming value whatsoever.

The little girl in Uncle Tom's Cabin was on her deathbed for like 20 chapters. Attention-whoring bitch!

[Doc Jon]

None of the above?

It's your opinion.

[b.lumpkin]

i've never read any of these

but i do know that i hate maya angelou's worthless ass, so that's something

[rdrsfn82]

I like Uncle Tom's Cabin. But like Kid Kamikaze said, it's all about taste. There is no right or wrong answer. Someone hate everything, just like someone likes everything.

[Soap]

Those are some classics of literature, how can they be the worst books ever written?

[rdrsfn82]

Those are some classics of literature, how can they be the worst books ever written?

I'd imagine it's disqualifying most awful books, like generic NASCAR themed Harlequin Romances (yes those actually exist, look it up). I think he meant the worst out of books that someone actually thinks is good.

[achilles]

The Scarlet Letter, now THAT was a horrible book. I just about died from being forced to read it in high school. And Moby Dick! Yech! Who cares about a fucking nutcase after some fucking white whale? It's as boring as hell!

[daitong]

I've never read the last two, but I did like Great Expectations.

[JL_Amato]

Yeah Dickens sucks.

The other two I like.

[zombiemichaeljackson]

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and really Maya Angelou in general, is terrible writing for dumb people who want to seem intelligent.

Uncle Tom's Cabin is important, but as a book it's terribly dated and only somewhat well written.

Great Expectations is fucking brilliant. Any of you Dickens haters can suck it, go read David Copperfield and get back to me when you've had your mind blown.

[zombiemichaeljackson]

The Scarlet Letter, now THAT was a horrible book. I just about died from being forced to read it in high school. And Moby Dick! Yech! Who cares about a fucking nutcase after some fucking white whale? It's as boring as hell!

You've obviously never read Hawthorne's other boring as piece of shit The Last of the Mohicans. While both are terrible swipes of the conventions of European writers of the time, Last of the Mohicans has a certain dryness to it that really pushes it over the top on the shit scale. Although, to be fair, most early American literature is awful.

Moby Dick, on the other hand, is incredible. Read it again and try not to let the awesomeness fly over your head this time.