But before I ask it, I 'll send out the requisite congratulations to my fellow Giant Spiders on our 10,000 hit. This is the biggest event in GSS history, right after Olive's breaching of the poop barrier. Now that she's crossed that threshold, I guess there isn't anything we can't talk about.
But back to my question. I went to the park the other day to read a book. I sat down on a bench, and an old man next to me was reading 'La Paz y La Guerra'...aka War & Peace, by Tolstoy. I thought, 'Hmm....I've heard of that book, maybe I should try reading it someday'. But then another thought came to my mind: Who actually reads War & Peace? I've never met anyone in my entire life who has even attempted it. Its 1,000+ pages are a bit intimidating and I'm sure the book deals with events and situations that none of us can meaningfully relate to.
A book
But next I thought, 'How would someone (namely one of my GSS pals) react if I told them I was reading War & Peace?' They would no doubt call me a pretentious asshole.
So here's my question: Can anyone actually read War & Peace without being pretentious? Or does the mere act of even entertaining the idea of reading the book (regardless of one's noble intentions) automatically make them a vainglorious snob?
Please discuss. My English classes in Colombia keep getting cancelled, so I'm left thinking about stupid stuff like this and I need some perspective.
ps. I miss all of you and you need to post more so I can live vicariously through your beautiful lives. Gracias.
I don't think you'd be pretentious if you read/thought about reading/almost read War and Peace. I think it's a really important part of the international literature canon. I've never read it, but it has been referenced nonstop through my college career, and I guess I probably should. When I have some spare time. Yea, right.
ReplyDeleteBut whatever. I'm a literature major. We take classes in snobbery and pretension.
i agree with Chynna. I would call you a douche, but not because you were pretentious. It would be because I knew you'd never finish it. However, if you did finish, I'd call you a douche for proving me wrong and for being stupid enough to read all of War and Peace. Get a life.
ReplyDeleteI love you.
You could each read 1/7 of the book and get together with several bottles of wine to discuss what you read!
ReplyDelete