3 ms·
Homer's works are probably the worst example in that list for that point since they are the only ones there that were created for solely the enjoyment of the ma
by Jun8 14y ago
Homer's works are probably the worst example in that list for that point since they are the only ones there that were created for solely the enjoyment of the masses (perhaps Shakespeare would be comparable). Unfortunately these works have now accumulated a thick elitist veneer that may get in the way when you're approaching them for the first time. When your prof says that the Iliad is the bedrock of Western civilization and stands in awe you tend to view it differently.
Similar with Marquez's novel, he tried to emulate oral histories of old folks. So I'm afraid you didn't have a chance to come to these works in your own terms but had to treat them as parts of the canon.
- impendia 14y agoWith Marquez I picked up One Hundred Years of Solitude years after I finished my undergraduate education. A quote on the back cover declared it to be second only to Genesis in profundity and importance, and I was curious. Certainly I did not have any literature professors breathing over my neck, I feel I did have a chance to come to terms with it on my own terms. I don't recall sensing any elitist veneer. Rather, as I recall there were multiple male characters named Jose Arcadio Buendia and I could never keep them straight. Moreover, there seemed to be virtually no sense of cause and effect, it felt like a bunch of shit just happened to the characters and they never got to make decisions. Their personalities would change, seemingly at random, and I kept getting confused. I'm sure there is some significant literary reason for all of this, but I lost track of the characters and the plot, got frustrated, and gave up. My loss, presumably.