Thursday, December 01, 2011

Literature For All


Literary Blog Hop

It’s been a long time since I participated in the Literary Blog Hop from The Blue Bookcase.  It’s also been a while since I reviewed anything “literary”, but I do have a couple things in the works.  I just couldn’t resist this week’s question:  What work of literature would you recommend to someone who doesn’t like literature? 

Two novels immediately came to mind, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and 1984 by George Orwell.  Both are dystopian.  Both are literary.  Thought I love Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, I think 1984 might be more accessible to a casual reader.  I think it’s because 1984 is the source for so many of today’s clichés and expressions, that someone who only reads fantasy or science fiction might find it really interested.  Both stories are also gripping and frightening.  Literature doesn’t have to take place in the present or past; it can push us into a possible future that’ll give you chills.

What would you recommend to the non-literary minded?

10 comments:

  1. I had a couple of Atwood's I might think about recommending as well, it would probably depend on the person. I suggested Alias Grace or The Year of the Flood, but Handmaid's Tale is a good choice too. Interesting but not too challening to read. If someone doesn't like literature and you are recommending something literary to them, i think that those are two qualities you need to be thinking about when you make the recommendation.

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  2. I really enjoyed read The Handmaiden's Tale-scary book!

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  3. Dystopian is a really good suggestion. 1984 was one of my favorites when I was young, and Fahrenheit 451. I teach Handmaid's Tale a lot, and lots of my students respond well to it.

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  4. I picked 1984 too. I've yet to read Atwood though. Hopefully I will soon.

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  5. Great choices, I really need to reread both of these books soon! Maybe next year if I can clear my huge TBR pile...

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  6. Orwell's a great choice, not read Atwood but is on my TBR.

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  7. Good choices. They're literary books but they do have the appeal for more casual readers.

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  8. Becky, I agree, you don't want to scare someone off by suggesting something too heavy.

    mel u, LBC, CHE, Anja, Red, I think dystopians have wide appeal.

    Parrish, Atwood is amazing!

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  9. I was about to say something by Victor Hugo, given that his characters are compelling and his story lines are moving. However, he also burdens some of his books (i.e., Les Miserables) with long digressions which would turn off a bibliophile, much less a non-reader.

    Believe it or not, there are some children's books I would recommend to non-readers because of their beautiful, mythic content. VARJAK PAW and THE OUTLAW VARJAK PAW are two examples, as well as THE TALE OF THE SWAMP RAT.

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  10. Ahab, Perhaps the Narnia series would interest a non-literary type.

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