I have a section in my bookcase, which I refer to as ‘The
Monsters’. These are the novels that for
one reason or another have managed to totally defeat me. I often wonder what
your Monster list says about you. There are always books that will defeat you,
for one reason or another, I have three actual monsters that despite repeated
attempts, have still managed to elude me in one way or another.
In this pile of
demons, is predictably Joyce’s Ulysses,
my best foray with that particular book was page 213. The lack of punctuation
makes it exhausting to read, to say the least. I cannot claim any kind of
hatred or dislike of the book, quite the opposite in fact, which makes the
total bamboozlement that little more annoying. The fact that the action takes
place over one day, and reveals so much of the inner workings of the characters
minds, is a truly innovative concept for its time. I have managed to read other
Joyce novels with little issue, even the notorious Finnegan’s Wake, which although a tad odd, is still an interesting
read.
Next on this hit list is Wuthering
Heights. I have yet to figure out what it is about the book that looses me,
but usually by page 50, I’m ready to wonder out onto the moors and start
screaming for Cathy. To say I get confused by it is somewhat of an
understatement. Yet again like Joyce, I have happily read other Bronte novels
and enjoyed them. Just Wuthering Heights eludes
me. The actual basis of the novel is one that I find curious, and I have
managed to sit through adaptations of it, which in this case feels like
somewhat of a cop out.
The final bête noir is War
and Peace by Tolstoy. The names alone are hellish to follow. It also seems
far too much like an A Level History class for my liking. After two years I
still could not differentiate between Tsar Nicholas I or II, or Alexander I, I
could only ever remember the last Tsar, as the Bolsheviks decided they didn’t
like him so much. Anna Karenina is easily one of my favourite novels, yet this
particular masterpiece, is a total mystery to me.
So in the spirit of New Year’s resolutions, I have decided
to do battle with these beasts one more time and attempt to read them cover to
cover. I’m well aware that all three of my monsters are classics, and there are
probably less highbrow books out there that would equally defeat me, but these
three have sat and tormented me for more than a few years from their lofty
position on the top shelf (out of sight, out of mind, does not work at all in
this case).
