Books that you studied at school

MandiKenendy · Post by **MandiKenendy** » 01 Jul 2013, 11:08

I studied "Edward II" by Christopher Marlowe and really loved it. It was the beginning of a life long obsession with the story of Edward and Gaveston.

theFillirican5 · Post by **theFillirican5** » 01 Jul 2013, 11:56

"To Kill a Mockingbird" Freshman Year we had to read this book. Everyone moaned and groaned ( I go to a school where no one actually likes to read -.-") I was actually excited. I had always wanted to read it just never got around to it. We were assigned sections and chapters to read then we were quizzed every week over that section. I had read the whole book within the week. I really did enjoy the book! I just wish everyone else in my class could have felt the same way, many people didn't even read the book! Many people just looked up chapter reviews on Sparknotes. It's very upsetting.

Bananacat · Post by **Bananacat** » 01 Jul 2013, 12:12

I studied 'Room' in higher English and I enjoyed reading and studying it as it gave a different insight into the book that I wouldn't have otherwise had.

BakerStreetJ · Post by **BakerStreetJ** » 01 Jul 2013, 14:22

MarathonCF wrote:I found that studying the Shakespeare plays really made me appreciate them. When I read them on my own i couldn't understand them that well but when I had it explained at school i really liked them.

I agree - I found it really helpful to discuss Shakespeare at school. I found the same thing about the poetry we looked at.

CheekyAless · Post by **CheekyAless** » 03 Jul 2013, 05:17

I can't remember many books that I read in school only these:
Of Mice & Men
Beowulf
Private Peaceful

MandiKenendy · Post by **MandiKenendy** » 04 Jul 2013, 01:38

CheekyAless wrote:I can't remember many books that I read in school only these:
Of Mice & Men
Beowulf
Private Peaceful

We do Beowulf at school with our Year 5's (9 and 10 year olds) and they absolutely love it!

1_bookfan · Post by **1_bookfan** » 04 Jul 2013, 12:31

The only book I remember reading in school was The Outsiders and I don't even remember what grade I was in.I am sure there were other books I just don't remember them.

MandiKenendy · Post by **MandiKenendy** » 04 Jul 2013, 14:41

It's really interesting seeing the differences between what people in the UK and USA have studied at school.

Fionn7+4 · Post by **Fionn7+4** » 04 Jul 2013, 16:25

The book I remember best studying in our English class at school was Cider With Rosie by Laurie Lee. As a schoolboy living in Liverpool, England, in the 1960's, I loved the book because it told me of how it was for a boy growing up in a village in Gloucestershire, among farm fields and apple orchards, and it was obvious that it was written by a poet who happened to be remembering his early life in prose. I will never forget the sunshine on the fields at harvest time and the smell of the cider jar as Rosie invited the teller of the tale and the reader to share some cider with her under a hay cart after the harvest work was done. Macbeth is another book we studied. It was the three witches in the play that interested me most. They spoke of an older, wilder world than the one inhabited by ordinary humans. Sometimes, when I think of all the wars there have been on Earth, I think of the words of the three witches:
"When shall we three meet again?
In thunder, lightning, or in rain?
When the hurlyburly's done,
When the battle's lost and won.
That will be ere the set of sun."

Bighuey · Post by **Bighuey** » 04 Jul 2013, 19:36

Thats a long time ago for me, I remember in the 5th grade we read or had read to us by our teacher for discussion was Masterman Ready by Captain Marryat. The only one I remember in high school that we read for discussion was one called Hot Rod by Henry Gregor Felsen.

AliceRose · Post by **AliceRose** » 05 Jul 2013, 03:55

I can't remember many, but I do remember doing Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night", which I really enjoyed. We also did The Picture of Dorian Grey, but I wasn't a fan of that at all.

MandiKenendy · Post by **MandiKenendy** » 05 Jul 2013, 04:04

I studied this at university and really enjoyed it. What didn't you like about it?

AliceRose · Post by **AliceRose** » 05 Jul 2013, 09:16

MandiKenendy - I think it was the fact that I took an instant dislike to Dorian's narcissistic personality, so I found it hard to appreciate the book as a whole when all I could think was how much I didn't like him! It didn't help that I had become a bit disillusioned with schoolwork at that point in my life (something I regret now) so I felt like I was being forced to read the book. I always said I'd like to reread it of my own accord at some point, to see if I could appreciate it a bit more.

Avid_reader · Post by **Avid_reader** » 05 Jul 2013, 11:48

Our literature teacher was a bit odd and in love with French writers of the 50s. We read Albert Camus' The Stranger and The Fall (which I really enjoyed). Also delved into Louis-Ferdinand Céline and even read Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing. He was a great teacher and really opened my mind to fresh-savage writers.

reluctantreader · Post by **reluctantreader** » 05 Jul 2013, 12:53

I found it very difficult to finish any books I studied at school because I find it really hard to read something that I've been told to. I did English Lit A-Level (which was prob a mistake in hindsight) and had to read lots of books. Ended up reading The Rivals the night before my mock exam. I did study Tess of the D'urbervilles and I really, really liked that. I ended up writing my personal essay about it.