Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Ironically, if we never read the classics, we couldn't play these games

I was reading a book this morning. Shocker. The book in question concerns literacy.

During a case study discussion, a class reading "The Yellow Wallpaper" is presented. For people who haven't read the story, the book provides a one sentence synopsis: "The short story tells of a woman in the late 1800s who has a mental illness and becomes more obsessed each day with her bedroom yellow wallpaper."

I don't even know what the rest of the case study said because I was blinded with rage.

Going on a diatribe right now isn't healthy for the Zen state I am trying to embody, so I will just say: starting out crazy and dissenting into madness because your husband locks you in a room for months while reinforcing your instability every chance he gets are COMPLETELY separate issues.

Although, perhaps the authors are ON to something. What if we boiled other classic works down to single sentences that are inaccurate and missing the whole point? What would that look like? And once I start, will I be able to stop?

Thanks to E, P and M for playing the game with me...

The Scarlet Letter is about a single woman who had a baby.
Lord of the Flies concerns kids discovering an island.
Native Son is about a black youth who finds employment in a wealthy household.
Oliver Twist...homeless kids.
Pygmalion - an extreme makeover.
Wuthering Heights, a book about neighbors.
The Great Gatsby, new money.
Beloved - a woman, her daughter, and a young girl who comes to live with them.
Of Mice and Men - a big man with a 'little' name learns not to squeeze the things he loves.
The Odyssey, a journey of infidelity.

Why don't you give it a try? It really is so helpful. I'm really glad none of us have to bother reading any of the classics now.


"Can you not trust me as a physician when I tell you so?"
DON'T TRUST HIM husband in "The Yellow Wallpaper"

10 comments:

  1. Anna Karenina-privileged woman cheats then throws herself under a train

    A Doll's House-woman who loves macaroons

    Beowulf-crazy egotistical warrior cant win them all


    I LOVE THIS GAME!!!!

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  2. I haven't read The Yellow Wallpaper, but it sounds like some serious Gaslighting is going on?

    Jude the Obscure - a romance.
    Wuthering Heights - the history of two families.

    You're right - it IS super helpful! I'm so glad I can get rid of more than half of my books now!

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  3. Cor - I think we have found our new favorite pastime.

    Jabba - DEFINITELY gaslighting...I was just talking about that with a coworker!

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  4. Jane Eyre - an orphan's life as a governess

    Haha, love the blog :)

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  5. A Room With A View-Bitchy, hoity toity women who don't like the hotel room they are given in Florence.

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  6. I both love and hate this post...love that you stated it, hate that it happens. Sigh.

    xox

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  7. For those who haven't had the priviledge

    http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/dept/history/lavender/wallpaper.html

    C - one of the first times I knew I loved you was when you told me you loved "The Yellow Wallpaper", and also when you knew the lyric to "Senor Don Gato"

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  8. Tess of D'Urbervilles - unwed mother tries to straighten out.

    Mansfield Park - rich family adopts poor girl.

    What a relief. Who needs classics? Not me.

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  9. I just found a very good way to have fun in English class.

    To Kill a Mockingbird: Kids try to meet a mysterious neighbor

    Romeo and Juliet: being in love makes you want to kill yourself

    2001: A man fights a murderous computer in outer space

    The Bible: an ensemble cast has adevntures in the ancient Middle East

    The Metamorphasis - a man wakes up to find he has become a giant cockroach

    War of the Worlds: bacteria kill Martians

    Don Quixote: a Spanish guy goes crazy and attacks windmills

    Pandora: A woman lets horrible things out of a myserious box. (Actually, that sounds like the plot for a lot of horror movies)

    ~~~~The EGE
    amateurgeek.blogspot.com

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  10. Keep posting stuff like this i really like it.

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