<p>You liked Ethan Frome and don’t like Vonnegut???</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>yeah. i read cat’s cradle before i read sh5 for school , and it really put me off vonnegut in general. maybe also because my classmates proclaim his writing will ‘change your outlook on life’ or other such stuff. i dunno, he doesnt seem that amazing to me. his strange mishmash of science fiction and apathy really dont appeal to me. </p>
<p>and A-san, i actually talked about this in my interview: the professor who interviewed me asked me if an author was morally responsible for creating a ‘fantasy world’ for his readers - and i was like “…yeah, but whats wrong with that?” i think fiction can teach as much, if not more, than nonfiction. And you say you’d give a ‘classic’ more patience, but what makes a ‘classic’? there are so many incredible writers, emotionally charged writers out there who dont get the widespread recognition they might deserve.</p>
<p>interesting chariot, well I would define a classic as a piece of literature that has moved beyond the scope of time and boundries. In other words, writing that has lasted for years and years, and is applicable to all nationalities and cultures. In that case, I would probably read a classic, because I know it would most likely (ofcourse not always) be worthwhile. Unfortunately, we can’t say the same of many modern fiction writers. However if you disagree, which modern fiction writers do you recommend?</p>
<p>also, another question, how do you guys find time to read books? I find that with school, EC’s, and including assigned reading from school, its almost impossible to find time for yourself and read a book that you would enjoy. How do you guys find the time?</p>
<p>I too am fairly rarely presented with a book I don’t like, but it’s Ernest Hemingway that I personally despise, not Kurt Vonnegut.</p>
<p>Anyway, about Ethan Frome, keep in mind that I read the novel back in November and am left mostly with just impressions of things… I personally didn’t particularly like it or dislike it. I think you’re quite correct in how deliberate everything was that she wrote-- I enjoyed her foreshadowing and how symbolic everything was. Even just looking at the setting of the story, you can read so much into it. The frame that she utilized was pretty interesting, and honestly, I wouldn’t mind if she had extended it a bit. That character at least had a soul, whereas I’m not quite so sure about the Fromes and Mattie. Clearly, I didn’t like the characters, which is something of a problem for someone who typically reads specifically for the characters. I found it very difficult to sympathize with any of them, especially given the fact that, with just a little bit of action, their lives could have been so much better. Instead, though, they were almost removed from their own lives, which is something that frustrated me. I suspect you’re right about her completion of the novel… the way Mattie sort of turned into Zeena at the end just killed me-- the irony, you know? </p>
<p>I haven’t read Age of Innocence-- is it good?</p>
<p>Oh wow, not reading fiction! I can’t even imagine it… Personally, I think fiction is soooo applicable to life-- in fact, it was something I talked about in my essays and interview extensively. Even the trashiest novel can teach you something about human nature and how to interact with the world, and normally, literature can teach you so much more. Honestly, I’d argue that a good work of fiction could teach you more than non-fiction, personally.</p>
<p>So, what attracts me to fiction? Primarily, the stories being told and characterization is what does it for me: I love to see how people interact and develop over time, and where else can you politely do that but in a book? Actually, to bring things back to TASP, one of my main curiosities about the Cornell house is how two separate groups are going to interact with each other, especially when they are as differently focused as they are this year… I can only imagine! Anyway, I also like the escapism of fiction. I suppose books are my form of television or movies-- I read to learn, of course, but I also like to be swept away and to be kept involved in a story. Not all authors manage this, of course, but many do, and those are who I read for. Beyond just classic authors manage this, I hope you realize, and beyond just classic authors have a lot to teach you. Roddy Doyle, for example, is a modern Irish author who focuses mainly on the lower classes of Dublin and is renowned for his humor and profanity-- not precisely hallmarks of classics, really. Despite that, though, or perhaps even because of it, he has so much to offer in terms of how and why people act as they do, in terms of how we ourselves should act and feel. For me, this is what’s wonderful about all fiction-- it’s marvellous how a human creation, something from one’s imagination, can be so amazingly real and applicable to broader life.</p>
<p>Moving to your next post, A-san, I wonder if you aren’t missing what will be the next generation of classics in reading only the past’s. I’m not going to claim that all modern fiction is hugely worthwhile, because it’s not, but some is. Dan Brown or Janet Evanovich might not have much to tell, but people such as Joyce Carol Oates, Tom Stoppard, Amy Tan, and countless others really do write worthwhile works that will in all likehood endure at least for a while yet. I feel like I’m proselytizing, which I don’t mean to do, but read! There’s so much to gain. What sorts of things are you interested in? That might give me a better idea of what to recommend.</p>
<p>About making time for reading, it is sometimes hard. Frankly, though, reading is my relaxation and my entertainment, so whenever I can, I pick up a book. Sometimes my reading suffers because of my schedule, but usually I can make at least a little time. A recent coping mechanism I’ve developed: short stories. I swear I never used to read so many, but these days, with time itself being so short, they’re almost becoming the norm.</p>
<p>Anyway, I’ll shut up now. This was waaay longer and a bit more forceful, perhaps, than I meant to be.</p>
<p>I like A Farewell to Arms too :(</p>
<p>I guess none of you can be my friend.</p>
<p>Just kidding, Ethan Frome was acceptable.</p>
<p>Much better than As I Die Readi…As I Lay Dying</p>
<p>I’ve not read A Farewell to Arms, to be honest-- just The Old Man and the Sea and The Sun Also Rises, so perhaps in reality I shouldn’t be so quick to judge. I just hated both of them. The plots, the characters, Hemingway’s style… it all sort of grated on my nerves.</p>
<p>ooh, kelsiface you should totally read A.O.Innocence. especially b/c you said you had trouble relating to the characters in E.Frome. I dont want to ruin the point of the novel for you, but the protagonist is much more ‘trapped’ than frome (well, thats what im trying to prove in my paper), though he lives in the most opulent of societies. He’s much more likable and its easy to sympathize with him. the eventual outcome of the novel is a little more frustrating than in Frome, though.</p>
<p>Hm, i talked about hemingway in my interview (i was discussing how it is difficult to seperate an author from his writing, etc) and i mentioned that if i had to pick an author to be friends with, it’d be fscottfitzgerald. And then i said that even though i didnt mind Old man and the sea, i wouldnt want to be friends with hemingway because he sounds like a prick (well, said in other words, i guess). I dunno, it was something really weird to talk about in my interview- but my interviewer was really into it and we chatted about the merits of F.scott for awhile :-)</p>
<p>Oh god, I love Fitzgerald-- he’s one of my very favorite authors. I just love his style and usage of words (along, of course, with the stories he wrote :)). A few weeks ago in US History, we were watching a video about 1920s NYC that I swear was secretly truly about F. Scott Fitzgerald. Seriously, every five to seven minutes or so there’d be some mention of him and his life… it was so odd. I’m not so sure I’d want to be friends with him, though-- I have to wonder if he was a terribly happy man, really. I’d love to meet him and discuss his literature, but I’m not sure if I’d want to delve much deeper than that. Personally, if I had to choose an author as a friend, I’d probably go for Douglas Adams or someone like that. He had such a fantastic sense of humor. Also, agreed-- Hemingway does seem like quite the jerk, doesn’t he? </p>
<p>Next time I’m at a bookstore, I’ll have to pick up Age of Innocence. That ought to work out well, actually, given that will probably be at the airport on Sunday, so I’ll even indeed have the time available to read.</p>
<p>So it’s been decided…eek</p>
<p>Absolutely terrifying, isn’t it?</p>
<p>By the way, good luck to everyone taking AP exams tomorrow/this week/whenever they are…</p>
<p>I just called for my decision.</p>
<p>Nope, didn’t get it.</p>
<p>Best of luck to the rest of you and on APs too!!!</p>
<p>I got into Cornell I (Foreign Policy)! I was so surprised because it’s such a common choice among applicants. </p>
<p>Now, onto AP Calc and SAT II Math…</p>
<p>did you both call, or has an email gone out yet?</p>
<p>I e-mailed Ellen tonight. She responded today, but then she sent out another general e-mail with “Dear applicant” at the top. Not sure if everyone received it, though…</p>
<p>I didn’t get said email, but after reading on this thread that people had found out their decision, I had to call. I was seriously shaking when I dialed and while the woman on the other end was looking through the names, but…
I GOT IN!!!</p>
<p>and to my first choice- st. louis!! I’m so so so so unbelievably excited. oh man. i really was NOT expecting this!</p>
<p>OMG I’m so nervous about this eek I don’t think I will even have the nerves to call.:(</p>
<p>Oh yeah, the “dear applicant” email was addressed only to Cornell 1 students because it specifically said “you have been accepted to CU 1” or something.</p>
<p>Oh man that’s not good news because my inbox is unusually empty.
Approxiamtely when did you receive this email Mindy???</p>