Uh, I mean Shakespeare bad. Fuck that hack. Very cringe.
Yeah I think there's a fine line between "I don't get this thing but I'm glad others enjoy it" and "this thing is universally bad." That said, I think there's a tendency to paint people who don't "get" Shakespeare as philistines which is a bit unfair. If you don't like capital l Literature I'm not going to hold it against you, especially when our brains have been so decimated by the internet that reading something even remotely "difficult" is a massive chore.
However, insulting Shakespeare is one thing and I'll defend him any day, but anybody who tries to tell me that Homer is overrated is just straight up getting killed. :chavez-guns:
There also a difference between "I don't get Shakespeare" and going fishing online for people to validate your dislike of Shakespeare so that you don't have to try anymore. And the latter is exactly what that other prick was doing. I gotta say, I'm getting extremely sick of the philistines online trying to make themselves feel better, at this point. They should just go watch Marvel movies without bothering the rest of us (that remain).
Yeah I think you're right the more I read the comments from OP the more I realized it was less about actual intellectual curiosity and more about the anti-circlejerk mindset. It's fine to not like things, but don't think your not liking things means that's the universal opinion on things. "Great Books" and the like are legitimately good, and there's a reason they've stuck around for centuries. They're not for everybody, and they're not "easy," but they're absolutely worth it and truly life changing if you give it a real go.
Agreed completely. I was being belligerant, admittedly, but I'm so sick of people not even trying anymore when it comes to reading. It's not their fault, I know. We live in a world of pure distraction. Everyone is pushed toward instant gratification and/or understanding--I'm like that too. But God damn, sometimes forcing yourself to read or reread a difficult text is worth it, and it can even become enjoyable if you make it habitual.
Anyway, I'm just becoming too much of a millenial boomer.
I feel exactly the same way. Attempting to get a NY of my friends to read anything outside of like Brandon Sanderson is an entirely lost cause and I get grumpy. The best things in life often aren't "easy."
John Dee actually wrote the works of Shakespeare I'll have you know.
