I liked the great gatsby, but only because of the simple message(s). I thought fitzgerald's writing style was about as pleasant and enjoyable as being stabbed repeatedly in my uterus with a knitting needle whilst simultaneously teaching bears to dance. I vastly prefer steinbeck too. (i think this is because of my dad though. he love steinbeck, or, as we call him affectionately, 'steiny').

last night i was standing on a pier talking to my friend about this very subject. he hates cs lewis and the narnia chronicles because he was ruined by the dodgy bbc production before he got a chance to get his hand on some of the books. (ps. australian band 'silverchair' ripped their name from the book 'the silver chair.') one book i can not bring myself to finish is madame bovary. hate it. i also hated the portrait of a lady. eat my asshole freshly, henry james.

what's the lamest translation of a book to screen that you have ever witnessed?
what's the BEST translation of a book to screen that you have witnessed?

oh, vin, i also forgot to mention - you're right, jane austen was kind of soap opera stuff for its time (and it was written by a woman, so it was probably automatically seen to be crap). i do enjoy austen, i have to admit. haven't read enough bronte.

we need to readdress what constitutes good literature and what should be included in the literary canon.

i, for one, nominate Archie's readers digest #349. Oh, that crazy jughead! Will he ever learn?