Recently in class we began reading The Heart of Darkness and The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad. Joseph Conrad is an author know for his use of the English language and beautiful descriptions of scenery. I have found these stories incredibly difficult to read.
It has been said that our generation whether it be millennial or generation z has shorter attention spans due to the quick access to knowledge via the internet that we have had most of our life. Whether this is the case or not it is hard for me and most of my peers to enjoy the language of the novel. Reading the lengthy ramblings about the sea and the ship has become painful. When I have trouble reading a book I often switch to audio but the voice of narrator about the darkness of the sea lulls me to sleep.
I've come up with several explanations to this issue. Aside from my possible deprivation of sleep, I look to the relevance of the book in today's world. I'm not rendering the book irrelevant because I see the importance in the richness of the language. However, in today's world majority of people don't know the parts of the ship or can become an explorer of someplace new, other than the deep sea or space. The need to restate the way the sun is setting four times prevents me for filling up my time with more productive things.
I hate when people make assumptions of my generation and how the internet "negatively" effects us but I can't help constantly begging the novel to give me a plot. I want Nabakov to judge me a good reader but I feel like I'm too far removed from The Heart of Darkness to enjoy it.
I completely and utterly agree with you. Sometimes the age of the book antiquates it further than what may be enjoyable or relevant to us. Yay for speaking your mind.
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