My Literary Tastes

As I have expressed before, I am a recovering literary elitist. The cliché greats, e.g. Kafka, Dickens, Shakespeare and Keats tickle my fancy the most. However, I have found that I am now seeking out the “lesser known classics.” For AP English, I was assigned Shusaku Endo’s Deep River, and was blown away. It is a little known Japanese novel, but centers upon a study of Christian morality and world culture, plus the style (although translated), was quite intriguing. So while I will never quit Hemingway, Faulkner and Joyce, I still look for lesser known classics.

To successfully search for these “hidden classics”, I had to research world literature. Some of the classics that I have found are Julien Green’s Moira and Kurt Vonnegut’s Mother Night. Granted, Vonnegut is a popular name in American Literature, but the work in particular is not one of his better known novels, and I found it more pleasing than both Breakfast of Champions and Cat’s Cradle.

So as far as novels go, I have come to the conclusion that I will more or less read anything, but I tend to go for the works with most popular names. In terms of poetry, I am sad to say I am still an elitist. I have read a lot of poetry by less reputable authors (I do not want to name names), and with the exception of Charles Bukowski who is my anti-hero, I have not found many of them pleasing. Only Keats, Yeats and the like satisfy my desire for poetry. As I am beginning to write poetry, I am light years away from their level of greatness with verse, but I it is not going to stop me from trying (just bear with me until I get it right!). It may be that I still need to read more of this “great” poetry, to be able to see that other poets are close to the same level, but I cannot break the spell that Wordsworth and Donne have on me.

While it may be unfair, I have a great taste for poetry in other languages, namely Hebrew, Latin and Spanish. (I am working on my study of Koine Greek, but I am not advanced enough to read poetry in it). The study of Virgil (I am unsure if I prefer ‘Vergil’ or ‘Virgil’) has greatly expanded my tastes in poetry, and even one word from Vergil (‘vitiossimus’ for example) have inspired entire poems! While it may be unfair, I find the poets in those three languages most likeable, for it helps me with my study of languages. However, "Gloriossimus", my potentiam magnum opus is on hold, for I do not feel as if it deserves to be completed, considering my current prospects for education in the next year.

Overall, my taste in literature is still for the greatest of the great, but if I can read a lesser known author in their common tongue, I will read that as well. I am always looking for that classic that skipped the clutches of literary critics for the most part. Any suggestions for works are appreciated, except Treasure Island. Most importantly, I incorporate what I read into my writing, even if I do not notice it. So if you find some Virgil, Keats or Faulkner mixed in with the inferior writings of Brian Hillman, it is because I have read them so extensively.