So why do you read Asian novels?

Well if you put it this way i can't see a way i can win you over. I just want to point that if all the things we study in school were based on what is fun and what not, there's no purpose in going to school at all.

 

It's not making you have fun, is incentiving you to read.

You don't start learning math by the more complicated and confusing stuff, you start with the simple and gradually grow to the harder to get stuff.

Reading is the same, but at least in my country, the time dedicated to incentive people to read before high school is ridiculously small.

You can tell people to read the classics once they are already used to reading and already like reading... If you throw a 200 pages classic, that has a narrative that flows quite poorly, at someone that has barely read a 50 pages book, I doubt this person will read any book out of free will again.

It's a lot more important to make people read than to make them read "literature" IMO... Making them read the "good stuff" is more of a bonus, because honestly? I doubt anyone that can't see the appeal of it will pay more attention to that book, than what is necessary to pass the test... That is, if they actually read it instead of searching for a resume online.

 

Well i still think the teacher is the key factor and not the book.
If the teacher is good it makes you like everything.
It's not like in elementary class they make you read Dante... That comes later.

 

I read Asian ones more because there are more (WNs and such) from what I've seen. I like western novels more though, overall.
Cultivation, epic worlds/creatures, over the top powers/fights, training montages, etc, eastern (especially xianxia/xuanhuan) are full of em. I like that. The money grubbing/ruthless/lazy characters are fun to read too

Westerns are usually better quality-wise, especially when it comes to characters/plot depth and development.. maybe world too.

 

I'm not joking.
I think literature is important, but dismissing everything else is wrong.

 

The teacher is what makes the class interesting...

The part about reading the book comes at home though, not at class, no teacher can make reading a book interesting... That depends on the book itself.

 

Unfortunately gotta agree with that, at least in part.
I had a good english teacher in high school, but a large part of the class already had the idea that reading is boring and a pain ingrained in their minds. I know cause we had to work in groups sometimes. Being picked as the group leader in that kind of situation sucks so much and makes you realize how much harder it must be to be the teacher.

It's weird though. In elementary school all the younger kids are like "Yay, it's library time! I wanna read!" what happened to everyone between then and highschool...

 

Being the group's leader when people don't wish to work is terrible! *cries*

Hmmmm... Yeah I do wonder what causes the change... It's probably a mixture of boring books together with a stigma that "books are for nerds" or something, which ends up hitting teenagers quite hard.

And after they grow up, they just keep that mentality of not wanting to read even if the stigma is already gone... Probably because they're already used to thinking like that.

That's why I find it troublesome to try to expose people early to the classics... Exposing people to books they like more, would probably increase the chance of them being open to reading books... It's not really an easy job though.

 

Read it and The Man In The Iron Mask in elementary and not for a school project.

 

Too Long, Didnt Wanna Post
So, to the fool: Ignorant fellow, do me a favor please. Stop inhaling, its tough, I know the body forces it, so use a rock or something to plug the hole.

P.S. Ignorant American I am, Stupid I am, but even I know that "Asian Novels and Literature" have been a thing since before The Americas (the continents) were even drawn on maps and probably before the founding of Great Britain so to say "Asian novels and literature have no complexity or seriousness or literary value." is like saying "Hey, if I dont think it has value, that means it has no value." which implies "Hey, did you know I am brain dead?". Probably the type of person that would go into a Museum and wonder what the big deal is about it all.

 

On this we agree like i said in my post.

No if the teacher is good like i said he can find a way to make you like it even if the book is no good.
I'm a living proof of it. The problem maybe lies in the people who doesn't like to study or read. So you can propose even a light book and they just end up not reading it.

Well on this we have the same view. I had an eanglish teacher who started teaching us with the U2 songs "New year days", it was so fun that i still remember her lessons now like it was yesterday.

Maybe you're right but i can tell you something i wish i could say the book in my school days were boring but i simply can not.
Virgilio's Eneide, Dante's Divina Commedia, Manzoni's Promessi Sposi, Pirandello "Uno nessuno Centomila", Boccaccio's Decamerone and the other are simply masterpiece and they can improve your view, your grammar.
If you don't introduce this kind of book in High school then most people would never give it a try and they miss a great opportunity.
Took Dante's work as example. The lesson were boring as the hell he described. But that's the teacher fault not the book. I mean if you have the opportunity to read it you can travel to hell, purgatory and paradise along with them. The care used in the description of every little detail are simply impressive. You are there and you can see through his word the gates of hell, the damned. How i can say the book is boring?

 

You are not a good example for the majority of the population, because you already like to read, so you can enjoy reading the more complex stuff.

Someone that doesn't like it will just get annoyed by it though, if you wish to make people read, you don't need to work on the quality of their books, you need to make them like to read.

You can make a literature club or something to try and incentive people to go after classics I guess, dunno, there weren't clubs in any school I've been to, so I don't know what kind of system would work for it.

 

No i didn't like to read (the high school period was like hell) as much as i do now.
I was full of preconceptions of the kind "Dostoevsky writes heavy books" then a friend of mine passes me a book the gambler and tells me try reading this. Well, I read the book in one night.

 

Honestly comparing a classical Literature with modern literature is a mistake in the first place, of course you will see a stark contrast between them. Though you also must not forget that Asian countries like China, Korea, and Japan also has a fair share of its own classical Literature, and they are no way inferior to Western one.

But if you compare an Asian Light Novel and Western Young Adult Novel, you will see that there's not much difference. Only the culture is different.

The reason I prefer Japanese Light Novel more is simply because their pretty pictures. Also since I love Manga and Anime, of course I would prefer Light Novel more than Western Novel.

 

I think everyone has those preconceptions though? It's more along the lines of... Trying to force people to read things they already think they won't like is probably not the best way to incentive them to read... Well, anything.

You need to show them that the classics exist and that they should read it, but I think the books they should read should be things they would actually have bigger chances of enjoying, to increase the chances of them wanting to read.

 

No i'm not trying to do that read the start of it i also think you are right and every country has their fair share of good classic. We were talking about the school sistem if your post was aimed at me. But i derailed the topic enough so i stop now.

@brasca123 book in school must have certain standard you can't add random book for classes.
I still think it's the teacher's job to find a way to make you listen the lesson.
I agree that they can introduce some light read but the classic they have to be introduced in school.

 

I only read the OP, I didn't realize it got derailed.
But I'm too lazy to read the rest so... can you just give me the summary?

 

No just ignore my post i thought your post was aimed at me, sorry for dragging you along

 

I think Corpse-chan skipped all replies and just replied to the OP... >.>

*nod nod* That much is certain, I just think that you need to add light and entertaining reads, it doesn't mean they won't got through a filter though.

On this I agree 100% in, teachers are what makes lessons interesting and fun in the first place, not the subject.


The problem is that, liking the class will not make you like the book, because the class is not when you read the book, you read the book at home... Or you don't, and read a resume online... Which sadly, is what most people do.

I also think they need to be introduced at school! >.<

I just don't think they should be mandatory reads...

I knew it! *hugs Corpse-chan*

*pat pat pat* Big threads don't generally have people reading them... As a rule of thumb, if someone didn't mention/tag anyone, they probably replied to the OP.

 

Well when i'm in the middle of an argument i tend to forget the basics so i apologize