This week, my maritime reading has been a bit disruptive. A few things I’m reading are journals and briefer narratives, which lend themselves to dipping in and out of. I’ve read Owen Chase’s narrative about the Essex but still have to get to Thomas Nickerson’s, for example. But I’m enjoying it all.
Yesterday I re-read The Old Man and the Sea. I love Hemingway but when I first read this in high school I didn’t care for it at all. This time, I was really impressed. It’s strange how different my perception is. I remember it as boring, which is something I almost never think, and not only did I not find it boring this time, I would say there was a lot of tension, enough to be almost exciting in places. I think I had different feelings about Santiago, as well. This is a new experience for me. Thus far I’ve only re-read books I liked the first time around, sometimes resulting in disappointment and sometimes even greater appreciation of the work. This is the first time I’ve gone from not liking at all to liking. What was I thinking the first time?
I wouldn’t be surprised if unsavory thoughts about the class, classmates and teacher in HS was one of the reasons for your dislike. Despite my Fitzgerald love, I could never get into Gatsby and 11th grade might just be the reason.
I have the same problem with Gatsby, I wonder if that is the reason…maybe another thing to re-read that I didn’t care for the first time?
But with The Old Man, it wasn’t 11th grade, but 10th—very different circumstances. She-who-shall-not-be-named had us read In Our Time that year instead. I remember her being in love with Hemingway, the rest of the class being in hate, and me actually almost bonding with her over The Garden of Eden.
Whoops… I probably assumed we read Old Man in 11th because I didn’t enjoy it. Maybe its time to give Gatsby another chance, keeping she-who-shall-not-be-named out of it.