Bum Bum Bum, anutha one biteseeh duss

chika bum bum bum

I am done with my undergrad Arts classes.

Now I have to say it that way, since I still have to take a bogus elective class to fill my degree requirements, but now I can look forward to a life where I can read all the books I want to read and not write a damn thing about any of them. No more all nighters! No more MLA! No more booklists that I can hardly tolerate! No more due dates, or midterms. Why do people read literature that was once interesting but is now irrelevant? I no longer have to care.

So, as I ought to do, here's a quick review of the books that I read this semester, by class, with a rating out of 5 and a one-sentence opinion.

Twentieth-Century Feminism:

Kate Chopin-The Awakening (4/5) Loved this book, would gladly read it again.
Virginia Woolf-To The Lighthouse (3.5/5) Also wonderful, though not my favorite by Woolf.
Sylvia Plath-The Bell Jar (5/5) Changed my life in high school, so I can't say no.
Margaret Atwood-The Edible Woman (2/5) Screw Margaret Atwood, she doesn't give me anything to care about.
Gail Godwin-Violet Clay (3/5) Meh.
Jeanette Winterson-Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit (3.5/5) Not that bad, but not that amazing either.

Canadian Literature:

Joan Macleod-Homechild (1/5) Blurg.
Wayson Choy-All that Matters (2.5/5) Redundant and incredibly boring.
Miriam Toews-A Complicated Kindness (3.5/5) Not really a bad book, though it does leave something to be desired.
Eden Robinson-Monkey Beach (1/5) More like Monkey BITCH.

American Literature:

Joan Didion-Slouching Towards Bethlehem (5/5) Pretty damn well written assessment of the U.S.
J.D. Salinger-Nine Stories (2.5/5) Sorry but I can never really get into Salinger.
Donald Barthelme-The Dead Father (4/5) Freudian explosion!!
Nicholson Baker-The Mezzanine (4.5/5) Left the cockles of my heart warm and satisfied.
Tobais Wolff-In Pharoh's Army (2.5/5) Not really as well written as I would have hoped.
Anthony Swofford-Jarhead (2/5) If you are a guy, then you think this book is profound, if you are a girl, you kind of want him to stop yelling all the time.

Milton and the 17th Century:

Milton-Paradise Lost (5/5) I shouldn't have to explain why.
Milton-Areopagitica (2.5/5) Interesting ideas but terribly written.
Milton-Samson Agonistes (1.5/5) Seriously; the only good thing that he ever did was Paradise Lost.

20th Century British and Irish Studies

Wilfred Owen-Complete Poems (3/5) Good, not great.
Virginia Woolf-Mrs Dalloway (5/5) Now THIS is my favorite one of Woolf's.
Sean O'Casey-The Plough and the Stars (2/5) Kind of stupid, really.
Frank McGuinness-Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme (3.5/5) Hated it at first, but it more or less grew on me.
Pat Barker-Another World (4/5) Engaging and creepy as hell.
Sebastian Barry-A Long Long Way (4/5) It just made me so SAD.


So there you have it; my last semester at school. I am selling a lot of these books back, as you can probably tell.

I am quite sick still, though I'm feeling better, I don't look much better. Also swallowing is difficult. It took me thee minutes to eat a small slice of pizza.

But at least I go home on Monday! That will be nice. A whole house full of soup and ice cream, just for moi.