What, exactly, are they?
Do you like them?
Cliff’s notes are synopses of literature, giving the story, main themes, etc. They also have critical questions and their answers, like you might find on an English test. Do not use them, as you would be depriving yourself of a real education (unless you have to read “Babbitt”, in which case I say the gloves are off…that’s the only one I ever used Cliff’s notes for, because it was intolerable for me to read the book). They are basically what someone would use if they wanted to pass the test without reading the book.
Robin
I have to read The Taming Of The Shrew.
Sometimes the Cliff Notes are ok if you are just using them to get a deeper understanding of what you’ve read. They by no means take the place of actually reading (experiencing) the writer’s work.
You wanted to learn how to write poetry? Watch how the Bard toys with the language.
Will O’Ban
PS: Poetry books (books of poems) are generally not very big sellers. People that we think of as serious poets are generally employed by universities as full time professors – usually in the English Department. This gives them a chance to write, and their university salary allows them to eat when they get hungry. It’s more fun to be a well-fed professor than a starving poet.
For me it was “The Picture of Dorian Gray” that brought out the Cliff Notes. It was one of only two books I could not tolerate. I did not like the writing style and I wasn’t getting the plot. I would re-read everything and still not get a thing out of the darn thing.
The other (“Tale of Two Cities”) was not reading for a class, so cliff notes were not necessary. After being board out of mind for about 200 pages, I gave up.
I tried reading James Joyce’s Ulysses several times (not for a class) but couldn’t get through more than a dozen or so pages due to the language. Finally, I bought Cliff’s Notes for the book and was able to read and ENJOY the whole novel. The chapter synopses let me have a basic idea of what was happening without having to glean that information totally from what is written, and the information on Homer and the literary allusions were terrific. If you use them the way they are intended to be used, I think Cliff’s Notes are well worth while.
I had a hard time with the first third or half of Babbitt. I’m glad I stuck with it, because the latter part of it was a wonderful read. I’ve tried Elmer Gantry a couple of times unsuccessfully, but have read and REALLY enjoyed about half of Sinclair Lewis’s books. I especially like the first few and last few (World so Wide, Cass Timberlane, Kingsblood Royal, Our Mr. Wrenn).
Cran, if you can get hold of the video of Taming of the Shrew, the Burton and Taylor version is fantastic. Watching always helps with Shakespeare.
Noah was “Gremio” in “Taming of the Shrew” last year at school. They did a wonderful version that used the Shakespearean dialog, but was set in the 1920’s. The girl that played Kate had a PIERCING screech - in fact just about all the kids were perfect for their roles.
Besides the mentioned Taylor and Burton version - if you want to see a more modern rendition, look for “Kiss me Kate”.
Noah is cast as Louis this year in “The King and I”. The music teacher is threatening him with bodily harm if his voice starts changing (he’s turning 14 next month)! The darn “Whistle a Happy Tune” is driving me crazy!
Missy
I saw Taming of the Shrew at the Globe Theatre* on the South Bank (London) a couple of years ago. It had an all-female cast, and was hilarious!
I highly recommend seeing the play, Cran, as well as reading it, even if you have to get a DVD from the library. It makes it so much easier to follow.
- For those not in the know, this is the theatre rebuilt to the original plans (as far as possible) as Shakespeare’s original Globe. They show exclusively Shakespeare’s plays, mostly in the summer as it is open to the air.
[quote="chas Watching always helps with Shakespeare.[/quote]
Try reading Shakespeare out loud, preferably with a friend or two to take the different parts. It’s fun, and the plays make more sense aloud.