CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

So I have a senior english term paper right, but I can't decide which book to choose. I want to know which book you guys would recommend. The options include:

~ Betrayal – Harold Pinter
~ The Quiet American – Graham Greene
~ The BFG – Roald Dahl
~ A Clockwork Orange – Anthony Burgess
~ Anthills of the Savannah – Chinua Achebe
~ The Invention of Love – Tom Stoppard
~ Black Dogs – Ian McEwan
~ Night Train – Martin Amis
~ Amadeus – Peter Shaffer
~ Royal Hunt of the Sun – Peter Shaffer
~ Mrs. Dalloway – Virginia Woolf
~ Morality Play – Barry Unsworth
~ A Study in Scarlet – Arthur Conan Doyle
~ Loved One – Evelyn Waugh
~ Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenson
~ The Collected Works of Billy the Kid – Michael Ondaatje
~ July’s People – Nadine Gordimer
~ The Tenth Man – Graham Greene
~ Orient Express – Graham Greene
~ A Man for All Seasons – Robert Bolt
~ Gertrude and Claudius – John Updike
~ Adventures of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass – Lewis Carroll
~ My Dog Tulip – J. R. Ackerley
~ The Path to Rome – Hilaire Belloc
~ The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde
~ Theatre – W. Somerset Maugham
~ Down and Out in Paris and London – George Orwell
~ Or any other British Literature (Besides like harry potter) Must be approved by my teacher.

Currently, I'm looking into The BFG, since Roald Dahl is a children's writer, and for me, it wouldn't be much of a hassle to read. (Matilda was one of my favorite books as a child) A Clockwork Orange also seems interesting, as the movie adaptation is well-liked by many critics, and The Picture of Dorian Gray for it's moral and philosophical implications. Plus I know a bit about the book already, and it does pique my interest, though it certainly seems the most complicated to read since it's older than the other two.

Has anybody else read any of these? And if so, which ones would you recommend?

Out of that list, I have only read:

- The BFG
- A Study in Scarlet
- Treasure Island

I would personally recommend "A study in scarlet" if you picked one from these three titles. My own opinion is that it's a bit more mentally involving than The BFG, and more interesting than Treasure Island.

i suggest alice in wonderland... its fun to read the really trippy non disney-fied version of it

The ones that I think will make the most interesting reads, and best papers would be:

A Clockwork Orange
The Quiet American
The Orient Express
A Man for All Seasons

I second the Lewis Carroll suggestion. Both Alice books are a great read. Besides, they're so timeless and they've managed to get referenced by even The Matrix.

rocklobster wrote:I second the Lewis Carroll suggestion. Both Alice books are a great read. Besides, they're so timeless and they've managed to get referenced by even The Matrix.

But seriously, what didn't The Matrix reference? XD


Anyways, I'd personally go with Alice in Wonderland, just because I've always loved the movie and the basic premise of the story (though I've yet to actually read the books). Knowing your tastes, and from what little I know about the book, A Clockwork Orange would be a good choice, too. Or, since you have the option of doing any other piece of British literature, J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan could work, too (and it's a fantastic book that everyone should read, anyways. XD).

Good luck, though!
And whoa, you guys do term papers early. o_o Ours won't start until the beginning of the second semester.

Clockwork Orange is pretty gross, what I read of it.

I read The Picture of Dorian Gray for a literature course. It wasn't too bad.

If you want to read Wilde try The Ballad of Reading Gaol instead of The Picture of
Dorian Grey,it's based on Wilde's time in prison for breaking the Sodomy laws of
Britian and is quite sobering.

I'd pick Treasure Island. Who doesn't like pirates? \o.o/

Alice wrote:Clockwork Orange is pretty gross, what I read of it.

Not to mention downright creepy.

I like Treasure Island. It's pretty fun, but I just have a thing for pirates. (Muppets Treasure Island anyone?)
You could always ask about The Lion the Whitch and the Wardrobe though. It's by C.S. Lewis... although the level might be a little low. Was Tolkin (sp?) British? I know they were friends...
I doubt that's what your teacher had in mind though...

Sorry, not a big fan of C.S. Lewis' fiction. Same with Tolkien. I really hate fantasy stories.

Anyway, I picked A Clorkwork Orange, and I'm quite glad of my decision. It looked really interesting, and I love what I've read so far. And oddly enough, I believe the book has some actual Christian implications in it, as I believe the author - Anthony Burgess - was a devoted Christian, but I could be wrong, I haven't found sufficient evidence.

[spoiler] seems like it was all about rape and murder to me [/spoiler]

Alice wrote:[spoiler] seems like it was all about rape and murder to me [/spoiler]

You serious? I haven't even read the book and I know it explores deep philosophical meanings, issues like morality and being human, and justice and all that.

A book simply about violence, rape, and murder alone wouldn't get extraordinary praise. It's got to have a deeper meaning to it. (Same applies with Kubrick's film adaptation)

I'm not sure you're right.

If you do read it, I hope you aren't as traumatized as I was.

Also, you can tell me if I'm wrong, and it really is deep and stuff. I read what felt like a ton of it, but may have been less than I thought. Enough to feel damaged...

Mr. SmartyPants wrote:A book simply about violence, rape, and murder alone wouldn't get extraordinary praise. It's got to have a deeper meaning to it. (Same applies with Kubrick's film adaptation)

Hehe...I hate to say this, but that's not exactly accurate. Lurid stuff gets rave reviews at times, so I wouldn't take "extraordinary praise" as meaning a book is any good. I can't speak for this book, but simply deciding something can't be as shallow as it sounds and still get good reviews doesn't always hold true. I've read books which are considered classic that I thought were senseless junk (Damien and The Stranger being two more prominent examples, though I have encountered many), so I'd be careful about using high praise as a bar, it is doesn't always mean anything.

Puritan wrote:Hehe...I hate to say this, but that's not exactly accurate. Lurid stuff gets rave reviews at times,

But literary critics do not praise a work merely because it contains lurid scenes. There is always something deeper going on. In the case of Clockwork Orange, there is obviously criminal behaviour (the main character is the leader of a gang of thugs), but the book addresses more important questions regarding criminality, the government, free will and so forth.

About Clockwork Orange...

good luck deciphering the language. Seriously.

I personally think A Man for All Seasons would make good term paper fodder, but you already chose your book. :p

Puritan wrote:Hehe...I hate to say this, but that's not exactly accurate. Lurid stuff gets rave reviews at times, so I wouldn't take "extraordinary praise" as meaning a book is any good. I can't speak for this book, but simply deciding something can't be as shallow as it sounds and still get good reviews doesn't always hold true. I've read books which are considered classic that I thought were senseless junk (Damien and The Stranger being two more prominent examples, though I have encountered many), so I'd be careful about using high praise as a bar, it is doesn't always mean anything.

I know for a fact that many critics (especially in film) would be more critical of such violence.

Lets look at three films for example: Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, and Lady Vengeance. Each one of Park-Chan Wook's films.

Many critics raved about the film'. Some critics criticized them for being too violent and pointless, especially Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (And I laugh at them, because each movie did have a major point]About Clockwork Orange...

good luck deciphering the language. Seriously.

I personally think A Man for All Seasons would make good term paper fodder, but you already chose your book. :p[/QUOTE]
I watched some of the movie two years ago, and I liked what I saw. But the oldy-language gets on my nerves >_> which is why I was hesitant to picking Dorian Grey.

*points to signature*

You call that oldy-language?

kaemmerite wrote:*points to signature*

You call that oldy-language?

Okay... I take that statement back XD. Nevertheless I was under the impression it was a bit dated. I guess I was wrong.

Still, Clockwork Orange appeals more to me. Though I will read Dorian Gray someday.

I'm not saying there might not be something "deep" going on in the message department, but it definitely wasn't worth it for me.