Classics 101

So, one of my 2014 resolutions or goals was to read some of the classic literature that I missed along the way.  I started with:

Ernest Hemingway's last great novel The Old Man and the Sea.  Yes, I picked it because it was short and readily available. I enjoyed the book and thought it was a charming fish story.  I appreciate that is was the last catch of Santiago's life, in a life of struggle, while looking back on his life and his youth.  But I didn't get all of the deep meaning: " the Jungian concept of  individuation entails a process of gradual and lifelong connecting with the unconscious at ever deeper layers, ultimately with the collective unconscious which is hard to define but in some ways can be understood as nature itself."  Say what?  Oh I mean...yeah, that too??!? Huh??

I surely must not be much of a deep thinker.  Reminds me of when I read and watched The WIzard of Oz. Another charming story of a girl, who wants to runaway and figures out that home is best after all.  Then I read that it is really about politics.  The Yellow Brick Road being the gold standard and the Emerald City being greenbacks.  The Wizard being a corrupt politician. America being the Wicked Witch of the West.  Scarecrow the American farmer.  Tim Man is the steel industry. Cowardly Lion is the American military in the Spanish American war. The winged monkeys are the Native American culture. What what?!?  Oh yeah, yeah I see that...not!

High school English class totally ruined the classic Alice In Wonderland for me.  All about the British monarchy.  I like the book. Then I had to do the research and write the paper.  I wrote the paper.  My mother (the English major) proofread it. Read: marked it up in red.  Then my Dad got a hold of it and rewrote it.  Pretty much none of what I wrote remained.  By the way, it was a horrible experience...and I got a crappy grade out of it.

I think from now on, I'm just going to read the book and decide for myself.  If all I get is information at the shallow end of the pool then so be it.