Just Couldn’t Finish Reading: Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (FP: 1955)
I did start this book with some trepidation. I’ve seen the 1970 Alan Arkin film several times – most recently a few months ago – and was not overly impressed. I thought that maybe things had been overplayed by Mike Nichols (the director) to bend the story too much to reflect on Vietnam. However I quickly learnt that many of the elements in the movie come directly or little changed from the novel itself. I also know that, although I enjoy a good laugh as much as the next person, I’m not a huge fan of humorous literature. The odd funny bit, funny situation or funny person, sure. Just not the whole book being comedy. Such was Catch-22.
Now personally I think that life in general is pretty absurd for a whole host of reasons. Sometimes you can’t help yourself from stopping, taking stock and saying to yourself (or out loud) ‘Jeeze, this is absurd’ usually followed by an ironic laugh. I get that. I’m ‘down’ with that (and ‘the kids’ apparently – according to a 20 something who used to work for us). But what I found simply too much was the absurdity of the novel being laid on so thickly. Not only was the overall situation in the novel absurd but all, and I mean ALL, of the characters were absurd to an absurd degree – annoyingly so actually. So when an absurd character became entangled in an absurd situation and acted absurdly because of it…… where did you go the next time? Answer – increased absurdity until I just couldn’t take it anymore and I abandoned the book around 130 pages in.
It’s a shame in many ways. It’s not the first classic that I found unreadable (far from it) but I had hoped to make a clean sweep on my 20th Century Classic series. But such is life I guess. Next is a two book diversion into Fantasy/Sci-Fi before starting another ten book sequence of Historical crime novels – with the ever present possibility of some random reads falling in-between. More to come.
6 comments:
I've tried this several times and am considering buying Cliff Notes or something like that to aid me along.
i read it twice in my younger days... i have to say, i think it was one of the greatest books of the 20th C....
it satirizes the core behaviors of the human race in such a way as to make the ironic, devastating conclusions unavoidable... Major Major Major Major, the mindless antics of Milo Minderbinder, McWatt flying into the mountain, whatsisname rowing his way to freedom in Sweden... space is too short here to express how great i think this book is...
I remember liking this a lot. I did read it when I was younger. I tend to like the kind of humor that Heller uses. I think that perhaps the book has lost some of its power because this kind of humor has become overused since its publication.
@ Stephen: I might give it a 2nd attempt at some point.
@ Mudpuddle: It certainly has a great reputation. I could see that in the writing. Unfortunately it just didn't appeal. It was definitely funny and very much so in places but I found it very much a single tone turned all the way up to 11. Although that's probably just me.....
@ Brian: I think I found the high level of absurdity too overwhelming. My rational side kept getting in the way of the narrative.
Even though I didn't find the absurdity too hard to take, I found the writing weirdly turgid. I barely made it through.
@ Judy: I'm moving into my fiction comfort zone of SF/Fantasy soon so I should whiz through the next 2-3. I do miss Science fiction in particular. It helps me to watch SF TV and movies, so I don't miss it so much.....
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