I used to read a lot more romance than I do now (not primarily fantasy, but I did read some). But either way, pretty much everything you listed is why I don’t read romance as much anymore.
I read romance novels solely for the purpose of escapism, personally, and if I’m being annoyed constantly, it’s not much of an escape. There’s definitely good stuff out there I’m sure but it takes too much effort to find it. Thanks for sharing your very accurate observations!
I’m not sure why you brought Superman into it, but I’m very curious since I grew up obsessed with Harry Potter, loved Percy Jackson (though not as much), and I also find Superman one of the most intriguing characters in all media.
In regards to the actual point of your post though, I’m not sure we “identify” with people who have a saving problem. But I think we do all want to think of ourselves as noble and would like to imagine that we would be like Percy and Harry if thrust into those situations.
In fact, I think why those situations are appealing is because in middle school, kids tend to feel out of place, especially nerdy kids who are drawn to reading. Percy got into trouble a lot and didn’t know his father (don’t remember the details perfectly, been a while for me there); Harry was in an abusive household where he was excluded, bullied at school, a complete outcast everywhere. Then suddenly their worlds are flipped in a classic, Joseph Campbell style hero’s journey situation—the most universal story of all time—and they are no longer outcasts but important characters in a vast and powerful world beyond their wildest dreams. And as readers, I think we as kids liked to imagine it could happen to us too, and again, especially kids who felt like outcasts. How many people joked about waiting for their letters from Hogwarts?
I think the essence is those stories call on the deep, mythic and nearly universal (meaning most myths from every corner of the earth share these commonalities) desire to step into something meaningful and important and out of our ordinary lives. I do think their noble nature added to their appeal because not only did we want to join their world, we wanted to be the noble heroes too. But I think those were the cherry on the cake.
I find this post a bit confusing.
You are reading for fun, but you aren’t enjoying some of these books? But based on your comments this is important to you and get something from some of these books after slogging through nearly 90% of the book?
I think it might be helpful to ask yourself if you’re really doing this for fun or if theres another reason. Maybe you are doing it for fun, but maybe you have other motivations as well. I say this because I personally used to be someone who read classics just to say I’d read them. It’s a good feeling to say “I read Moby Dick” or Anna Karenina or Crime and Punishment or Ulysses or what have you (I totally listed all the classics I haven’t read yet lol).
But if you really, truly want advice, here is what I suggest though it might not sound perfectly appetizing:
Pick one of the classics from the list that sounds really interesting to you based on a blurb or a review
read that classic book as slowly and thoroughly as you can. Don’t read it to get through it. Read it like it’s real: treat characters like people you’re trying to get to know; don’t speed through the seemingly arbitrary descriptions of landscapes but try to picture them in your mind’s eye and ask yourself why a celebrated author (who clearly knows what they’re doing according to the cannon) would include this particular description since it must be relevant somehow; try to breathe life into each and every scene. Take notes if you want.
This is of course my personal reading philosophy, but classics are works of quality that take time to appreciate and understand. Burning through them for the sake of completing a list, maybe not even remembering most of them or getting the depth of them, doesn’t seem to have a point for me, but everyone is different so I don’t want it to feel like I’m judging you—just want to give feedback since you yourself say you’re not enjoying them all. I actually find classics really fun, but depending on the length, it can take me months or even a year to finish a big book. But when I’m done I feel like I’ve made a wise friend who has taught me a lot about the world and the people in it. Even then though, I also wouldn’t put time into a book that’s not jiving with me.
If this sounds interesting but not totally convincing, I suggest checking out Benjamin McAvoy’s YouTube channel. He has a way of explaining how reading and literature can change your life and how to get the most out of these works, treating them like living beings you can have a conversation with.