[uqual]

In the 1970s I made the mistake of satisfying one of my general ed requirements by taking a one quarter class which covered _only_ Ulysses. The professor had done his PhD thesis on Ulysses and knew the page numbers (both in the edition he was using and the paperback version the students bought) of random passages even when a student came up with a question that was tangential to the immediate expected discussion.

It was quite a challenge writing the term paper (which was most of the grade) knowing it would be evaluated by this professor. My attempts were mediocre and in exchange I received a well deserved mediocre grade (some sort of "B") in the class (sort of a "Ain't that cute that uqual tried so hard and wrote so many pages of related but nonsensical BS but at least he came to class" grade).

It's safe to say that I will NEVER again read Ulysses!

[freejazz]

So you wont read it again because you had a professor that dedicated his career to the book and it made you feel insecure? That seems unfair. Give a shot, free of pretension.

[plemer]

Unhelpful

[redavni]

Dude has a mildly traumatic experience in a high pressure environment at which he pushed through, and you respond with toxicity and name calling? This is not OK behavior for an adult. Do better.

[da02]

What are some of the books that had the biggest impact in changing or developing your mind?

[arethuza]

I read Erich von Däniken's Chariot of the God when I was 8 or 9 and eventually became incandescently angry when I eventually realised it was all made up...

On a more positive note I read Catch 22 when I was about 13 or so and I think that gave me some inkling that the world wasn't really going to make much sense!

[dekhn]

The Odyssey, Moby Dick, Fire Upon the Deep.