Yeah. If Russian classics contained some great life lessons, how do you explain Russia? Every kid reads these classics in school, and it's a shit of a country.
do they really read it, or it's "in the curricula" but no one really gives a shit, there are a few standard questions-and-answers about them and that's it, no?
Well, they have to write essays based on these books to get passing grades. And I would guess wise teachers (who read all these books!) make sure that these essays cover main life lessons, right?
FWIW I grew up in Russian culture (Donetsk). Personally, I find XX and XXI century books WAY better, more relevant, interesting, useful, etc.
> make sure that these essays cover main life lessons, right?
interesting approach :)
I'm Hungarian, we had to "study" a few of the classics (some Russians included too). I never read any of them. We were supposed to read them during the summer break. I fell for that in the first year. Fuck that. Still managed to pass the tests, but there was no requirement of writing essays, or distilling great conclusions, or life lessons from the books.
But spent my youth glued to other books. And as the years went by I just noticed I don't really want to read about other people's misery in so much detail thank you, at least add some interesting details, like in crime thrillers.
