I snapped this picture at Barnes & Noble while I went to go buy my "Classic" novel. About a week ago, Tanner mentioned in class that he saw a similar display of "classic" novels. I think it's kind of funny because my book (The Alchemist) is one of the fifty selected abridged Sparknotes versions. And although people are quick to hate on Sparknotes or Cliffsnotes or any other form of shortened classic, I actually think they can be quite brilliant when used in conjunction with the original text. I can't say how many times I racked my brain on Romeo and Juliet or The Odyssey in 9th grade English class because I couldn't immediately understand the cryptic message of a book that was written (or spoken) hundreds of years ago. So, the moral of the story is, although I do find it important to read the original text and hear the message from the original author, I don't think it's sinful that Sparknotes makes it easier for the reader to understand what the hell is going on.
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