1 in 5 Brits think Oliver Twist was written by Charles Darwin!
By ANIMonday, November 22, 2010
LONDON - George Orwell’s classic novel ‘Animal Farm’ is a blue movie and ‘Oliver Twist’ was written by Charles Darwin - at least that’s what one in five Britons believe.
25 per cent have no idea that Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character, and a staggering 67 per cent think the Scottish poet Robert Burns invented the haggis, a survey revealed.
The poll of 2,000 men aged 30 and under, conducted by Lovereading.co.uk, found that the average chap takes between eight and 12 months to read a single paperback.
“It’s incredible to think that so many men are clueless about classic titles such as Oliver Twist. And it’s incredible that so many haven’t the faintest idea about important figures including Robert Burns,” The Daily Mail quoted a spokesman for the site as saying.
“It’s certainly a worrying trend and one that we hope to reverse,” he added.
Peter Crawshaw, co-founder of Love reading, blamed the results on a ‘modern era’.
But he said, “While modern technology might render classic literature a foreign country to the majority of young men, it can also rekindle their interest in reading.”
“The rise of eBooks and eReaders introduces this audience to exciting new writers and also the greats, but in a contemporary and trendy way.” (ANI)
