Posted by Sterling on 24/5/2011, 0:10:14, in reply to "Lists"
74.240.99.210
I'm embarrassed to post once again, but I would like to point out that the Reader's List is not totally worthless. If you get past the Scientologists and Libertarians, you will find:
Gravity's Rainbow
Blood Meridian
The French Lieutenant's Woman
Beloved
Wise Blood
My Antonia
Fifth Business
The Handmaid's Tale
V.
The Recognitions
At Swim-Two-Birds
Naked Lunch
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Sometimes a Great Notion
Suttree
The Satanic Verses
In short, many of the works that are on both Steven's and my lists that the critics overlooked (as well as several honorable mentions).
--Previous Message--
: --Previous Message--
: ... the (deservedly) much maligned Modern
: Library 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century list ...
:
: For all its flaws, the list did accomplish one thing:
: It got me interested twelve years ago in reading
: literary fiction. I started with #2 on the list, The
: Great Gatsby.
:
: A question for everyone: What would you change about
: the list? Which books would you drop off? What would
: you add? (This is easier than trying to make our own
: list from scratch, and the numbers don't have to
: match.)
:
: Here is a link to the list: 100 Best Novels «
: Modern Library
:
: I don't care at all, by the way, for the
: "Reader's List," a popularity poll that was
: obviously disproportionately influenced by
: Scientologists and Libertarians.
:
: The criteria for the "Board's List" are that
: it be an English-language novel first published in the
: 20th Century. One of the listed books clearly does not
: meet that test: Darkness at Noon was written in
: German, not English. Some may also claim that the
: various series (e.g. USA Trilogy, Parade's End,
: Alexandria Quartet) shouldn't be included as such, but
: I'm inclined to allow it.
:
: The books I would most likely drop from the list:
:
: Appointment in Samarra
: Studs Lonigan Trilogy
: Kim
: Loving
: The Postman Always Rings Twice
: The Ginger Man
: The Magnificent Ambersons
: The Secret Agent
:
: I would also drop Finnegans Wake. It is an impressive
: achievement to be sure, but I doubt that even James
: Joyce himself could understand more than half of it if
: he hadn't been the one to write it. I "read"
: it, but I was doing well to make sense of one line per
: page.
:
: I would probably replace Henderson the Rain King with
: Herzog, and Death Comes for the Archbishop with My
: Antonia.
:
: Books I would definitely add:
:
: Gravity's Rainbow
: Blood Meridian
: Housekeeping
: The French Lieutenant's Woman
: Wise Blood
: Possession
:
: Toni Morrison needs to be on the list, probably with
: Beloved, but possibly with Song of Solomon (which I
: haven't read, so I can't say).
:
: Other books I might add if I could find room:
:
: Rabbit, Run
: Disgrace
: The Conservationist
: A Fine Balance
: The God of Small Things
: The Golden Notebook
: A Confederacy of Dunces
:
: There are, by the way, several other lists comparable
: to the Modern Library's available online. I can
: provide some links if anyone is interested.
:
:
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