Posted by Steven on 25/8/2011, 17:40:41, in reply to "Re: novel 100"
76.186.51.185
Lists of this type almost always include a few books that are a bit of a reach, either because they are the listmaker's personal favorites or in a deliberate attempt to attract an audience by offering fresh content. I'm often attracted to a list-based book precisely because of the books on it that surprise me, not because of the ones I expect. That being said, there are certainly some titles on both the original and expanded lists that I wouldn't put on MY list.
One issue is whether "greatest" means "best" or "most important." I can't see Uncle Tom's Cabin being in the top 100 unless you factor in its historical importance. (I read it just a few months ago, and found it surprisingly good after all, but not in the top 100.)
I don't think I would put Gone with the Wind in the top 500 novels no matter how you measure it. I think most of its fame derives from the movie.
"Mixed feelings" describes my attitude about Finnegans Wake pretty well, too. It is undoubtedly a titanic accomplishment, and if people can get out of it what they say they do, then I guess it is a great novel as well. But it is now and forever beyond my ability to appreciate.
Cities of Salt is one of the six books on the original list I haven't read. I've never heard of this book or its author anywhere else.
The Woman in the Dunes is very good, but I wouldn't have put it in my top 125. It's a Kafkaesque parable about a man who finds that imprisonment relieves him of the anxiety of free will.
I definitely agree with the addition of Sons and Lovers, Daniel Deronda, Les Liaisons Dangereuses and The Master and Margarita.
Cold Nights is by Ba Jin (Pa Chin). He is a contemporary of the author we'll be reading, Lao She. But his novel Family is far better known and more widely available.
Treasure Island at #125 (and with Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde not on the list) is surprising.
--Previous Message--
:
: Why don't we talk about this list? Anybody have a
: particular complaint about it?
:
: Of the additions, I'm particularly glad to see Les
: Liaisons Dangereuses, Dom Casmurro, The Master and
: Margarita, and The Unbearable Lightness of Being.
:
: My biggest complaint with the original list and the
: revised list is that Gone With the Wind should be
: ranked above the unlisted novels of Austen, Dickens,
: etc.
:
: There are a couple titles in the revised list I don't
: recognize. The Woman in the Dunes sounds vaguely
: familiar, but I don't think I've heard of Cold Nights.
:
: The thing that kept me from buying the book the first
: time I saw it was the inclusion of Finnegan's Wake. I
: suppose I feel that the Wake crosses some kind of
: line. I don't know. I have mixed feelings about this.
:
:
:
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