|
I've always admired sites like Doug Shaw's (left winger) and Orrin's (right winger) that publish reviews on the top 100 English-speaking novels of the 20th century .. as listed by the Modern Library. These works have stood the test of time. Defied obscurity. How nice would it be to sit down and read all 100 books? Boy, would I be able to impress my friends. The NY Times reviewed some of these books here. The Brothers Judd have posted their own concise list with grades A thru F. I find it interesting that Ulysses (by James Joyce) was ranked #1 by the Modern Library board, yet given a grade of 'F' by the Brothers. In their words: "Hard to give a low enough grade to the single most destructive piece of Literature ever written." Doug said, "I was not smart enough to understand it. I had a horrible time reading it, and will never read it again." Orrin said: "A novel that could only be read, understood or enjoyed by its author. Spare yourself." So how can a prestigious literary board declare one book "best of the 20th century", while everyone else calls it crap? Seems like personal preference. Subjective. Different readers have different sensibilities. This is why the Norweigan Book Club has a top-100 list of their own. The Radcliffe list, which I like best, is posted here. Even more lists are posted here. More interesting to me is The Observer's list, which is not limited to books written in the English language, nor to those published in the 20th century. Here you'll find Russians (such as Tolstoy & Dostoevsky) and Frenchmen (such as Flaubert and Proust) listed with writers of other nationalities. I've already read some of the books on this list. Not very many, tho. This is something I'd like to do before I die. So I put it on my "to-do" list and have begun reading The Great Gatsby. It's interesting how, with the snap of your fingers, it feels like you're actually living and breathing back in the roaring 20's. Complete-review is another good site that isn't limited to the top 100. Of this type, I prefer Danny Yee's style best. Want more? Here's a Google search for "book reviews". Some day, you might find a RADIFIED page listed there. |
|