You got The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep, what more do you need? Some good novels, many that are unfamiliar to me and plenty for people to quibble over.
Another take on the subject: http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2015/08/the-twenty-greatest-english-language-novels.html
I've actually read more of those books than I would have guessed, maybe 30. And it was nice to see both The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep on the list. I suspect that most contemporary readers, even if we restrict that group to serious readers of serious fiction, will find most of the 18th century and early 19th century book heavy going (and I find the description of Moby Dick as "gripping"--which it is in places--odd).
But making any list like this is a fool's errand, because so much of it is subjective (at least they are not ranked, just presented in chronological order). Rachel Cooke's response makes this clear--it's just a disagreement with McCrum's tastes, more than anything else). So while I don't agree with it much, I also won't criticize it much. Because, what's the point? It's mostly click-bait and trolling pportunities.
I've read a good number of them (I lost count around DAVID COPPERFIELD), but I think some of the choices were rather odd (EMMA not PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, for example). However, I'm glad two of my all-time favorites, THE GOLDEN BOWL and THE WAY WE LIVE NOW, got shout-outs.
4 comments:
You got The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep, what more do you need? Some good novels, many that are unfamiliar to me and plenty for people to quibble over.
Another take on the subject:
http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2015/08/the-twenty-greatest-english-language-novels.html
I've actually read more of those books than I would have guessed, maybe 30. And it was nice to see both The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep on the list. I suspect that most contemporary readers, even if we restrict that group to serious readers of serious fiction, will find most of the 18th century and early 19th century book heavy going (and I find the description of Moby Dick as "gripping"--which it is in places--odd).
But making any list like this is a fool's errand, because so much of it is subjective (at least they are not ranked, just presented in chronological order). Rachel Cooke's response makes this clear--it's just a disagreement with McCrum's tastes, more than anything else). So while I don't agree with it much, I also won't criticize it much. Because, what's the point? It's mostly click-bait and trolling pportunities.
I've read a good number of them (I lost count around DAVID COPPERFIELD), but I think some of the choices were rather odd (EMMA not PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, for example). However, I'm glad two of my all-time favorites, THE GOLDEN BOWL and THE WAY WE LIVE NOW, got shout-outs.
Back in my grad school days, EMMA was the Austen of choice for teachers in survey courses. I still have my copy.
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