Recommend Me Books for A Level

[lattywatty]

Sorry in advance if this is the wrong place to post this, but I couldn't find anywhere else appropriate.

So hello, I'm new to the forum and am looking for guidance.

For my first piece of coursework at A level Literature, I need to compare a post-1900 novel (pre-1990) with a post-1990 one, and it is completely my choice as to which ones I study.

I've sort of picked a few random well known novels so far without really thinking of getting another one with significant points to compare it with.

(Have read Lolita by Nabokov, Cloud Atlas by Mitchell and A Clockwork Orange by Burgess so far).

I was wondering if you could recommend me any literary novels which would be suitable for this coursework, or possibly even a pair (or match with others) which could be compared.

Please note it must be a post-1900, pre-1990 novel and a post-1990 novel.

Oh and another quick note, in the course we can only study ONE text that has been translated from another language over the whole two year course, so I'd prefer if they were originally written in English as to not limit myself later on.

Thanks! :)

EDIT:

Oh and it might be worth noting that I found "Lolita" quite a difficult read as to give you an idea of how well I might "cope" with some more difficult novels.

[Dark Lady]

I have read very few post 1990 novels that I would think you could analyse but one I studied at uni (don't think it's too difficult) is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. It follows a boy called Oskar after he has lost his father in 9 11.

I'll give you some points that could be used as comparison in case you want to check it out:

It has a child protagonist who is also the main narrator in case you wanted to do something on children in literature.

There are references to World War II in case you wanted to use that as a link to an earlier work.

The structure is fragmented in case you wanted to compare this post-modern use of fragmentation to a modernist use, bringing in a modernist text as your earlier one.

I need to leave for work now so can't say any more. I hope this helped a bit.

[Pecksie]

It might be interesting for you to choose novels that deal with the place of woman in society, since the twentieth century brought great changes with regard to women's rights, freedom to choose, opportunities, etc.

Edith Wharton's 'The House of Mirth' (1905), a short novel, deals with Lily, a pretty but poor girl trying to secure a rich husband and, through him, social and financial security. Finding a husband with money was the only course of action open to her in that time and place --- or was it?

In A. S. Byatt's 'Babel Tower' (1997, but set in England in the mid-'60s), an intelligent and feisty middle-class woman called Frederica, who has married an aristocrat, leaves her violent husband and embarks on a custody battle for her son. Frederica's world is very different from Lily's --- or is it?

I think these two novels would provide you with ample material for comparison. Don't be discouraged by Byatt's complexity and erudition --- it takes a while to get used to her style, but when you do, it's a pleasure to read!

Hope this helped :)

[lattywatty]

Thanks very much both of you, I'll look into all the books you mentioned :)