Experiencing 'lesser' novels by great writers

[Ruben Meijerink]

Hello guys,

I was wondering, does a) academic/critic opinion - Sons and Lovers is better than Lady Chatterley's Lover, Emma is better than Persuasion - a priori affect your cognitive/aesthetic experience?
and b) have you sometimes had -personally- a better experience with, say, Persuasion, and in effect makes this question your own 'standards', instead of enjoying your enjoyment?

Kind regards

[R.F. Schiller]

I'll comment specifically on Vladimir Nabokov, because I've read 19/19 of his novels. Generally, the only "classics" of Nabokov from the opinions of scholars are Lolita and Pale Fire. Ada, or Ardor gets some recognition, as does Pnin , The Gift and The Luzhin Defence.

Typically, this is what a list of best Nabokov novels looks like (based off Brian Boyd's list - Nabokov's authoritative biographer and critic):

1. Lolita/Pale Fire
2. Lolita/Pale Fire
3. Ada, or Ardor
4. The Gift
5. The Luzhin Defence
6. Pnin

his other novels are generally ignored.

I definitely went into these novels with higher expectations that his "lesser" works and it may have influenced my readings somewhat. I was satisfied with some, disappointed with others. For example, if I didn't know that Pale Fire was supposed to be a "great" novel I would've been less inclined to look into the passages a little more carefully than I usually do and might've dismissed it as the senility of an aging genius.

Now here's my list:

1. Lolita
2. Pnin
3. Despair
4. The Real Life of Sebastian Knight
5. Ada, or Ardor
6. Pale Fire
7. Bend Sinister
8. Mary
9. King, Queen, Knave
10. The Luzhin Defence
11. Invitation to a Beheading
12. The Gift
13. Laughter in the Dark
14. The Enchanter
15. Transparent Things
16. The Eye
17. Glory
18. The Original of Laura
19. Look at the Harlequins!

As you can see, there is some continuity, but I definitely enjoy some of his "lesser" novels more, regardless of consensus standards.