I'm trying to choose very carefully, so I'll only list the three right now that I know I'll never change my mind about.
The Brothers Karamazov - Dostoevsky
The Portrait of a Lady - James
Moby-Dick - Melville
I'm trying to choose very carefully, so I'll only list the three right now that I know I'll never change my mind about.
The Brothers Karamazov - Dostoevsky
The Portrait of a Lady - James
Moby-Dick - Melville
Originally Posted by Jamesian
When I started reading Portrait of a Lady two weeks ago I thought about you.
"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."
The Moon and Sixpence - Maugham
The Great Gatsby - Scott Fitzgerald
Bel Ami - Maupassant
Buddenbrooks - Mann
L'assommoir - Zola
Last edited by Emil Miller; 08-25-2008 at 12:21 PM.
1. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
2. A Tale of Two Cities
3. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
4. Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
5. The Know-It-All - AJ Jacobs
Snow White is doing dishes again, 'cause what else can you do with seven itty bitty men?
Yay, I wondered if I was going to be the only one who chose L'Assomoir.
The great Gatsby-Francis Scott Fitzgerald
The sun also rises-Ernest Hemingway
The Dharma bums-John Louis Kerouac
The catcher in the rye-Jerome David Salinger
A confederacy of dunces-John Kennedy Toole
Out of pure respect, I include the following:
Fear & loathing in Las Vegas- Hunter Steadman Thompson
Breakfast of champions-Kurt Vonnegut
Big two-hearted river parts 1&2-Ernest Hemingway (form the Nick Adams stories)
To kill a mockingbird-Nelle Harper Lee
Fight club-Chuck Palhanuik
Feel free to comment...
Hehe glad to see at least one other person went for Catcher In The Rye
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. ~ Edgar Allan Poe
All American literature? Do you mostly keep only to America or do you just prefer American novels among those you've read?
Et l'unique cordeau des trompettes marines
Apollinaire, Le chantre
The S in Hunter S Thompson stands for Stockton not Steadman
I think you're getting confused with Ralph Steadman
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro
Actually have become more of an American literature fan over the years and years of reading.
As for the HST mistake,
I stand corrected it is Stockton and not Steadman
How many of you knew that J.D. Salinger's name was Jerome David?
Of all the great novels that Zola wrote, L'assommoir is his masterpiece; just as Buddenbrooks is Thomas Mann's. If they don't touch your heart, then you haven't got one.Yay, I wondered if I was going to be the only one who chose L'Assomoir.
It could be the start World War Three
I agree about Zola. I think some people misunderstand him, with all the social observation/experimentation he was aiming for with his realism. The clear-eyed observer of society may tell it how it is, but as you say, if he doesn't move you, you must be made of stone. I'm collecting all his Rougon-Macquart novels. I haven't read Mann, but I was considering reading Death in Venice recently. Too many books, not enough time...
I have read most of the Rougon-Macquart series and I enjoyed all of them, as they contain some of the finest writing in French literature. An interesting point about them is that each book, although an integral part of the series,I agree about Zola. I think some people misunderstand him, with all the social observation/experimentation he was aiming for with his realism. The clear-eyed observer of society may tell it how it is, but as you say, if he doesn't move you, you must be made of stone. I'm collecting all his Rougon-Macquart novels. I haven't read Mann, but I was considering reading Death in Venice recently. Too many books, not enough time...
is able to stand alone. If you enjoy them as much as I did, you have much to look forward to.
As for Death in Venice, it is an excellent introduction to Thomas Mann and I can also recommend Felix Krull, which is light-hearted and very amusing.
I'm really into American literature at the moment
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