most overrated novels of the 20th century
I've been curious about this for a long time, and though I've googled the title of this post (and variations thereof) numerous times, I've never found a satisfying list. So I'll put up a few of my own and then invite my readers to cast/add your votes.
We'll stick to 20th century because otherwise I'd have to list all of Jane Austen's novels, Balzac, Stendhal and some. . .
I know this is utterly presumptious of me. But I can't resist the thrill.
1. Catch-22 (less than halfway through this book I was thinking: ok, I got the point, Mr. Heller)
2. The Great Gatsby (this could have been a great novel. . . )
3. The Portrait of a Lady (way too long and boring)
Weird but this is all I can think of at the moment. Though I should add a list of writers whom I won't even read (I know that is utterly inane of me) because I believe --having read at most several pages of their respective works or having read about the author and forming an opinion on that basis alone--that I'd be better off reading/rereading Joyce or Hemingway or any number of others. . . And they are (in no particular order except perhaps that number one belongs there):
1. Jack Kerouac
2.Phillip Roth
3. Kurt Vonnegut (although this is one I will get to one of these days, much as I am loathe to)
We'll stick to 20th century because otherwise I'd have to list all of Jane Austen's novels, Balzac, Stendhal and some. . .
I know this is utterly presumptious of me. But I can't resist the thrill.
1. Catch-22 (less than halfway through this book I was thinking: ok, I got the point, Mr. Heller)
2. The Great Gatsby (this could have been a great novel. . . )
3. The Portrait of a Lady (way too long and boring)
Weird but this is all I can think of at the moment. Though I should add a list of writers whom I won't even read (I know that is utterly inane of me) because I believe --having read at most several pages of their respective works or having read about the author and forming an opinion on that basis alone--that I'd be better off reading/rereading Joyce or Hemingway or any number of others. . . And they are (in no particular order except perhaps that number one belongs there):
1. Jack Kerouac
2.Phillip Roth
3. Kurt Vonnegut (although this is one I will get to one of these days, much as I am loathe to)
posted by shoshana at 12:27 PM
11 Comments:
well when i say i won't read the writing because of the writer i don't mean this on personal/moral grounds--i mean because of my impression (whether fallacious or not) of the writer as writer. wow that was a long-winded sentence.
most of my favorite authors are hardly men i'd admire as exemplary human beings. (think hemingway, dreiser. . . )
best american essays is a great series, btw. i have a few and also own the best american essays of the 20th century and it includes some really top-notch essays. my favorite: "The Crack-Up" by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Simply wow.
anyway cast your votes. this can be fun.
mmm... not so sure. true, 'the sound and the fury' is a difficult read throughout, but the style allows the reader to develop such an intimacy with the characters that long long after they feel like people you actually knew. if only joyce could do stream-of-consciousness so well! i'm still plowing through ulysses. what a load of ...
i'd agree that 'on the road' is horribly over-rated. but if you're in the mood for it and can overlook the pretension, 'dharma bums' is exhilarating.
yes, i should and will remove faulkner from taht list. his is not a case of overrated merely a case of terribly tedious. so he doesn't really belong on that list. and maybe someday ill find the stamina to work my way through that relatively short but oh so difficult book.
i don't know if i could ever do ulysses. my admiration for joyce is based on his portrait of the artist as a young man--possibly my all-time favorite.
as far as kerouac, perhaps some thigns are just a matter of taste. . .
I belong to a club called: "We Would Rather Drink Bleach Than Acknowledge Jack Kerouac's Literary Existence."
Bits, very corageous of you.
You dont find dosty tedious?
I have to say that I disagree with you on mnay of your choices:
Catch-22 overrated??? It is one fantastic book--one of my favorites of all time!!!
And Phillip Roth is genius, whether or not one approves of his work is another story.
And while I agree that The Great Gatsby is overrated, but surely not one of the most overrated.
I think I actually made it through The Portrait of a Lady, so it could have not been too terrible...
But I do despise Kurt Vonnegut, although I only read Slaughterhouse 5, so I'm not sure I have enough material for judgement...
khatur:
it must be a beatnik thing. although i do like ginsburg. . .
re phillip roth i'll have to actually read something so i can have an informed opinion rather than some baseless bias . . .
about culture vs. community. . . perhaps that is somethign for another post. . though i'm a little bit afraid to go there. . if you know what i mean. .
anon: i don't know about the courage bit. this is only a blog. clearly these people are all prolific writers and i'd be glad if i could lay claim to a tiny fraction of their talent. . . re dostoevsky--i don't find him tedious. long, yes, but not tedious. i don't particularly mind length--as long as the writing is compelling. . .i do find tolstoy somewhat tedious but i'll read war & peace soon (sooo long) and then i'll see.
hketg: i knew we'd disagree on this--part of the fun. re catch 22 i suppose for it's time it was witty, but its truck me as whiny and redundant and overwrought. . .
i think Great Gatsby is a great novel, but considering Fitzgerald's incredible talent and the substance of the novel I remember feeling disappointed and thinking that it might have been a whole lot more compelling. . .
re portrait of the lady. .i managed to read the whole novel myself, though it took some motivation, and it left hardly any impression. . .also it was long and tedious and uninspiring. . and i think that when a book leaves no impression, when it is not memorable (esp given its lenght and the time it took to read) well, something's missing. . .
of course i feel terribly silly here passing judgment ont he likes of james. . but it's kind of fun.
hmmm freudian slip? i think great gatsby is a GOOD novel. it could have been a GREAT novel. . .
re catch 22 i suppose for it's time it was witty, but its truck me as whiny and redundant and overwrought...
It definitely started off as extremely witty, then became, I thought, qute poignant, and of course, depressing, but none-the-less, struck me as a very good portrayal of life, at least if one chooses to think of life as a directionless tragedy...I'm not sure I would have the same opinion if I read it today, since, I've become quite cynical of literature that focuses on the tragic side of life...But I thought it was brilliant when I read it back in high school...
As for the portrait, I must have not left much of an impression on me, or I might have had a better recollection of what that impression might be...But I do vaguely remembering thinking that it did give some points to ponder related to the female role in society at large...
The Great Gatsby overrated?? It is one of the most beautifully written books of all time!
so why don't u people list your own 'most overrated'
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