Finnegan's Wake is a kick in the proverbial nether regions. Seems like it's one of those that takes multiple attempts even by the most brilliant Joyceans, to unlock the thing. Don't lose heart.
I've read The Faerie Queene ("a redcrosse knight, too solemn sad") and most "important 19th century novels. I am, however, woefully ignorant of 17th and 20th century works. A year or so ago, I decided I was going to read The Great Works Of Literature I Had Yet To Read. I found a list and everything. Yeah, then the diss happened. So be it.
I've done what I can to get past reader's guilt, in all of its many forms. However, Foucault's Pendulum seems like something I'd go out of my way to read for fun if it hadn't been recommended as a serious work worth lengthy examination by smart people I respect.
That ruins everything.
As an aside, I didn't read The Monster at the End of This Book until my early 20s. The whole time, I was going, "Yeah. Yeah. Grover. It's Grover, I get it."
8 comments:
I have two:
(1) Don Quixote
(2) Crime and Punishment
(1) War and Peace, Tolstoy
(2) To Be The Man, Ric Flair
megsg-h:
Finnegan's Wake is a kick in the proverbial nether regions. Seems like it's one of those that takes multiple attempts even by the most brilliant Joyceans, to unlock the thing. Don't lose heart.
Ulysses.
But since there seems to be a plethora of Joyce in this poll, I will also say:
The Lord of the Rings trilogy
But I *have* read both Crime and Punishment and Moby Dick. That has to give me some cultural cred, right?
Amy
How about the entire Faerie Queen, by Spenser? For all its cache, doesn't seem like too many people have read the whole thing.
I've read the Faerie Queene . So at least someone has. It definitely has its moments. My two would be
1) Don Quixote and 2) pretty much any of the "important" 19th century novels. :)
I've read The Faerie Queene ("a redcrosse knight, too solemn sad") and most "important 19th century novels. I am, however, woefully ignorant of 17th and 20th century works.
A year or so ago, I decided I was going to read The Great Works Of Literature I Had Yet To Read.
I found a list and everything.
Yeah, then the diss happened.
So be it.
I've done what I can to get past reader's guilt, in all of its many forms. However, Foucault's Pendulum seems like something I'd go out of my way to read for fun if it hadn't been recommended as a serious work worth lengthy examination by smart people I respect.
That ruins everything.
As an aside, I didn't read The Monster at the End of This Book until my early 20s. The whole time, I was going, "Yeah. Yeah. Grover. It's Grover, I get it."
Post a Comment