Thursday, November 10, 2011

Recent Developments....

Hello there, reading world! We have a little project update to share with you. After much debate, M. and I have decided that we are going to take ten of the books from the list that we think are, for whatever reason, especially important, influential, or innovative, and do them together. We thought the following ten were the works that really merited two sets of eyes, two opinions, and two interpretations:

1. #1, James Joyce's 'Ulysses'. It must be #1 on the list for a reason- we're going to find out why.
2. #2, F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby'. I promise we're not just doing the top 10.
3. #4, Vladimir Nabokov's 'Lolita'. Endless controversy, endless interpretations. One review would just not do it justice.
4. #6, William Faulkner's 'The Sound and the Fury'. Just because he's not my favorite doesn't
mean I don't acknowledge he's a master craftsman.
5. #13, George Orwell's '1984'. Of all the novels-as-political-allegory of its time, we thought this one the most deserving of its rank.
6. #45, Ernest Hemingway's 'The Sun Also Rises'. We're paying homage to the undisputed champion of the iceberg technique.
7. #55, Jack Kerouac's 'On the Road'. Two views on the quintessential novel of American youth.
8. #64, J.D. Salinger's 'The Catcher in the Rye". Being frank- this book is beloved by neither M. nor me. However, since it is so widely taught in high schools and is seen as a "life-changing book" by so many, we thought we should give it a second look.
9. #80, Evelyn Waugh's[1] 'Brideshead Revisited'. Evelyn Waugh is one of both of our favorite authors, but we have very different opinions of this classic.
10.#90, Salman Rushdie's 'Midnight's Children'. This book changed the novel and changed the world. It is one of the most recent on the list, and a stunning representation of the modern
political climate.

We will be starting next week with our reviews of 'Midnight's Children'. Bear with us- it's a tough, highly symbolic text. In the meantime, we'll be soldiering on with the rest of the list.

Stay lovely!
-K.
[1] For the amusement of the reader: M. is a positively freakish Evelyn Waugh lookalike. Young Waugh, though, not old drunk jowly Waugh. It had to be said.

1 comment:

  1. K.,
    thanks for the hello! psyched that youz guyz are tackling a few of my faves together....I've always wanted to go after Ulysses again, but I'm still on Othello right now and LOVING IT!!!! (flamboyant voice!) Liked Macbeth, Richard III, and Hamlet (the best) as well but wasn't into King Lear. Wazzadealwitdat? When are you doing Joyce? ;Portrait' is, in some ways, better (but not really). Also pumped for 1984 and agree that Gatsby and Catcher are overrated. Say hey to your handsome redhead for me.

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