# Any "modern" novels being used in English Lit classes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 27, 2003, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-modern-novels-being-used-in-english-lit-classes/209781 "2003-10-27T03:34:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-modern-novels-being-used-in-english-lit-classes/209781/1 "2003-10-27T03:34:20Z")
I was reading the Cliff’s Notes thread and was wondering what the current status of English Lit classes. Are they still using the old, ah, “classsics”? Are there any novels written in the last 30 years being used? You know, something somebody actually WANTS to read (and not just by insomniacs)? ---
**Author:** ![Super\_Gnat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Super\_Gnat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Super_Gnat)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-modern-novels-being-used-in-english-lit-classes/209781/2 "2003-10-27T04:17:26Z")
High school, or college? I read Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison in 10th or 11th grade. ---
**Author:** ![Judeluv3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/34f0e0/32.png) [@Judeluv3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judeluv3)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-modern-novels-being-used-in-english-lit-classes/209781/3 "2003-10-27T04:21:51Z")
almost all of toni morrisons books are standard fare, as well as amy tan’s. “Artist of the Floating World” is another popular modern book being used quite often…i forget the authors name…sorry ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-modern-novels-being-used-in-english-lit-classes/209781/4 "2003-10-27T04:24:03Z")
In my freshman year, we did “Slaughterhouse Five,” which I enjoyed quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-modern-novels-being-used-in-english-lit-classes/209781/5 "2003-10-27T04:36:05Z")
In my freshman year, we did “Slaughterhouse Five,” which I enjoyed quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Tanaqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Tanaqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanaqui)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-modern-novels-being-used-in-english-lit-classes/209781/6 "2003-10-27T04:50:21Z")
In my freshmen college lit class we’re using Russell Rowland’s “In Open Spaces,” published in 2002, as our primary novel. ---
**Author:** ![Manatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@Manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manatee)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-modern-novels-being-used-in-english-lit-classes/209781/7 "2003-10-27T06:41:31Z")
I use Gregory Maguire’s _Wicked_ quite often. Uh, let’s see…last thirty years…does John Gardner’s _Grendel_ fall in that time frame? I’ve recently moved and haven’t unpacked the books yet, so I can’t do a quick check. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-modern-novels-being-used-in-english-lit-classes/209781/8 "2003-10-27T06:54:28Z")
In my high school lit classes we did Toni Morrison (who I fucking _despise_), Jack Karouac (does he count?), Neal Stephenson, Stephen King (only some of his short stories though), and some other people I’ve long since forgotten. ---
**Author:** ![Fang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/96bed5/32.png) [@Fang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fang)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-modern-novels-being-used-in-english-lit-classes/209781/9 "2003-10-27T07:17:09Z")
I read The Color Purple in high school. Couldn’t stand it. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Babbington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Mr.Babbington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Babbington)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-modern-novels-being-used-in-english-lit-classes/209781/10 "2003-10-27T07:24:13Z")
The Things They Carried is a popular one. ---
**Author:** ![herwono](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/9f8e36/32.png) [@herwono](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/herwono)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-modern-novels-being-used-in-english-lit-classes/209781/11 "2003-10-27T11:08:27Z")
We did _Slaughterhouse Five_ (which I enjoyed) and _A Hundred Years of Solitude_. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-modern-novels-being-used-in-english-lit-classes/209781/12 "2003-10-27T12:42:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Judeluv3 \* > \*\* “Artist of the Floating World” is another popular modern book being used quite often…i forget the authors name…sorry \*\* Kazuo Ishiguru - also wrote “Remains of the Day” I have also heard that “The Things They Carried” is getting read in schools, which is great - a wonderful book. Is Neal Stephenson really being assigned in school? Which book - Snow Crash? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-modern-novels-being-used-in-english-lit-classes/209781/13 "2003-10-27T16:27:42Z")
We read _The Diamond Age_, actually. I was pretty psyched. Most of the students didn’t understand what a Turing Machine was, though. 🙂 That particular class had a whole section spent on science fiction; we also read some Asimov and Jules Verne too. ---
**Author:** ![Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f14d63/32.png) [@Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dreaming_of_Maria_Callas)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-modern-novels-being-used-in-english-lit-classes/209781/14 "2003-10-27T16:42:42Z")
In any class on post-colonial literature, the majority of the books given are from the last 30 years. Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children is standard fare, and less-uptight schools might assign the superior The Satanic Verses. The output of Nadine Gordimer and recent Nobel-laureate Coetzee are very recent. UnuMondo ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-modern-novels-being-used-in-english-lit-classes/209781/15 "2003-10-27T17:25:57Z")
When I had to retake my frehman year HS class, we read The Shining. ---
**Author:** ![saramamalana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@saramamalana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saramamalana)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-modern-novels-being-used-in-english-lit-classes/209781/16 "2003-10-27T18:26:15Z")
I read _Portnoy’s Complaint_ in a college lit class. ---
**Author:** ![saramamalana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@saramamalana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saramamalana)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-modern-novels-being-used-in-english-lit-classes/209781/17 "2003-10-27T18:32:38Z")
I read _Portnoy’s Complaint_ in a college lit class. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-modern-novels-being-used-in-english-lit-classes/209781/18 "2003-10-27T19:06:09Z")
Does _Lord of the Flies_ count? Great amusement from a certain high school English teacher of my acquaintance on the essays they wrote. “Jack is just straight crazy”. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-modern-novels-being-used-in-english-lit-classes/209781/19 "2003-10-27T19:13:51Z")
_One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest_, Ken Kesey _Six Feet Of The Country_, Nadine Gordimer _The End Of The World News_, Anthony Burgess _Riddley Walker_, Russell Hoban (although the last two were optional rather than compulsory) ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-modern-novels-being-used-in-english-lit-classes/209781/20 "2003-10-27T19:56:51Z")
Contemporary Novels class I took in the early '90s as a post-graduate (dates are IIRC and approximate): _Briefing for a Descent into Hell_ - Doris Lessing (early 1970s) _If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler …_ - Italo Calvino (late 70s, early 80s) _The Falconer_ - John Cheever (mid 70s) _The Dean’s December_ - Saul Bellow (early 80s) _A Month of Sundays_ - John Updike (early 80s) _The Last Gentleman_ - Walker Percy (early 60s) _The Human Factor_ - Graham Greene (mid 70s) Lastly, _The Fall_ (1950s) by Albert Camus was the oldest book we read in that class. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-modern-novels-being-used-in-english-lit-classes/209781.md?page=2)