# Greatest 20th Century Novels: Which Have You Read? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 28, 2012, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-20th-century-novels-which-have-you-read/626598 "2012-06-28T16:24:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-20th-century-novels-which-have-you-read/626598/21 "2012-06-28T18:52:06Z")
I checked some but they didn’t take. I have indeed read _Catcher in the Rye_ and _The Grapes of Wrath_, and I don’t know what else it missed. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-20th-century-novels-which-have-you-read/626598/22 "2012-06-28T18:52:47Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Almost all of the “great” novels are written by white people? Maybe your people wrote stuff people _wanted_ to read. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-20th-century-novels-which-have-you-read/626598/23 "2012-06-28T18:57:45Z")
I’ve finished 21 and started a few more a long time ago. I enjoyed all of the ones I’ve read very much except maybe Hemingway. A lot of my “to be read” list is on this list. I particularly recommend _Brideshead Revisited_ ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-20th-century-novels-which-have-you-read/626598/24 "2012-06-28T19:06:09Z")
This is a weird list. I have to admit that I find it weird that \*\*Deliverance, Portnoy’s Complaint, \*\* and **the Maltese Falcon** are on it. Good reads, but “Greatest 20th Century Novels”? ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-20th-century-novels-which-have-you-read/626598/25 "2012-06-28T19:08:13Z")
I’ve completed five, only one of them was selectively voluntary outside of a school reading list. It, _1984_, was also the only one I really enjoyed. I’ve tried starting about a dozen others to see what the reputation was about, and didn’t finish them. ---
**Author:** ![Anna\_Nimity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Anna\_Nimity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anna_Nimity)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-20th-century-novels-which-have-you-read/626598/26 "2012-06-28T19:21:23Z")
I’ve read 21, I’m sure there are many greats missing on the list but i was really surprised not to see “Middlemarch”. I love Faulkner, but like someone upthread mentioned, I couldn’t read “The Sound and the Fury” and I’ve tried more than once but I loved “Light in August” and “As I Lay Dying”. My favorite classic used to be “Bleak House” but that was before I read “Villette”. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-20th-century-novels-which-have-you-read/626598/27 "2012-06-28T19:24:32Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > This is a weird list. I have to admit that I find it weird that \*\*Deliverance, Portnoy’s Complaint, \*\* and **the Maltese Falcon** are on it. Good reads, but “Greatest 20th Century Novels”? I was surprised at the choices, too. Like, I loved Graham Greene’s **The Heart of the Matter** , but why was that chosen over his more famous (and far more accessible) **The End of the Affair** , **Brighton Rock** , or **The Power and Glory**? Edit: > [@Anna Nimity](#): > > I’ve read 21, I’m sure there are many greats missing on the list but i was really surprised not to see “Middlemarch”. That was written in the 19th century. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-20th-century-novels-which-have-you-read/626598/28 "2012-06-28T19:25:31Z")
Nine of them. All but two (\*Catch 22 \*and _On the Road_) were school assignments, and quite frankly there’s not much else on the list that I’m interested in discovering. Yes, I’m a philistine, I know. \*::scans list again:: \*Okay, I’ll check out _Deliverance_ and _The Maltese Falcon_. I can feel my horizons widening already. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-20th-century-novels-which-have-you-read/626598/29 "2012-06-28T19:26:13Z")
> [@Anna\_Nimity](#): > > i was really surprised not to see “Middlemarch”. Not 20th century. I agree, though, a lot of the omissions are odd, when they felt like they could put _The Old Wives Tale_ (for instance) on there. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-20th-century-novels-which-have-you-read/626598/30 "2012-06-28T19:40:02Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Almost all of the “great” novels are written by white people? > > Fuck that noise. I don’t know why that’s making me angry - it’s irrational to say the least - but it is. > > :mad: > > I’m glad there’s at least a few non-white people there. > > But um, yeah. 12. I’ve read 12. Cheer up, V.S. Naipaul is on the list! 🙂 Mind you, he claims women can’t be great writers, and I found _A House for Mr Biswas_ horribly boring … 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-20th-century-novels-which-have-you-read/626598/31 "2012-06-28T20:09:16Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > Is anyone else surprised that _To Kill a Mockingbird_ isn’t on this list? Surprised? I’m absolutely gobsmacked. Whoever made this list made a HUGE error in omitting that one. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-20th-century-novels-which-have-you-read/626598/32 "2012-06-28T20:09:40Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > Is anyone else surprised that _To Kill a Mockingbird_ isn’t on this list? Now that you mention it, yes. > [@Anaamika](#): > > Almost all of the “great” novels are written by white people? > > Fuck that noise. I don’t know why that’s making me angry - it’s irrational to say the least - but it is. > > :mad: Do you have any specific non-white writers in mind that you think ought to have been included? Certainly there’s plenty of ground on which to criticize the list. From [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Library_100_Best_Novels): > [@](#): > > Criticism of the Modern Library list includes that it did not include enough novels by women (and that only one woman was on the panel) and not enough novels from outside North America and Europe. For example, in the UK many of the novels on the list are regarded as given undue credit.[6] In addition, some contend it was a “sales gimmick”, since most of the titles in the list are also sold by Modern Library. Still, it makes for an interesting poll. And I’d be interested to see the responses we’d get on a similar poll for the [“Reader’s List”](http://www.modernlibrary.com/top-100/100-best-novels/) of 100 best novels, and for the [100 Best Nonfiction](http://www.modernlibrary.com/top-100/100-best-nonfiction/) books. ---
**Author:** ![Hoss\_N.Feffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/90db22/32.png) [@Hoss\_N.Feffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoss_N.Feffa)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-20th-century-novels-which-have-you-read/626598/33 "2012-06-28T20:14:00Z")
I’ve read 4: _Great Gatsby_, the two by Hemingway, and _Catch 22_. I’m also surprised _To Kill a Mockingbird_ didn’t make the list. I recognize most of the titles/authors, but there are quite a few I’ve never heard of. I didn’t read much as a young person (and none on this list are ones I read for school) but I began to read a lot more after finishing college (mostly fiction). But I guess 20th century classics are not my style. ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-20th-century-novels-which-have-you-read/626598/34 "2012-06-28T20:20:48Z")
A modest 14 for me - majority of which were truly great IMHO. Exceptions made for the ambassadors - goddamn that is a dry book, and pale fire. Clankingly clumsy effort IMVHO. Faulkner and Joyce - The bomb diggity. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-20th-century-novels-which-have-you-read/626598/35 "2012-06-28T20:34:31Z")
I’ve read nine, three or four of which were school assignments. I probably hadn’t even heard of about a third of this list. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-20th-century-novels-which-have-you-read/626598/36 "2012-06-28T20:51:31Z")
None. My tastes lean towards science fiction and fantasy; most of those aren’t. And some of those I’ve never bothered to read because they have a reputation for being really depressing (which some people seem to equate with “great”), or have been so thoroughly spoiled for me that I don’t feel like bothering, or both. _1984_ for example. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-20th-century-novels-which-have-you-read/626598/37 "2012-06-28T21:17:34Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > … And I’d be interested to see the responses we’d get on a similar poll for the [“Reader’s List”](http://www.modernlibrary.com/top-100/100-best-novels/) of 100 best novels, and for the [100 Best Nonfiction](http://www.modernlibrary.com/top-100/100-best-nonfiction/) books. Considering the “readers list” top ten contains 4 selections by Ayn Rand and 3 by L. Ron Hubbard, I think there would be a lot of pointing and laughing. Probably some guffawing too. Is part of being in a cult stuffing internet ballot boxes? ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-20th-century-novels-which-have-you-read/626598/38 "2012-06-28T21:22:57Z")
I’ve read 26. Most of them off my parents bookshelves, and quite a chunk came from my Joseph Conrad fan phase. Here’s a link to [someone who’s going through the whole lot](http://www.edrants.com/the-modern-library-reading-challenge/), and writing detailed reviews as they go. **Der Trihs** , you might like to try _Slaughterhouse Five, Brave New World and Lord of the Flies_, all of which are basically sci-fi and worth reading even if you know the gist of them in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-20th-century-novels-which-have-you-read/626598/39 "2012-06-28T21:25:21Z")
19 completed. Another 25 begun and abandoned. ---
**Author:** ![polar\_bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@polar\_bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/polar_bear)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-20th-century-novels-which-have-you-read/626598/40 "2012-06-28T21:26:19Z")
I got to 17. The best one of these (by quite a margin), I’m currently rereading: Nr4 on this list, Lolita. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-20th-century-novels-which-have-you-read/626598.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-20th-century-novels-which-have-you-read/626598.md?page=3)