# greatest novel of the 20th century? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 24, 2015, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793 "2015-01-24T21:55:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jack\_Burden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/958977/32.png) [@Jack\_Burden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Burden)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2015, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/41 "2015-01-25T19:26:53Z")
_All The Kings Men_, an obvious choice given my user name. A close second place for _Blood Meridian, or The Evening Redness in the West_. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2015, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/42 "2015-01-25T22:01:22Z")
_The Good Soldier Švejk_, by Jaroslav Hašek. Duh. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2015, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/43 "2015-01-25T22:27:31Z")
“Valley of the Dolls”. j/k ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2015, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/44 "2015-01-25T22:46:39Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > [nitpick] > If two books are ahead of it, _Deliverance_ is in third place, not second. > [/nitpick] A two-way tie for First Place means there’s also a two-way tie for Second Place? Is that how it works? (I wondered about this when I posted my entry.) ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2015, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/45 "2015-01-25T22:58:59Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > A two-way tie for First Place means there’s also a two-way tie for Second Place? Is that how it works? (I wondered about this when I posted my entry.) No, a two-way tie for first means that there is no second place. It goes: 1 (tied) 1 (tied) 3 4 5 6 You can see it in the order. If two books are tied for first, it means that the book that comes after them has two books ahead of it, ergo that book is the third-placed book. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2015, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/46 "2015-01-25T23:05:38Z")
> [@Jack\_Burden](#): > > _All The Kings Men_, an obvious choice given my user name. Very much ditto on that one, Jackie Bird. And _East of Eden._ ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2015, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/47 "2015-01-25T23:51:45Z")
If ‘of the 20th century’ is an active part of the question, then they should address some of the key themes of the century, like: total war and its impact / folly humans still capable of being horrific to each other by denying their humanity transformative industrial change to peoples’ lives etc Lots on the first two - Catch 22, To kill a mockingbird, both worthy candidates. I cant off the cuff think of a good candidate in the third category, say matching Metropolis or Modern Times in impact. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/48 "2015-01-26T00:05:26Z")
Asimov’s _Foundation_ trilogy (which I read as a single novel) might be my favorite. My high-brow pick would be _1984_. Wow did that novel disturb me when I read it. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/49 "2015-01-26T00:11:36Z")
> [@Shamozzle](#): > > Blood Meridian > > It’s hard to imagine something so astonishing could spring from the human mind. Admittedly I’ve read a shamefully small selection of the 20th-century great novels, and have finished even fewer (I’m terrible with names, so something like _100 Years of Solitude_ is entirely beyond my reach). But of the ones I’ve read and enjoyed, **Blood Meridian** is the one that grabbed hold and wouldn’t let go. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/50 "2015-01-26T00:12:20Z")
> [@thanatic](#): > > isn’t the general consensus among academics/writers to this question is “In Search of Lost Time” by Proust No, but it IS the consensus that the phrase “general consensus” is redundant.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/51 "2015-01-26T00:22:05Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > No, but it IS the consensus that the phrase “general consensus” is redundant.😃 Which consensus are you talking about, specifically? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/52 "2015-01-26T01:14:52Z")
Is is consesuses or or concensusi? ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/53 "2015-01-26T01:18:35Z")
before I venture a guess, let me first ask … will it make me fat? ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/54 "2015-01-26T01:19:36Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > If ‘of the 20th century’ is an active part of the question, then they should address some of the key themes of the century, like: > > total war and its impact / folly > humans still capable of being horrific to each other by denying their humanity > transformative industrial change to peoples’ lives > etc > > Lots on the first two - Catch 22, To kill a mockingbird, both worthy candidates. > > I cant off the cuff think of a good candidate in the third category, say matching Metropolis or Modern Times in impact. Vassily Grossman’s _Life and Fate_ would be an even better candidate if we’re judging by those criteria. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/55 "2015-01-26T01:55:47Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > If ‘of the 20th century’ is an active part of the question, then they should address some of the key themes of the century, like: > > total war and its impact / folly > humans still capable of being horrific to each other by denying their humanity > transformative industrial change to peoples’ lives > etc > > Lots on the first two - Catch 22, To kill a mockingbird, both worthy candidates. > > I cant off the cuff think of a good candidate in the third category, say matching Metropolis or Modern Times in impact. Vonnegut’s first novel, _Player Piano_, is an important book on the third theme, which is also the second theme in a non-warlike sense. It’s a good, not great, book, coming too early for him to be fully in control of his talent. ---
**Author:** ![lawteda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f0a364/32.png) [@lawteda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawteda)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/56 "2015-01-26T02:28:43Z")
Atlas Shrugged ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/57 "2015-01-26T03:08:52Z")
Another vote for To Kill A Mockingbird. It’s not too strong to say that reading that book at the right time (senior year of high school) changed my outlook and attitude on a lot of things. It was like raw wisdom being shoved into my head. It took a while to process it. But really, to find the definitive novel of the 20th century is a fool’s game. What about novels for different cultures. TKAM might not speak as solidly to someone from Japan or Ethiopia. And we have to deal with language differences, too. Oy. ---
**Author:** ![Donegal\_Dragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Donegal\_Dragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donegal_Dragon)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/58 "2015-01-26T03:35:30Z")
I agree with many that have been put forth above Must add Faulkner, The Sound And The Fury Thomas Mann, The Magic Mountain Herman Hesse, The Glass Bead Game Jose Saramago, The Stone Raft Also second Portrait of the Artist, Joyce and strangely enough Peake’s, Gormenghast ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/59 "2015-01-26T03:40:12Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > But really, to find the definitive novel of the 20th century is a fool’s game. What about novels for different cultures. TKAM might not speak as solidly to someone from Japan or Ethiopia. And we have to deal with language differences, too. Oy. Chinua Achebe’s _Things Fall Apart_ is the great Nigerian novel. And it was written in English, so you don’t have to worry about translation. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/60 "2015-01-26T17:39:59Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > No, a two-way tie for first means that there is no second place. > > It goes: > > 1 (tied) > 1 (tied) > 3 > 4 > 5 > 6 > > You can see it in the order. If two books are tied for first, it means that the book that comes after them has two books ahead of it, ergo that book is the third-placed book. Makes sense to me now. 10-Q veddy much. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793.md?page=4)