# 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:** 18\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/81 "2015-01-27T21:03:23Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Oh, I don’t know. His standard line when people would say that he never wrote another novel as good as _Catch-22_ was, “Who has?” I’ve always thought that Heller’s _God Knows_ is shamefully underrated. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/82 "2015-01-27T22:24:23Z")
_**[The Summer Book](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/79550.The_Summer_Book)**_ by Tove Jansson. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/83 "2015-02-10T04:46:01Z")
> [@Peanuthead](#): > > American: **A Confederacy of Dunces** - John Kennedy Toole Great novel, it’s like trying to pick your favorite child. Depends on your mood 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/84 "2015-02-10T15:48:12Z")
Not a single vote for Edith Wharton? (Unless I missed it upthread.) **The Age of Innocence** is one of my favorite novels of any century. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/85 "2015-02-10T18:47:00Z")
Deeply honorable mentions go to Confederacy of Dunces, Catch-22, The Old Man and the Sea, Foundation, Things Fall Apart, Slaughterhouse-5, etc. But I still think The Great Gatsby takes the cake. ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/86 "2015-02-10T18:58:26Z")
another vote for Harper Lee, While we’re at it In Cold Blood was pretty darned riveting ---
**Author:** ![Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fool_in_the_Rain)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/87 "2015-02-10T19:12:32Z")
My favorites: Greatest childhood: _Call of the Wild_ by Jack London Greatest teen: _Lord of the Rings_ J.R.R. Tolkien Greatest Adult: _One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest_ by Ken Kasey Greatest Series: _Foundation_ by Isaac Asimov Very hard to nail down just one though ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/88 "2015-02-10T19:17:03Z")
If we break it down into Categories, it would be easier to decide. At the risk of being hammered for starting with Science Fiction _Dune_ ---
**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:** [February 10, 2015, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/89 "2015-02-10T19:43:19Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > 1. Because it’s very publication may have prevented the scenario it described. My pick also–it’s not merely an “important” book, but it remains a cracking-good read. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/90 "2015-02-10T19:49:42Z")
I was just discussing 1984 this morning, I mentioned that the science fiction part of it seems unappreciated. This conversation was sparked by the news story about new smart TVs spying on viewers. Orwell was a genius on so many levels. ---
**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:** [February 10, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/91 "2015-02-10T19:51:52Z")
> [@FXMastermind](#): > > … This conversation was sparked by the news story about new smart TVs spying on viewers… This is the first I’ve heard of such a thing. Can you post a link? ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/92 "2015-02-10T20:03:01Z")
I was stopping in to stump for **The Master and Margarita** and **Titus Groan** (the first novel in Peake’s Gormenghast series), but I see they’ve both been mentioned. TWICE, no less. So I’ll throw in **Petersburg** by Andrei Bely **The Man Without Qualities** by Robert Musil **The Man Who was Thursday** by G.K. Chesterton **The Circus of Doctor Lao** by Charles Finney ---
**Author:** ![Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fool_in_the_Rain)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/93 "2015-02-10T20:07:35Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > This is the first I’ve heard of such a thing. Can you post a link? > **[Not in front of the telly: Warning over 'listening' TV](https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-31296188)** > > Samsung is warning people about discussing personal information in front of their smart television set. /hijack ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/94 "2015-02-10T20:21:30Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > IMHO of course: _The Lord of the Rings_ by J.R.R. Tolkien was the greatest novel of the 20th century. He also basically made the fantasy genre along with it. > > _To Kill a Mockingbird_ is a worthy runner up. Yes, I agree. And (also in my opinion) the greatest detective story ever written comes in third place: ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’ by Agatha Christie ---
**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:** [February 11, 2015, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/95 "2015-02-11T00:31:40Z")
Of the highest mountains on earth, which do you consider the highest? I’ll take _Ulysses_, Jeff 🙂 Couple of unexpected things for me about it - the writing is timeless. Prior to picking it up I thought it might be more of an historic work - something to appreciate in context, trace its influence etc. No way. It’s like a Rembrandt painting. The other thing is how human and warm it is when you boil it right down - definitely difficult in parts, but basically telling a simple story about people. Very different to some of his literary descendants. Favourite novel is a different story - loved many of those mentioned already. Couple that I’ve not seen mentioned - I think _Suttree_ is McCarthy’s best, not read too many books that pack such an emotional wallop. Put that one down in a daze. And _The Book of the New Sun_ by Gene Wolfe is a special book for me (and many others) - seems like a lot of talented SF writers put out consistently good stuff without ever really going deep and birthing a masterpiece. Maybe Wolfe had his mortgage paid off or something, because he bucked that trend and then some with this unique and fanastically ambitious novel. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2015, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/96 "2015-02-11T00:33:54Z")
> [@Svejk\_1](#): > > . _Now_ I remember my favorite 20th C novel. ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2015, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/97 "2015-02-11T00:42:35Z")
To Kill a Mockingbird Black like me The heart a lonely hunter The Jungle Are just a few for me. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2015, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793/98 "2015-02-11T04:14:11Z")
> [@Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](#): > > Greatest Series: _Foundation_ by Isaac Asimov Yeah my teen self would have agreed with you but as a 48 year old man I tried re-reading them and found them wanting. All this shows is that we mature and change. I have given copies to both of my sons when they were about 12 and they loved them, we spoke about the concepts explored etc and in he end it got us talking. Also this series got my Aspergers brother into reading, so yes although I don’t like them now they are very important to me and therefore a fave of mine. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-novel-of-the-20th-century/710793.md?page=4)