This is a great video. I enjoy reading "classics" and "difficult" books sometimes, but I completely agree that no one should be reading a book simply because they think they "have to" in order to be "well read" or a "serious reader". Reading is a hobby. There are so many books, of all kinds - and everyone can and should find what they enjoy. I fully believe the reason why more adults don't read is because they were forced to read books they didn't like in grade school and that can really sour a person on it.
I've read (and enjoyed) three of the books you've listed, and I have never been attracted to any of the other 7, so I think I'm fine 😂. I fully agree that there's no such thing as 'books you have to read' (unless you're claiming to be an expert in a particular area).
I enjoyed this video, thank you! As someone who just finished reading Joyce's Ulysses for the fourth time about three weeks ago (I've returned to it every few years for a deeper appreciation of it), and as someone who can honestly say that Ulysses is among my favorite books... even with all of that I'd agree with you that the book is not something anyone should feel they have to read. (Unless they want to!)
Thank you. I'm glad to hear from someone who loves Ulysses. I found reading it a rich if at times frustrating and confusing experience. Another commenter mentioned something about the character of Leopold Bloom that reminded me that in addition to all the modernist stuff there is a vividly created character, however boring or unpleasant he may be, at the heart of the novel
@@BookishTexan Fellow Ulysses enjoyer here. I have only read ito nce and I thought it was amazing. That I didn't understand all if it didn't bother me.
@@DressyCrooner Your comment here is exactly how I felt about the book after my first read; in fact, it took me three attempts just to make it through my first one long ago. Now, after numerous times re-reading Ulysses over the decades, I love it more each time, picking up more things each time, and gaining an even deeper understanding. This book very much rewards returning to it.
Obviously I agree with your essential premise that nobody has to read anything and reading certain things doesn't make you a superior reader. I have never been tempted to read Infinite Jest or Gravity's Rainbow. Reading the first third of the Proust sequence was enough to give me the flavour and I may go back to the rest. But all the others on your list I have read. Blood Meridian wasn't hard, just violent. And I think Foucault's Pendulum didn't justify the effort involved. But all the others paid me back in spades for any hard work involved. So I do think there is nothing wrong with encouraging people to push themselves sometimes to read things that are one step beyond their usual fare to see how they find it.
If you stopped reading Proust after the first third I don't think you've missed an awful lot. The second third is very hard work for not much reward. In fact, just thinking about it now makes my temples pound with boredom and frustration. It picks up again a bit after that but I wish someone would bring out a heavily edited version of the whole thing with all the mind-numbing parts taken out. I finally got around to reading Blood Meridian last year and I completely agree with you.
No nothing wrong with encouraging people to read these books, I just think there is a certain pressure/elitism that shows up surrounding these books and other hard books that isn't valid or healthy. This of course is not true with you. I do think many find McCarthy's vocabulary, ornate descriptions, and, in Blood Meridian, unwillingness to direct the reader to the true nature of the conflict to be challenging. That and no quotation marks etc.
@@jshaers96 I do wonder if I will ever find the motivation for more Proust when there are so many other books to read. You are tipping the balance against.
@@scallydandlingaboutthebook2711I'm sorry. If it helps I think the writing is beautiful and when what Proust was doing worked for me it was pretty amazing.
Great video, Brian. What I’ve read: Ulysses, The Sound and the Fury, Proust (the whole thing 😮), 2666, Cloud Atlas. DNF: Infinite Jest, Blood Meridian, Foucault’s Pendulum. I’ve tried other Pynchon and DNF’d him every time. I was assigned Blood Meridian in a class. I got to about 60% and just could not face another page. I wanted to read those that I’ve read and decided the others weren’t books for me. There are many classics and “important” books that I have no intention of ever reading and I am totally okay with that. Don Quixote and Moby Dick come immediately to mind. I’ve tried them both and it’s just never going to happen.
All of Proust, that always impresses me not because of the length of the work, but because I know how much concentration that takes. I found many of Proust's passages to be beautiful and I am glad I read what I did, but I have never felt the compulsion to read more. The ones on the list you DNF'd I of course fully support, particularly Infinite Jest. Of all the books I put on this list it is, I think, the least worthwhile. Its like a 1000 page Vonnegut novel with notes. I read 100 pages of Don Q last year after putting it on a list of books I would never read and that was plenty. That 100 pages made me think it was a long book with one joke and I didn't always find that joke funny.
@@BookishTexan My dad told me he utterly loathed DON QUIXOTE, but he's not really a literature guy, just a regular reader. So maybe he was missing some important context? One day I will tackle this book for myself. That day is not today. He also hated CATCH-22, which (though weird) I still liked. I thought my dad (having served in Vietnam) would connect with the "uselessness of Army bureaucracy" aspect of CATCH-22, but I think that part went right over his head. Perhaps satire/irony (or the like) is not for everyone? Maybe they're too literal. And in the case of DON QUIXOTE, I'm not really sure myself what Cervantes was satirizing. I'd have to do some research before diving in. I think when you're not "of the time" something was written, you might not get it. Like not understanding Orwell or Jonathan Swift or even Aldous Huxley. You need the context. You need to know what the author's ideas are in conversation with.
Ive read one of these (Cloud Atlas) and have three more on my list - Infinite Jest, 2666, and In Search of Lost Time. I definitely heard about all of them first as "hard books everyone needs to read" but these have filtered through to being books that actually really interest me, so theyre some of the ones that stayed on my list. At this point Ive pretty much given up on the idea of ever reading Charles Dickens for example (unless I have to for college), and honestly its a nice feeling. Very good video!
Great video, great encouragement! I had to read The Sound and the Fury for class when I was a “baby” English Lit Major. Oh boy was that an experience. I do remember getting something out of it due to class discussion, but I really was not ready for that level of lit. I truly would like to read it again with a lot more experience. Somewhat out of curiosity and somewhat out of a desire to actually read it. Infinite Jest? That sat on my shelf, unread, for years and so it went to another home. Who knows - maybe I’ll get a bee in my bonnet and read it someday 🤷🏼♀️
The Sound and The Fury was my third Faulkner and I wasn’t ready. But I do love that book. I’m not sure that Infinite Jest is worth the effort, but I hope you give it a try.
Worthy titles for the list! As with healthy eating and exercise, I do think there's much to be gained from reading (or just attempting to read) hard books, even if we don't want to do it. However, I do recommend finding a coach, bringing a buddy, and taking baby steps. I couldn't make it through the first chapter of TSoundatFury; then I checked out the Cliffs Notes and it suddenly clicked (still didn't finish it). I'm stalled at the 60% mark with Beloved and looking forward to finding out what others got from it. But I'm also reading a bunch of other books that I am enjoying and mining lots from. Fortunately, there's lots of good books out there; no need to get hung up on a handful (even if I want to).
Very wise words. I almost made a bigger workout/read hard books analogy in this video (cant remember if I mentioned it or not right now). I agree that reading hard books can be beneficial just as lifting heavy weights can be beneficial, but it is also beneficial, equally beneficial at least, to do more reps with lighter weights. I think the same is likely true with reading less demanding books.
Great points! I have deffinitly read a few books that i wasnt excited for because they were "essential reading" and in most cases i did not enjoy them, i believe had i waited for myself go be ready to read them and ezcited to read them my opinion may of been quite different!
Great point about waiting until you are really ready. I read Ulysses way sooner than I should have and got more out of it and enjoyed it more the second time.
I read Foucault's Pendulum in the 1990s. Before I got my Kindle in 2012, if I started a book, I always finished it. I hated Foucault's Pendulum, but I struggled through it until the end. As soon as it was finished, I practically ran to a charity shop to donate it, just so it wouldn't be in the house!
I liked FOUCAULT'S PENDULUM, but it was a bit of a headscratcher, as I recall. Is it absurdist? Post-modern? Complete conspiracy? I believe I read the book more than once, and I can't answer those questions, so I guess it's not successful in what it sets out to achieve? I don't know. Not sure if I'd ever go back to it. There are too many other things to read.
I'm glad you included Proust here. I read Ulysses (love it) and Faulkner (love it), and read ALL of In Search of, but did not love it. I'll also admit I DNF'd Beloved, (gasp) and will never go back, so that's on my list. I have a long list of books I've read that everyone seems to love, but which I don't love (I already know you and I share a disdain for Wuthering Heights). If you haven't already done this, I'd love to see you do a video about books you feel you're SUPPOSED to like, but didn't.
We do agree about Wuthering Heights and I will overlook your DNF of Beloved.😂 I did a video about ten books that disappointed me. I will go back and look at it and see if I have other books that I was supposed to like but didn't. That would be a fun video to make.
I felt Infinite Jest was easier for me to read than The Sound and the Fury. Faulkner’s work through a wrench in my gears and was very hard to understand and get through. I love this video and you got yourself a new subscriber!
The Sound and the Fury is on my all time favorites list. I need to reread it one of these days. I’d still like to try Paradise and Cloud Atlas from this list.
While no one has to read any book, I have to disagree to an extent. You don’t have to read them to be a “serious reader” or to be able to say you read them, but if you have any interest in being alive at all, I think you do at least need to try to read these - particularly Infinite Jest, Ulysses, and Gravity’s Rainbow. I understand, these books aren’t for everyone, but looking back at my personal experiences with those three specifically, my life would not be nearly as complete as it is without those books. They changed my life, and my relation to the world around me, in a profound manner. Infinite Jest especially made me realize that I’m not nearly as alone as I thought I was, and I think it can do that for anyone who reads it. It’s essential to understanding the human condition.
I think it’s great that those books had such an impact on your life. The three books that changed my life would not include those three. I don’t think there is a list of books that will work in that way for everyone. I think almost all the books in this video are worth reading, but I don’t think there are any should/must read books. Thank you for the great comment.
Great list and wise advice! In the long run though I think that books I have had to spend more time on have become some of my most memorable. There are also ways of easing the effort - my read of Ulysses was made possible by the audio book narrated by Jim Norton, Foucault’s pendulum was helped by Jason and Faulkner in August has seen me through some of his books. Paradise is my next Morrison and I want to read it as I want to read all of her novels so fingers crossed!
There is nothing wrong with reading any of these books. With a few exceptions I enjoyed all of them. Obviously you know that Faulkner and Morrison are among my favorite authors. I don't think I could audio Ulysses though. Seems like it would be really hard for me to follow. Paradise is a very good book. A very ambitious book for someone who had already accomplished so much with her writing.
@@BookishTexan absolutely - I did the audio of Ulysses as an ‘audio text combo’ as Shawn the book maniac would say - I read along to the audio, and then read the same section myself (took a long time though!)
Maybe I'm weird, but these are precisely the kinds of book I look forward most to reading. I love getting involved with something I know is going to demand my full attention and rewards however much time and study and analysis and rereads I care to give it. Of these I've read Ulysses, The Sound and the Fury and Blood Meridian and all are among my favorites, especially The Sound and the Fury. Faulkner radically changed my perception of what literature could do and I find his entire output from '29 to '36 astonishing. I've even since started reading various studies on Faulkner to try to get even more out of the experience. Some I'd add to the list would be the late novels of Henry James (The Wings of the Dove, The Ambassadors, and The Golden Bowl) and Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe.
Loved Blood Meridian, but I agree I would not recommend it to anyone unless they are really interested in the subject matter. The prose while beautiful, can be dense. And it's quite brutal. Looking forward to attempting The Sound and the Fury one day though, as someone who enjoyed As I Lay Dying.
I absolutely loved Foucault's Pendulum. Eco is one of my favorite writers. Several of the books on your list are on my TBR list: Blood Meridian, Cloud Atlas, Infinite Jest, 2666. I have an English degree, so I had to read Ulysses and The Sound and the Fury for my degree. I've read The Sound and the Fury twice, because English departments in Southern universities treat Faulkner as a god, so you have to read his novels.
Thanks for inspiring me to read Sound & Fury. I think I'm ready to tackle Faulkner again. If I had only one book to read for a second time (and I wasn't allowed to re-read Tristram Shandy) it would be Absalom, Absalom.
Absalom, Absalom is a masterpiece and much more challenging than TSTF, but it is also less well known so I didn’t choose it for this list. Thanks for your comment.
I see what you're saying man, and certainly there are many "classics" and overhyped novels that don't merit that classification, but one could just as easily make a video for why one should tackle all of these books. Not that one should read a difficult book for the sake of difficulty, but many difficult books are impressive, immersive, and worthwhile. There's quite an array of styles and subject matter in these 10 books, and they're probably worth reading at least once. Ulysses is one of my all time favorite books, so I guess that speaks to my willingness to be an ambitious reader. And I appreciate ambition in a writer. It all depends on whether the hypothetical reader in question wants to interact with the history and development of literature. If they don't, well, then sure, they don't have to read any of the classics or any groundbreaking book. Not that every book on this list is as beautifully and richly groundbreaking as Ulysses, but still. In a way it's a paradox because you can only make this judgment of these books after having read them, and I think everyone should read a book for themselves before dismissing it. I'm not trying to bark at you or anything. In fact, I'm sure that in a different video or in a different mood you would agree with that perspective too. I always appreciate your content.
Thank for the comment and for watching. I agree that almost all of the books on the list are worth reading. What I am saying is that no one has to read them to qualify as a serious reader or to consider themselves a reader. Ulysses is great. I've read it twice and might read it again. I agree with everything you said about it. People should read it if they want to, but not because they think they should or because they want to say they have read it.
This is a great list with quite a few of my DNFs on it and a few never-starteds, too. There are so many wonderful books in this world, I'm never going to waste another minute trying to plough through something that's not speaking to me.
I am a fan of Toni Morrison and honestly I don't understand all of her books while I'm reading them; but I find her writing SO beautiful - its like a decadent dessert that is best consumed slowly and in small portions. I haven't read Paradise yet, but I will one of these days..... even if its hard. lol.
Morrison is fantastic. There was an article of John Updike questioning her legacy (in his opinion her latests novels haven't the same quality) and it's curious that 15 years later Morrison's legacy seems in a way better shape than Updike's
I've read other Joyce but not Ulysses. However, I came across a website where a guy was slowly writing Ulysses as a graphic novel. He had the first portion up at that time, I imagine there is now more. I tried to watch the movie of Cloud Atlas. It was too mixed up for me and about the time the guy threw the author of the top of the building I gave up. Foucault's Pendulum was a challenge but I managed to stick with it but now, about thirty years later, I should do a re=read. And I've got Gravity's Rainbow on my computer waiting to load onto my e-reader. There's no hurry. Thank you for your absolution. 😀
You are welcome🤓 The Ulysses graphic novel sounds kind of amazing. I’ll have to try to find it. FP is just not a book for me, but I know many people like you who enjoyed it. In the spirit of this video let me say: You don’t have to read Gravity’s Rainbow, but if you do I hope it’s because you want to.
I am going to read Ulysses, by god…. I have 2 copies and multiple reference books sitting on my bed leering at me, challenging me. I got about 50 pages into Foucault’s Pendulum; I wanted to like it; I just couldn’t get past all the endless descriptions….
I have read and loved all of these books except for Eco and Proust. Blood Meridian is in my top 3 books; I only wish I could read it again for the first time!
Praise be! I’d love to chat with you sometime about books and reading if you’d be interested. I host a stream biweekly on Fridays and think you’d be an incredible guest.
Desses eu já li: Meridiano de Sangue, e 2666. Adorei ambos. Já comecei a ler, porém não terminei Infinite Jest e Gravitys Rainbow, não estava me divertindo. Tenho muita vontade de ler Cloud Atlas e The Sound and the fury. Também tenho vontade de tentar terminar Gravitys Rainbow (eu amo Inherent Vice) e Infinite Jest.
I think all the books on my list are worth reading if you want to. I hope you will finish them if you are enjoying them. Cloud Atlas is probably the most fun book on the list. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Great conversation. Lots of variables, of course. I do feel compelled as a reader to tackle the toughies, but I completely agree not everyone should bother, especially if you're miserable doing so. I will go through the experience of these long journeys, and if I feel I must revisit the journey, I will. It took me three readings of Paradise, but this one was personal to me and I was going to travel the path until I felt like I'd absorbed the experience. Others...once was enough.
Three times through Paradise is impressive. I thought it was a good book, but I wasn't willing to go back to it. Nothing wrong with reading tough books if that's what you want to do.
One audio, one library, one purchased copy and finally it took hold. I loved Beloved by the way, it floored me. Paradise was just personal, starting with the first line which gets my vote for best first line ever. But I totally understand why others wouldn't even attempt that book. I will never read another Pynchon after GR, I don't care if he's awarded sainthood. @@BookishTexan
@@BookishTexan does this mean, that you can't identify a funny take at all, or more that you can't lough even though you think this take is funny? Have you read any russian or german literature? I'm german, and my reading journey is taking place through the afro-german lense :)
Thanks for this video. I have read a few books on the list: 'Ulysses', 'In Search of Lost Time', 'The Sound and the Fury', 'Blood Meridian'. I had plenty of motivation to read 'Sound and the Fury', mainly a course in Wm. Faulkner I took in college. The lectures and criticism made it more lucid to me and made me curious to read it about three more times over the past 40 years or so, to the point where I think I got most of what Faulkner was saying. 'Ulysses' I have read once, with the aid of some literary criticism that elaborated on the parallels with Homer's 'Odyssey'. Some of it I enjoyed, much of it I just coasted along in the rhythm of the prose and didn't worry about what I didn't get. I've thought of re-reading it but probably never will. I read the seven volumes of 'In Search of Lost Time' over a five-month period and loved a lot of it. This is a work that I keep telling myself that I want to re-read sometime. Proust's philosophical observations are fascinating. He really takes a microscopic look at perception. 'Blood Meridian' was not that difficult to read stylistically and perhaps I blocked out much of the violence because it didn't shock me that much. I will re-read it sometime. McCarthy's 'Suttree' is far more of a challenging read. It's longer and has denser prose and seems more thematically complex. I also want to re-read this one sometime. I read Toni Morrison's 'Beloved' about 30 years ago and hope to re-read it sometime. It's powerful but a bit on the obscure side. I've read her first three novels, 'The Bluest Eye', 'Sula', and 'Song of Solomon', all of which are a little easier to read than 'Beloved'. What you say about 'Paradise' surprises me because I don't consider her to be a particularly difficult writer to read. I'll keep that in mind whenever I get to that book in the chronology. The other books on your list I've already decided are not worth the effort.
"Some of it I enjoyed, much of it I just coasted along in the rhythm of the prose and didn't worry about what I didn't get." This is exactly how I read and how I reacted to Ulysses both times I read it. I think the difficulty with Blood Meridian, aside from the violence, comes from many readers desire for a normal plot and the confusion about who/what the judge is. I enjoyed Proust's writing, but I just didnt have the will to keep going. Beloved is more complex structurally and thematically than Morrison's first few books. Paradise is much dense in symbolism. Thanks for the great comment.
When it comes to Faulkner, I found Absalom, Absalom to be far more difficult than The Sound and the Fury, at least in terms of density. I would also add to your list The Sot-Weed Factor, Moby Dick, and The Brothers Karamozov, which are the only books I've ever DNF'ed.
Of course no one has to read any book, and I am delighted that you included books that you yourself love here. That being said: The first section of “Cloud Atlas” can be a slog, but after that it really gets going and there are many, many delights to be had, especially the hilarious nursing home sections. I too love Faulkner, and my favorite is “Absalom, Absalom,” which I frequently recommend unsuccessfully to others 🤣. As for “Ulysses,” I get it, especially when you hit that third Telemachus chapter, but I’m of Irish descent and hate to see it here. I don’t think you need to explore all the references or think about them at all, unless you’re of an arcane mind. Essentially it is a tragic-comic story of a married couple who love each other but whose sex life has been aborted by the death of a son, and of a son who has lost a mother and (at least figuratively) a father, how their paths intersect during one day, and how that day is a microscopic acceptance of the whole universe. There’s poetry, heartbreak, and hilarity in it. You don’t have to read it, but your world might become larger if you do.
You wrote: "You don’t have to read it, but your world might become larger if you do." Beautifully put...this is the impetus to investigate literature (and art in general) in a nutshell.
I like most of the books on my list, love several and have read them more than once. What I am against is the idea that these books must be read and the parallel idea that reading certain books qualifies one as a “serious reader.”
Good news! Most people have already been opting out of these books. And you're of course correct but there is a reason people challenge themselves with these hard books.
I read Foucault' Pendulum in the original Italian and enjoyed it greatly. In Search of Lost Time is very well written but I couldn't finish the last part. I hated Marcel's pathological obsession with Albertine. Infinite Jest is a thorn in my side. I read 140 pages, but I find it very hard going. I don't care about the characters, so when read it I feel frustrated but I feel like I should read it, since I bought it and so many people think it's a great book. Maybe that is what you mean when you say "You don't have to read it unless you want to." I still feel like I should, though. It's almost like a challenge. I can force myself to finish it, but will it be worth it?
Thanks for your comment. I think my experience with Foucault’s Pendulum is similar to yours with Infinite Jest. I hope if you do read it you find it worthwhile.
Morrison is my favorite author. It took me four readings of Paradise to approach a degree of comprehension that I'm satisfied with lol. I had to sit down with a pencil and Morrison's narration at 1.0x speed. The way she narrates her work can untangle the occasionally confusing syntax, and the slow pace of her reading helped give proper time to let the images of the book settle in my mind. The feelings of an entire town are often encapsulated in a single sentence, and they're easy to glance over and miss, and not to mention concepts and plot points that are hinted at throughout and revealed later on if you aren't paying attention. The key for me was to focus on the emotion -- we don't really know what the Oven is for the entire first third of the book, nor the words written on it, but we know that it pissed a lot of people off. Holding onto that feeling every time the Oven was mentioned made the payoff so satisfying. It was such a rewarding experience!!!
Now I want to listen to the audio of Paradise. I did not know that Morrison narrated it. Your description definitely makes me think it would be worthwhile. Thank you!
I’ve read Infinate Jest 4 times , and still love it. I think it’s because I’m very intelligent but very scattered, so oddly I enjoy it. It’s my bedtime listening.
I am on my third time through Ulysses and I get a little more out of it each time. I am on volume five of Proust, which I began in undergrad back in the early 80s!! It's not for nothing that it is the world's longest novel!!!
Henry James and I don’t mix. I read two of his novels and Dailey Miller and his style really irritates me. I have him on a list of authors I won’t read now.
Ulysses is only "hard" if you want to understand everything about it. My favorite non-fiction hard books, VERY much worth reading: The Restless Clock by Jessica Riskin (about the fascinating history of the mechanistic world view and how that's not the only way to think) and The Master and His Emissary by Iain McGilchrist, about the dominance of the "left brain" in our culture and how it has destroyed the world. It has a LOT of detail about the functioning of the brain. The two books go together in my head and have changed my approach to the world.
I approached Ulysses on the way you described and I liked it and even at times enjoyed it. Non-fiction, particularly the sciences, are usually my most challenging reads.
If I'm going to read a hard book, generally I'd rather read a nonfiction book. I guess it shouldn't be that way. I should be willing to read hard fiction too I suppose. So far in my adult reading I've treated fiction as being for fun.
Just as I don't think you should feel obligated to read these books I don't feel that you, who enjoys nonfiction more, should feel obligated to read more fiction
I DNF’d Cloud Atlas at 60% so happy to agree on that one 😂 Me and Alice are struggling through Ulysses at the moment, and will finish it out of pure stubbornness 😂 You’ve actually sold me on quite a few of these 😆
Since being on Booktube I had tackled some books that I felt I needed to have read and it was a mistake, I was miserable. But it's making me more astute as to realising what I'll enjoy reading or not. I want to give Proust a chance, it's in many parts, so may just try one part and see how it goes!
Thanks for the great comment. I made myself miserable with a few of these as well. I hope I won’t do that again.🤓 Proust writes beautifully and evocatively. I hope you will give his work a try if you want to.
Haha, I was like I wonder if Infinite Jest is going to be on the list and it was first. Honestly, I never felt pressure to read it, but I thought it was super cool.
I’m glad you liked it. I bought it in hardback when it was published and read it pretty quickly (for me). I thought it was very ambitious and at times excellent.
I'm sure I'll have read all of this list within the next few years, since the ones I have not read yet are mostly on the Boxall's 1001 Books lists. I actually liked Cloud Atlas, and didn't find it hard. I did read Ulysses, and hated it, though listening to the BBC radio play of it helped make it make some sense. I've read Eco, but not Foucault's Pendulum (yet), and I read the Crying of Lot 49, which I hated, so I have put off reading another, longer Pynchon book for a while. I've read the first 2 sections and the 5th and 6th sections of Proust, and they weren't hard, just tedious. My sister LOVES Proust, so I am sure I'll have to finish it eventually. I have noticed that a theme in common with a lot of 'hard' books on book lists is violence against women, which always makes me wonder about the culture and the people who make the cannon that determines who is well read. In any case, once I finish my projects reading the Boxall 1001 Books lists and Guardian 1000 novels list, I am probably considering myself done with quite a few or the 'great' writers whose misogynist writing keeps getting added to new book lists, not because they are hard, but because there are other more wholesome voices in modern literature that don't perpetuate such an unhealthy culture.
I am impressed by your commitment to reading from these lists, but I wonder if these are the books that you really want to read or do you feel compelled/obligate to read them or to try to read them. What I would say is that if you don’t like reading classics by misogynists don’t read them or any other book that you don’t want to read.
I might eventually start skipping books on lists I am reading, but I read fast enough that a bad book is only a small investment of time and energy. Steve Donoghue did a great job of describing some of the reasons people read hard books, and reading a list like Boxall's is one of those projects where reading a few lousy books is part of the overall project. When I talk about disliking a book I disliked off that list, like Ulysses or The Atrocity Exhibition, I can articulate why I disliked them, as an informed evaluation rather than a DNF. & for every lousy book or author on a list like that there are several authors I'd never have tried that I really enjoy.Reading projects like this are not for everyone, and I'm sure a lot of readers get into them for all the wrong reasons, but for me it is a reading project that has worked for over a decade.
i mean - nobody has to read anything. i personally think videos like this feed into the anti-literary/anti-classics crowd that is so prevalent on the internet today. I genuinely believe no one has to read anything or do anything they don't want. But i think it goes too far when people want to deny the quality of clearly great works of literature. I loved 2666 by Bolaño and I think it's one of the best novels of the 21st century. Blood Meridian in my opinion is the preeminent western novel of the 20th century and is McCarthy's crowning achievement. Sound and the Fury is a tremendously rewarding read but i didn't fully appreciate it until I read it together with my girlfriend about 20 years after i first tried it. I also won't stand by while Proust slander is being thrown about - I love Proust and I've learned a ton about the human condition by reading him. Do you need to read ISoLT? no - nobody needs to read anything. difficult, challenging books are not worth reading just because they are difficult. its the quality of the writing and cultural relevance that makes them worth reading. Now I'll tell you an unnecessarily difficult book that you don't need to read - Omensetter's luck by William H Gass. the first 40 pages of the book is practically incomprehensible. is there still literary value? probably but I couldnt get to it.
I’ve never read Gass or Gaddis and I don’t have much interest. I agree with your assessment of the others. I think Blood Meridian is a true classic. I enjoyed Proust some of the time and his writing and the sense of nostalgia and his ability to communicate that sense to readers who live a century after his books were published is remarkable.
They are undeniably great parts in Ulysses, that make it hard to dismiss outright. But there are also large chunks, like the Nighttown sequence, that are utterly awful and unreadable. I think it's one of those books (like Don Quixote) that improves the longer ago you read it, so that you remember the good parts and forget the bits that made you want to chew your own arm off.
I suspect for me that what you said about Ulysses aging better in your mind than the actual experience at the time is true for me. I couldn't get past page 100 of Don Q.
@@BookishTexan I mentioned this last year but I think you would like Black Swan Green about a boy growing up in a suburb of England, ..no gimmicks, funny and heartbreaking.
Your description of some of these books makes me want to try them. I only got through Ulysses because of audiobook and several documentaries about Ulysses. I studied Dubliners for A level English literature in 1980. I find Joyce fascinating.
I had that thought particularly as I was discussing The Sound and the Fury. I want people who really want to read these books to read them. I think Joyce the person was really interesting. I don't think I can concentrate hard enough on an audiobook to have gotten through Ulysses that way.
I’ve read Infinite Jest, Ulysses, Gravity’s Rainbow, all of Proust, and The Sound and the Fury. I think they are all worth reading and re-reading (read Pynchon Joyce and Faulkner all more than once, but I doubt I will ever get around to rereading all of Proust). But I agree that you don’t have to read them, or anything for that matter. On the other hand, I think your whole video would take on a different tone if you started with Faulkner, which you love, instead of Wallace, which you obviously dislike.
They are all worth reading if a person wants to. I was just thinking about your last point, where to put the emphasis/ strongest point the other day. My whole life o have almost always saved what I thought of as the strongest point till the end based on the idea of leaving the reader/viewer with the most powerful argument. But when I was a teacher grading essays a lot of my students would start with their strongest point and put their weaker points at the end. It drove me crazy until I realized there isn’t really a rule it was just a style thing. But in this case I think you have a good point. Starting with my favorite would have communicated the tone of the video more clearly.
@@BookishTexan As I said before, I agree with the main point, at least until I start thinking a bit more deeply about it. What makes me want to read a book? This turns out to be a much more difficult question to answer in the abstract than I would have thought. I’m in the middle of reading, for example, Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. One of the reasons I started it is because it’s one of the classic history books I thought I should read, based upon its reputation. It would not be too far off the mark to say that I, at least in part, wanted to read this book because it’s one of those books you “have to” read. Was that illegitimate? I think not - but it largely depends on how you phrase it. Where I see a real tension is in my finishing books that I’m not enjoying. On those, I don’t want to finish them because I’m not liking them. On the other hand, I do want to finish them because I hate not finishing books. What do I actually “want” in these cases? I think the answer is mostly determined by the result, which almost always means that I want to finish them, even though I don’t like them.
I have no intention of reading these, being on booktube you do feel you have to read certain books, but i have never bowed to the pressure, but thanks gor the absolution ☺️
I picked up Infinite Jest and immediately got intimidated by the footnotes. Don’t think I made it five pages. (And your sleepy pup in the background is adorable!)
I started Gravity's Rainbow back when it first came out in the 70's. Got through about 1/3 until school got in the way and I set it aside. When Border's books went out of business, they were selling off their inventory for a song, and I picked up a copy of Against the Day. It resided on my bookshelf next to Gravity's rainbow until last year, when I picked it up and read it all the way through. Then I picked up Gravity's Rainbow and read it all through. Then I found a copy of Inherent Vice which I finished. I think the key to reading Pynchon is to press on and not try to reflect or resolve continuities as you go through them. I think Thomas Wolfe is a little more readable. Blood Meridian is good.
I like your approach to Pynchon. It sounds like my approach to Joyce and other difficult books/authors. The only other Pynchon I have read was Mason & Dixon which I did like.
I've started PARADISE and, so far, have found it vivid and gripping. Same with BLOOD MERIDIAN. Yes, the subject matter is disturbing, but as with anything by McCarthy, you should expect that to be the case coming out of the gate. Odd that Bookish left out Joyce's FINNEGAN"S WAKE. It should've headed the list, as should have Gaddis's. THE RECOGNITIONS.
'Finnegans Wake' was the first title that came to mind for me too when confronting this topic. Most people find that text virtually unreadable, and it is unreadable in the ordinary sense (decoding would be a more accurate term describing one's engagement with the book).
i think one of the reasons to read ulysses is, because you get much information about dublin in this time... it is maybe a good introduction to irish politics also... but maybe not so much people are really interested in these things... i agree, the marvel universe is maybe more fascinating...
That is very true. More than 100 years after it was written I think that detail adds to the confusion because there are so many references that today's readers have no idea about.
Cloud Atlas is the only book I have read from this list. I remember going to see the movie by myself and being the only person in the theatre who understood what was happening at any time in the movie 😅
Definitely appreciate this as I am currently struggling my way through Sound and the Fury. I don't really want to DNF it as I do enjoy the writing and the story but it is just so dang depressing. I also DNF'd Rabbit Run for the same reason. I want to read more challenging and complex books, but sometimes it does feel like many of the most respected books are just miserable times.
The Sound and the Fury is incredibly depressing. I wish I could say there is some hope in it. If there is it is in the Dillsey section. That section is pretty unusual in Faulkner's work. I dislike the work of Thomas Hardy for the exact reason you mention here.
My father is a fan of that book! He keeps trying to turn my mother on to it, but she constantly demurs. And thanks for the reminder that great, canonical literature is not confined to fiction.
@@barrymoore4470Wow , really? Is your mom a philosophy student? The 1st Critique is a great book but not so much because of its literary aspects-it’s a clunky, difficult read, even in the German; but the ideas will blow you away!
@@Summalogicae My mother's actually not a keen reader of philosophical literature per se, but my father thinks exposure to Kant would be edifying, and promotes his classic work for that reason. Kant is definitely a cornerstone of modern Western philosophy, but notoriously difficult.
Hi Brian. I definitely agree with the premise of your video. I abandoned Infinite Jest and have no desire to go back to it, and I don't feel bad about that. I read a lot of Pynchon in graduate school, and he leaves me cold. Faulkner and Joyce, however, will always be incredibly important to me. I read Ulysses for the first time in graduate school with a brilliant Joyce scholar. Believe it or not, I was taking a Joyce/Yeats seminar at the same time that I was taking a 19th Century European Novel course, and I found myself reading Anna Karenina and Ulysses at the same time because of the way the syllabi worked out. It was the MOST intense reading experience of my then young life. I remember that I actually dreamt about Ulysses, I was so totally immersed in it. I don't know that that kind of reading experience would happen to me at this point in my life. Sorry for rambling. Thanks for another thoughtful video that gets us all to think. 😊
I enjoyed Ulysses as well. I think it is remarkable, but I think too many people feel either bullied into reading it or feel like they arent "serious readers" if they don't. Of all the books on the list Infinite Jest was, for me, the worst. It really felt like a waste of a lot of time. I've only read two Pynchon novels, Gravity's Rainbow and Mason and Dixon. I liked Mason and Dixon much, much better.
@@BookishTexanI know what you mean about how people feel about Ulysses. If I had not been reading it with the professor I had, I don’t know that it would have been such a powerful experience for me. I remember reading Pynchon’s novel, V, in a graduate course, and I just didn’t see what was so important about it. At all. I got nowhere with Infinite Jest. Gave up and had no interest in going back to it. Thanks for this video, Brian. Very thought-provoking.
I'm British so my reading in American literature is poor, however, I'm trying to read some American history for Historathon. I like Umberto Ecco, and have read many of his books. Gravity's Rainbow is not only weird, but inaccurate in some of the London details. It might be a great book, but much of it was plain silly. I have read 3 books, so far by Cormac Mccarthy. The violence repells me. I am in possession of several Wm Faulkner volumes. I may get round to them, but shan't force myself. I want to read Emerson , the Trandendalists and other American classics, so don't think I am anti -American literature. I just haven't had much luck with some of these. This was a fine video, thanks.
I hope you’ll try a Faulkner if you feel like it. I want to read Emerson as well, but somehow I always forget. I’m interested to know what American History you are reading.
@@BookishTexan I'm building a selection of books War of Independence and the Civil War. I want to get the American perspective. I'm following Peg of the History Shelf and she is good on military History, but I need to find decent social histories of the period, so if you have any suggestions, I'd be open to them. I'm doing Historathon, so I have plenty of time to get them. I shall try Faulkner, which book would you start with?
@@battybibliophile-Clare Peg is the exact right booktuber to get suggestions from on those topics. She’s great! Some Civil War suggestions: This Republic of Suffering by Drew Gilpin Faust, Embattled Courage by Linderman, and Down by the Riverside by Joyner (this one is about culture on an enslaved community), Ghosts of the Confederacy (about Reconstruction and post Civil War) Faulkner wise if you are interested in his Stream of Consciousness books I’d Start with As I Lay Dying. If you want to get your feet wet with a more straight forward book The Hamlet or maybe The Unvanquished.
@@BookishTexan I have the series including the Hamlet. Yes, Peg is one of my favourite booktubers, she's so enthusiastic. I have noted your suggestions and am off to look for them. I do appreciate your suggestions, thanks.
I always hate the 'You MUST read, do this, not do that' things. I love to read, but I read for my own enjoyment and to learn new things. If I don't enjoy a book, I stop reading it. I see no need to punish myself to read a book someone else thinks is so important. I've never read 'War and Peace'. I did read most of 'Anna Karenina', but good gods what a dull story. I've read book others thought were difficult, but I enjoyed them. So to each his own. Read the things you enjoy or want to read leave it go at that. 🙂
I agree completely with your approach to reading. There are too many book I want to read to slog through one that I’m not liking. I liked Anna K, but I have no intention of trying War and Peace.
Of those books I have only read Cloud Atlas and The Sound and Fury. Many of the books are the usual suspects when people talk about hard books... Ulysses, Infinite Jest, Gravity's Rainbow... I was surprised you didn't have Finnegan's Wake on the list. I have Cryptonomicon on my March TBR, which is a mammoth and I've heard it is difficult (I DNFed it last March but didn't get very far into it).
I have never even attempted Finnegan's Wake so I didn't feel comfortable talking about it. Though my total lack of interest in it is, I think, a good example of me choosing not to read a hard books.
🤣🤣🤣 Well, I'm glad you absolve me, because although I do not shy away from a challenge (heck, I finished all of Tale of Genji last year), almost all of those are on my list of... nope. I did read Cloud Atlas and then go on to read (and enjoy) the rest of David Mitchell's oeuvre thus far, that's the one exception. I'm reading Bolaño's Savage Detectives right now, partly so I can check that box and *not* have to read 2666! I've enjoyed everything I've read by Toni Morrison and haven't tried Paradise yet, but Kim at Middle of the Book March just DNF'd it for the second time, and that along with your 'warning' is going to put it at least last on the books of hers I try!
Paradise is a very good book, but it is very dense in biblical allusions and allegory. I have read three Mitchell books and like The Thousand Autumns of JDZ the best. I think I have Genji in a video that contains a list of classics I have no intention of reading.🤓
Ulysses and The Sound and the Fury were required reading for two different college literature courses I took. I would not have read either for personal enjoyment.
For whatever reason, I generally eschew American authors, with one proviso--skip Hemingway, skip Faulkner, & go directly to John Dos Passos, who wrote an incredible number of works, both fiction & non-. Ive read a couple of his decades ago, & just started the trilogy U.S.A. I remembered in the first few pages why I like his writing so much. I still haven't gotten through all the century-old (or nearly) books, perhaps I'll get around to the contemporary era in 20 or 30 years. Also, used books are generally a lot cheaper than new ones (& better made) & if you haven't read them, they are still new to you. Books I would recommend: Thos. Mann-Magic Mountain; Hermann Broch-Death of Virgil; Hasek-The Good Soldier Sveik; Aphra Behn-Love Letters between a Nobleman & his Sister; Breton-What is Surrealism; Hesse-The Glass bead Game; Bulgakov-The Master & Margarita. (Yes, it's true, I love European Modernism.) I do agree that there are a lot of strings in Foucault's Pendulum (possibly a fictional account of quantum entanglement) so I would recommend Baudolino or The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana (the latter especially if you're interested in early-mid 20th C. Italian commercial illustrations). I will take Henry James over James Joyce any day of the week, my personal favorite The Ambassadors. If you're a writer & having trouble with dialogue, Read Henry James.
Thank you for all the recommendations. I have videos about the USA Trilogy, Dos Passos and Hemingway (Dos didn’t seem to agree with your dismissal) and a short biographical sketch of Dos Passos. In grad school Dos Passos’ Three Soldiers was a very important text in a research project I completed. Several of the books you mentioned I have read or have intended to read, but Mann’s Magic Mountain isn’t one of them I’m afraid. Also, I’ve read enough Henry James to know he isn’t for me. Thank you for watching and commenting.
I hate - HATE - Henry James and take particular pleasure in sending passages from his novels to a friend, an English professor at a prestigious university, and demanding to know what these passages mean. I’ve never received a reply. James, to me, commits the cardinal sin of calling attention to himself with his complicated and impenetrable prose. Updike, too, I’m sad to say.
I have Ulysses on my shelf but haven't tackled it yet. I have listened to Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man on Audible and evI found it challenging to so I'm in no rush for the other one. Maybe someday I'll tackle Blood Meridian. I read The Road and was blown away. It still haunts me years later. I did read All the Pretty Horses which I was a little cooler on. Recently picked up the next series The Crossing. In do have Proust's Swann's Way but have yet to tackle that yet.
I hope you enjoy them all when you get a chance to read them. I have very mixed feeling about The Crossing and the third in the series Cities of the Plain. If you read The Road I don't think there is anything in Blood Meridian that will slow you down
I felt I must read _Ulysses_ in order to know what people were talking about - I’m glad I did, mainly for that purpose. I read _The Sound and the Fury_ because I had to - for a class. If this video had existed I would have shown it to my teacher & said it gave dispensation. Proust I read 2/3rds of _Swann’s Way_ and also feel no compelling reason to pick it up again - not that I’m opposed. Let’s see, glanced at _Infinite Jest_ and went meh; tried _Savage Detectives_ and couldn’t get into it, so have not hankered after Bolaño’s posthumous opus. Of the others, I’m glad to be absolved.
Same for me on Ulysses and Proust. Infinite Jest is easily the least worthwhile book on this list. You are hereby and in perpetuity granted dispensation.
Personally I feel Infinite Jest is not even a novel per say. It's just an extremely long memorandum or inter connected essays by a person who just loved to overhink and had a huge vocabulary.
I really get what you're saying, but my friends would say I definitely fit the category of difficult book 'collector'. I was very pleased with myself when I finished Ulysses! I would confess to a certain level of literary snobbery, but I always thought if these books had such a great reputation, I should read them and once started I have to finish - however long it takes 😊. Talking of difficult books - have you read Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry? One of my favourites.
I have not read Lowry. I’ve heard mixed things about it from people with similar taste to mine. About reading hard books to say you have: I don’t think that’s what you did. It sounds to me like you were curious and like to challenge yourself. And because you like more literary works books like Ulysses were ones you wanted to read. Those are of course great reasons to read them that are similar to my own. If I were approaching them now as a reader who had t read them there are a few I would skip. Thanks for the great comment.
Infinite Jest is more funny than it is difficult. It's just really really long. So if you do decide to read it, don't be suprised if it takes you several months
Ha I just decided yesterday to dnf Ulysses! I read into section 3 twice- read a cliff note and I was like… ok but nope this isn’t worth it 😂 I mean let me know if I should keep going but this seems like enough to appreciate it and let it go…
I don't think you need to keep going. The more I think about what I said in this video the more I wish I had emphasized that I read many of these books a long time ago for the exact reasons I am saying people shouldn't. I reread Ulysses and got more out of it the second time and even enjoyed it over all, but I don't think that was life changing or made me different as a reader. It certainly didn't make me a better reader. Let it go unless you want to keep going.
good review of some "important" books. Some I like, some I don't, several I just haven't read. One comment about James Joyce's Ulysses: I found Leopold Bloom to be a very, very boring person. He is the sort of guy you abandon as soon as you can find an excuse. You know - 'got an appointment'; 'oops - forgot I need to get {xxx} for my mom'; 'there's a special friend I want to have coffee with - see you later'; 'been nice talking to you, have a good day'...any excuse will do.
To me, the notion that some people feel they have to read certain books to be a legitimate reader (or whatever the reasoning may be) has always be strange. The only books you have to read, I guess, is the assigned reading in school, and maybe later on books relevant to your studies and/or work. But when it comes to reading outside of these contexts, I think there is really no single book that one _has_ to read. There are certain books one should read if one wants to have an understanding of certain areas of literature or the history of a genre, but this is always a choice. There are some books that heavily allude to, are a response or a critique to, or are in communication of some sort with other books. In these cases, it's probably advisable to have knowledge of these other books but again, no obligation. And obviously, if you read a series (which you often find in speculative fiction, my preferred genres) you should usually start with the first book and not with the third. Of the ten books you list I've at least heard of all except for the one by Roberto Bolaño and the one by Toni Morrison but I have no desire to read most of them, and no scruples to say so (in the unlikely case somebody asked me). I do have _Cloud Atlas_ and _Foucault's Pendulum_ on my TBR pile and they are there for the very reason you gave as the valid one: because I _want_ to read them! 🙂
Same for me and I did not always read the books I was assigned either.🤓I read Faulkner out of curiosity, but Gravity’s Rainbow and because I was told I “had” to. Back then I bought into the myth of the serious reader. Thanks for your great comment.
That is true. I cant' put a book down for a long time and pick it back up. For me it has to happen all in one go no matter how long that takes. I look forward to hearing your full thoughts about both of those books.
I read only an excerpt from Joyce's "Finnegan's Wake." Since it didn't make the list here, do I have to read all of it now? Damn it! I was looking for an excuse to save me the chore. I read "Blood Meridian" twice and never felt I wasted my time, but then again I invoke the qualifier, "Unless You Want To."
I only included books I have read or tried to read. I haven’t tried to read Finnegan’s Wake. I herby absolve you of having to read it. Blood Meridian is a classic.
@@BookishTexan > Thank you. But the question now becomes do YOU HAVE to read FW? Unless you can find someone who says you don't have to, (unless you want to) you may have to include it on your books to read bucket list, and you may HAVE TO to read it my friend, otherwise you could lose your Bookish status. Since you gave me a pass, again I thank you. I couldn't get pass the excerpt, but I don't know how YOU can get a pass. 🤥
First I'd like to say that I agree with you; people shouldn't read a book so they can say they've read it. It should always be to enjoy the book. I've read Ulysses from cover to cover and occasionally randomly read pages, which might be good for most people. I read Proust's great novel; it took me a year, but I think it was worth it and intend to reread it. I'd like to repeat that no one should read a book because they feel they have to or to say they've read it. Read to enjoy; if you're not enjoying it put it aside. Maybe try again later in life. Just enjoy.😀
Hmm, well. I have read one of these books -- Gravity's Rainbow -- and thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, I may re-read it one day, since I've learned a lot from life since I read it in the '80s. I have a copy of Ulysses, and intend to read it, as I'm sure many people say. There is no Proust in my collection, but I'm beginning to get interested and may try him if I find a good deal and translation. As for the rest of these books, no interest so I'll take your advice. There are so many books that I *want* to read that I feel no guilt about ignoring those that others say I should read. And these are all big novels -- I much prefer collections of short stories, and non-fiction. Heck, there's copies of The Decameron, and 1001 Nights, and the essays of E.B. White calling to me. That should fill in a pretty good chunk of my time on Earth. PS: I like your room.
Those last books will indeed fill a lot of time. You have hit upon the key to happy reading: read what you want to read and not what others say you should or must read. Thanks for the room call membranes as well.
I really interesting list. I have read 8 out of 10. Cloud Atlas and Paradise withstanding. I only read the first two of In Search of Lost Time . I’m rereading Ulysses in June with Allen and others. There are tentative plans for a Year of Proust in 2025. I’m more or less glad about reading the 7 I completely finished. I agree that no one should feel compelled to read these.
I think most of the books on my list are good books (Infinite Jest being the exception) and I am glad I read them. The year of Proust might motivate me to pick up where I left off. I hope the Ulysses group read goes well.
I read 'Turn of the screw' by Henry James because it was short and he is recognized as 'a great writer' . Lets just say I'd hate to have to read a long Henry James novel,. Thanks for your video.
Thank you. I read The Turn of the Screw. Its my favorite Henry James. Which for me is a little bit like saying its my favorite poke in the eye. I read The Wings of the Dove and it was a chore. James is definitely not the writer for me.
Thank you for this, it was excellent. I get the concept of feeling I must read certain titles (eg War & Peace) to have a black belt in reading, but I think even more is a feeling of curiosity. Both "why is this book considered so important?" and "is it really that good?" And maybe "is it enjoyable?" So I think maybe you're also giving me permission that after 50 pages or so I can dnf if it doesn't seem important (to me) or doesn't seem that good. Thanks!
I think that wanting to read the books out of curiosity is great. Obligation no. War and Peace is not a book I have read or intend to read. It’s just too long.🤓 Thanks for watching and commenting.
My exceptions to the rule are In Search of Lost Time and The Tale of Genji. I don't know why, but I do know that they are my lifelong obsessions. Fortunately, you don't have to read them cover to cover.
That’s a good point about these longer books. I enjoyed (for the most part) the Proust I read, but I’m pretty sure I’ve read enough. Maybe something will take me back to it.
