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News & ArtsTuesday, July 21, 2009
Books Blown Out of the Canon
Posted by Paul Constant on Tue, Jul 21, 2009 at 4:38 PM
I'm not a big believer in canonical books, to be honest. I'd rather people enjoy and develop their own reading lives. Which isn't to say that if you only read books about evil elves, you should stick to reading books about evil elves for all eternity: I think a healthy reading life has several significant areas of interest, but also features wild divergences from those interests.
But lots of people do believe in the Canon, and this post from The Second Pass is all about kicking ten books out of the Canon because they're not as good as everyone thinks they are.
As with virtually any list of books, there are items I don't agree with. I think The Road really is as good as everyone says it is. And I find the argument against One Hundred Years of Solitude to be petty and small.
But I agree with a lot of this list. A Tale of Two Cities is, as far as I'm concerned, Dickens's worst book by far. On the Road is not near Kerouac's best book, and thrives only on the pretentiousness of wander-hungry teenagers. I've never understood the appeal of The Corrections, either—Franzen's first two novels are better. If you had to build an anti-canon, this list would be a pretty good start.
(Via Metafilter.)
1
The canon is essentially "here, lots of readers have found this book interesting, and that book inspired a few others."
You can't kick a book out of the canon by talking about it. You kick books out of the canon with a shrug of indifference. The 19th-century successful writers whose works are now out of print are not in the canon.
You can't kick a book out of the canon by talking about it. You kick books out of the canon with a shrug of indifference. The 19th-century successful writers whose works are now out of print are not in the canon.
2
I love A Hundred Years of Solitude and I have a sense of humor. I'm hilarious god damn it and I'm insulted by anyone who thinks otherwise.
3
Anyone who is "only in my mid-30s, and already pretty bored" should be shot, and their remains and possessions repurposed for the rest of us.
4
Waitwaitwait, Jonathan Franzen is in The Canon? How the hell did that happen? Next you'll be telling me Danielle Steele is in there.
5
I read Cien años de soledad in Macondo itself. I'd wanted to read it for years, and I'll honestly say it inspired me to learn Spanish. Yes, there are other, more important things in life, but reading that book in glorious español, in a hammock, frequently drunk on cheap rum, where shit gets blown up every single morning between the hours of 3 and 5...it was hard to know where the book ended and the fabric of the reality around me began.
It's a glorious book, and only a philistine would disagree.
Having said that, I do think Love in the Time of the Cholera is more approachable and therefore probably more appropriate for inclusion in the illustrious canon.
Also, can we please get rid of fucking Moby Dick? Even the Cliffs Notes of it are boring.
It's a glorious book, and only a philistine would disagree.
Having said that, I do think Love in the Time of the Cholera is more approachable and therefore probably more appropriate for inclusion in the illustrious canon.
Also, can we please get rid of fucking Moby Dick? Even the Cliffs Notes of it are boring.
6
Speaking of A Tale of Two Cities, the description of what lands the good doctor in hot water rang false to me. Or rather it didn't make any fucking sense. Why was that woman calling out 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12? I bet Dickens thought it was really dramatic. I thought it was unbelievably stupid.
I liked The Road although the son (OMG! SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER!) was way too nice and good for a kid born a few days after the apocalypse.
And I loved 100 Years. It was an easy read, interesting, and kind of cool, although admittedly I don't have an overwhelming desire to read it again.
I liked The Road although the son (OMG! SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER!) was way too nice and good for a kid born a few days after the apocalypse.
And I loved 100 Years. It was an easy read, interesting, and kind of cool, although admittedly I don't have an overwhelming desire to read it again.
7
Dos Passos' USA is great. Since when is "I can't get my brain around it" reason to tell someone else not to read something? Pffft. And who exactly is in charge of this Official Canon, anyway? Sounds like a bunch of straw men. Better to be more intellectually honest and say "I think these popular books are over-rated" and be done with it.
Move along, nothin' to see here...
Move along, nothin' to see here...
8
OK...I actually agree with you about "A Tale of Two Cities", although I'd probably put it above Martin Chuzzelwitz which was a bit of a (no pun intended) slog...But the USA trilogy? Who's lilly white ass do I need to kick! It's absolutely beautiful, although I'd rate Mid Century as DP's classic
9
I agree with Michael Pgh regarding the USA trilogy.
Also, the complaint about Flanders' death in Jacob's Room being "rendered without detail precisely because Woolf never went anywhere near Jacob’s battlefield" shows a remarkable ability to miss the point.
Frankly, I don't understand why that post is getting so much attention as it seems like a lot of bluster with very little substance to it.
Also, the complaint about Flanders' death in Jacob's Room being "rendered without detail precisely because Woolf never went anywhere near Jacob’s battlefield" shows a remarkable ability to miss the point.
Frankly, I don't understand why that post is getting so much attention as it seems like a lot of bluster with very little substance to it.
10
A Tale of Two Cities is not Dickens' best work, true. But he recognized in it there is a revolutionary terror to be feared, and it is the inevitable consequence of systemic class oppression. He was pretty anti-revolutionary most of the time but he understood why they happened. There is a deep human sympathy in this novel, it's exciting and passionate and melodramatic and maybe nonsensical (and it is head and shoulders above "Hard Times".) Yes it doesn't need to be in the Top 100 anything, yes "David Copperield" and "Little Dorrit" and "Bleak House" are the real meat of his work--but one can still love "A Tale of Two Cities" for its considerable merits. Dammit.
12
I disagree with a lot of the choices too (well, the ones with "Road" in the title) but it's a hilarious article... and I'm glad to see The Second Pass getting some attention – it's a great site and, ahem, beautifully designed.
13
Hmmm, I haven't read most of those books. I thought I was fairly well read, but maybe only in a geeky sci-fi fantasy sort of way? I do really like A Tale of Two Cities, though. Although a good deal of it is a bit trite, I couldn't get over the peasants fighting for the spilled wine or Madame Duforge and her knitting. Generally I don't like Dickens, though, maybe that has something to do with it?
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