That’s on the List?!?

I get that question not infrequently. I didn’t include it on the FAQ, since it tends to be more work specific rather than applicable to the list/project as a whole. My general response is that it is the list of 1001 books to read before you die, not the 1001 best books, greatest books, or even most important books. I stand by that answer, though without more of an explanation it is a bit of a cop out. Plus, 1001 is quite a lot.

Without further ado, I present works whose place on the list has been questioned and why I think it was put on the list (the book that goes with the list actually discusses this, too, but I’ve never ready that book - it isn’t on the list after all; thus, I don’t know what it has to say on this topic).

The Virgin Suicides. I think the most commonly cited reason for this book being on the list is its satirical portrayal of the hollowness of suburban life/ middle America, and the destructive forces it brings on those caught in that life, using our anxiety about sexuality, primarily female sexuality as its impetus. I personally think the main reason to read this book is for the collective first-person perspective of its narrator(s). Having read books with so many different types of narrators, perspectives, and narrative constructions, I can say that this one stands out as unique, at least thus far, making Virgin Suicides worth reading for that alone.

American Psycho. I feel like I pick on this one all the time. Really, it wasn’t that bad! If you like your murders graphic, sudden, and frequent. In all seriousness, I think this one’s main contribution is the way it epitomizes the hallow violence of the 1980s Wall Street culture it indicts.

Casino Royale. Okay, this one isn’t exactly War and Peace or even The Golden Notebook, but on the other hand, James Bond is iconographic. With this novel, Ian Fleming created a character that would span a book and movie industry, and create an archetype (or tap into one and revitalize it, if you prefer) that has impacted countless other works, including parodies.

The Cider House Rules. I think this one suffers from mainly being associated with the movie, and thus seen as light weight, which strikes me as unfair. The world Irving created is sharp, Dr. Larch is fascinating, what it does with storytelling adds this layer that still impresses me, and of course, it explores issues of abortion in an unflinching, honest way. I do think it loses steam in the middle and the character of Melody is a bit much to take, but still, worthy of the list.

The Black Dahlia. I got nothing. Truly, I don’t, aside from a minor gripe. This list is heavy on the noir. It may mostly be my perception, since I might have read more noir than I should have from a proportional perspective, but it still feels heavy on the noir. Chandler and Hammett I can get behind, but still.

No one has ever demanded that I explain why X work isn’t on the list. I think that’s less because people don’t have quibbles with the list in that direction, more that people don’t realize that they do, since it’s such a rather long list.

Cider House Rules; To the Lighthouse (and a little Little Dorrit)

I’m not sure I have any particularly interesting or insightful observations about The Cider House Rules. I certainly enjoyed the book. Dr. Larch was easily my favorite character, followed by Nurse Caroline. Candy bugged me more than anything. I enjoyed the first half more than the latter half, but I was pleased with the ending. The role of Dr. Larch’s historical records throughout the story is both amusing and poignant, and set the stage nicely for the ending.

From a craft perspective, I was struck by the way Irving moved from different perspectives/narrators within the same passage. On the one hand, that would seem to serve to make the authorial perspective seem particularly omniscient. On the other hand, I think it actually accentuates the importance of narrative and story-telling, which is one of the central themes of the novel (particularly the way the stories we tell and the stories we believe shape who we are and how we understanding others).

The book did make me wish that I had kept a graph of the connections between the books on the list with a node connecting ones that reference each other. It would make an interesting representation of the links between works of literature. It would also need to be huge, and I likely will not attempt to start one now. Still, would be an interesting project.

After wrapping that one up, I read To the Lighthouse. Confession time: I am not a fan of Virginia Woolfe. She just really does nothing for me. I found the ways she drifted from one perspective to another to be powerful and to pull out both the differences and commonalities among the various psyches and voices she explored. There were certain passages that caught me (I don’t think of myself as someone who reads for the language, per se, but I am increasingly finding that when I love a book, it is because of various passage within it that just resonate with me and make me see humanity or the world or myself in a new way, that complicate or eliminate, uplift or sadden). Not a favorite, but glad I read it.

My fear of Dickens had become paralyzing, so I decided I needed to leap into Little Dorrit today. I’m well past page 100 today, and I am amazed by how engaging I am finding it. I can see why he is so popular and seen as an enjoyable author, not just an important one. His love for humanity and his humor certainly come through (I think you have to embrace the satirical edge). It’s my fourth Dickens, and the one I have enjoyed the most so far. We’ll see if it keeps up, since it is over 850 pages, which is long even for something that is fun.

The Idiot and Of Mice and Men

Spoiler Alert: I've finished both of these, and I may spoiler the plots.

I finished The Idiot today. Six hundred and fifteen pages from Friday to Monday; not one of my fastest reads, but a solid pace. I'm going to put some distance between this one and my attempt on Crime and Punishment, but I actually enjoyed it much more than I expected. It qualifies for the success list, since it's one that I wouldn't have read without the list pushing me towards it, and I likely wouldn't have gotten as much out of it without having read Anna Karenina, Dead Souls, War and Peace, etc. to give it some context.

That being said, a little Russian goes a long way for me, I'm not going to lie. While I definitely prefer it to War and Peace (which I HATE), there were subplots that I could easily do without. The overall plot didn't do much for me, but there were some passages that made up for that. My thoughts are half-baked on this, but I think reading the text through the lens of the recurring discussions of the death penalty could make for an interesting paper if I had to write one. Fortunately, I don't. I also sort of shipped Adelaida and Prince Sch. Till the end, anyway.

I'm not sold on Dostoyevsky's portrayal of women's psychology, but the letters that Anastassya Filippovna sent Aglaya and the scene where Aglaya confronts Anastassya Filippovna were the most compelling passages for me (the ones that made up for anything having to do with Burdovsky).

After finishing The Idiot, I read Of Mice and Men; it's a nice, short read. I've never read The Grapes of Wrath, and I'm still a little apprehensive about it, but I found Of Mice and Men strangely compelling. This is a good counterexample, I think, to the belief that being spoiled about the ending ruins a work for someone. In this case, I think it was quite clear what the novel(ia) was building towards, and for me at least, part of its power came from knowing and seeing George's agony, while knowing that the conclusion was inevitable.

I'm now reading The Cider House Rules. I've never seen the movie, though from seeing clips/its trailer, I can't help but picture Michael Caine as Larch. That being said, I'm glad that Tobey McGuire isn't invading my perceptions; I'm not really a fan.