I majored in English in college, so I did a fair share of reading. I also did a fair share of read Cliff's Notes. I flipped through the book, markig off the ones that I've read. Out of 1001 I think I've read about 21. 22 tops. Please don't say anything. I know, not good. I also realized that many of the books SHOULD have been read at some point in my literary career. But alas, I'm not stuck trying to catch up, and trying to catch up to Kimmmmm, who is some 15 books ahead of me. But I wanted to give a brief overview of the books that surprised me on the list.
They Weren't On It?
We all have favorite books. Books that we feel are in the top of the list that everyone should read. Now, I realize that many of my favorite books would by no means be considered among the 1001 best in the history of literature. But there are some, not necessarily my favorite, I want noted, that did not appear on the list.
The Diary of Anne Frank: This one is probably the most surprising to me. The major reason is that it is quite instrumental in our views of the Holocaust. It's a young girl, who was actually an incredible writer with phenomenal insight into the world, writing of her experience of being stuck in an attic for more than two years. I think the reason this wasn't included was because it's a diary, not so much a work of fiction.
Night: This is another Holocaust book that is Elie Weisel's (I'm sure I'm spelling that wrong) experience from the time he was captured and taken to a concentration camp to when he was freed. It's a short read, but is so breathtaking and sad, but hopeful at the same time. Again, I don't think this was necessarily included because it's a true story.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: Probably Mark Twain's most famous book. I don't particularly like it, but it definitely has a place in literary history, so I was a little shocked it wasn't on the list. It's very much a young boy's illusions of the world. I think that Huck Finn is better, thus why that was included on the list. Of course, the bad parts of Huck Finn are when Tom Sawyer is included. So maybe that's why it wasn't included.
My Antonia: Now, I love My Antonia. I've read it multiple times. I think it's fantastic as a book about life during the time. To be honest, I wasn't surprised that My Antonia wasn't included as much as only one book by Willa Cather was included. Maybe this is my Senior year English professor talking, but Willa Cather, in my honest opinion, holds a place as one of the greatest "scene" writers in the English language. By saying that, I mean that her books focus so much on the scenary and character development, less than plot.
That Made The List?
This one is a little more fun, because I can look at the books and tell you which ones I hated. Of course, I'll go into more details about each one as the blog progresses. But here's a quick overview.
Frankenstein: Hated it. Why? All they do is complain. Frankenstein complains about the monster. The monster complains about Frankenstein and his creation. Someone kill themself. Please. I don't want to hear you complain anymore. It quickly reaches the point of "I want to kill myself just so I don't have to hear you complain about life. That being said, I think that Frankenstein definitely holds a place in literary history. It's really the first gothic novel that blazes the path for many novels to follow. It was also a very big deal because it was written by a woman.
The Virgin Suicides: Hated it. Why? B.O.R.I.N.G. Now, I liked the movie. Maybe because I was younger. Maybe because of Kirsten Dunst. Maybe...I don't know. But the book just drags, and drags, and drags. Boring. Now, there was some excellent descriptions in the book. However, the narrator doesn't really know why the girls kill themselves. It's all speculation. So really, there's no good reason. I have my own theories, though. They wanted to get out of the book.
I can't think of anymore at this particular time. Maybe more later. It's a little tricky because I don't have the book in front of me.
Moral of the Story: People are not going to have the same tastes as you so try to figure out why a book has been included as a MUST read.
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