Reading the Chunksters discussion

Our DQ discussion slowly but surely is coming to its logical end, and it is time to start nominating books for our next classical read.

It will be a themed read again, and this time, we are going to read a big book that falls under the category - the most influential, difficult, and challenging novel of the twentieth century. You may call it a modern classic, but I still prefer the words used in the topic of this thread.

I know - the temptation is great to nominate books like Ulysses and Finnegan's Wake by James Joyce, and if anyone is willing to nominate these books, I will gladly accept them as nominations, but please trust me, and I am a linguist who read Ulysses and paged through Finnegan's Wake, they are masochistically and delightfully unreadable. They are brilliant books as an example of art for the art's sake , but literary experiments with words from scores of other languages, original metaphors bordering on grotesque, allusive codes to Hamlet and Odyssey make this book a pleasure for language lovers, but will it be kosher to talk linguistic shop all the time?

Finnegan's Wake is ultimately unreadable because Joyce used new words, the words he personally coined in every other line, and he blended the words from other languages with English words, plus an unrelenting stream of consciousness make this book a beautiful literary experiment, again for the art's sake. Joyce himself believed that the language he used in his last novel will be accessible to people in one hundred yes, and although he was right about the globalization of English and numerous borrowed words, prefixes, suffixes, and other tricky linguistic productive ways of creating new words, this book is still a mystery to a modern reader. Basically, the fabric of the texts in both novels is very beautiful, but dissecting it without plot will be off-putting for many members as the books are arrogantly high-brow. Eugene Jolas in his manifest about modernism - and Joyce together with Eliot and Woolf were definitely modernists - stated that plain readers should be damned as literature is elitist and for high-browers. Personally, I find post-modernity much more attractive as they welcome all readers and offer something special to each whether you are just a reader, a thinking reader, and a literary critic - one and the same novel should offer different interpretations and niches for all sorts of readers.

So, I will not discourage you from nominating these books, but maybe we will nominate something that is very challenging, but utimately readable and "discussible", something in the vein of D. F. Wallace, R. Bolano, T. Pinchon, W. Gaddis, etc.


The world web can help us with different lists of books that are considered the most challenging ones in the twentieth century, and I am going to list links to some of them that might help you to nominate the book you want.

The nomination thread will be open for the next ten days, and then the voting will take up to ten days, and that is the time to wrap this up nicely with DQ and start working on a schedule for this classic read.

It will not be a easy-breathy read, but I hope it will be ultimately rewarding, and regardless what book is chosen, you might eventually proudly declare, 'I have read this one and enjoyed the meaningful and engaging discussion with my fellow readers.' One of the perks of reading, right? :-)

1. https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...

2. https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...

3. http://flavorwire.com/423424/50-incre...

4.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman...


Enjoy your nomination time!

I am torn between all the choices, literally ... :-) I will save the pleasure of nominating Wallace, Pinchon, Delillo, and others to you, guys.

I am nominating 2666 by Roberto Bolaño, but it is only one of my choices. Temptations, temptations!

I would like to second Zulfiya's recommendation.

Oh, I don't even have to think about this one! War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

I've wanted to read that book for at least a decade. I've seen the Audrey Hepburn movie (because I'm not so secretly fascinated with Audrey Hepburn), but I don't remember it at all.

I can't even describe how much I love this idea! I'm new here, but hope can continue to do some challenging reads. the group seems so involved that there will certainly be enough discussion to make them do-able! I've been in groups that have tackled hard reads before, but saw next to no participation when it came to the discussion, making it miserable!

On that note, I do want to read Pynchon. I nominate Mason and Dixon because it didn't seem to be about war like several of his other novels and we are already going to be reading a war novel with Fall of Giants. If someone suggests a different Pynchon to start with, I'd gladly defer to that, though!

Sarah wrote: "Oh, I don't even have to think about this one! War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy"

Sarah, I am afraid I will not be able to accept your nomination because the novel was written in 1869, and we are reading a themed read 'The Most Challenging Book of the Twentieth Century'.

Kaycie wrote: "On that note, I do want to read Pynchon. I nominate Mason and Dixon"

Let me post with links to the book and the author - Mason and Dixon by Thomas Pynchon

Thanks! Sorry, I was on the phone ap, and didn't see the option to do that.

Yep, I know what you are talking about! :-)

Hmmm, there are two books that I would like to see nominated. Maybe I'll wait and see what others throw in before I tip my scales one way or another.

For some reason I read that add 19th century. Darn, I would love to read that with a group.

I nominate Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky! I conducted my own humble poll elsewhere and I was told clearly that it's the easiest Russian classic.

Guys, please nominate the books written in the twentieth century. Luffy, C&P was written in 1866.

Andrea wrote: "Hmmm, there are two books that I would like to see nominated. Maybe I'll wait and see what others throw in before I tip my scales one way or another."

Me too. I'm torn between two books.

I am torn between several books, but "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe" helped me to nominate Bolano.

I'm going to have to nominate Ulysses, it's too good an opportunity to pass up...

Can I second Ulysses? :)

So you are ready to talk linguistic shop, right?! "The sea, the snotgreen sea, the scrotumtightening sea." It is coming! Ulysses by James Joyce

Can't pass up the opportunity of reading Ulysses with a linguist.
And fully intend to use the word 'scrotumtightening' in conversation tomorrow...

Zulfiya wrote: ""The sea, the snotgreen sea, the scrotumtightening sea.""

Oh my! ha ha.

Well, it will be interesting to see what other nominations will be added. I'm waiting to see if any DFW will be nominated.

2666 sounds intriguing, especially given this review snippet: 'Readers who have snacked on Haruki Murakami will feast on Roberto Bolano' Sunday Times.

Zulfiya wrote: "Guys, please nominate the books written in the twentieth century. Luffy, C&P was written in 1866."

It was on the list you posted, so I was confused. I nominate The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. But I'll vote for the book that gets most mention here. Ulysses seems to be the front runner.

Fellow readers, please make sure that the book you are nominating was written in the twentieth century. The lists are only for the reference purposes, so use them with caution - they are tricky :-)

Linda wrote: "Well, it will be interesting to see what other nominations will be added. I'm waiting to see if any DFW will be nominated. "

My copy of Infinite Jest is glaring at me from my bookcase because I nominated 2666 instead. Maybe someone will nominate this book, and if it wins, it might appease this angry book :-)

My heart is telling me to nominate Infinite Jest. It is an absolute masterpiece and one of my favorite books of all time. However, I have already read it twice and I would really like to read something I haven't already read, so Zulfiya, my copy is glaring at me too. But hey everybody, if you haven't read it, I urge you to pick it up. To quote another excellent book, Infinite Jest is a "heartbreaking work of staggering genius". If you do decide to tackle it, there is a great website to help you: www.infinitesummer.org. The discussions that were held there are awesome.

Lisa wrote: "Can't pass up the opportunity of reading Ulysses with a linguist.
And fully intend to use the word 'scrotumtightening' in conversation tomorrow..."

Just wanted to mention that there is a group set up specifically for Ulysses and they start reading it next week. I just joined - a very erudite group of members. So if it doesn't win here, that is a good alternative.

Zulfiya wrote: "I am torn between all the choices, literally ... :-) I will save the pleasure of nominating Wallace, Pinchon, Delillo, and others to you, guys.

I am nominating 2666 by [author:Robert..."

Would this be the first time you've read it?

I have not read it yet, and I need an incentive of meeting deadlines. It is hard to read those books individually. The chemistry of a reading group is magical and very motivational.

I have also read IJ so I would like to nominate An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser.

I was also debating Infinite Jest, but Pynchon won my eeny meeny miney moe. I'd be super interested in that read as well!

OK then. I officially nominate Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. I've been thinking about reading this book for some time now, and it would be awesome to read it with a group.

I'm going with Doctor Zhivago. Another that's on my to read list and I confirmed it was published in 1957

Linda wrote: "OK then. I officially nominate Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. I've been thinking about reading this book for some time now, and it would be awesome to read it wi..."

Linda, I've been "reading" it for two-and-a-half years now, and I've only made it past 300 pages. I second your nomination because I'd really like to be able to say I've read it at least once.

Good choice, Sera!

Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak (Sarah's nomination)

Guys, some of you are really into the Russian stuff. We tentatively planned to have an American Classical Novel after The Toughest Book of the Twentieth Century, but if you want, we can do a Russian Classical Novel.

As for the reference lists, I would recommend the list by Flavorwire (3) because it is a list compiled by experts while GR lists are good, but slightly untrustworthy. Fancy that - one of the books that is listed there is a novel written by Dean Koontz! Yeah ....

Thanks Paula!

Zulfiya wrote: "while GR lists are good, but slightly untrustworthy. Fancy that - one of the books that is listed there is a novel written by Dean Koontz! Yeah .... "

As is The Twilight Saga and Fifty Shades of Grey (#62 and #63) on the second list. lol.

Curiouser and curiouser!

Well, it is a challenge to read these books without tearing them apart and shredding them page by page.

Zulfiya wrote: "Well, it is a challenge to read these books without tearing them apart and shredding them page by page."

True. I started reading the Twilight series to see what the fuss was all about, and finished only because I can't not finish what I have started.

I refused to get sucked into the 50 Shades hoopla.

Awesome, Thanks Linda for nominating the Jest. That was one of the books I wanted to see here. Taken this into account I will nominate Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.

And I would love to see a Russian Classic for a future theme.

Just double checking I understand the criteria...We're supposed to nominate a "difficult" classic written in the 20th and not one from the Western Canon Classic Chunkster criteria, right?

I would love to do an American one as well. Although, sadly you guys already did East of Eden, my favorite book.

Right, Ami! A "difficult" classic written in the 20th is exactly our target.

You can still use Western Canon Classic Chunkster if they overlap, using the temporal parameter, but only if.

Linda, I was in London when the 50 Shades chaos started. I was on the tube reading an ee cummings collection that my friend had leant me for the day. The lady next to me actually stated,'My dear, how can you read that rubbish (or some such )!" before opening her copy of 50 shades...
At least I giggled all the way to our destination.

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK? !?!?! Are two year olds voting now? Who could possibly think that was difficult?

This sounds like a great read!

I'd like to read 2666, Mason and Dixon and/or Infinite Jest, so I won't nominate anything else to compete with them.

You guys have already nominated some great stuff! I'll be hard pressed to pick one to vote for, so I won't add anything new to the mix. I've been wanting to read Infinite Jest, Dr. Zhivago and The Name of the Rose for ages, so any of those would be great. I'll just wait and see what wins out :)

Zulfiya wrote: "Well, it is a challenge to read these books without tearing them apart and shredding them page by page."

Oh my gosh, I spilled my tea when I read this I was laughing so hard!!!!

Linda wrote: "OK then. I officially nominate Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. I've been thinking about reading this book for some time now, and it would be awesome to read it wi..."

Squee!!!!

Rosemary wrote: "This sounds like a great read!

I'd like to read 2666, Mason and Dixon and/or Infinite Jest, so I won't nominate anything else to compete with them."

I agree! I'd be happy with any! This nomination topic is fantastic!