Why new classics? Have you read all of the old classics worth reading?
Sweet thread.
Feanor was hard-core, but Fingolfin fought Morgoth hand-to-hand. That’s hardest-core. Ok, movin’ on from the Tolkien geek-fest 
I’m currently reading “The Guns of August”, a non-fiction work chronicling World War I. This book is particularly fascinating because it was written by a woman, Barbara Tuchman, the daughter of an American ambassador. Prior to writing and publishing the book, Tuchman researched the material for decades. Thus far, the book focuses on the personalities of the political leaders, as well as the cultural mentalities, of the key nations involved in the War. It’s a very fascinating perspective.
The more I read about WWI, the more I become convinced that it was the pivotal event in changing the nature of daily life on this earth.
[quote]pushharder wrote:
Never read a more descriptive author.[/quote]
Then you pay homage to my favorite author, damnit, and come back and say that once more! He was influenced by Faulkner, actually.
I like to pick an author and go through several of their works. Next up: Milan Kundera…
ooooooh…
OG, want a great trilogy? The Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz. My brother cried during each of the three books, said it was so goddamn well-written it’d be a crime to have never read it.
Try out some Charles Bukowski. Post Office and Ham on Rye are great.
3rd Cormac McCarthy
[quote]pushharder wrote:
LUEshi wrote:
…Pretty much anything Cormac McCarthy’s ever written…
Bingo.
Reading Blood Meridian now. Just finished All the Pretty Horses.
Others have ranked him with Melville and Faulkner. I can see why. The guy can write like a champion.
Never read a more descriptive author.[/quote]
Blood Meridian is one of the best books there is, in any time. It’s been my favorite book for nearly 10 years now. I’ve probably read it 10 times, as well, and recommended it to 10 times that many people.
If you don’t have a strong stomach, though, you might want to stay away from it. There is nothing so beautifully violent as this book. Suttree is a great novel of his, as well.
And yeah, Melville and Faulkner are excellent comparisons.
It seems as if I have some authors to choose from.
I also have not read all the older classics. As I mentioned, I only read “Of Mice and Men” 2-years ago.
I just tried reading “Wuthering Heights” again (I just think Heathcliff is a jerk) and it got me thinking about authors of today.
Practically anything Robertson Davies ever wrote.
Also, for those who like McCarthy, you may want to check out John McPhee (Rising from the Plains and others). Great turn of a phrase and based on historical accounts of the discovery of the American West.
Mahfouz is quite good.
On the more bankrupt side, I find Chuck Palahniuk brilliant. Choke, Lullaby, and Rant were all great fun.
[quote]Natural Nate wrote:
I was just making an obscure quote. Come on, someone get it![/quote]
Nietzsche?
I agree the fiction genre these days is pissweak. Read the real classics before you start scrounging around the modern garbage dump. As for Palahnuik, he’s classic style over substance.
[quote]OctoberGirl wrote:
I mean classic literature.
I hate to admit it but I only read “Of Mice and Men” about 2-years ago. I loved the story, it was incredibley powerful and I get why that is a classic.
So are there new classics today?
A couple of books that I have read that are modern that I think can last are:
The Painted House - John Grisham
Ender’s Game - Orson Scott Card
Stand by Me - Stephen King
The Summer Tree (The Fionavar Tapestry, Book 1), The Wandering Fire (The Fionavar Tapestry, Book 2), The Darkest Road (The Fionavar Tapestry, Book 3) - Guy Gavriel Kay
Those are some of the ones I always mention to folks who ask me about a good book.
I wasn’t sure if Shirley Jackson was modern or classic but if modern than:
The Lottery - Shirley Jackson
[/quote]
I don’t think Ender’s Game or anything by Grisham or King will ever be considered ‘classic literature’…Ender’s Game is a kid’s book and Grisham and King are pretty much ‘kid lit’ also…not trying to disparage your selections OG…I enjoy King and Grisham (not really) and I think my kids have read the Ender series…and probably 20% of the books I read are ‘kid lit’.
I 100% think that both Grisham and King will be around in 50 - 100 years. I think the large amount of work and their mass market popularity will make these guys kind of like the Beatles and the Stones of the publishing industry. I don’t think there’s anything to what they are writing though that makes them ‘classic’.
So…the question is, ‘what IS classic literature’ ? I majored in English Literature for my undergrad degree and probably wrote a hundred papers on this topic. This actually bored the shit out of me and led me to pursue a graduate degree in business.
So…
Everything is driven so much by marketing today. The publishing industry exists only to make money. So many books exist today that aren’t really that great, but that we’re told are great…Brett Easton Ellis and Jay McInernay come to mind…not to bash the guys that suggested them as modern classics. I like both of their work…but…c’mon…they’re regurgitating stories and engaging in meta and pseudo fiction in order to seem ‘edgy’.
In regards to people wanting to read ‘classics’…I understand there’s a canon of literature out there that addresses universal dreams, beliefs, ideas and that is timeless…but…if it wasn’t for the publishing industry (and college curriculums) shoving these books down our throats…would we really choose to read them? I had to read so much that did not speak to me in college because the professor had written his book 20 years ago about that particular author/book and was too lazy to do anything new…
I read a quote somewhere from someone explaining how it cracked them up when someone referenced a book from the 18th or 19th century as THEIR ALL TIME FAVORITE BOOK ! It’s like saying your all time favorite song was one penned in the 18th or 19th century…I always liked that quote…
Some authors I recommend (that haven’t already been mentioned) that may (imho) become classics:
Tom Robbins
Salman Rushdie
Don DeLillo
John Kennedy Toole
Kurt Vonnegut
Raymond Carver
Jose Saramago
[quote]pushharder wrote:
I agree. As I said, very, very descriptive. I like violence and this book delivers but you’re right, the way he constructs the prose makes the violence completely ungratuitous.
[/quote]
I had to put it down a few times. I’d read All the Pretty Horses and the second book in the Border Trilogy and I found Blood Meridian tough to get into. Thought it was great after I got through it, but did the Judge kill the Kid or just rape him !?!?
[quote]LiftSmart wrote:
Why new classics? Have you read all of the old classics worth reading?[/quote]
There are classics out there being written, but my initial reaction was the same – there are plenty of great books already written to keep us busy for awhile.
Steinbeck’s first chapter of ‘East of Eden’ is my favorite piece of descriptive writing I’ve yet come across. It gives me the chills every time. Big fan of ‘The Adventures of Augie March’ by Saul Bellow as well.
By the way, OG, Stephen King has never written a book called ‘Stand By Me’…
Did you read Twilight yet OG? Come on, you know you want to.
Kind of interesting I don’t know if its sychronicity or if its birds of a feather – but I happen to be reading “Love in the Time of Cholera” right now and it is a great book, although it was written 20 years ago.
I also happen to have “Blood Meiridian” on my bookshelf right behind me – up next so to speak. Loaned to by a good friend who knows something about literature.
I suggest Foucault’s Pendulum by Umberto Eco
[quote]Tex Ag wrote:
I suggest Foucault’s Pendulum by Umberto Eco
[/quote]
I love that book.
When I was at a certain very large Mid-Western pharmaceutical company about ten years ago, we named one of our Crays ‘abulafia’ in honor of the computer in the book. What a bunch of geeks.
[quote]sen say wrote:
I don’t think Ender’s Game or anything by Grisham or King will ever be considered ‘classic literature’…Ender’s Game is a kid’s book and Grisham and King are pretty much ‘kid lit’ also…not trying to disparage your selections OG…I enjoy King and Grisham (not really) and I think my kids have read the Ender series…and probably 20% of the books I read are ‘kid lit’.
I 100% think that both Grisham and King will be around in 50 - 100 years. I think the large amount of work and their mass market popularity will make these guys kind of like the Beatles and the Stones of the publishing industry. I don’t think there’s anything to what they are writing though that makes them ‘classic’.
So…the question is, ‘what IS classic literature’ ? I majored in English Literature for my undergrad degree and probably wrote a hundred papers on this topic. This actually bored the shit out of me and led me to pursue a graduate degree in business.
So…
Everything is driven so much by marketing today. The publishing industry exists only to make money. So many books exist today that aren’t really that great, but that we’re told are great…Brett Easton Ellis and Jay McInernay come to mind…not to bash the guys that suggested them as modern classics. I like both of their work…but…c’mon…they’re regurgitating stories and engaging in meta and pseudo fiction in order to seem ‘edgy’.
In regards to people wanting to read ‘classics’…I understand there’s a canon of literature out there that addresses universal dreams, beliefs, ideas and that is timeless…but…if it wasn’t for the publishing industry (and college curriculums) shoving these books down our throats…would we really choose to read them? I had to read so much that did not speak to me in college because the professor had written his book 20 years ago about that particular author/book and was too lazy to do anything new…
I read a quote somewhere from someone explaining how it cracked them up when someone referenced a book from the 18th or 19th century as THEIR ALL TIME FAVORITE BOOK ! It’s like saying your all time favorite song was one penned in the 18th or 19th century…I always liked that quote…
Some authors I recommend (that haven’t already been mentioned) that may (imho) become classics:
Tom Robbins
Salman Rushdie
Don DeLillo
John Kennedy Toole
Kurt Vonnegut
Raymond Carver
Jose Saramago
[/quote]
I agree with the bulk of your post. I don’t like your possible classics list, though. They’re fine authors, of course, and there’s no reason they couldn’t be future classics. But they strike me more as books well-suited to your personality than books that speak particularly well to the human condition (whatever that is). Just as a list I compiled would say more about me than it would about the books chosen.
Rant is most likely what he’ll be remembered for. The little nonfiction he’s done is excellent.
Vonnegut is, of course, the quintessential 20th century satire author.
Philip K. Dick has some worthy outings and pretty much every significant sci-fi movie of the last twenty years (Blade Runner, Minority Report, The Island and a host of others including Paycheck, Next and on and on) was loosely based on his work. “The World that Jones Made” is a personal favorite. “Dr. Bloodmoney” and “Valis” are also quite good. Think a science fiction Bourges.
Christopher Hitchens is probably the our best social critic.
“House of Leaves” by Mark Danielewski
Pretty much anything Eric Schlosser has ever written.
Robert D. Kaplan
There’s an interesting little book called “Sharp Teeth”, by Toby Barlow. Horror novel written entirely in prose. Poised to become a new classic of the genre, at least.