The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time

by Daniel S. Burt

Paperback, 2004

Status

Available

Call number

FIC B Bur

Publication

Checkmark Books

Pages

468

Description

Which novels are truly great, and why? The Novel 100, Revised Edition is a unique reference that profiles great novels drawn from all cultures and periods of literature. Each entry provides a plot summary and assessment of a particular novel, with an emphasis on facts about the novel's creation, critical reception, and contribution to literary history. For this revised edition, Daniel S. Burt has reevaluated the original list and added entries on 25 additional novels, including Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, Jane Austen's Persuasion, Charles Dickens's David Copperfield, Philip Roth's American Pastoral, and Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children. Featuring an index and a helpful bibliography, The Novel 100, Revised Edition is sure to engage readers in a spirited discussion of literary values.… (more)

Tags

FICTION, FICTION - Analysis and Criticism, Classics, British Literature, English Literature

Series

Facts on File Library of World Literature

Collection

Fiction

Barcode

1805

Language

English

Original language

English

Original publication date

2003

Physical description

468 p.; 8.9 inches

ISBN

0816045585 / 9780816045587

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User reviews

LibraryThing member Stbalbach
I own and have browsed many books like this, but The Novel 100 is the only one I've read straight through cover to cover, as a testament how good it is. Each of the 100 essays is an infectious rhapsody to the power and beauty of great novels. Burt's insights range from the historically contextual,
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 aesthetic merits, existential meaning, summary, and just plain old personal recommendation. While the list doesn't offer any great surprises (#1 Don Quixote, #2 War and Peace, #3 Ulysses etc..) what it does offer is motivation to actually read these works. Or for me, motivation on which ones to skip (for now) because they are too dark, complex or esoteric. As Harold Bloom once said, the trick is not what to read, but what not to read. About 25 books I've already read, about 26 Burt convinced me are worth reading yet, and the rest, well, maybe one day I'll get to Finnegans Wake. Overall this is one of the better guides to the classics I've come across, at least those in the arbitrary 100 or 1000 list-type. It also contains a runner-up of 100 additional books in an appendix.
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Rating

(17 ratings; 4)

Subjects

Fiction History and criticism

Call number

FIC B Bur

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