The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins *** Edgar Allan Poe may have invented the private detective, but it was Wilkie Collins who brought what we now call detective fiction into early maturity. His 1859 novel The Woman In White introduced a format of the characters narrating their own viewpoints through the story, each contributing to the … Continue reading Great Novel No. 19: “The Moonstone”
100 Great Novels
Great Novel No. 18: “Alice In Wonderland”
Alice's Adventures In Wonderland Through The Looking-Glass, And What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll *** Forgive the inaccurate title; there is, of course, no classic novel called "Alice In Wonderland". But for decades now it has been a traditional way of referring to the pair of books written by Charles Dodgson under the pen … Continue reading Great Novel No. 18: “Alice In Wonderland”
Great Novel No. 17: “A Tale of Two Cities”
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens *** When I sat down to pick and choose which titles would make it onto my 100 Great Novels list, there were two main criteria (besides that of being a so-called "classic"). The first: I had never read the book before and wanted to. The second: the … Continue reading Great Novel No. 17: “A Tale of Two Cities”
The Importance of Good Writing
Someone asked me recently how I choose what books to read. I meant to answer that here, but it seems to have metamorphosed into explaining why, in one particular case, I stopped and put a book down -- and not that far into it either. This might not seem like anything important, but when the … Continue reading The Importance of Good Writing
Great Novel No. 15: “Moby-Dick”
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale by Herman Melville *** "To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme." So writes Herman Melville in his mightiest novel, and certainly his most famous one, Moby-Dick. Following his own advice he wrote a work that is much broader in scope than most people probably think. The narrator of … Continue reading Great Novel No. 15: “Moby-Dick”
Great Novel No. 14: “The Scarlet Letter”
The Scarlet Letter: A Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne *** And so we reach a kind of seminal moment in the 100 Great Novels list. Up until now the books have all come from a small, damp, and foggy island near the coast of Europe -- that is to say, England. With Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet … Continue reading Great Novel No. 14: “The Scarlet Letter”
Great Novel No. 13: “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall”
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë *** I find myself having to write a review where I really have little to say on the book in question. And it seems I'm not alone; most people don't have a lot to say when it comes to Anne Brontë, the youngest of the famous sisters. … Continue reading Great Novel No. 13: “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall”
Great Novel No. 12: “Vanity Fair”
Vanity Fair: A Novel Without A Hero by William Makepeace Thackeray *** William Makepeace Thackeray is, I read on the internet, best remembered for this novel, a satirical attack on Victorian society's obsession with status, wealth, and reputation. But for the last few weeks as I carried the hefty tome around with me, and people … Continue reading Great Novel No. 12: “Vanity Fair”
Great Novel No. 11: “Wuthering Heights”
Wuthering Heights: A Novel by Emily Brontë *** Emily Brontë's only novel was published in 1847, the same year as her sister Charlotte's Jane Eyre. Like all of the Brontës' work it was published under a pseudonym since female novelists were generally frowned upon in early Victorian society (both Pride And Prejudice and Frankenstein, though … Continue reading Great Novel No. 11: “Wuthering Heights”
Great Novel No. 10: “Jane Eyre”
Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Charlotte Brontë *** Jane Eyre is a difficult novel to classify. It is usually called a Gothic tale by those who have never really read it, based on their knowledge that the plot has a mad wife locked in the attic of a manor house as a a major element. … Continue reading Great Novel No. 10: “Jane Eyre”
Marginalia 