Comments on Rose City Reader: A Mini-Smackdown: Modern Library v. Radcliffe

I agree with you that the Radcliff list overcompen...

2010-03-12T17:24:40.884-08:00

I agree with you that the Radcliff list overcompensates, or perhaps it just lacks a sufficiently long-term perspective.

Be that as it may, I admire their "sauce" in taking on the ML list (to borrow a phrase from one of Tolkien's characters). Good for them!

Juanita -- You are right! They only picked from a ...

2010-03-07T11:40:04.927-08:00

Juanita -- You are right! They only picked from a list of 300-something books that had been published by the Modern Library. Fair enough -- it is their list -- but they were not picking from the universe of 20th Century novels.

I agree! There is no way L. Ron Hubbard rates as ...

2010-03-07T11:04:51.733-08:00

I agree! There is no way L. Ron Hubbard rates as one of the best. And certainly, one representative work by each author would be my way of going about creating a list, but I suppose no one asked my opinion. Besides, there are plenty of important novels that didn't make the Modern Library's cut.

Jaunita -- Good luck with the ML list! I'd be ...

2010-03-07T10:24:48.161-08:00

Jaunita -- Good luck with the ML list! I'd be happy to add link to your progress reports of reviews. Just leave a comment on my main ML post with your link and I will add it.

SocrMom -- The ML's "Readers'" list is pretty goofy. I didn't even consider adopting it. Ann Ryand is one thing, but I draw the line at L. Ron Hubbard!

When I liked an author (Lawrence) I was glad there was more than one book on the list. But when I didn't enjoy an author (James), I got pretty cranky.

You know, it's because of all the Toni Morriso...

2010-03-07T10:12:44.006-08:00

You know, it's because of all the Toni Morrison on the Radcliffe list and all the Ayn Rand on the ML Reader's list that I chose the Board's list. To me, if you've read one book by either of those two, you've sort of read them all. I am sure I'll be saying the same thing after I've read my third DH Lawrence and Henry James books on the Board's list. :)

It sort of bothers me that multiple books by one author made the list. It's almost like they ran out of decent books so they just threw in one author's entire body of work so they could get 100 books. I feel they should have picked one main representative work by each author and then allowed someone else on the list.

I am working on the Modern Library list and bloggi...

2010-03-07T09:46:36.609-08:00

I am working on the Modern Library list and blogging about it. I've just started, though, so I don't have much up right now. Doing Ulysses at the moment...