Best work of literature?

[Joe McCarthy]

Novels, poetry, plays, etc.

Some samples:

http://www.writeawriting.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/why-did-william-shakespeare-write-hamlet.jpg

http://www.best-childrens-books.com/images/the-count-of-monte-cristo-21302785.jpg

http://images.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/0/67/972/574/0679725741.jpg

[Joe McCarthy]

My vote goes to:

http://sbfmedia.relationalhost.com/prodimg/FAR_FROM_THE_MADDING_CROWD_OXBW.jpg

http://x3d.xanga.com/5f1f142501c34204575896/z158950625.jpg

[Treffie]

Yep. Far From The Madding Crowd is on my list. Here are a couple of my faves.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ef/Themagus_cover.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/32/Rye_catcher.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7e/HitchhikersCover.png

[Joe McCarthy]

Honorable mention goes to:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/1854_Walden_byThoreau.jpg

Though it's not so much literature as it is a philosophical and naturalist treatise, imo.

[Wyn]

There can be only one:

http://i.imgur.com/t4wqs.jpg

Nothing can knock this off the top spot, for me. I believe I even went so far as to quote Oberon in my signature at one point. ;)

From the list given, I'll choose Macbeth. But I would also add Henry V... And The Merchant of Venice, if I can? :o

I must one day get around to reading Don Quixote, if only because our resident Don has spurred my interest in it. :D

[Kadu]

Four that happen to come to my mind


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/41/God_unknown.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1f/JohnSteinbeck_TheGrapesOfWrath.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/64/Memoirs_of_Hadrian.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/25/InvisibleCities.jpg

[Joe McCarthy]

Lord, what fools these mortals be...

[Joe McCarthy]

I must one day get around to reading Don Quixote, if only because our resident Don has spurred my interest in it. :D

I hesitate to play into the hands of our resident Spanish chauvinists, but...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/may/08/humanities.books


Don Quixote is the world's best book say the world's top authors

[Treffie]

Special mention to these also

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Tess.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/23/MoonPalace.jpg

As poetry goes, I'll have to be biased and give this award to my fellow countryman - Dylan Thomas.


Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

[Logan]

Good we must love, and hate ill,
For ill is ill, and good good still,
But there are things indifferent,
Which we may neither hate, nor love,
But one, and then another prove,
As we shall find our fancy bent.

Donne

The English Romantic Poets of the early 19c, Ibsen, Chekov and


http://romanhistorybooks.typepad.com/roman_history_books_and_m/images/0192815377.png

come to mind.

[Psychonaut]

On your list I was a bit torn between Hamlet and Faust, but had to go with the latter. As a "not on your list" addition, I'd raise you maybe the two best scifi books ever written: Snowcrash (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowcrash) and The Book of the New Sun (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_book_of_the_new_sun).

[Birka]

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Great reflections of European mythology and culture.

[MST3K]

Tough decision, but I chose The Divine Comedy...It is fantastic.
Also, I really enjoyed Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

I was saddened that Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales weren't listed. British literature has always been a hobby of mine.

[Joe McCarthy]

Tough decision, but I chose The Divine Comedy...It is fantastic.
Also, I really enjoyed Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

I was saddened that Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales weren't listed. British literature has always been a hobby of mine.

I probably included too much British literature as it is - not that it isn't deserving.

[antonio]

Fortunatelly no one voted for Candido. I read it some months ago and it's a fucking joke of a book, besides being right or wrong the underlying philosophy, who is an independent matter.

[MST3K]

I probably included too much British literature as it is - not that it isn't deserving.

Fair enough.

[Magister Eckhart]

Faust is the West.

[Comte Arnau]

I've opened several threads about best novels in several languages, because if it's already difficult to choose the best ones in a language, it's just impossible to judge this in such a general way. I, at least, can't compare in between works written in different languages.

I see, though, that this thread is so far restricted to the English literature. :D

[Lucretius]

I've opened several threads about best novels in several languages, because if it's already difficult to choose the best ones in a language, it's just impossible to judge this in such a general way. I, at least, can't compare in between works written in different languages.

I see, though, that this thread is so far restricted to the English literature. :D

Exactly.

[Joe McCarthy]

I see, though, that this thread is so far restricted to the English literature. :D

In the US 'world literature' is dominated by England. Call it bias, but I imagine if we were a Spanish derived culture I'd have Calderon or others on the list.

I do think though that a genuine case is there for England producing the greatest quantity of high quality literature. In fact, I don't think anyone comes close with the exception of France.

[Comte Arnau]

In the US 'world literature' is dominated by England. Call it bias, but I imagine if we were a Spanish derived culture I'd have Calderon or others on the list.

I do think though that a genuine case is there for England producing the greatest quantity of high quality literature. In fact, I don't think anyone comes close with the exception of France.

I concede that English and French literatures are probably larger than most others in terms of modern novels -in other genres, it's far more arguable. But I've spent a couple of minutes seeing the proportions of the poll, and well...

English: 20 - French: 9
Greek: 3
German, Italian, Latin, Russian: 2
Spanish: 1

:rolleyes:

And on top of it, my favourite of all English novels, Wuthering Heights, is not in there. :p

[Joe McCarthy]

I concede that English and French literatures are probably larger than most others in terms of modern novels -in other genres, it's far more arguable. But I've spent a couple of minutes seeing the proportions of the poll, and well...

English: 20 - French: 9
Greek: 3
German, Italian, Latin, Russian: 2
Spanish: 1

:rolleyes:

And on top of it, my favourite of all English novels, Wuthering Heights, is not in there. :p

The proportion isn't THAT bad. I have two Russian works alone, nevermind the Italian, German, and Roman.

Maybe you're counting American in with English though.

[Comte Arnau]

The proportion isn't THAT bad.

Well, as I said, while I think it's fair to include more works in English, I think that a proportion of 20 to 2 is a bit exaggerated. :D

Besides, the title should rather be Western Literature. ;)

Not saying that any of those novels is not worth of inclusion, though. I know it's hard to make this kind of lists because I've also made quite a few.


Maybe you're counting American in with English though.

Of course.

[Lurker]

I voted for War and Peace. I think Russian literature from the 19th century is awesome.

[Pallantides]

http://img1.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/c3/c17516.jpghttp://img1.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/c4/c21777.jpg

[curupira]

Out of that list, the Decameron and War and Peace are by far my favourites. Both are awesome! :thumb001: The Mahabharata is far older than the vast majority of European literary works, and yet as great as any of those listed (actually greater than most listed in my opinion), I would mention it as an example of a non European literature masterpiece since no literary work by non Europeans were listed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabharata

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DXmUVIfg6Zk/TSy8ZU0Ez3I/AAAAAAAAAZA/2uLMGWlNiHQ/s1600/Krishna+and+Arjuna.JPG

[Murphy]

Surprised To Kill a Mockingbird isn't up there.


http://www.writeawriting.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/why-did-william-shakespeare-write-hamlet.jpg

One of the most overrated monologues in literary history.


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/32/Rye_catcher.jpg[/IMG]

The Catcher in the Rye is overrated. Holden Caulfield is simply a dick and I am sick and tired of everyone trying to construct him as some tragic and philosophical hero.

[Edmond_Dantes]

Well, my username should make my pick here fairly obvious. Crime and Punishment and The Hunchback of Notre Dame are up there too, as is the unlisted Wuthering Heights.

[Murphy]

as is the unlisted Wuthering Heights.

Heathcliff was simply a nutter.

[Edmond_Dantes]

Heathcliff was simply a nutter.

He was. Nutter protagonists are interesting, especially when they spiral down into the darkest depths of nuttery as he did. I could also personally heavily identify with the "love story gone terribly wrong" aspects of the tale.

[Eldritch]

I hesitate to play into the hands of our resident Spanish chauvinists, but...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/may/08/humanities.books

Well, just as even a blind chicken will find a worm now and then, the Guardian's panel (Doris Lessing? Salman Rushdie? Nadine Gordimer? :puke) is right on this one, imo.

However I'd say that greatest body of work produced by any single author is that of Shakespeare.

[Murphy]

However I'd say that greatest body of work produced by any single author is that of Shakespeare.

Sorry Tolkien steals that :D!

[Eldritch]

Sorry Tolkien steals that :D!

Hmmm, point taken. I was mainly looking at the options on the list.

These threads will of course always end up and endless arguments on what should be on the list. I do think LotR should.

[CommonSense]

https://i2.wp.com/az616578.vo.msecnd.net/files/2016/12/11/636170219087923723-823727441_Orwell.jpg

[Bogdan]

I have a soft spot for The Iliad and the Oddysey, Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, Hans Christian Anderson, and the Brothers Grimm