Best/Worst Modern "Literature" Ever...

[~Lc~]

I'd have to say the more current literature would be Khaled Hossieni's stuff. He's really capturing, and you learn so much about Afghanistan which I never cared about before reading his stuff.

I liked Eragon, it was a good way to not think too much while reading! gonna start Eldest soon

I don't have a worst, I don't want to say twilight because others have already I have to admit I've been side tracked by political books lately to enjoy literature.

Marquez will remain my favorite novelist though. Always!

[Max Headcase]

Was curious about what people thought about this. Just organized in a poll-like form I guess... and not comprehensive, just some examples. i.e. for me

Best: Ian McEwan's novels

Worst: Twilight series; Eragon series

What do you think? Dissidents welcome... thumbs up if you agree, down if you don't!

There's so much modern lit to love.

Yes, Ian McEwan is great. Saturday and Atonement are two must-reads.

A less well known Brit author who is notable for his very crafty humor is David Lodge. Try to read Trading Places and Small World, which are now a bit dated but are still definitely outstanding novels. I have given about twelve copies of Small World away because people will insist on keeping them.

I'd prefer to think about the great modern writers.

Canada (where I'm from) has its share of superb writers too, by the way. Ann-Marie MacDonald's Fall On Your Knees is one of the best things written here. Her play, Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) is one to look for as well.

Margaret Atwood is finally writing some exceptional novels again. Her recent forays into SF are really worth reading, especially Oryx And Crake, which is a great spin on the end-of-the-world novel.

What NOT to like?

Seriously, I'm an adult, so I don't have to finish a meal I'm not enjoying, so I can't think of a novel that I actually finished and still hated. I started the Twilight series out of a sense of duty--the whole "You can't have an uninformed opinion" thing--and read enough to get an opinion. It's dreck. She has no talent whatsoever. Execrable is a great adjective for this situation.

As for over-rated...I hate to pick on one of my Canadian authors, but Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient was seriously inflated as far as its reputation. Some beautiful poetic passages but intentionally obtuse and convoluted in too many places. This is one of the few novels I've read that was better done as a movie, honestly.

[Daedalus]

Was curious about what people thought about this. Just organized in a poll-like form I guess... and not comprehensive, just some examples. i.e. for me

Best: Ian McEwan's novels

Worst: Twilight series; Eragon series

What do you think? Dissidents welcome... thumbs up if you agree, down if you don't!

There's so much modern lit to love.

Yes, Ian McEwan is great. Saturday and Atonement are two must-reads.

A less well known Brit author who is notable for his very crafty humor is David Lodge. Try to read Trading Places and Small World, which are now a bit dated but are still definitely outstanding novels. I have given about twelve copies of Small World away because people will insist on keeping them.

I'd prefer to think about the great modern writers.

Canada (where I'm from) has its share of superb writers too, by the way. Ann-Marie MacDonald's Fall On Your Knees is one of the best things written here. Her play, Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) is one to look for as well.

Margaret Atwood is finally writing some exceptional novels again. Her recent forays into SF are really worth reading, especially Oryx And Crake, which is a great spin on the end-of-the-world novel.

What NOT to like?

Seriously, I'm an adult, so I don't have to finish a meal I'm not enjoying, so I can't think of a novel that I actually finished and still hated. I started the Twilight series out of a sense of duty--the whole "You can't have an uninformed opinion" thing--and read enough to get an opinion. It's dreck. She has no talent whatsoever. Execrable is a great adjective for this situation.

As for over-rated...I hate to pick on one of my Canadian authors, but Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient was seriously inflated as far as its reputation. Some beautiful poetic passages but intentionally obtuse and convoluted in too many places. This is one of the few novels I've read that was better done as a movie, honestly.

A civilized man! Splendid!

Agree about McEwan, and I've read Lodge's The Art of Fiction, which was pretty useful for English. I'll check his other books out (heard they were all about catholicism though??). He was my English teacher's tutor at university coincidentally, and apparently he was a nice guy.

I have never heard of MacDonald, I'll check her out, but I think Atwood is waaay overrated. We are doing her poetry and I don't like her self-satisfied tone. Weird, I thought Oryx and Crake was boring and heavy-handed (i.e. Jimmy=Past vs Snowman=Present? Or the stuff about Crake being dead? Saw it from a mile away) and loved The English Patient. The intentional obtuseness and convolution is, well, intentional... and I think it fits perfectly with the story's topic and tone. Didn't like the movie so much...

I forgot to mention Don DeLillo though, I think he's brilliant, you know him?

Haha if I start a novel, I finish it (OCD?). Many books get much better though. Some don't...

Despite all the counter-arguments to theories of literary-decline, I wonder: did the 1900s have mass-produced pulp like this?

[xoxokat]

Best: Harry Potter I know it's not exactly the most mature book but I've loved it ever since second grade...I'm pretty sure it was the first novel I ever read....

Worst: The Vampire Diaries....the show's okay but the books a trainwreck....you can't look away but yet it's just so awful

[Sandwich]

I have never heard of MacDonald, I'll check her out, but I think Atwood is waaay overrated. We are doing her poetry and I don't like her self-satisfied tone. Weird, I thought Oryx and Crake was boring and heavy-handed (i.e. Jimmy=Past vs Snowman=Present? Or the stuff about Crake being dead? Saw it from a mile away) and loved The English Patient. The intentional obtuseness and convolution is, well, intentional... and I think it fits perfectly with the story's topic and tone. Didn't like the movie so much...

Oryx and Crake = boring and heavy handed?! I loved Oryx and Crake I've read a reasonable amount of Margaret Atwood's stuff (admittedly not her poetry) and think that O&C is perhaps my favourite. I find her writing style very appealing -- very spare and easy to read. To be honest outside of English Lit lessons I've always felt epically untroubled by themes, plots etc. and so I suppose I mostly just pay attention to the style and how well the scene is painted. I got really caught up in every Atwood book I read and found their situations and psyches genuinely very interesting. It saddens me that you didn't like them so much!

I'd also agree that the English Patient is too obtuse. Better read as a remarkable and completely beautiful form of poetical-prose than as a novel. I actually found my attention wandering at points whilst reading it and I suppose I paid more attention to its composition than to the plot in the end Except for the revelatory bits, more or less anything could've been happening, in my opinion.

Also I finally read Steig Larsson's trilogy and all I can say is that I'm so gutted the poor guy died before writing more of them! Totally addictive and not beautifully but efficiently written (in translation, anyway). Couldn't put them down My only complaint is that every single character seems to be always drinking coffee...

[Grumps]

Also I finally read Steig Larsson's trilogy and all I can say is that I'm so gutted the poor guy died before writing more of them! Totally addictive and not beautifully but efficiently written (in translation, anyway). Couldn't put them down My only complaint is that every single character seems to be always drinking coffee...

Yeah I heard he planned 10 books. I hadn't read such addictive characterization since Harry Potter. Whenever I read his books I feel like I'm clawing at a very thin glass screen.

As for books I don't like, I think I can give an informed opinion on Eragon. **** is a ripoff. Sometimes I would be reading it and I would get confused that Frodo hasn't said anything in a while or that the mages aren't talking about weaving. The writing style didn't really do it for me. I wouldn't say simplistic, as I find that often plainly written children's books are poetically elegant in their simplicity (Neil Gaiman's Coraline is a good example). For lack of a better description, it's just vapid and, well, bad. I have trouble elaborating more. I haven't read Twilight but they excerpts and plot summaries I have read point to it being trash. The bits I have read from Dan Brown's The Davinci Code make me lol but those were hand-picked to demonstrate his lack of skill so I can't say.

Life of Pi is a bit overrated IMO. Maybe I missed the point entirely but it felt like a fine silver bracelet for the gem of universal wisdom, except the jewel was so small to the point of its existence being in question. It was a cute story and I kind of get some vague ideas about human nature, but not really anything interesting.

But really it doesn't matter as long as it makes you happy. A lot of the books I like are complete trash (a lot of cutesy Scifi and fantasy) but they make me feel good so yeah.

[Nate Joselson]

Oh you guys. You just kill me. Why attack bad literature like Twilight (which really doesn't do anyone any harm and actually brings a little happiness into some pre-pubescent girls' lives), and not say anything about racist, sexist and outdated "classics" that in my opinion ought to be taken off the shelves. Cudjo's Cave (1964) , for example, is still a 'classic' that is read in many Alabaman elementary schools and is all about a slave that escapes from his master and starves to death in a cave in the Bayou. On top of this, Anti-Semitic literature pours into Islamic countries at an alarming rate under the guise of European Classics.

This thread fails to define 'worst' correctly as I can think of much worse literature than Twilight...

[keepxdreaming:)]

best-13 reasons why by jay asher.

worst-twilight series by stephanie meyer.

[kosmic]

Best: Graceling by Kristin Cashore or The Hunger Games. I know they're both teen reads, but I enjoyed them so much

A serious piece of literature I really enjoyed that I read during English class might be... Othello by Shakespeare. Although it's not really modern, I really enjoyed it (:

Worst: Huckleberry Finn.

I hated reading this book, even worst? analyzing it. It bored me to death and I almost wanted to throw the book into the trash can by the end of the whole entire thing.

[Proletariat]

Oh you guys. You just kill me. Why attack bad literature like Twilight (which really doesn't do anyone any harm and actually brings a little happiness into some pre-pubescent girls' lives), and not say anything about racist, sexist and outdated "classics" that in my opinion ought to be taken off the shelves. Cudjo's Cave (1964) , for example, is still a 'classic' that is read in many Alabaman elementary schools and is all about a slave that escapes from his master and starves to death in a cave in the Bayou. On top of this, Anti-Semitic literature pours into Islamic countries at an alarming rate under the guise of European Classics.

This thread fails to define 'worst' correctly as I can think of much worse literature than Twilight...

Yes, let's censor all the art forms that are no longer relevant to our modern, polite society. Sorry Scream, but you ugly!

You know what you're describing? 1984.

[∫ Jorge δx]

Quite honestly, Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude, Orhan Pamuk's The White Castle, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, as well as Salinger's Catcher in the Rye and Orwell's 1984 are top for me. I'm surprised I haven't seen some of these pop up.

Harry Potter, while I have only read books 1-6, seems alright literature for entertainment, but not an amazing achievement.

I have not even read Twilight or Eragon... Perhaps it is for my own good.

[H.944]

Personally, I love any of Murakami's novels, especially "]The Windup Bird Chronicle", and I agree that "THe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is very good

All of the Twilight books are terrible. A waste of paper in my opinion.

[Daedalus]

Personally, I love any of Murakami's novels, especially "]The Windup Bird Chronicle", and I agree that "THe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is very good

All of the Twilight books are terrible. A waste of paper in my opinion.

Wow, I really didn't like the Wind-up Bird Chronicle. And I had to read it twice for the WL, which I ended up not writing on it. I don't see what people see in Murakami (or Kafka!)

[EricLuth]

I second McEwan's novels as being the best especially Atonement. Also, The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy is really good.

Thankfully haven't read the Twilight series to be able to deem it as the worst.

I do agree Atonement is one of the best books I've ever read. Soldier with a broken gun, by Vilhelm Moberg, Conversation in the Cathedral by Vargas Llosa are two other examples of extraordinary books.

The worst I've ever read? Go ask Alice. It gives me nightmares still.

[Imma Be]

Our world is no longer capable of writing good literature. Our world writes books that come and go as quickly as magazines.

There are good and bad books/ stories, but-in my opinion- there is no good literature anymore.

[Incorruptible]

^ I like that. I disagree, but I like that. I'd apply it to music, rather than literature.

So, we're strictly speaking modern literature, right? I mean, obviously there are boatloads of classics that would go on this list, but here are the first ones popping into my head.

Worst Literature:

The Twilight Saga--ohmy, how overrated!--by Stephenie Meyer

The Temperence Brennan/Bones novels by Kathy Reichs--now, hear me out! I read them! I love the stories! I love the TV show! I love that Reichs informs me of new French curse words used in Quebec!

Her writing, on the other hand, is shoddy. Also, that being said, I've only read the first five so far, so maybe her writing will improve in her coming works.

Best Literature:

The Millenium Trilogy by--forgive me in advance for this one--Stieg Larsson? Is that it's spelt? Thrilling plotline, writing quite well. The translator is on my blacklist for making, and the editor for not noticing, various uncalled-for grammar faults and overall typing mistakes (one line was completely repeated in my edition!).

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly--it's actually a teen novel, but it's amazing from a historical and literary point of view.

[Proletariat]

^ I like that. I disagree, but I like that. I'd apply it to music, rather than literature.

Must... suppress... violent... urges...

[Sandwich]

^ I like that. I disagree, but I like that. I'd apply it to music, rather than literature.

Must... suppress... violent... urges...

It does leave you feeling a bit thirsty for blood...

Of course there's excellent modern music and excellent modern literature. Just as a rule you're not going to find it on the radio or in the Bestsellers. Sometimes, but not very likely.

Especially music, music is thriving.

[nametaken]

I don't know if this can be classed as modern, it's probably not....but my favourite piece of literature has to be the count of monte cristo. Amazing book!!

Otherwise, I like His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman.

[Grumps]

Our world is no longer capable of writing good literature. Our world writes books that come and go as quickly as magazines.

There are good and bad books/ stories, but-in my opinion- there is no good literature anymore.

yeah i know. the new stuff is so uncool. i was into books waaay before everyone else. yeah i was reading primitive mesoamerican hieroglyphic script, but then the chinese and indians developed writing and then ugh. it became so mainstream

anything after 4000 BC is just inherently trashy and overproduced

Edited January 29, 2011 by Grumps