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Larry McCaffery's 20th Century's Greatest Literary Hits

The following list was inspired by the list of the "100 Greatest English Language Novels" that was compiled and released in 1998 by the editors of the Modern Library. I say "inspired," although I deplored the specific contents of the Modern Library list, which struck me as being way, way out of touch with the nature and significance of 20th century fiction. Just to cite the most obvious way to determine just how far apart my own evaluations are from those of the Modern Library editors, I'll note here that my own list includes five "Top 10" works that were not included in the Modern Library list at all–i.e., GRAVITY'S RAINBOW, THE PUBLIC BURNING, Beckett's TRILOGY, Stein's THE MAKING OF AMERICANS, and Burrough's NOVA TRILOGY. But let's dispense with any further remarks about the ludicrousness of the Modern Library List, or self-congratulatory remarks my own list is, and cut to the chase:
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1
Pale Fire (Vladimir Nabokov)
Pale Fire
Vladimir Nabokov
2
Ulysses (James Joyce)
Ulysses
James Joyce
3
Gravity's Rainbow (Thomas Pynchon)
Gravity's Rainbow
Thomas Pynchon
4
The Public Burning
The Public Burning
5
The Sound and the Fury (William Faulkner)
The Sound and the Fury
William Faulkner
6
Malloy, Malone Dies, the Unnamable: A Trilogy- Samuel Beckett
Malloy, Malone Dies, the Unnamable: A Trilogy- Samuel Beckett
7
The Making of Americans (Gertrude Stein)
The Making of Americans
Gertrude Stein
8
The Soft Machine (William S. Burroughs)
The Soft Machine
William S. Burroughs
9
The Ticket That Exploded (William S. Burroughs)
The Ticket That Exploded
William S. Burroughs
10
NOVA EXPRESS William S. Burroughs
NOVA EXPRESS William S. Burroughs
11
Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov)
Lolita
Vladimir Nabokov
12
Finnegans Wake (James Joyce)
Finnegans Wake
James Joyce
13
Take It or Leave It (Raymond Federman)
Take It or Leave It
Raymond Federman
14
Beloved (Toni Morrison)
Beloved
Toni Morrison
15
Going Native
Going Native
16
Under the Volcano (Malcolm Lowry)
Under the Volcano
Malcolm Lowry
17
To the Lighthouse (Virginia Woolf)
To the Lighthouse
Virginia Woolf
18
In the Heart of the Heart of the Country
In the Heart of the Heart of the Country
19
JR
JR
20
Invisible Man (Ralph Ellison)
Invisible Man
Ralph Ellison
21
Underworld (Don Delillo)
Underworld
Don Delillo
22
The Sun Also Rises (Ernest Hemingway)
The Sun Also Rises
Ernest Hemingway
23
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (James Joyce)
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
James Joyce
24
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
25
The Ambassadors (Henry James)
The Ambassadors
Henry James
26
Women in Love (D.H. Lawrence)
Women in Love
D.H. Lawrence
27
60 Stories (Donald Barthelme)
60 Stories
Donald Barthelme
28
The Rifles (William T. Vollmann)
The Rifles
William T. Vollmann
29
The Recognitions (William Gaddis)
The Recognitions
William Gaddis
30
Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad)
Heart of Darkness
Joseph Conrad
31
Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
Catch-22
Joseph Heller
32
1984 (George Orwell)
1984
George Orwell
33
Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston)
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Zora Neale Hurston
34
Absalom, Absalom! (William Faulkner)
Absalom, Absalom!
William Faulkner
35
Dhalgren (Samuel R. Delany)
Dhalgren
Samuel R. Delany
36
The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
The Grapes of Wrath
John Steinbeck
37
The Stain (Rikki Durcornet)
The Stain
Rikki Durcornet
38
Entering Fire (Rikki Durcornet)
Entering Fire
Rikki Durcornet
39
The Fountains of Neptune (Rikki Durcornet)
The Fountains of Neptune
Rikki Durcornet
40
The Jade Cabinet (Rikki Ducornet)
The Jade Cabinet
Rikki Ducornet
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