List Challenges
Movies Books Travel Food Other
Trending
New
Popular
Sign In
 Make a List Browse Lists Search Lists Leaders Help / Contact Newsletter

Top 200 English-Language Novels of the 20th Century

This list is a composite of four earlier lists made by the Modern Library, the Library Journal, Koen Book Distributors, and students of the Radcliffe Publishing Course. It was compiled by Brian Kunde of Stanford University in hope of arriving at a more comprehensive view of what the 20th century's best fiction actually is. The books are listed in order of ranking - i.e., the top rated book is listed first.
2,489 users · 11,640 views
 
from web.stanford.edu · made by Csw097
avg. score: 38 of 200 (19%)
required scores: 1, 17, 27, 37, 52 
type to search

How many have you read?

Page 1 of 5
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
The Great Gatsby
1
F. Scott Fitzgerald
1984 (George Orwell)
1984
2
George Orwell
Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
Catch-22
3
Joseph Heller
The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
The Grapes of Wrath
4
John Steinbeck
Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov)
Lolita
5
Vladimir Nabokov
Ulysses (James Joyce)
Ulysses
6
James Joyce
Animal Farm (George Orwell)
Animal Farm
7
George Orwell
Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
Lord of the Flies
8
William Golding
The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
The Catcher in the Rye
9
J.D. Salinger
Slaughterhouse-Five (Kurt Vonnegut)
Slaughterhouse-Five
10
Kurt Vonnegut
Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
Brave New World
11
Aldous Huxley
Invisible Man (Ralph Ellison)
Invisible Man
12
Ralph Ellison
The Sound and the Fury (William Faulkner)
The Sound and the Fury
13
William Faulkner
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
To Kill a Mockingbird
14
Harper Lee
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (James Joyce)
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
15
James Joyce
The Color Purple (Alice Walker)
The Color Purple
16
Alice Walker
Beloved (Toni Morrison)
Beloved
17
Toni Morrison
The Sun Also Rises (Ernest Hemingway)
The Sun Also Rises
18
Ernest Hemingway
Native Son (Richard Wright)
Native Son
19
Richard Wright
Gone With the Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
Gone With the Wind
20
Margaret Mitchell
On the Road (Jack Kerouac)
On the Road
21
Jack Kerouac
To the Lighthouse (Virginia Woolf)
To the Lighthouse
22
Virginia Woolf
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (J.R.R. Tolkien)
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
23
J.R.R. Tolkien
Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
Charlotte's Web
24
E.B. White
The Age of Innocence (Edith Wharton)
The Age of Innocence
25
Edith Wharton
A Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemingway)
A Farewell to Arms
26
Ernest Hemingway
My Antonia (Willa Cather)
My Antonia
27
Willa Cather
Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston)
Their Eyes Were Watching God
28
Zora Neale Hurston
The Old Man and the Sea (Ernest Hemingway)
The Old Man and the Sea
29
Ernest Hemingway
Rebecca (Daphne Du Maurier)
Rebecca
30
Daphne Du Maurier
A Clockwork Orange (Anthony Burgess)
A Clockwork Orange
31
Anthony Burgess
The Call of the Wild (Jack London)
The Call of the Wild
32
Jack London
The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
The Good Earth
33
Pearl S. Buck
The World According to Garp (John Irving)
The World According to Garp
34
John Irving
Ethan Frome (Edith Wharton)
Ethan Frome
35
Edith Wharton
The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)
The Hobbit
36
J.R.R. Tolkien
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Ken Kesey)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
37
Ken Kesey
Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury)
Fahrenheit 451
38
Ray Bradbury
The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)
The Handmaid's Tale
39
Margaret Atwood
As I Lay Dying (William Faulkner)
As I Lay Dying
40
William Faulkner
Page 1 of 5
Click books you've read
Lists Similar to 'Top 200 English-Language Novels of the 20th Century'
Top 50 English-Language Novels of the 20th Century (FEMALE Authors)
Top 50 English-Language Novels of the 20th Century (FEMALE Authors)
2,356
50
Top 100 English Language Novels of the 20th Century (Madison Public Library)
Top 100 English Language Novels of the 20th Century (Madison Public Library)
1,935
100
Top 50 English-Language Novels of the 20th Century (MALE Authors)
Top 50 English-Language Novels of the 20th Century (MALE Authors)
1,430
50
100 Best English-Language Novels of the 20th Century
100 Best English-Language Novels of the 20th Century
2,092
100
Friendswood Library: the Best 150 English Language Novels of the 20th Century
Friendswood Library: the Best 150 English Language Novels of the 20th Century
1,026
175
20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction
20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction
5,003
107
The 20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction
The 20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction
2,772
100
Stanford's Best English-Language Fiction of the 20th Century
Stanford's Best English-Language Fiction of the 20th Century
1,933
200
20th Century's 100 Greatest English-Language Books of Fiction
20th Century's 100 Greatest English-Language Books of Fiction
623
105
20th Century Foreign Language Movies English Speakers Shouldn't Ignore
20th Century Foreign Language Movies English Speakers Shouldn't Ignore
192
100
Watchmojo's Top 10 20th Century Novels
Watchmojo's Top 10 20th Century Novels
389
28
Carlos Ruiz Zafón's Top 10 20th-Century Gothic Novels
Carlos Ruiz Zafón's Top 10 20th-Century Gothic Novels
160
10
20th Century Modern: Some of the English Teacher's Favorite Fiction and Drama
20th Century Modern: Some of the English Teacher's Favorite Fiction and Drama
424
150
Stanford: The Best English-Language Fiction of the Twentieth Century (Updated)
Stanford: The Best English-Language Fiction of the Twentieth Century (Updated)
1,627
221
250 Best English-Language Films of the 21st Century
250 Best English-Language Films of the 21st Century
150
250
21st Century Foreign Language Movies English Speakers Shouldn't Ignore
21st Century Foreign Language Movies English Speakers Shouldn't Ignore
116
50
100 Best American Novels of the 20th Century
100 Best American Novels of the 20th Century
56,293
100
Some Great 20th Century Novels: A Personal Selection
Some Great 20th Century Novels: A Personal Selection
6,160
100
Best Novels of the 20th Century
Best Novels of the 20th Century
4,866
200
Best British Novels of the 20th Century
Best British Novels of the 20th Century
3,031
80
50 Greatest American Novels of the 20th Century Per Goodreads
50 Greatest American Novels of the 20th Century Per Goodreads
1,849
50
Goodreads Best 20th Century American Novels: Complete & Up-To-Date
Goodreads Best 20th Century American Novels: Complete & Up-To-Date
1,543
240
The Greatest American Novels of the 20th Century as Interpreted by Goodreads Voters
The Greatest American Novels of the 20th Century as Interpreted by Goodreads Voters
892
96
20 Greatest Novels of the 20th Century
20 Greatest Novels of the 20th Century
834
20
Digital Dream Door's 200 Greatest Novels of the 20th Century
Digital Dream Door's 200 Greatest Novels of the 20th Century
722
200
Feminista's 100 Great 20th Century Novels by Female Authors
Feminista's 100 Great 20th Century Novels by Female Authors
674
100
The 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century (Folha De São Paulo)
The 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century (Folha De São Paulo)
325
98
The Best Western Novels of the 20th Century From the Western Writers of America
The Best Western Novels of the 20th Century From the Western Writers of America
264
18
Read Across the 20th Century With These New Novels
Read Across the 20th Century With These New Novels
246
71
Italian Novels, 20th and 21st Century
Italian Novels, 20th and 21st Century
200
60
All Similar Lists
Newsletter · Help/Contact · Privacy · Copyright Claim   © 2025 App Spring, Inc. · This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.
Seen It - Movies & TV 
Android & iOS
Seen It is a new app from the creators of List Challenges. You can view movies and shows in one place and filter by streaming provider, genre, release year, runtime, and rating (Rotten Tomatoes, Imdb, and/or Metacritic). Also, you can track what you've seen, want to see, like, or dislike, as well as track individual seasons or episodes of shows. In addition, you can see the most watched/liked stuff amongst your friends. Learn more at SEENIT.FUN