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Nov 14, 2017
2:55:59am
ArchbishopMitty Walk-on
What is the worst work of renowned classic literature?

I want to hear from readers, people who pull out the classics in their spare time; i.e. not interested in cheesy answers born merely of "had-to-read-it-in-high-school".

My vote, and it's really not close:  Ulysses by James Joyce.  It's simply abysmal.  Completely unreadable.  I couldn't finish it.  I ended it disgusted that society would rank such a worthless work so highly and questioning everything I thought I knew about literature (which is very, very little).  As a point of comparison, here are some few great works/authors that land on my scale of "somewhat enjoyed" to "loved" in no particular order:  Shakespeare, Cooper, Les Miserables, Dostoyevsky, Dr. Zhivago, Moby Dick, The Jungle, War and Peace, Wouk.

BTW, for worst ever, a distant second:  The Chosen by Chaim Potok.  I can't think of a book with less actual story in it.  The most uncompelling piece of work ever imagined.

Dis-Honorable Mention List

1984 by George Orwell.  I'm a huge sci-fi fan and I still thought this book was pretty cruddy.  His Animal Farm is MUCH, MUCH better.  And many other authors have presented his 1984 ideas with much greater skill and more captivating characters.

Utopia by Thomas More.  As a guy more known for his honor and integrity than his writing skills, I think it's easy to see why.

ArchbishopMitty
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What is the best work of renowned classic literature? (Geldir, Nov 14, 2017 at 5:42am)

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