The 10 most difficult books

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/book-news/tip-sheet/article/53409-th...

According to Publisher's Weekly, these are the ten most difficult books to read. I have heard of some of the authros, I have even heard of one of the books. Can anyone comment on the selections?

That's interesting enough to pursue, and I think I may. I looked at the reference page from The Millions and couldn't see how to pursue the issue. Where're the additions to the list? Can you tell?

Robert

Of these I've only read Swift's Tale of a tub, and enjoyed it a lot. But theyre right, you do need a well annotated edition to grasp exactly what he's on about.

When I first read To the Lighthouse I was 18 and couldn't make head or tail of it. However, once you've read a few other modernist novels and a bit more Woolf it's not all that hard. It is the only one I can comment on, though, with the semi-exception of The Faerie Queen which I did at least attempt but gave up on, not because I couldn't understand it but because I'm just not great with epic poetry (Odyssey/Iliad excepted): I felt the same way about Paradise Lost.

> 1

The link you gave gives good advice on Finnegans Wake. I am reading it now for the music and the puns -- not understanding more than 1% but getting through it. I am reading the ePub version from http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/j/joyce/james/j8f/index.html .

I have also only read To the Lighthouse but I didn't find it much difficult, ofcourse it is quite possible that I didn't actually understood it.

#6 Excellent point!

>6 aqeeliz:
Me too!

It seems to be cheating to include philosophy texts in the list: there are plenty of books on mathematical physics, literary theory, or the law of contract that are every bit as hard to follow for most people as Heidegger or Hegel. (Or for that matter, telephone directories with more pages and less plot than Clarissa). Presumably, what they really mean is something like "the ten books literary snobs are most likely to boast about reading"?

In my subjective experience, "the being immediately above homo sapiens" tends to be an incontinent pigeon...

Bloated, incomprehensible texts with no determinable plot are only literature if they appeal in some way to the readers ego. Most of the time they end up in an editor's recycling or or self published on Amazon.

Unless of course the author is already "famous" - in that case: anything goes.

Which may create the appeal to the readers ego.

True.

I've read Being and Time and that was truely one of the most difficult books I have ever read. I have tried to read The Faerie Queene and read selections from Phenomenology of Spirit. From what I read, I didn't think the Faerie Queene was as difficult as the others. Although, I agree with thorold that including philosophy here is cheating a bit.