20th century lit suggestions

[Dalya]

I asked my current Lit prof if he would consider doing an independent study with me this fall (1-on-1 class where we decide the topic/syllabus together). He said he liked the idea and to think about what books/subjects/authors interest me the most and email him in a few weeks. He specializes mostly in 20th century lit, especially southern, like Faulkner.

So, I've never read any Faulkner, except a few passages, or Flannery O'Conner, or anything southern really. So... what have you guys read? What is good, difficult, easy, interesting, etc? It doesn't have to be just those 2 authors, although I'm sure it'll end up being at least some Faulkner.

Additional info: I'm doing independent study because I already have a full courseload and they tend to be less time consuming... like we'll probably meet in his office once a week (or less) and the grade will just be based on our discussions and probably a long paper. It'll hopefully be alot more flexible than a regular class. So I'm looking for books that are interesting but not insanely time consuming (nothing like Ulysses, please), so that my brain will not explode from taking 21 hours.

[Irock]

Just American? Early 20th c, or late? Cuz I still think you should read Slaughterhouse Five from the beginning all the way through.

You could squeeze in some late Mark Twain, though he wrote most of his stuff in the 19th c.

[mr_j]

how's about "John Kennedy Toole, Larry Brown, and the Southern Man's Need to Be Loved and Appreciated"

Larry Brown is awesome; Will Johnson told me I should read him, I read him, and he's a wonderful writer. Toole, of course, is a name you should know. Both writers dealt with this desire to be respected and existing in a world they knew, even if the world they knew didn't respect them. Both of them were heavily influenced by Southern writing styles, especially Faulkner (whose museum, if I remember correctly, was where Toole had just been when he killed himself.)

Brown's work dealt with rural subjects struggling; Toole's character Riley (or is it Reily? can't recally) is, in a weird way, himself; Toole struggled for respect and recognition in his home of New Orleans, and never found it; Riley only had it when he left the South. plenty of material right there....

[Sybil]

Obvious suggestions, but good nevertheless:

Toni Morrison (Beloved is the most emotionally harrowing thing I've ever read)
Alice Walker
J.D. Salinger (something other than Catcher in the Rye)
Vonnegut, DUH!
Faulkner - yeah, good luck with that. I tried to read The Sound and the Fury, and MY brain very nearly exploded - maybe I should try again.
John Irving is a particular favorite of mine as well.
Danielle Steel

Sy "okay, that last one is a joke" bil

[sam]

Maybe something about southern born authors who moved north? James Baldwin, Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison if you count Oklahoma as southern.

[Irock]

Toole's character Riley (or is it Reily? can't recally) is, in a weird way, himself; Toole struggled for respect and recognition in his home of New Orleans, and never found it; Riley only had it when he left the South. plenty of material right there....

Confederacy of Dunces. Oooooh do this one!

In case you don't know (I didn't until a few years ago and I was never assigned the book), the guy lived with his mom and was a pathetic narcisist, then he killed himself after his largely autobiographical novel was rejected. Then his mom got someone to publish it and it won the Pulizter. It's set in New Orleans.

[Dalya]

Faulkner - yeah, good luck with that. I tried to read The Sound and the Fury, and MY brain very nearly exploded - maybe I should try again.

My brother (blood, not Justin), who has a BA in literature and is in law school and is a genius, told me The Sound and the Fury is the most difficult book he's ever read, and he's read Ulysses. So I think maybe you should try another Faulkner book first. If his brain hurts from a book, I know mine will spontaneously combust.

Also, I've read Beloved and I love love love it.

I have never heard of Toole before. Or Richard Wright. What are they like? *tempted to make tool joke*

Was Vonnegut southern?? I thought he's from NY. Or at least he lived in the northeast most of the later half of his life.

it doesn't have to be 20th century, but thats where he specializes more. And also, I hated Huckleberry Finn *protects skull*, so I'm reluctant to read any more Twain. I also started The Guilded Age - bo-ring.

[katie]

Richard Wright

duhhhhhh, dalya. sheesh.

[Dalya]

haaaaaahahahahhaha *real laugh*

[Sybil]

Was Vonnegut southern?? I thought he's from NY. Or at least he lived in the northeast most of the later half of his life.

Vonnegut was from Indiana, like David Letterman.

[Dalya]

Ah. God Bless You Mr. Rosewater makes more sense then.

[jen]

personally, i loved the sound and the fury. i had to read it in high school (and i thought it was ok), but then in college i had to read absalom, absalom, so i reread sound and ended up liking it even more. ulysses was a pain in the ass and i wouldn't wish it on anyone. i always thought it was cool that he intended for the book to be printed in different colors for clarification -- it would've probably made the book easier to follow, but it's not too hard the way it is.

and i'm going to second (third? fourth?) the toole and wright suggestions.

question -- are you tied to 20th century? or even southern lit?

[Dalya]

oh, god. I'm not tied to anything anymore. Now I'm considering dropping the Lit major and just doing a BS in Bio with a minor in Lit or vice versa.

*brain implodes*

i need a life coach i think. or someone who can tell me what the fuck credits i need, what med schools i should apply to, if i should take anatomy, if i need medical spanish, what books to read, how to get dressed, how to function, and how to remain happy throughout applications and mcats. know anyone?

p.s. ill respond to the suggestions when my brain has calmed down.

[Dalya]

OK, so I think I decided I'm being an idiot. I'm [fairly sure that I'm] going to just drop the Lit degree and go for a BS in Bio and a minor in Lit. I actually already have a full minor.

I realized that pretty much the only reason I'm holding onto the Lit degree is because I'm afraid I will drop out of med school and have nothing to fall back on. That's dumb because I can always finish my Lit degree later on (within a decade), so why should a Lit degree make me feel warm and fuzzy? And I'm pretty certain about wanting to be a doctor. I've been thinking about it for a full year now and am getting actual experience and haven't changed my mind. So I should stop doubting my decision. Plus, I realized I don't want to be in several lit classes at once. So I think that means I don't really want to be a lit major. AND, this way I can take extra courses that will be really useful later on and not die trying to maintain my GPA.

Electives that I will be able to take instead of doing bullshit Lit core classes:
1) History and Philosophy of Medicine and Science (history course)
2) Beginner Spanish
3) Medical Spanish
4) Medical Ethics (philosophy course)
5) Creating Poetry (upper level creative writing)
6) Medical Microbiology (basically look at bacteria and infection in detail)
7) Biology of the Brain
Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II
9) Any Lit class I want

Other electives that sound cool:
*Forensic Biology
*Exercise Physiology
*Developmental Neurobiology
*Immunobiology

So, I haven't officially dropped it yet, and probably won't for a while. But I think this is a good decision. I feel a huge weight lifted.

[mr_j]

DUDE
i have a totally brilliant idea for you:

"you should call me when you have no class: Common themes shared between The Great Gatsby and Back to School"

and if you think i'm shittin' ya, the themes really are quite similar....