4chan /lit/'s 2022 top 100 books of all time

Submitted by pizzapastamix t3_zz0gc7 in books

On December 12th through to December 22nd, 4chan's literature board /lit/ was asked to submit 5 of their favourite texts to a google form. 1771 votes were counted across a total of 392 submissions. Ties were broken by a seperate poll which ran from December 23rd through December 26th. Text which are tied in both nominations and tie-breaker votes have been sorted alphabetically by last name.

It would be interesting to hear the opinion of reddit. Personally, I find the list well done (except for a few troll picks). I have read a few books mentioned and agree for the most parts with the ranking.

Top 100 books of all time 2022

4Chan Board Post

Edit: I posted it a second time, because i got the links mixed up at the first time

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Comments

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[deleted] t1_j28q9kk wrote

[deleted]

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Throwaway_g30091965 t1_j28si3l wrote

> Most of your favorites shouldn’t be on this list

Eh I meant if you polled acknowledged writers of what books they considered to be their top books, it would probably look similar to those (minus the meme picks and more women representation for 4chan and minus some YA and recent Fantasy picks for r/books). See this poll for reference

Edit: [This site has a lot of top books list and they look similar with those two lists] (http://sonic.net/~rteeter/greatbks.html)

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McGilla_Gorilla t1_j299lnj wrote

I think a true /r/books list would actually look drastically different than this.

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Throwaway_g30091965 t1_j2bh534 wrote

r/truelist has done it for last year and it looks similar to /lit/ one, with less meme submissions (still has Harry Potter included and some fantasy/sci-fi books being rated too high, imo) and more non-western, non-male representation. But you could also argue that the demographics of r/truelit is more similar to /lit/ than r/books. True r/books list will probably combine some of popular books on r/truelit list with this list from r/fantasy, with some sprinkles of YA, and still predominantly western-centric imo.

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That-Requirement-285 t1_j28sp4o wrote

The rest are just dumbasses calling each other trannies and also somebody at the end complaining about women being on the list which is peak comedy. 4chan really is a cesspool.

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Volodio t1_j28q5t9 wrote

Mein Kampt 56th lmao. Seems like some people were trolling a bit.

Aside from this, seems like 4chan keep their love of the classics. Good for them, they're classics for a reason.

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gudkomplex t1_j2arsj7 wrote

It’s 4chan so I doubt Mein Kampf was trolling.

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Bon-_-Ivermectin t1_j2ekfji wrote

Yeah we've long long long long LONG past the age of white middle-class-suburbanite 'ironic' racism.

−1

briunj04 t1_j28takw wrote

Also Ted Kaczynskis manifesto which I don’t even know counts as a book

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JoyousDiversion t1_j2994tu wrote

The Unabomber is the hipster’s murderer; the reluctant killer with the heart of gold. Honestly, people’s obsession with this guy is really disappointing. I think the whole serial killer fascination is awful but people love excusing him, “he was dosed . . . he’s not wrong” etc.

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Nearby-Definition-40 t1_j2c3wtm wrote

I think it's his writings way more than the fact that he killed people, I wouldn't excuse the acts but his writing does have merit

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captainhowdy82 t1_j28ukmt wrote

I’m rolling my eyes so hard at The Bible at number one

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showmeurknuckleball t1_j29drb4 wrote

Have you read it? I'm not religious but the bible is an incredible book. Of course it's many books stitched together, but the amount of literary value held within its pages is remarkable. David's saga in the old testament, Job, Ecclesiastes, and the Gospel of John are my favorite parts

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FeedbackSpecific642 t1_j29iilx wrote

My absolute favourite part of the bible is the bit where Moses is leading his people through the desert for years. Due to lack of food, water and because of sickness a lot of them start dying. They petition Moses to go and have a word with God for some relief which he duly does. Following their conversation God is so angry at the ingratitude of the people that he sends a load of fiery serpents to smite even more of them.

I found that bit hilarious. As if people who were dying in agony from the fiery serpents would die thinking, “Remember the good times when we only died from thirst, hunger and disease?”

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BIGMIKE6888 t1_j2eb5z1 wrote

Yes I also of the mind that whoever put some of these stories together didn't see a time when killing the people that you called your own because they're not in the best of moods, walking through the desert and all. Kinda looks bad. Just saying. And he does some more dick moves. But in the New Testament he's mostly silent or not so smitey. What gives.

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FeedbackSpecific642 t1_j2fga8q wrote

Bible 2, we’ve taken the bits you like and made more of those and the bits you weren’t so fond of, out they went.

If you didn’t have religion basically beaten into you from your earliest days, no-one would fall for any of it.

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Nearby-Definition-40 t1_j2c7dzn wrote

16 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

20 My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.

22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

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BIGMIKE6888 t1_j2ealzx wrote

I too am able to be amazed at the greatness contained in those pages. I'm not overly religious but the words and the symbols just the weight of the story that's trying to be told is heavy. There are many like us.

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captainhowdy82 t1_j29jxgq wrote

I can’t say I’ve read it cover to cover, but I’ve read enough of it to know that I don’t think it’s incredible. Like long lists of lineage? No thanks.

−7

showmeurknuckleball t1_j29n69v wrote

Job and Ecclesiastes are the best stand-alone and not-too-long books in my opinion. But if you don't like philosophy and/or mythology, you're not gonna get as much out of the bible

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captainhowdy82 t1_j2a22ba wrote

I already told you I’ve read a lot of it. There’s a lot of useless garbage in there that isn’t even interesting from a mythology or philosophy standpoint. Hardly THE greatest book of all time.

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TatterMcTot t1_j2advof wrote

I mean we heard you say that you read it, it's just your synopsis makes you sound like... A liar. I mean, the lineage stuff is even right near the beginning.

But I digress, The Bible is read, re-read and talked about a million times over daily. Why it may not be the greatest piece of literature, it's certainly one of the most influential, regardless of what captainhowdy thinks he read.

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captainhowdy82 t1_j2ayaxh wrote

You know, I used to be one of those people who constantly read and discussed the Bible. I never said it wasn’t influential. Obviously millions of people have been brainwashed into believing God Himself inspired it. Doesn’t make it a good read.

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matreshka-mozg t1_j2atskn wrote

> baseless accusations of lying

> ad populum

Average Bible enjoyer.

−2

That-Requirement-285 t1_j2c5u3o wrote

Really? From both a mythological and philosophical standpoint, the Bible is extremely influential. Solomon, David, Moses, Judith, Esther, Jesus himself etc have all been portrayed and referenced countless times throughout art and literary history. The philosophy within the book sparked the most influential and largest religion of all time (currently).

I don’t believe in a lot of stuff within the Bible, but it definitely earned it’s place.

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captainhowdy82 t1_j2c73ma wrote

You are all confusing “influential” with “good” or “great.” Yes, it was the ONLY book available to read for many people for a long, long time. Yes, millions of people have been brainwashed into believing it’s real. Is it actually a good book? Nope.

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tetractys_gnosys t1_j2ak3uu wrote

If you've never enjoyed metaphysics, philosophy, religion, ethics, mythology, or the esoteric, then you're not gonna get much from it. If you are into those themes, it's great.

The rediscovered Book or Enoch is a trip that I highly recommend everyone check out. If The Bible usually brings to mind dry, bland, and rambling 'be good boy or smite and hellfire', Enoch is like the Hunter S Thompson side tale.

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captainhowdy82 t1_j2aypw7 wrote

I enjoy those themes and I still disagree that it’s “great.” Like it’s literally not enjoyable to read for long stretches.

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KimBrrr1975 t1_j2bb8vt wrote

I agree, but I also think a lot of my dislike for it comes from being unable to detach from all the awfulness. I can love The Illiad and The Odyssey but they didn't directly contribute to millennia of war and death and destruction. The Bible did, and continues to do so. I can't read it as a story because it's just way too loaded. I knew it was BS (in terms of being "the truth") by the time I was like 7, so thinking I can let go of all that brainwashing via Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and Confirmation that I was forced into just isn't realistic. I want to be able to read it from a clean slate. Just not possible.

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WholeBeautiful4194 t1_j2cadjj wrote

The Odyssey and the Iliad are joys to read. Besides a handful of the old testament, the plot isn't interesting and the prose is specifically proselytizing which is unenjoyable to most ppl

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tetractys_gnosys t1_j2bt62t wrote

Yeah that's understandable. I've noticed that people who grow up with the same kinda deal as you (the shitty aspects of Christianity/religion/Bible), if they want to rebel against their upbringing or culture, will be attracted to memes (in the technical sense) that're antagonistic towards it (mall goth Satanism, Instagram occult), which is fine but the tragic part is that people are conditioned in a way to not be able to enjoy what value it does have.

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laconicflow t1_j2bvzpq wrote

Well first, enjoyable isn't great, enjoyable is enjoyable. Second. A lot of times if you aren't used to a specific style or genre, you won't like it. I am not a religious person, but the bible was the go to book for oh, fifteen generations of people. It is surely, along with Shakespeare, the book that's influenced writers in English the most. And its ethics are pounded so deep into the bones of our society we don't notice how deep they go.

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captainhowdy82 t1_j2c69np wrote

I’m not denying that it’s influential. Of course it is. I’m saying it’s not great. It’s full of bullshit.

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tetractys_gnosys t1_j2bsr99 wrote

I mean hey that's the way of opinions. I am able to enjoy the ideas and themes of the content itself regardless of the quality of the medium to a degree. But not everyone is wired like that. Some people can enjoy reading it for long stretches and some don't have the patience or time. The Bible is regarded as it is because of what it carries, not for the dissonance of writing styles millennia apart. To each their own!

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Bon-_-Ivermectin t1_j2ekq9p wrote

IDK I think literature/art generally can and often does have value outside of just being entertaining, enjoyable, or even accessible. I feel like being involved in the arts is good for you, like, on a soul-level pretty much so when I hear takes like this it just sounds like an adult say they refuse to eat vegetables or something

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captainhowdy82 t1_j2f3o6s wrote

Wait a second… are you saying that because I don’t think The Bible is a good book, that means that I don’t like “the arts” and I’m therefore not a real adult?

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pizzapastamix OP t1_j2bphen wrote

You can't deny the impact the book had

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captainhowdy82 t1_j2c5tcj wrote

I’m not deny the impact. I’m saying it’s not a good book.

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jupitaur9 t1_j2c461m wrote

Same argument can be used for Mein Kampf. Oh look it’s on the list, too.

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Griffen_07 t1_j2au7ox wrote

Who cares what 4chan thinks? It’s the garbage pit of the internet and that is insulting to garbage.

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pizzapastamix OP t1_j2bp0q2 wrote

I agree to the most part with you but I have to say that /pol/ is vastly different then specific boards like /lit/ or /mu/. Reddit has also some subreddits which are really garbage worthy

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Nearby-Definition-40 t1_j2cayxb wrote

I would be on 4chan if it wasn't for all the porn and weird shit people spam, you get much better discourse on there

−1

uglygeorgek t1_j29oosw wrote

Lotta safe picks. Pretty unremarkable. You could get the same answers with all the tripe removed just looking at just about any undergrad literature curriculum.

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BasedArzy t1_j29bu3e wrote

Infinite Jest is far too high and there are numerous omissions but that is certainly a list of 100 books that are mostly very good.

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pretenditscherrylube t1_j2b3fd5 wrote

The list includes Mein Kamf, Ayn Rand, and several other white supremacist titles. I doubt we should be taking this list seriously.

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KimBrrr1975 t1_j2ba4ly wrote

Sometimes it's worth reading "icky" books to get a sense of where other people get their ideas from. I like to know what echo chambers other people are living in.

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pretenditscherrylube t1_j2bncnu wrote

Same, but I don’t know that this list is worth quibbling over the placement of infinite jest.

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SlingsAndArrowsOf t1_j2b7wj8 wrote

You're gonna have people voting in edgy/ troll titles on 4 chan. That happens every year afaik.

What were some of the other white supremacist texts, if u don't mind me asking?

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pizzapastamix OP t1_j2bpfss wrote

Besides this troll picks, the list is actually useable. I read several books which were in the previous top 100 list and liked them for the most part. For example Stoner, the sailor who fell from grace with the sea, 2666, Siddhartha, Metamorphose, the Stranger and some more. I wouldn't disregard it completely because of some edgy picks

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pizzapastamix OP t1_j2bp5cp wrote

Infinited Jest is a long time inside joke on /lit/, that's probably why it's so high. The same with Mein Kampf and the other questionable picks

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danellender t1_j28xuli wrote

I think the posts on booklist threads are much more revealing than the lists themselves.

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stayxhome t1_j29cpuo wrote

What, five books by women? The Bible at #1? Awfully boring.

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dking159 t1_j2aukuy wrote

Isn’t it fair and honest? Men wrote far more than women in history so it’s fair that they wrote more better books

−3

That-Requirement-285 t1_j28ru4n wrote

Mein Kampf aside… Atlas Shrugged? Also, The Odyssey at 20 but Iliad at 4? Shouldn’t they be close together?

Other than that, the rest are mostly shit you see on regular top 100 books of all time lists.

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RomeoTrickshot t1_j2b2tff wrote

Odyssey is miles better than the iliad

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GFVeggie t1_j2b4gmi wrote

I think the other way around. To each his own.

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Diogenes56 t1_j2bnbgu wrote

Instead of comparing them, consider this take espoused by some Classicists: there are two types of people, Iliad people and Odyssey people.

A colleague shared that with me (I also prefer the Odyssey).

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That-Requirement-285 t1_j2b6gsk wrote

I prefer Odyssey to the Iliad but I just preferred the subject matter more in general.

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CryptographerOk6804 t1_j28q7cj wrote

I tried to read mein kampf and it was boring af couldn't finish it but other than that it's an okay list

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That-Requirement-285 t1_j28rhsr wrote

Even Mussolini thought Mein Kampf was shit. Granted, Mussolini hated Hitler in general.

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ChaosAE t1_j2aaz5w wrote

Even hitler thought it was shit if the forward is anything to go off

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McGilla_Gorilla t1_j293ekx wrote

Looks like standard 4chan fair - relatively safe list of good and probably “deserving” books outside of the meme stuff, but obviously underrates women and non-white men.

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uglygeorgek t1_j2a1b0i wrote

Lotta Latin Americans and Japanese novelists, but yeah, one of the top comments is someone celebrating the lack of black authors.

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pizzapastamix OP t1_j2bokh7 wrote

It's one of the first comments but not per se a top comment. 4chan doesn't have a rating system

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Guilty-Doubt-2662 t1_j2ag42q wrote

I’m not disputing that most of the books on this list are “great” (except The Great Gatsby, that book is trash) but I’ll go downvoted to hell if anyone thinks this is a comprehensive list. I see people talking about the lack of representation of women (which is true) but it’s so much greater than that. This list is so westernized and for the few non-English original languages highly dependent on the existence of a quality English translation. This list completely ignores many epic African, Asian, and Middle Eastern works, probably due to a lack of awareness. I spent my youth reading “great” books to make myself educated, but found that I learned so much more from reading books that taught me to think in a way different than what mainstream literary critics applaud. I would love to see a list put together of the greatest books western culture has never even heard of.

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dking159 t1_j2avh9e wrote

Do you believe that a westerner (or anyone who come from a place on earth) can accurately make a list of the best books without being biased? We can only perceive others culture by the lenses of ours. We should acknowledge it and stop trying to be above everyone else.

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That-Requirement-285 t1_j2b7f5a wrote

That’s the problem with ‘100 Best Books of All Time’ lists in general. Most people do not read all the classics, and most people do not read classics that their culture isn’t familiar with. Most Westerners haven’t read Journey to the West or other literature from Asia and other continents that greatly influenced the culture.

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dking159 t1_j2bz3q3 wrote

Even if you do read every book on earth, your taste will be shape by your culture no matter what. So don’t try to be objective! You can’t. This is the best book list from a western point of view. Point blank.

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That-Requirement-285 t1_j2c1j35 wrote

I agree, but that’s why I don’t put too much stock into lists like this. Your list might be different, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less valid from a cultural and literary point of view. Unless it includes something insanely bad like the 100 Days of Sodom.

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dking159 t1_j2c4bkj wrote

Im from the francophonie (country that speak french) and it pain that’s most of the book I love are not here. But I do understand why!

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grishnackhh t1_j2atow8 wrote

Would you be so kind and recommend some of your favourites?

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TheBookShopOfBF t1_j2b85cn wrote

Lol. That's a list of books that people think are supposed to be good books, but they never read.

Sure, there are some foundational texts in there that are important for understanding the development of western literature, but having the Holy Bible as #1 is just do dumb it makes my head hurt. What are they even trying to accomplish?

Absalom, Absalom! Why? Have they read that shit?

Literature and art are some of the only places where human ingenuity somehow stalled hundreds of years ago. Was the best car ever the fucking Model T? Was the best TV ever full of tubes and offering three channels? Seems like not.

But some dude lays down some tortured prose in a mind-bendingly complicated series of narrations, offering zero guide for the reader to follow, almost purposely making the book difficult to read, and we've got to genuflect for centuries to come? Stop that shit.

It's a good example of early-20th-century American literature. That doesn't mean we've got to keep it up there on a pedestal for the rest of time. If you like that stuff, guys like John Irving and Paul Auster and so many others have moved the genre forward.

Gah. Why did I post? No idea. But by no means should anyone lend any credence to this nonsense. It's nonsense! Ill informed! Trolling!

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Unshavenhelga t1_j2akr7k wrote

There are at least two books in the top 20 that most people never finished--Gravity's Rainbow and Infinite Jest.

​

Edit: the list lacks women and reads like a grad student's bucketlist. It overvalues "intellectual fiction" and ignores some amazing books written in the 21st century.

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zedbrutal t1_j2dfi3m wrote

Gravity’s Rainbow is a tough read. Took me six weeks and it’s a 2 out of 5 stars book.

0

Unshavenhelga t1_j2e0phk wrote

The only reason I completed that book was I had to read it for a graduate class.

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antiquemule t1_j2ag343 wrote

Disappointingly uncontroversial. A few surprises for me, e.g. Knut Hamsun??

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DrKnowsNothing_MD t1_j2aneq1 wrote

> Unabomber, Ayn Rand, Hitler

-3pts

> Nietzsche, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky

+3pts

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NeonHopeSomewhere t1_j2ay83d wrote

I am willing to bet that they haven’t actually read half of the books on that list but just put them there to sound neck beard clever

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Kssio_Aug t1_j28sqb3 wrote

It's a solid but most predictable list. That's why I find more interesting top lists of books published on said year, instead of all time.

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Volodio t1_j28tmd8 wrote

Most people don't read books that just released, especially a crowd like that which loves the classics so much. Most people wouldn't even be able to participate, and some would just put books by default that they didn't even like. The only interesting thing about a top list of the books released that year would be to see the marketing impact.

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Shadow_Lass38 t1_j2b4t5d wrote

This looks a lot like the book list PBS had, except for Mein Kampf and a couple of others.

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Notarobotokay t1_j2bmc9g wrote

Stoner as one of the top 10 books written in all of human history, above things like The Divine Comedy, is certainly an opinion

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Deep-Big2798 t1_j2clxd5 wrote

I’m just shocked that people discuss books on 4 Chan. I’ve been to the site twice and was promptly traumatized both times lol

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GreenOrkGirl t1_j2csd32 wrote

Good taste, e Pretty much everything is eternal classics with surprising amount of Russian classical authors. Also not surprised by the lack of new books, 4chan does not believe modern authors being able to write anything worthy.

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nabarigo t1_j28ul02 wrote

(Mostly) great taste

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bigsquib68 t1_j2agn04 wrote

Anyone here read The Savage Detectives and have an opinion on it?

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Andsco t1_j2aqtux wrote

My eyes are heavily drawn to a very specific part of that image...

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Paetoja t1_j2cniyk wrote

I'm flummoxed by Emily Bronte at 22, surprised by the Soseki book making the list.

The rest is kinda expected.

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CaptainColdSteele t1_j2cqn4n wrote

I'm kinda surprised Asimov didn't make the list but I'm glad Tolkien and Herbert did

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SectorEducational460 t1_j2f0mk5 wrote

I'm surprised Pablo paramo is on this list. I rarely see him on top 50 list.

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DogFun2635 t1_j292fy1 wrote

No one reads Proust.

0

Warm-Enthusiasm-9534 t1_j2943f2 wrote

The second half of Swann's Way, sometimes published separately as Swann in Love, is a genuine masterpiece.

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Rankled_Barbiturate t1_j2ay0j0 wrote

Eh, yeah I hate these sorts of lists in that in reality, a lot of these books are terrible to read and unenjoyable for most.

They're classics sure, but I've read a number of the top 10 for example and they're a very painful slog that is completely unenjoyable.

As others have stated, once you know your reading preferences I doubt most of these will ever be in your top 100.

−1

RomeoTrickshot t1_j2b3a4y wrote

All of my top 10 are classics, they're amazing books and have survived for a reason

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bootesvoid7 t1_j2d5dz5 wrote

Lots of books about alienated men, super predictable

−1

ett23fyra t1_j28u8hr wrote

Apart from Atlas shrugged I see no female writers.

−17

Sir-Siren t1_j28vc87 wrote

I think there’s 6 women - Brontë, Elliot, Shelley, Rand, Plath, Woolf. Mostly right at the end, these lists stay predictable 🙄

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showmeurknuckleball t1_j29dy7s wrote

Which books written by women would you place in the top 20?

0

Electronic_Trifle_60 t1_j29h7pi wrote

Gone With the Wind and Pride and Prejudice are both in my top 5.

3

dking159 t1_j2avp5q wrote

Pride and prejudice is not that great.

−2

That-Requirement-285 t1_j2b52nm wrote

According to you. Not everybody is going to agree. Pride and Prejudice is a classic of romance and social satire literature. If you don’t like romance, you probably won’t like the book.

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dking159 t1_j2bykrv wrote

Since it’s appeal are not only understood by its niche we shouldn’t place it that high. Or I can say:

  • The bible is the best book ever written. Oh.. you don’t agree? You have to be Christian. If you don’t like Jesus you won’t like the book.

(I believe the appeal for the bible transcend religion but just for the sake of the argument )

0

That-Requirement-285 t1_j2c1adr wrote

But you can say this for all genres. I’m saying that people who dislike most romance probably won’t like Pride and Prejudice, however it’s still a classic of literature. I dislike most romance in general, but I like Pride and Prejudice. Although I prefer some of her other books.

If someone doesn’t agree with Nietzchean philosophy, they would probably dislike Beyond Good & Evil. It’s still a classic book.

1

dking159 t1_j2c434d wrote

Were would you put pride and prejudice on this top? Or you can make one?

1

That-Requirement-285 t1_j2c51np wrote

I wouldn’t put it in my top 10 but maybe around top 20/30 because of it’s influence not only as a classic novel but also on the romance genre as a whole. I know some people prefer The Brontës more ‘grim’ work than Jane Austen, and I actually agree.

1

Moondust99 t1_j2arzju wrote

Rebecca should be there imo, loved every second of it

2