Our Best Novels
From 1850s
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[edit] "F.R.'s" List of Twenty-five - A Review of the Field.
[edit] The New York Times Published: September 24, 1898
[edit] Summary
This article is a curiosity of sorts, as it assails to canonize the anthem of American literature as early as 1898. The results are often humorous. For example; Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin is favored by the Times readership far less than the lesser known Oldtown Folks. Understandably, Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter makes the list with ease. Moby Dick however, sings with the same resonance as it did upon it's release. That tune is one of disappointment. Almost 50 years after publication, Melville's Magnum Opus had yet to be recognized as solitary great work of American literature.
[edit] Quotes
[edit] Quote #1
As for Herman Melville, he was never exactly a popular writer, and, although what he wrote was and is literature of a fine quality, his "White Jacket" and "Moby Dick" are scarcely as good examples of fiction as hi "Typee" and "Omoo," almost peerless in their way, are narratives of travel and adventure.
