tier-ranking more classic books (so you know which ones to read) -- part 2 📚

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[@jack_edwards]

link to part 1 here with more traditional classics: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b2O0k4SFgJ2Jiqs

[@audriachoudhury2280]

Are these typed out somewhere/available to print or something? Would love it to help build my reading list!

[@debodatta7398]

Please read Legends of Ilemuria: The Demon's Return

[@seacretly]

can't believe you haven't read all quiet on the western front!!! my favourite classic.

[@Taliesintoomas]

I have to admit that it seems just so weird to me what is considered "classics" in the anglosphere - that it is just so extremely heavily English-language based. Like, it seems that 90% of the titles are originally in English and that seems completely mad to me. To me, in any list of classics worth its salt, no language should have more than 50% representation - okay, I understand that you are taught in some language so you are allowed for it to have a greater share, but 90% seems just so wildly off the mark. Like, the literatures of different languages were in dialogue with each other, how on earth are you supposed to understand that if you, in essence, are just listening to merely one party in that conversation? How can one have a list of traditional classics, and have it lacking, say, Goethe or Cervantes or Molière? This is not an attack on the author of the video, I understand that this is how these things are defined in the anglosphere but it is just so damn weird.

[@Candy_McK]

Really? You're starting with a joke about war and peace - and then there is no Tolstoi at all? No Alexandre Dumas, no Theodor Storm but 6 times Jane Austen... Harry Potter is a pop cultural phenomenon, but not a classic. And you didn't mention Astrid Lindgreens books - or Peter Pan (btw. all of them are better than Alice in Wonderland) Sorry, but someone who rates The Hunger Games higher than Dune or Lord of the Rings loses all credibility in my eyes.

[@annie4005]

Love that you included modern classics too, would be interested in a video breaking down exactly what makes a 'classic' and their importance

[@sophia_alcock]

omg literally i did an hpq on this topic and it was so so interesting

[@Honeybadgerrs]

I would also would love this break down!

[@federicosavorani6320]

@@helvetesmakt1 I wish there was a way to copy comments, because yours is a great summary of the ""defence"" (I hate this term but I can't come up with anything better) of the literary canon. It's just a matter of statistics. Obviously if until the 19th century only white guys could write and publish their novels and treatises that's where we will find the majority of our cultural background. Thankfully nowadays that has changed, but you can't retroactively add works to the canon, even if it means broadening the representation, unless they genuinely are rediscovered as meaningful works of literature and referenced by a majority of people

[@JungianHeights]

@@tuqaridha4821 Exactly!

[@mrlnxf8455]

Yes!!!

[@shilo2100]

Gregor Samsa waking up as a bug and his first worry being how he's going to get to work is the most German thing I've heard, relatable

[@barrybabygirlbenson]

That‘s so true 😭 The Metamorphosis was definitely my favourite German classic I‘ve read in my entirety of my school career (I‘m German), it‘s so weird? But very memorable

[@shilo2100]

@@barrybabygirlbenson That's so cool! I don't think I appreciated any of the books we were forced to read in school but I've been trying to read more German classics, picked up Steppenwolf by Hesse recently and loved it. Highly recommend

[@lisimar2]

@@shilo2100Hermann Hesse is great! I looooved Siddhartha

[@ag4444]

So wrong. Germans call in sick for the tiniest issue. I am German and as soon as I or any of my colleagues have the slightest headache or cough we’ll stay home for 2 days and chill.

[@lisimar2]

@@ag4444 in my current workplace it's the opposite. But at my old workplace it was that way as well. I had to step in so many times and cover my colleagues hours :/ Once I fell off my bike the day before and i had to come in and sit there all day with both hands in the air haha. I'm German btw and I'm tryna say it probably just depends on your workplace 'cause where I work at now people would come in with a crushed finger 🙃

[@fishactivation5087]

"A classic is a book nobody wants to read but everybody wants to have read." -Mark Twain

[@k49821]

Why is that so true though 😂

[@calina4544]

😂me buying classics bc of the gorgeous covers while also wishing i could get through them without getting into a slump

[@camilagrgicevic2890]

He probably just chose bad classics

[@seculoperdido9555]

The quote is wrong, bc nobody wants to read but everyone likes talking about it to pretend they're smart

[@mary_book]

Why is that trueeee??

[@lulun1669]

1:46 - The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien 2:10 - A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens 2:42 - Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh 3:25 - Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 3:46 - Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka 4:27 - Persuasion by Jane Austen 5:23 - Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen 5:38 - Lady Susan by Jane Austen 6:02 - Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen 6:37 - North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell 7:04 - East of Eden by John Steinbeck 8:38 - The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy 9:00 - Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih 9:45 - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 10:08 - The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov 10:59 - Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse 11:16 - The Art of War by Sun Tzu 12:06 - Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin 12:14 - The Color Purple by Alice Walker 12:37 - Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf 12:56 - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain 13:21 - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain 14:09 - Wieland by Charles Brockden Brown 14:44 - The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison 15:17 - The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford 15:32 - Sons and Lovers by DH Lawrence 15:40 - The Stranger by Albert Camus 16:07 - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson 16:16 - The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli 16:46 - Silas Marner by George Elliot 17:07 - The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway 17:19 - The Secret History by Donna Tart 18:12 - Harry Potter by JK Rowling 18:38 - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 19:10 - The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis 19:35 - The Testaments by Margaret Atwood 20:27 - The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith 20:45 - Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 21:10 - The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead 21:47 - Roxana by Daniel Defoe 22:19 - A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle 22:26 - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark 22:59 - Nadja by Andre Breton 23:15 - Brighton Rock by Graham Greene 23:36 - The Razor's Edge by William Somerset Maugham 24:00 - Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood 24:24 - Howards End by EM Forster

[@candycaneexe8200]

Actual lifesaver

[@laurarivalta]

💞thanks

[@388C4CGREEN]

I was about to type this :(

[@aneeshafernando9847]

some heroes wear capes

[@thabisomthombeni6326]

you are God sent. thank you💜

[@MDaggatt]

You should review Agatha Christie! She's the most published author ever, only beat by the Bible and Shakespeare. She's written half a dozen classics. I'd love to see you do something similar to your Cain's Jawbone video and try to solve one of her mysteries.

[@allypagley]

Oh I love this idea! She's one of my fave authors ever I feel like I am constantly recommending her books!

[@Anime-mi9xo]

Can we make it a collection of crime novels? Coz I really want reviews on the Sherlock Holmes stories, and I think this would work as a tier video on the best detective stories with Agatha Christie and Dr Jekyll

[@emilydeboer9476]

you might watch her already, but * emmie * has a few videos where she tries to solve agatha christie mysteries and they're really fun to watch

[@emmagrace6457]

Yes! I’d love to hear his opinion on “Then there were none”

[@Jade-zm2tg]

Omg same and then there were none is a masterpiece

[@lucvanheerden128]

I’d love to see Jack make a video on current books that he thinks will become classics in the future (if he hasn’t already)

[@amayac4655]

I am pretty sure he already has 😊

[@lucvanheerden128]

@@amayac4655 oh cool! do you know the link of the video?

[@qnnnnn3557]

@@amayac4655 link?😅

[@ciara1045]

((((girl, woman, other)))))

[@zebra44-k4p]

@@qnnnnn3557 the link, also know as the URL of the video so they can watch it.

[@james2529]

Metamorphosis is my favourite classic by a significant margin. I studied it with my students and the deeper you dig into it the more it rewards and astounds you. I absolutely love it.

[@LANDVETT03]

Hell yes

[@TomEllisLovesU]

I really need to re-read it... One of the first books I bought, very memorable

[@lilmissrockchick4962]

I would also love to know what Jack thinks of 'The Trial' by Kafka too ❤

[@LaEnana001]

I would love a video where you re-read books, that you read "at the wrong time" like "The Master and Margarita". It would be so interesting to see if / in what way it changes your opinion about the books!

[@putonghua73]

I adore the 'Master and Margarita' after a friend's sister recommended it to me around 20 years ago. The only book that compares is Yukio Mishima's 'Spring Snow', which is hand's down my favourite book. I too, have many books (of shame) that I tried reading and couldn't get in the right headspace for whatever reason. 'To the Lighthouse' and 'Tender is the Night' are two glaring examples. I feel less shame regarding 'Ulysses'. I have but a single life and I'm damn well not going to waste more time forcing myself to read it!

[@thislifeisconfusing]

The Master and Margarita is complicated to read since there are a lot of historical references/inside 'jokes' that are difficult to understand if you are not familiar with that era and its people. It's best to read one with a LOT of footnotes. The version shown here is pretty decent.

[@MissCaraMint]

I’ve been meaning to read that.

[@carole5648]

I would recommend the Burkin/O'Conner translation. The pevear/voronsky translation felt like a different, book that over explained jokes, or missed them entirely.

[@MissCaraMint]

@@carole5648 Thanks for the advice.

[@Irina35mm]

I just have to say that, in my ignorance (intentional, as I keep away from info on books - even classics - so that I could go in with a clear slate / mind :)) ) I wasn't even completely sure when Bulgakov was writing that precisely. So I took it as it is and it's one of my favourite books ever, I found it SO much fun and SO free... like, the way it was written felt very free and liberating. It made sense to learn later that he wrote it in secret basically. I loved the unhinged imagination, the dark humour... the satire/irony of the absurd situations and characters that transpire even without knowing many details of the background - not contradicting you, I wholeheartedly agree with what you said, especially as an explanation to why someone might find it difficult Just thought I'd provide an extra view, so that people would give it a go anyway; maybe it finds you in the right moment :)

[@robbc3851]

I just read the 50th Anniversary edition (the one pictured) and it is THE edition to get. The footnotes genuinely saved me from hours of google searching although I did still spend a lot of time in my reading researching due to it being so soviet-society focused. I found it to be an all-time favorite! A literary acid trip.

[@charliehardwick7625]

Omg the orange-juice-after-toothpaste description hit me HARD. 🤣🤣🤣

[@lays4831]

you NEED to read "a thousand splendid suns" especially if you found "the kite runner" emotional. That is the most heart wrenching and beautiful book I've ever read😢 still waiting for a book to make me feel everything the way that did😅

[@angelicaaltaf]

Read that book on a holiday years ago, completely unaware that I would be sobbing by the poolside for days! So affecting ❤

[@luzsalas7583]

I got this from a friend on my 19th birthday (I'm now 29) and I still remember how much it made me feel, a lot of scenes and quotes. This book has my heart. And I don't know many people who have read it.

[@WooHooCelery]

I am fairly devoid of all emotion, so if a book can make me feel something then it’s a pretty damn good book. A Thousand Splendid Suns made me sad therefore it’s an instant five star!

[@shilo2100]

That book destroyed me, I actually found it very painful to read. But so worthwile

[@ciara1045]

and the mountains echoed is khaled hosseinis other book and it is as good and heartbreaking as the other 2 (if not more), it focusses on lots of different characters and is more like short stories which i think puts some people off but i would highly highly recommend

[@wavy3710]

📚TIMESTAMPS 📚 1:47 - The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien) 2:09 - A Christmas Carol (C. Dickens) 2:41 - Vile Bodies (E. Waugh) 3:25 - Americanah (C. Ngozi Adichie) 3:45 - A Metamorphosis (F. Kafka) 4:27 - Persuasion (J. Austen) 5:23 - Sense & Sensibility (J. Austen) 5:38 - Lady Susan (J. Austen) 6:03 - Northanger Abbey (J. Austen) 6:37 - North & South (B. Percival) 7:04 - East of Eden (J. Steinbeck) 8:40 - The God of Small Things (A. Roy) 9:00 - Season of Migrations to the North (T. Salih) 9:45 - The Kite Runner (K. Hosseini) 10:09 - The Master and Margarita (M. Boulgakov) 11:00 - Siddhartha (H. Hesse) 11:16 - The Art of War (S. Tzu) 12:06 - Giovanni's Room (J. Baldwin) 12:14 - The Color Purple (A. Walker) 12:57 - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (M. Twain) 13:22 - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (M. Twain) 14:10 - Wieland (C. Browkden Brown) 14:45 - The Bluest Eye (T. Morrison) 15:17 - The Good Soldier (F. Madox Fox) 15:33 - Sons and Lovers (D. H. Lawrence) 15:40 - L'Étranger (A. Camus) 16:07 - Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (R. L. Stevenson) 16:17 - The Prince (N. Machiavel) 16:47 - Silas Marner (G. Eliot) 17:08 - The Old Man and the Sea (E. Hemingway) 17:21 - The Secret History (D. Tartt) 18:12 - Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling) 18:39 - The Hunger Games (S. Collins) 19:10 - The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis) 19:35 - The Testaments (M. Atwood) 20:29 - The Talented Mr. Ripley (P. Highsmith) 20:46 - Slaughterhouse Five (K. Vonnegut) 21:48 - Lady Roxana (D. Defoe) 22:19 - A Study In Scarlet (A.C. Doyle) 22:27 - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (M. Spark) 22:58 - Nadja (A. Breton) 23:15 - Brighton Rock (G. Greene) 23:37 - The Razor's Edge (W. S. Maugham) 24:25 - Howards End (E.M. Forster)

[@NataliaCastillo-yt1lf]

Siddharta

[@stanateezforgoodluck]

19:35 isn’t The Handmaid’s Tale

[@wavy3710]

Thanks! All corrected :)

[@nudratjahan800]

I believe in humanity because of people like you

[@Bird5861tr4]

You forgot Mrs. Dalloway

[@charu2774]

I had never intended on reading 'the god of small things' but one day I found it in a second hand store for a very cheap price and therefore purchased it. Started reading with no expectations and it turned out to be one of my all time favourites.

[@e.c5413]

literally had the exact same experience

[@sarabea4817]

same!

[@aureliano_37]

It's ass imo

[@AlishaN-qj5iz]

Uni has caught me in a reading slump basically ever since I started my degree, so thanks for making these videos! I love how accessible you make it and make light of books considered classics - makes me feel okay with not reading classics just for the sake of them being classics.

[@dominiqueendeavors]

The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe was the first chapter book I ever read; My Dad gave it to me for my birthday. I was already a pretty avid reader, but that book changed my life and cemented my love for reading.

[@princeapoopoo]

Oh yes, a rather familiar story to me. Not quite the same, as I started with the Magician's Nephew, but the Narnia series (and the Hobbit!) were the first chapter books I read as recommended by my dad.

[@wendygabriella612]

"It (Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone) made so many of us readers for life." Well said, Jack!👏

[@esfahanius]

Yeah… BUT ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS!!! Harry Potter has better ranking than the Hobbit?! Please…

[@wendygabriella612]

@@esfahanius I was commenting on and quoting what Jack says in the video about a particular book. I wasn't saying anything about ranking. Jack is the one ranking and he's entitled to his taste, preference and opinion anyway. But if you for some odd reason have a problem with that, take it up with him don't go disagreeing on my irrelevant comment using caps. Please...

[@emubird2008]

Fr harry potter was the book that got me into reading

[@sagieaesir13]

I'm just gonna be honest and mention the blatant transphobia of J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter was also a favourite of mine growing up but realizing Rowling's views on everything really puts it into perspective - personally, it's not my vibe anymore. clothbound classic at its best for me

[@SidPil]

​@@sagieaesir13why does the author's views affect the book?

[@rubymcdime7382]

I think Huckleberry Finn is a masterpiece, but I also think it’s very specifically situated in American (US) culture and history. I agree the dialect is hard to read and aged super poorly, but even so I’d be curious to know if you’d view it differently rereading it after living in the US

[@darkwitnesslxx]

Huckleberry is greatest first person novel ever written. Every word in the prose Is from Huckleberry. Unlike modern first person, which is really just 3rd person with the pronouns changed

[@bookwyrm8181]

The Color Purple actually made me bawl my eyes out. 10000/10 I’m very happy my English teacher last year chose it for our class because I know that it’s not something I would’ve picked up on my own. But I’m so so glad I read it.

[@Maya-et5jk]

“Fleagency” is the best thing I heard. Your play on words and jokes are the literal best way to discuss these books. I do think the Art of War deserves a 2nd read (esp since it’s so short) bc it isn’t just about war and enemies. It can be applied to work and personal life. It also influences major marketing strategies and sports. It’s actually a pretty pacifist text and I feel like if you didn’t like the Prince, you would like this one more. I’ve read that war is not glorified in traditional Chinese philosophy like it is in Western. Sun Tzu constantly says that it is better not to engage in war and to do everything you can to prevent it. And the strategies are more about deception in order to carry out and end a battle in the quickest, most efficient way, rather than strategies for a blood shedding battle. Sun Tzu’s values are rooted in Taoism, so harmony and simplicity are important factors. I would definitely recommend reading it again!

[@lrkeerlandsen5033]

Hunger games is the book that got me out of a 3 year reading slump, and I can reread it any day! I’m so happy u acknowledged it as a classic, I did not expect it and was pleasantly suprised😄

[@MusicJamSchauspiel]

The fact that I knew about Jekyll&Hyde's plot twist before reading it took away all atmosphere of the book for me. This book would have been so eerie and beautifully grim if I hadn't known about the secret. I was actually really upset after reading the book because of what could have been. I don't know if you know the feeling. You probably do.

[@magic8girl]

I knew about the plot twist because of Monster High (seriously), so reading it for the first time because I was interested, knowing the plot twist made me miserable

[@Waste-Water-Management]

One of my biggest regrets is spoiling Jekyll &Hyde for my sister who didn't know the plot twist, only because I'd assumed that was universal knowledge. She doesn't seem to have any interest in reading it but the fact that I ruined it will haunt me forever.

[@elisecode2212]

yes, looney tunes gave it away lol. i still found it fascinating though, 6/5, will be rereading.

[@zynpkrdg]

i was 11 when i read metamorphosis and you can be sure that it left a HUGE impression on me, i am still disturbed by it to this day. i remember our literature teacher always told it was her favorite book and one time she wrote the first sentence of the book and made us continue the story, and then awarded me foor writing the best one, and then made it one of the books we had to read in that year, and lemme tell you it did NOT go the way 11 year old me wrote it to be lol.

[@elsbethhh]

Video idea: what books you THINK will become classics/modern classics and why

[@lunar_python8359]

As someone who has studied classic chinese literature, I am always confused why the Art of War is well known in the west lol. If you would like to read a classic chinese novel, I would suggest Dream of the Red Chamber or Water Margins (also translated to Outlaws of the Marsh). These 2 novels are regarded as 2 of the 4 top classical chinese novels. (The other 2 classics are The War of Three Kingdoms and Journey to the West, which I feel are more well known) I will say that since these are novels, they are probably easier to read compared to something like Art of War.

[@flippedwafflesokurr728]

Is it too early to ask for a part 3? 😂 I’d love to know your opinion on more classics!

[@captureeverychapter]

🤣 I was about to ask that too.

[@raisinscan]

I'm pretty sure he talked about them in part 1 🤔

[@flippedwafflesokurr728]

I literally watched Part 1… my brain doesn’t work properly 😆 y’all r right

[@serahnkahukura8433]

I would love to see a tier ranking of just children's literature. The comments would be bloodshed

[@luigi7834]

omg need

[@destituteanddecadent9106]

Already I want to cuss him out for putting HARRY POTTER of all books in the top tier!???

[@MKG_]

@@destituteanddecadent9106its put there because of its impact not its qualitt

[@destituteanddecadent9106]

@@MKG_ then everyone would end up with the same tier list and there's no point in watching Jack's video on it is there?

[@marianegiacoia3334]

15:32 "Sons and lovers is... a book about mommy issues and... yea, it's fine" the best book review

[@shilo2100]

I definitely think you should give the Master and Margarita another try! I recently read it and would say it is a *lot* , but I find the narrative voice so spellbinding, hilarious at times plus I find the plot and characters actually interesting. Definitely more readable than a lot of the old dusty classics in my books

[@sarahnoll9018]

How am I supposed to ever finish my classic book when Jack keeps posting bangers during my lunch break

[@amnessie]

The Little Prince, Count of Monte Cristo, and Don Quixote as suggestions if you ever decide to continue this series! Agatha Christie would be cool too, though it could possibly be a list on its own, combined with other famous detective/mystery books

[@TheLifeOfTexan]

I sat through two of these just so I could watch him drag Mark Twain and ignore Dumas

[@toribellmar7623]

‘I’m moby dick without mody part’, - actually killed me 😭 i would also recommend reading master and margarita in two sessions because I don’t know a single person, who liked it from the get go and didn’t get bored out of the mind by everything that didn’t include Woland!

[@maduross]

It’s me, I liked it from the get go. Jack it looks like you read the P+V translation? I would recommend going with the Ginsburg or Burgin O’Connor translations your next go around. P+V translations is kind of stiff and the manic humor doesn’t come across well.

[@brothercheems2818]

@@maduross i read the oconnor one and tbh i feel like i'll never fully understand & appreciate the humor and nuance bc im not a russian / native russian-speaker

[@yatinhu1153]

Honestly I'm at chapter 15 and so long I loved every single part of it

[@maduross]

@@brothercheems2818 Something of the original context is always lost but I’d say a good translation (along with an informative introduction most editions of classic lit will include) can give most if not all of the original feeling and intent of the work. for this book in particular I’d say the context of life in the Soviet Union is key to getting the satire but I think even without background knowledge of that stuff the novel does a good job portraying the way the bureaucracy and secret police etc affects people’s daily lives in the text itself from the ridiculous situations that happen (and thus that make fun of their real life counterparts).

[@diyworld4462]

@@yatinhu1153 I have completed it and it's actually great. Idk why people hate it so much. Some chapters can be slow and boring but after completing them it's really rewarding.

[@chokoti7736]

id rlly love to see jack read and review Catch-22, its such a cracked up classic-like literal CRACK-with so many tone shifts and a beautiful ending and GOD id fr love to hear his thoughts on it. i literally have not been able to stop thinking about it since i finished reading it

[@zeltzamer4010]

Funniest book of all time.

[@kayelltom]

Second this 💯

[@yenyen4114]

The Metamorphosis is that one book that I randomly found in the library and was instantly hooked when I read the opening line for the first time. I still have some books to read so I did not borrow it that time when I found it. By next week, I went back to the library to borrow it but I couldn't find it in the shelves anymore. Until I graduated from that school, I haven't found the book ever since. It was just gone. I was 15 years old that time but until now I still couldn't forget it so I finally bought one when I turned 20. It became one of my favorite books. The story is just depressing and although it doesn't directly refer to depression, I can't help but relate similarly to whatever George Samsa was feeling. The metaphor of the story towards mental health is so strong in this one. And as someone currently having quarter life crisis, it hits closest to home.

[@CHiCguitar]

The Kite Runner is one of my favorite books of all time. I didn't read it by choice, but I loved it by choice. It has stuck with me a decade later.

[@LiliGrosserova]

Really glad modern classics were included!

[@emmacd6515]

As a former French student, I swear I’ve read whole journal articles about how to translate the first line of The Stranger /L’Etranger 😂😅

[@lorannamoody7011]

I love the early translation the best. “Mother died today or maybe it was yesterday.” Later translations tried to improve upon it, but they didn’t have the impact. 😊

[@julija8399]

the master and margarita is brilliant, you should definitely give it another go! the beginning is a bit confusing, but it all ties perfectly at the end. the metaphors and references to other books are outstanding (have you read goethe's faustus? it's needed to better understand the book)

[@jweather66]

0:48 Out of these I've only read Animal Farm, Frankenstein, Lord of the Flies, and How to Kill a Mockingbird (all in high school). I agreed with their rankings.

[@ievakalniskane-der1]

As someone who comes from ex-soviet country, knows the culture and speaks very similar language to Russian, I even found "The Master and Margarita" hard to read and honestly I took my time with it and loved it in the end! :)

[@blanket4763]

The language of huck Finn didn’t age poorly, it was always bad. It was always meant to sound bad. It is written from the perspective of a racist child, who has been raised to believe awful things, but that’s the point of the book. He learns through real life experience that the things he was taught are wrong, and he comes out the other side no longer holding these beliefs. The language and themes are meant to be horrible, it’s to highlight this ideological change in a child that very literally doesn’t know any better, until he experiences these things for himself and is able to change his mind.

[@kuhnslau1]

Yes thank you.

[@ceezy27]

Also it’s literally not even a hard read like just sound the words out

[@ceezy27]

His take on Tom Sawyer being better is also just wrong.

[@riruahm2960]

I love Americanah so much, it is one of my favourite books ever. It is this amazing love story that takes place in three different countries. The writing is phenomenal, beautiful and very easy to read.

[@melonramune]

i just read the god of small things back in august, it was on my bucket list this year to read my first indian novel. i've never read anything with a chronology like that. when i was like halfway through, i thought it would be a four star because i thought it wasn't fully working for me and was a bit melodramatic. but after i finished the book and all the little events come together, i thought each scene was actually perfectly crafted. i understood why the endorsement on the cover said they reread the book right away. anyways i'm excited to read more indian lit

[@perksofbeingcurvy4827]

hello! here are some suggestions from an Indian! Try The Lowland from Jhumpa Lahiri and The Shadow Lines by Amitav Ghosh.

[@melonramune]

@@perksofbeingcurvy4827 tysm! i already own two other amitav ghosh books so i might read those first but i'll add these to the list

[@stertay]

An excellent modern Indian novel is A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. I strongly recommend it, but be warned, it will tear your heart out.

[@melonramune]

@@stertay added it to my tbr on goodreads thank you

[@Jeroen1983]

I've heard great things about Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal, but I haven't read it yet myself.

[@samc2261]

so happy to see someone give dr jekyll and mr hyde the praise it deserves its a rlly good book and everyone i know hates it i makes me sad

[@Camicazi]

its literally the only one from this list that I have read

[@khalilahd.]

Jack, our chaotic King, constantly doing the lords work. You love to see it ❤

[@burp2048]

girl idk if we just happen to watch the same people but i see you comment everywhere

[@irisgemina1185]

girly, ur literally everywhere

[@idontcare9574]

i see u everywherree. in almost every vids i watchh xD maybe wr highly share d same interest lolss

[@sarasundmadsen]

The little "I'm fragile" at the end, hit me right in the feels.. sending so much love

[@candycaneexe8200]

POV: You're waiting for someone to put the timestamps up. And to that person thank you so much you're our hero

[@rrubyprosser]

me rn looking through the comments

[@388C4CGREEN]

@@rrubyprosser illdo it

[@lulun1669]

hahaha i just posted the timestamps for you guys

[@388C4CGREEN]

@@lulun1669 you hurt me

[@zoykazh8607]

I will definitely return for this video for recommendations, thanks Jack! The one book i can comment one, as a russian person, is Master and Margarita. I loved it when i read it for school, it was so different from every other classic russian literature. But I definitely get why it has gone over your head, i think it has a lot integration into soviet culture and also the city with all the little details and humor and context. I imagine it just doesn’t hit as hard in translation and with little context, unlike, for example , war and peace and Anna Karenina, which are kind of simpler and more universal i guess? Anyway, hope you like it the second time) maybe there is some good commentary on it as well!

[@4dgreentea]

My favorite childhood classic is “the little prince” so I got excited when you mentioned children’s books😭

[@callidio95]

0:18 Yes, as a new adolescent reader, I am starting of with classics to know what is considered good (in a way) Thank you Jack😊

[@CegomezChannel]

i screamed YESSS when you gave giovanni's room 6 out of 5 stars. so glad you enjoyed it!! i loooove that book

[@smolbara]

This man is so passionate and charismatic, I love the way he talks about books.

[@lilacsrain6004]

I read north & south and northanger abbey back to back at the start of this year and they're STILL my favourites so far. ik they're still very well-known but I feel like they don't get the recognition they deserve when it comes to talking about classics, so I feel like I'm in my vindication era rn cheers jack

[@flippanties]

I feel like Northanger Abbey is probably the LEAST discussed of Jane Austen's completed published work, which is such a shame because its definitely in my top 3 of hers (alongside Emma and Pride and Prejudice)

[@jessleunig1375]

Would love an in depth analysis of the hunger games!! I've been waiting for someone to give us a really academic take on Suzanne Collins FOREVER including looking it up on jstor (middling results)

[@putonghua73]

*cough* Battle Royale *cough* I remember watching BR early noughties. Had no idea about Hunger Games for many, many years. When I did eventually watch it (Netflix, I think?), I remember thinking, 'Eh? Why does this remind me of BR'? Quick Google later and wow! Lots of controversy surrounding Collins and her position that she has never heard of BR, despite having all of the same influences. Note: the BR manga is so much more messed up than the film. Mitsuko is my favourite character, but the manga properly explains her backstory. Good lord .. dark doesn't even cover it. I felt like drinking bleach just to feel clean ...

[@kellinwayne3535]

please please please read "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". I personally think that it's one of the most incredible classics ever written with just how many topics it explores and how controversial it is. Plus it's set in Paris and as we all know, you love that city about as much as I love this book

[@ellieh0397]

I looove classics so much, so happy you talk about them as well 😍❤️

[@becwrites]

I watched “The Muppets A Christmas Carol” every year, throughout the year when I was a kid. For that reason I’ve been putting off reading the book because the muppets perfected it 😅

[@taz2906]

You’re bang on with Gaskell and I wish more people knew how good North and South is. Also that is the perfect description of John Thorpe.

[@deezxc]

I just discovered your channel last week. And I’m really enjoying your channel so far. You’ve got the gift of the gab, my friend. I’m no public speaker so I’m really impressed how fluidly you articulate your thoughts. And as an aspiring novelist, it’s insightful gleaning into your thoughts on various books using accessible language. We all know how acerbic reviews on goodreads can get ha.

[@janetbolden597]

I'm really irked by the criticism of the language in Huckleberry Finn. The theme of the book is slavery. Huckleberry's grappling with Jim being his friend and deserving happiness, and yet feeling guilty that Jim's owner is being deprived of her property just seems like such an authentic representation of how something nearly unimagineable today was once taken as a matter of course. Having that language- a differentiator at the beginning of Jim's name- it's like it would constantly reinforce in a child's mind that this person needs to be viewed in a different way, or not even viewed as a person. I think the language is absolutely integral to the story, even if it is appropriate to be offended by it.

[@alyssia7239]

I'd love for you to make a video about only children's classics like the Roald Dahl's books, Paddington, etc... or even just children's books in general !

[@hadliellehawkins1964]

i used to hate metamorphosis with a passion until i realized that kafka is german and one of the hardest authors to translate bc so much gets lost, so now i feel bad and need to read it in its native german sooner or later bc his short stories are fire

[@charlieboddy1022]

He was actually from Prague (Czech Republic) so his native language was Czech

[@hadliellehawkins1964]

@@charlieboddy1022 Prague was part of austria-hungary back then. his native language is German (or when you want to be more accurate mauscheldeutsch) and he wrote in German. glauben Sie mir bitte, tschechisch könnte er ja, aber seine schreibfähigkeiten waren doch mit'n Paar Fehlern gestreut, darum hatte er seine Erzählungen darauf night geschrieben.

[@hsvfanjan17]

@@charlieboddy1022 He grew up in a German speaking (upper class) Jew family and went to German school in Prague. He mostly participated in German speaking communities, too, iirc

[@ShikiPirs]

Master and Margarita is like an IT book for Russian students, most of us think (even as the adults) that this is the best book or a fave in Russian classical literature (because it's not boring as lots of our other classical books are, and of course it's layers upon layers)

[@konfusionstudio]

What lots of other russian classics are boring? Russian literature is literally the best, it would still be the best if you guys would've only had Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky. There's an argument to be made that if the only russian author to ever exist was Dostoyevsky, russian literature would still be the best.

[@ShikiPirs]

well, it's hell of ride to read it in Russian (cause of the older language), but no one says these authors are bad, so)@@konfusionstudio

[@jhoinerrodriguez1903]

I was literally looking for something to watch while having lunch and BAM Jack's got me

[@bl9081]

I'm so glad the Kite Runner is on here. It definitely made me sob

[@folkwh0re]

Ive been waiting for this ever since the last video was posted. Classics are my love ❤ Great job, Jack!

[@kirakoli8813]

Oh, I read the metamorphasis of Franz Kafka in high school and it was so haunting. Kafka in general has that vibe where you're super intrigued by the premise and then a little bit scared by it. We actually had the Process from Kafka as one of the books in the final exams and it's even more about people just living for the work and capitalism.

[@treenutperson4978]

It would be really interesting for you to do a foreign literary classics tierlist

[@yashasviharikrishna2020]

Hey Jack , I was wondering if you could make an introduction series to various genre of books.

[@ifyoureadthisv1]

Slaughterhouse Five is one of my favorite books. Vonnegut’s ability to express his commentary on war (Children’s Crusade) really fit into this book alongside all the ridiculous Tralfamadorian/Billy shenanigans.

[@zacsuxatgaming4982]

I don't see The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, so I'm hoping for a part 3. I love hearing you talk about these books and getting the insight of somebody who knows more about them than I do. This would be a super fun series to keep going!

[@hecoppiii]

Exactly! I was going to comment that The Outsiders is missing. Also price of salt by Patricia Highsmith (The Talented Mr. Ripley's author)

[@dreaminginpastels]

just submitted my final exam for my two undergraduate degrees and watching this video is my mini-celebration! so soothing after reading books for postmodernism. love your content Jack, thanks for being you ☺️🎉🤍

[@sacely3]

Absolutely love your videos! Your book reviews and recommendations feel more like a genuine and passionate conversation with a fellow book lover, which is not something I often see with booktubers (at least the ones I've seen so far). Genuine plus points for the puns too lol

[@allypagley]

I took a class in adolescent literature and we thoroughly dissected the Hunger Games. I will have to agree it deserves a top spot on this list! Can't wait to see my kids read it someday ❤

[@caramim95]

"Fleagency" is a term I never knew I needed in my life, but here I am, and now I'll create excuses to use it daily

[@2whitie]

I was reaching for the sword in anticipation that Narnia would go any lower than Jaw Drop. Looks like you're safe.

[@EruditeGayming]

Jack, would really love to see you do a video on cookbooks, or rather, food literature? For one, I think it's fascinating to see reactions to genres people don't read often, and two, there is quite a bit of narrative-heavy cookbooks out there, filled with stories and experiences and culture, akin to more of a memoir than just a cookbook.

[@sealswimswim354]

*Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is my favorite author!* I also love reading translated Russian classics like Ivan Turgenev’s “Fathers and Sons.” But I always obsess over Sherlock Holmes, the writing is dense yet smooth. My favorite stories are the “Blue Carbuncle” and “The Adventure of the Naval Treaty.”

[@PokhrajRoy.]

The last time, I heard ‘Austussy’. The bar is high for Punnery and Jack will exceed our expectations as always🔥

[@pestopasta8049]

as a Sherlock Holmes fan, i am VERY PLEASED you put A Study In Scarlett at the top :)

[@tragicsimmer]

I was a little nervous when I saw the metamorphosis but thankfully you did it justice, I just love this book a lot

[@larabalieirodesousa6726]

I'm so here for some Dickens-Defoe slander lol. I had to SUFFER through some of their work for uni. I don't think I've ever taken so long to read a novel as I did with Robinson Crusoe. It's been 2/3 years and I'm still traumatised.

[@arimcphail4124]

robinson crusoe is my enemy

[@ashtar8630]

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is 6/5 the language is what makes it so great. Blew me away first time I read it (recently). It made me feel like I had gone back in time.

[@nevenamartinez]

I read Slaughterhouse-5 last year, and it easily became one of my top 10 books. If you like that style of writing and kind of an absurd air to the story, you should read "Still Life with Woodpecker" 🌼

[@AJ-hz3tx]

Vonnegut was a true genius!

[@amanda_marie_143]

Omg the master and margarita is one of my favorites. Definitely lots of satire of then-current events in the Soviet Union that are easy to miss, lots of allusions to Goethe's Faust, and biblical content that can be strange in translation or just because of the writing style. I think a lot of it went over my head too, but I chose to make a beginner's guide to Master and Margarita for my final project in the Russian literature class I was in so that I could dive deeper into all these little nuggets. I'd highly recommend taking that kind of approach! Additional books by Bulgakov like Heart of a Dog also compliment the M&M by helping give a clearer sense of his writing style/approach.

[@HeyyyitsBell]

Love Heart of a Dog and M&M. They’re unlike anything I’ve ever read. Especially next to Russian works, Bulgakov stands out for his surrealism. The Master and Margarita felt like a dream as I read it. A really profound dream.

[@Ola-cn8bw]

I read Master and Margarita at school and I'm so glad we did as the discussions and what we learned in class about the book gave so much more meaning to it. It's interesting to look into the relationship of Bulgakov and Stalin, how much the book was censored and obviously the Soviet Union as a whole and how it is represented. Without the discussions, I definitely would not have understood the book in so much depth, and I recommend you give that a try!

[@gerudoking3180]

I love that you have so many books at the top. You’ve got a great passion

[@Vanessa-fs7oz]

Donna Tartt graduated from the college I went to. My high school teacher gifted me The Secret History right before I left for college once she learned where I was going, but I only read half of it because at the time, I had lots of pre-college jitters and the book was freaking me out because it was a bit ominous and dark, and I remember thinking "uh oh, am I going to a college full of sociopaths?" 😂 Now, many years past graduating, I totally see where Donna Tartt pulled her inspiration. Bennington College is an eccentric place, but I gotta give this book another go now that I'm not full of fresh-outta-high-school anxiety anymore 😅

[@adelaqiu6706]

I really love yr content! Keep up with the great work

[@chrysvandork08]

Even though I’ve only heard of like 25% of these, and have read even less, I truly enjoy hearing these types of rankings. Thanks for jumping back into the lions den and making this video.

[@Grobohalic]

I really love your content, no matter how wrong your Jane Austen opinions are (Sense and Sensibility really spoke to me the first time I read it, so will always have a special place in my heart).

[@Clorala]

"it's bopping its way to the top" never thought I'd hear Giovanni's Room described with a HSM quote

[@salamalmahi541]

So happy you included a Sudanese author with Season of Migration to the North. Makes me wanna reread it.

[@ReadAndThrift]

The way I was so mad when I read metamorphosis and all he cared about was going to work! My man you are a literal bug 😅 I needed more backstory. He was so nonchalant about being turned into a bug 😩

[@kousikkumargiri4321]

The sigh I heaved when you did a christmas carol justice!!!! I was thinking you'd put it in the shoot it out of a canon rank lmaoo. The entirety of ur video was nice and agreeable, definitely the sequel that brings peace after the war you caused. AND FINALLY SOMEONE UNDERSTANDS MY DISLIKE FOR HUCKLEBERRY FINN! people usually go like: you love the adventures of tom Sawyer but not the adventures of huckleberry finn? YOU, JACK, LITERALLY PUT MY THOUGHTS INTO WORDS. Now anyone asks me this question I'm going to show them your video

[@ShikiPirs]

the 1st part is my favorite video of yours of all time, amazing!!!

[@oliverharris60]

“The lion, the witch, and the audacity of this bitch” - Jack I’m CACKLING 😂

[@rach1213]

Seeing God of Small Things, Kite Runner and The color purple Purple at the top is all the validation I need. They are my absolute favourites

[@zarite6079]

Absolutely loved!! I would love to hear your opinion on Latin American classics like Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Isabel Allende. Your videos always put a smile on my face :)

[@Soadsgotaload]

Watching your videos has gotten me back on the reading train! My day job is video game development so I usually play games in my downtime but I forgot how much reading can spark new ideas for games too! Love your content always pumped for new videos!