Posted: June 07, 2000 at 22:35:15: by John D.
I'm with you. I've read a lot (probably the majority) of the generally-accepted "Great Works." Some are superb (e.g., "Paradise Lost"), some are just plain awful ("Pilgrim's Progress"), but Joyce's Ulysses is so bad as to stand in a class by itself. It's sole purpose, as far as I can tell, is to keep crit-lit academics with way too much time on their hands trying to unravel Joyce's literary allusions. It's only "art" if you also consider your Sunday crossword puzzle "art."As for Lord of the Rings, it stands -- in my humble opinion -- as one of the greatest STORIES ever told. That may not be the same thing as being one of the greatest pieces of literature ever written (I've read many things which I found more profound or moving), but it's still pretty damn impressive.
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