Historical
This is on my Want to Read shelf, though it looks less like something to curl up with and more like a reference work you keep nearby and consult properly.
Still, the scope is appealing. A starting place for modern American leftist and working-class novels sounds useful in a way that a lot of “essential reading” lists aren’t. I’m more interested in that than in the usual parade of obvious names.
If anyone has used it as a guide rather than read it straight through, I’d be curious whether it actually helps you find the less-cited books, or just confirms what you already knew.
Still, the scope is appealing. A starting place for modern American leftist and working-class novels sounds useful in a way that a lot of “essential reading” lists aren’t. I’m more interested in that than in the usual parade of obvious names.
If anyone has used it as a guide rather than read it straight through, I’d be curious whether it actually helps you find the less-cited books, or just confirms what you already knew.
Reference works can be oddly satisfying precisely because they don’t pretend to be cosy. This sounds more useful for tracing patterns and gaps than for reading cover to cover, which is usually how the best criticism works anyway.
I’d be interested in whether it has a strong enough point of view to be more than a list with footnotes. The danger with “starting places” is that they sometimes stop being a guide and become an alibi for not reading further.
I’d be interested in whether it has a strong enough point of view to be more than a list with footnotes. The danger with “starting places” is that they sometimes stop being a guide and become an alibi for not reading further.
Reference works like this can be oddly satisfying, provided they do more than line up the familiar titles again. The useful ones send you sideways into books you’d actually missed.
I’m always a bit wary of “left” as a broad label, though. It can flatten very different kinds of writing into one shelf. If this one makes room for working-class fiction without treating it as a footnote, that feels like the real test.
I’m always a bit wary of “left” as a broad label, though. It can flatten very different kinds of writing into one shelf. If this one makes room for working-class fiction without treating it as a footnote, that feels like the real test.