Nothing I can write will do justice to the mind-boggling prose of Finnegan\u2019s Wake<\/em>, so here\u2019s a snippet instead:<\/p>\n Sir Tristram, violer d\u2019amores, fr\u2019over the short sea, had passen-core rearrived from North Armorica on this side the scraggy isthmus of Europe Minor to wielderfight his penisolate war: nor had topsawyer\u2019s rocks by the stream Oconee exaggerated themselse to Laurens County\u2019s gorgios while they went doublin their mumper all the time: <\/em><\/p>\n Now imagine 600 pages<\/strong> of that. Joyce\u2019s strange melodic prose apparently draws from over 65 languages and is used to tell the tale of…well, no-one really seems to know for sure.<\/p>\n In fact, some think Finnegan\u2019s Wake <\/em>may be a joke<\/a>, with Joyce writing a load of nonsense and having a good old laugh when critics lined up to praise it. Even Joyce\u2019s own brother called it \u201cthe work of a psychopath or a huge literary fraud\u201d\u009d<\/a>.<\/p>\n Given it took 17 years to write, however, it\u2019s more likely that Joyce was simply enjoying making up new words and packing his prose with more wordplay than the average human mind can comprehend, the clever so-and-so.<\/p>\n Set at the end of World War 2, Gravity\u2019s Rainbow <\/em>follows over 400 characters as they investigate a secretive device named Schwargerat, which is due to be installed in a rocket.<\/p>\n That is a huge oversimplification though, because Gravity\u2019s Rainbow <\/em>is actually about a million different things, from quantum mechanics to metaphysics to global extinction to just about everything else under the sun.<\/p>\n Gravity\u2019s Rainbow<\/em> is widely considered one of the greatest novels ever written but it\u2019s a toughie for those of us used to simpler prose and books with manageable levels of plotlines and characters. First time readers of Pynchon might want to check out this handy collection of tips<\/a>.<\/p>\n With countless characters and numerous interweaving narratives across nearly 1,100 pages, beloved counterculture writer David Foster Wallace\u2019s Infinite Jest <\/em>is legendarily difficult to finish.<\/p>\n There are websites dedicated just to finishing the novel<\/a>, and people who\u2019ve reached the end have been deemed worthy enough for interviews<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a beast physically too, to the extent that hardcore Jesters\u00a0suggest tearing the 2.2 inch thick book<\/a> in half for easier on-the-go reading.<\/p>\n Is it worth it? It\u2019s hard to say. Countless people say the book changed<\/a> their lives<\/a>, while others wonder what the fuss is about<\/a>. The only way to find out is try it yourself \u201d\u201c you can always sell it if you don\u2019t manage to make it past the first 100 pages…<\/p>\n It\u2019s our main man Joyce again.<\/p>\n Saying Ulysses <\/em>is slightly easier to digest than Finnegan\u2019s Wake<\/em> is a bit like saying joining MENSA is easier than becoming a rocket scientist; they\u2019re both ridiculously difficult.<\/p>\n Spanning 800 pages, Ulysees <\/em>follows a day in the life of three Dubliners. So far, so simple. But remember, this is Joyce: as such, everything is written in a stream of consciousness, the narrative jumps all over the shop and there\u2019s a metric boatload of obscure references too.<\/p>\n Still, The Modern Library named it the best English Language novel since 1900<\/a> so it must be worth a read, right? Alternatively, check out the BBC\u2019s cheat guide<\/a> and impress your mates with your sick Joyce knowledge without your brain melting.<\/p>\n Ah, Moby Dick<\/em>: the tale of one mad sea captain\u2019s frenzied quest to kill the whale that took his leg at any cost.<\/p>\n That\u2019s only half the story, though. The rest of Herman Melville\u2019s classic novel is dedicated to excruciatingly detailed accounts of whaling, whale anatomy and whale oil.<\/p>\n Imagine if Harry Potter was interspersed with chapters about children\u2019s magic kits and the materials used to make magic wands and you get the picture.<\/p>\n Unless you\u2019re really interested in marine biology or Victorian economics, this is a seriously tough read.<\/p>\n Cormac McCarthy is one of America\u2019s finest novelists, and one of its most popular too: both No Country for Old Men <\/em>and The Road<\/em> has been adapted into major Hollywood movies (with the former taking home Best Picture at the Oscars).<\/p>\n There is one McCarthy book that Hollywood simply can\u2019t seem to crack though: Blood Meridian<\/em>. This long, dense and difficult novel follows a group of outlaws who ride around collecting human scalps, led by a huge bald bloke called The Judge.<\/p>\n McCarthy uses the graphic violence that follows to explore morality, mortality and the evil that men do \u201d\u201c all in his signature \u201d\u02dcno punctuation apart from commas and full stops\u2019 style. It\u2019s a great book but it\u2019s\u00a0heavy<\/em>.<\/p>\n AKA the book you refer to when something is really, really long.<\/p>\n War and Peace<\/em> isn\u2019t actually the longest novel ever, but it\u2019s up there with a hefty 1,440 pages of meditations on…erm, war and peace during Russia\u2019s conflict with notorious pint-sized warmongerer Napoleon.<\/p>\n No-one can deny its classic status but if you\u2019re time-strapped, it might be easier to watch the TV adaptation instead…<\/p>\n Are you struggling to make it through these literary beasts? Or do you just need more space on your bookshelves? Then sell books<\/a> with musicMagpie!<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy: get an instant price using our website or FREE app, send them for FREE and we\u2019ll pay you the same day your books (and anything else you\u2019re selling) arrives. Click below to start selling!<\/p>\n
\nGravity\u2019s Rainbow \u201d\u201c Thomas Pynchon<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nInfinite Jest \u201d\u201c David Foster Wallace<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nUlysses \u201d\u201c James Joyce<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nMoby Dick \u201d\u201c Herman Melville<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nBlood Meridian \u201d\u201c Cormac McCarthy<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nWar and Peace<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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