Wikipedia:WikiProject Novels/Assessment/Top-important

This is the WikiProject assessment department "Top-Important" page belonging to Wikipedia:WikiProject Novels. It is used as a basis for those trying to agree the "Top" priority or importance of existing articles.

In other words a forum to discuss agreement on which Novel articles should "Always" be present in representations of this on-line encyclopedia. See also the

N.b. Please bear in mind that the aim is not to assess the relative qualities of the novels themselves, but to determine how important (of what priority) it is the have an article about the subject in this on-line encyclopedia or any variant outtake from it. (see the

Please keep to starting the entry with emboldened class names (i.e. "Top", "High", "Mid" or "Low") only so it is clear for those following and so that the rating is clear regardless of where the entries are moved, (promote etc. are relative terms in this context).

n.b. please list strictly alphabetically

A Christmas Carol

Summary status ( 5 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 10:12, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

• Top - Dickens novel, very popular Christmas story. Everyone in the Western World knows Scrooge.
  Errabee 12:50, 11 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Well-known and part of popular culture Silverthorn 12:06, 12 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - I think. Importance in pop culture trumps limited critical respect, in this case.
  john k 18:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Applejuicefool 16:17, 21 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A Farewell to Arms

Summary status ( 2 for | 2 against) Top class - as at 09:55, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

• Top - Other masterpiece by Hemingway.
  Errabee 12:50, 11 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• High -
  john k 19:09, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Mandel 06:22, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• High - -Wikimol 15:50, 22 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Summary status ( 5 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 09:54, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

• Top --Sordel 14:32, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top
  john k 18:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top Applejuicefool 16:18, 21 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top One of the three or four seminal novels of American literature. Mandel 06:23, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top
  ee 15:40, 4 April 2007 (UTC)[reply
  ]

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Summary status ( 7 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 15:53, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

• Top - A genuine children's classic that's really lasted through the years.
  john k 20:32, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - It's one of those where you ask yourself how we missed it. --Sordel 20:55, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - A genuine classic that has entered popular culture too. Silverthorn 11:20, 21 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Applejuicefool 16:19, 21 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top -
  Errabee 09:48, 22 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Mandel 06:24, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Wikimol 15:50, 22 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

All Quiet on the Western Front

Summary status ( 4 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 16:32, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

• Top - Major war novel. --Sordel 15:54, 21 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top -
  Errabee 10:01, 22 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• High - Famous but not awfully good or influential. Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Top - Changed my mind. Shouldn't nitpick a popular classic. Mandel 15:32, 10 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - one of those war novels should be included. #54 CZBP --Wikimol 15:50, 22 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Anna Karenina

Summary status ( 4 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 10:13, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

• Top - Tolstoy's masterpiece, along with War and Peace.
  Errabee 12:50, 11 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Silverthorn 11:58, 12 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Often regarded as the greatest novel of all time.
  john k 18:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Bleak House

Summary status ( 7 for | 1 against) Top class - as at 10:14, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

• Top - I'm convinced. Although not well-known in the public, an encyclopedia must have an educational aspect as well. I have at least learned something new.
  Errabee 09:51, 22 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• High - Not the most well-known of Dickens novels. Others are probably more accurately described as his magnum opus and thus justify a higher rating than for this novel. Silverthorn 11:59, 12 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Actually, this is one of the most acclaimed of Dickens' novels (eg. Chesterton & Harold Bloom). The only reason it's not as familiar to the general populace is because film adaptations and remakes do not appear every Christmas season and no one has tried to turn it into a musical.--Ibis3 20:54, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Like Our Mutual Friend and Little Dorrit, this novel is too long to be widely read by general readers but academia rates it as one of his very best. Recent BBC serialisation has raised its profile. --Sordel 07:19, 19 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Long been regarded by most who have actually read Dickens as one of his best. :: Kevinalewis : ^{(Talk Page)}/_(Desk) 14:30, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - While not his best known novel, it is the novel best-respected by critics. And the recent BBC miniseries has made it better known.
  john k 18:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - I changed my mind. While this doesn't have the popular recognition, I just realized that this list is about the importance of there being an article for each novel. Bleak house definitely needs one. Applejuicefool 16:22, 21 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Brave New World

Summary status ( 6 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 09:48, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

• Top - Literary interesting, and sparks a lot of discussion.
  Errabee 12:50, 11 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Deeply ingrained in the popular culture. Definitely needs an article. Applejuicefool 16:28, 21 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Important work --Lethaniol 17:33, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - influential. --Wikimol 15:50, 22 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - influential and well-known outside the native English speakers' countries. Popular as a concept.

Catch-22

Summary status ( 5 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 16:34, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

• Top - Number 7 on the Modern Library list. Quite funny, and popular.
  john k 19:49, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Widely known, and of course the title itself has entered popular culture as a phrase that someone could conceivably look up in Wiki. Silverthorn 11:27, 21 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Though not liked by critics at time of first publishing, this book now has cult status and is used in schools as a set text. Whenever Catch-22 is ranked along with other modern novels it is normally in the top 100 if not the top 20 - showing its wild appeal and readship of the public. --Lethaniol 11:26, 25 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• High - Too early to tell maybe, but this novel is a classic. Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Top - Changed my mind. Long enough. Mandel 15:33, 10 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - canonical. CZBP#72 --Wikimol 15:50, 22 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Crime and Punishment

Summary status ( 6 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 15:47, 15 February 2007 (UTC)

• Top - Dostoevsky's masterpiece, along with The Brothers Karamazov. Influenced Nietzsche.
  Errabee 12:50, 11 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Well-known and influential Silverthorn 12:00, 12 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Pretty obvious.
  john k 18:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Can there really be any debate on this one? --Todeswalzer | Talk 18:32, 21 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - CZMyBookPoll #140. --Wikimol

David Copperfield

Summary status ( 4 for | 1 against) Top class - as at 10:15, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

• High - Another Dickens novel, less important than Oliver Twist.
  Errabee 12:50, 11 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Again, you can't judge importance by the fact that someone made a musical. Dickens himself said David Copperfield was his favourite. I know that's not exactly a NPOV statement, but in terms of the Dickens canon, this one generally rates higher than Oliver.--Ibis3 21:02, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - More critically respected than Oliver Twist or A Christmas Carol, and more famous than Bleak House.
• Top - Yeah, what they said. Plus, it's got a famous magician named after it. Applejuicefool 16:31, 21 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• High - --
  talk) 02:11, 9 January 2011 (UTC)[reply
  ]

Dead Souls

Summary status ( 3 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 16:50, 3 March 2009 (UTC)

• Top - Listed in many "top 100" lists, a major novel, and a big influence on later Russian novelists.
  john k 22:56, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - As my field of expertise is with Russian literature, I can only acknowledge that Dead Souls is indeed a major novel. I had already considered it to include it here, but thought against it for the simple reason it isn't Gogol's magnum opus. That would be his play
  Errabee 23:14, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Major European novel. Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Doctor Zhivago

Summary status ( 4 for | 1 against) Top class - as at 10:17, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

• Top - Nobel-price winning novel, and almost everybody knows the film with Omar Sharif.
  Errabee 12:50, 11 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• High - Better known as a movie, I think. The Nobel Prize is not a flawless measure of importance or fame.
  john k 18:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Pasternak's magnum opus, very strange if not in Wikipedia!. :: Kevinalewis : ^{(Talk Page)}/_(Desk) 15:29, 21 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - CZMyBookPoll #150. --Wikimol

Don Quixote

Summary status ( 6 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 13:30, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

• Top - Not assessed yet, but *the* most important and influential Spanish novel
  Errabee 00:36, 13 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - I have yet to be able to get through it, but it is one of the most important novels written.--Ibis3 21:33, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - This is in DIRE need of work; it is not just the most important Spanish novel - it is often listed as the greatest novel of all time! I tried to solicit a call to action on the talk page, but no regular editors seem to watch the page. I think the easiest thing would be a partial translation from the Spanish article, which was a FA, but it wouldbenice to have consensus before proceeding. Eusebeus 15:58, 25 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Incredibly important.
  john k 18:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - The most important and influential novel of all timeMandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Obviously. --Wikimol 15:50, 22 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Dracula

Summary status ( 6 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 09:56, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

• Top - From a literary point of view not interesting enough, but gained so much popularity in society, it should stay.
  Errabee 12:50, 11 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Has had significant influence on popular culture. Silverthorn 12:02, 12 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Think about it...would you even know what a vampire is if not for this book? Applejuicefool 16:34, 21 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Without question Lethaniol 17:33, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Wikimol 15:50, 22 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Dream of the Red Chamber

Summary status ( 1 for | 1 against) Top class - as at 09:57, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

• Oppose - Needs assertion of influence outside of China.
  ee 15:39, 4 April 2007 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - We should assess greatness and importance, not influence. Should not use 'dead, white, male' criteria on world literature. Mandel 14:58, 10 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

East of Eden

Summary status ( 2 for | 4 against) Top class - as at 13:32, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

• Top - Masterpiece by major American writer John Steinbeck. Popular film with James Dean.
  Errabee 12:50, 11 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• High - There's a couple of Steinbeck works I'd put ahead of it (Grapes of Wrath, notably), and I doubt Steinbeck deserves more than one, given the current level of critical respect he generates (not high).
  john k 18:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Not Steinbeck's best-known, but definitely needs an article. Applejuicefool 16:38, 21 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• High - Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men would be enough Steinbeck ... EoE seems comparatively obscure by comparison. --Sordel 16:45, 21 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• High - as per Sordel Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• High - ack Sordel. --Wikimol

Eugene Onegin

Summary status ( 4 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 15:45, 15 February 2007 (UTC)

• Top - Every Russian knows parts of it by heart. Strong influence on other Russian literature, many citations and allusions.
  Errabee 01:55, 12 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Meets criteria for literary merit and cultural significance but ... it's written in verse. If that doesn't matter, then I agree with top-importance. --Sordel 07:51, 19 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - It's usually described as a "verse novel", and incredibly important.
  john k 18:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Fathers and Sons

Summary status ( 3 for | 1 against) Top class - as at 15:48, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

• Top - Masterpiece from important Russian writer Ivan Turgenev.
  Errabee 12:50, 11 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Quite important.
  john k 18:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Rerate - it would be nice to have something Turgenev, but I can well image encyclopedia withou it. --Wikimol 15:50, 22 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Frankenstein

Summary status ( 5 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 09:39, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

• Top - Popular culture demands it.
  Errabee 12:50, 11 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Has had significant influence on popular culture Silverthorn 12:01, 12 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Popular culture, plus it's one of the first important novels by a female author. Applejuicefool 16:45, 21 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - like Dracula an important work for pop --Lethaniol 17:34, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Germinal

Summary status ( 3 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 15:48, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

• Top - Zola was one of France's most important novelists of the 19th century, and this is generally considered his masterpiece.
  john k 18:59, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top -
  ee 15:41, 4 April 2007 (UTC)[reply
  ]

Great Expectations

Summary status ( 4 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 15:49, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

• Top - Generally seen as one of Dicken's greatest, and, along with David Copperfield, the one most likely to appear as the Dickens work in critical lists. More critically respected than Oliver Twist or A Christmas Carol, more famous than Bleak House. Should go in.
  john k 22:56, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - In addition to being one of the great novels, it's a good example of bildungsroman and has been adapted repeatedly, not least in the film directed by David Lean. --Sordel 11:54, 21 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - This I would indeed expect in an encyclopedia.
  Errabee 10:02, 22 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Gulliver's Travels

Summary status ( 5 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 15:50, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

• Top - Swift's masterpiece.
  john k 18:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Would definitely be strange if I searched a general encyclopedia for this and nothing came up. Applejuicefool 16:46, 21 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - absolutely canonical. --Wikimol 15:50, 22 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top -
  ee 15:42, 4 April 2007 (UTC)[reply
  ]

Harry Potter

Summary status ( 5 for | 1 against) Top class - as at 15:51, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

• Top - Not assessed yet, but I can't imagine an encyclopedia without Harry Potter.
  Errabee 12:18, 12 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Significant impact on popular culture Silverthorn 15:51, 12 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - From the point of view of public interest you could not leave it out. Sandpiper 12:43, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• High - Nothing contemporary should be under top class - too early to tell. Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - --Lethaniol 17:35, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - CZMyBookPoll #1. --Wikimol

Heart of Darkness

Summary status ( 3 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 15:54, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

• Top - Only a novella, but surely one of the most influential and important works of the last century.
  john k 19:51, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Considered a precursor of literary modernism, and there's always its influence on
  T.S. Eliot to think of. --Sordel 21:28, 21 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Howards End

Summary status ( 0 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 15:54, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

In Search of Lost Time

Summary status ( 5 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 13:28, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

• Top - Very influential novel.
  Errabee 13:24, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - This one is consistently listed as one of the top novels of the twentieth century. --Ibis3 21:37, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - As Ibis says.
  john k 18:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Maybe the greatest novel of the twentieth century Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Wikimol 15:50, 22 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Jane Eyre

Summary status ( 5 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 16:51, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

• Top -
  Errabee 12:50, 11 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Silverthorn 12:04, 12 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Ibis3 21:05, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top -
  john k 18:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Jin Ping Mei

Summary status ( 1 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 15:55, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

discovery today

• Top - Would enhance Wikipedia's reputation as a serious world encyclopedia. Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)

Lady Chatterley's Lover

Summary status ( 3 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 13:27, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

• Top - Very controversial work by major author D.H. Lawrence.
  Errabee 00:49, 13 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Well-known and controversial work by major author. Silverthorn 13:23, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Lazarillo de Tormes

Summary status ( 4 for | 0 against) Top class - as at :: Kevinalewis : ^{(Talk Page)}/_(Desk) 16:42, 24 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

• Top - I must confess that I'm basing this solely on having read the article, but if this novel invented the picaresque genre, then it probably deserves top-importance. --Sordel 18:47, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - The novel did start the picaresque genre. It's considered one of the most remarkable novels in Spanish literature, maybe only second to Don Quxote. Well known to anyone with high-school education in many (probably most) Spanish speaking countries, althought not as widely known elsewhere. Known by anyone with a serious interest in Spanish literature.--Rataube 15:44, 4 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Wikimol 15:50, 22 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Le Père Goriot

Summary status ( 2 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 15:55, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

• Top - Probably the best known work by Balzac, one of the most important French novelists (and novelists in general) of the 19th century).
  john k 18:59, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - aka above. Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Les Liaisons dangereuses

Summary status ( 4 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 15:56, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

• Top - most famous French novel of the 18th century, has spawned countless film adaptations.
  john k 20:32, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - I agree with john k. Silverthorn 11:29, 21 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Agreed.
  Errabee 10:06, 22 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Les Misérables

Summary status ( 5 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 15:54, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

• Top - Not assessed yet, very influential novel by one of the greatest French novelists.
  Errabee 00:29, 13 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Along with the Hunchback of Notre Dame, probably one of the best known works by Victor Hugo, an important French novelist. Has had significant impact on popular culture, including inspiring one of the longest-running musicals in the West End and Broadway. Silverthorn 13:22, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Ibis3 21:38, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Magnum opus of Hugo.
  john k 18:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Lolita

Summary status ( 5 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 15:57, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

• Top - Magnum opus from Nabokov; very influential on society and language.
  Errabee 12:50, 11 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Ibis3 21:05, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top -
  john k 18:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - well known, CZMyBookPoll #137 --Wikimol 15:50, 22 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Lord of the Flies

Summary status ( 4 for | 2 against) Top class - as at 15:57, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

• Top - Most famous novel by Nobel laureate; widely accepted into popular culture. --Sordel 20:40, 21 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Masterwork even without the film version adding to it's popularity. :: Kevinalewis : ^{(Talk Page)}/_(Desk) 08:13, 22 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - I really hated this novel, but agree that it should be top-important.
  Errabee 10:06, 22 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• High - Not convinced this should be top. Seems like a book used by the establishment to tell children that they are innately bad - not much positive comes out of the book, hmmm --Lethaniol 17:38, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• High - Admittedly well-written, but if it weren't part of the US High School curriculum, would anybody read it? -- llywrch 20:35, 8 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Madame Bovary

Summary status ( 3 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 10:05, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

• Top - Who hasn't heard of this novel?
  Errabee 12:50, 11 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]

Interesting comment that, about 95% of the world's population I should imagine. Many won't have heard of a novel let alone this one. Still highly importance work though. :: Kevinalewis : ^{(Talk Page)}/_(Desk) 16:10, 21 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Let me rephrase then. Of all the people interested in literature, who hasn't heard of this novel?

Errabee 09:54, 22 September 2006 (UTC)[reply

]

• Top -
  john k 18:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - the realist classic Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Middlemarch

Summary status ( 3 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 15:58, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

• Top - Regarded by many as the greatest European novel in English. --Sordel 07:12, 19 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - A great novel, Eliot's best, etc.
  john k 18:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - I agree with sordel Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Moby Dick

Summary status ( 5 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 10:05, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

• Top - Very well known novel with many references in popular culture.
  Errabee 01:43, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Has a good claim to being greatest American novel. --Sordel 18:48, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Greatest American novel, etc.
  john k 18:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - canonical... --Wikimol 15:50, 22 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Nineteen Eighty-Four

Summary status ( 6 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 10:01, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

• Top - Big Brother is watching you has become general knowledge.
  Errabee 12:50, 11 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Silverthorn 12:04, 12 August 2006 (UTC
• Top - I suppose.
  john k 18:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - where would be without newsspeak --Lethaniol 17:38, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Btw cca #7 English literature book in CZMyBookPoll (To give some comparison - nothing from Dickens qualified in that poll. For most readers here, Dickens is one of the authors you've learned about on high school, read a book or two, and that's all. On the other hand, 1984 is well alive "handbook" to totaliaran regimes, prohibited durring communist rule.) --Wikimol 15:50, 22 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Novel

Summary status ( 2 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 09:34, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

• Top. Defines our project.
  Errabee 10:07, 11 December 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top. As above :: Kevinalewis : ^{(Talk Page)}/_(Desk) 09:34, 10 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Novella

Summary status ( 2 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 09:35, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

• Top. Defines our project.
  Errabee 10:07, 11 December 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top. As above :: Kevinalewis : ^{(Talk Page)}/_(Desk) 09:35, 10 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Novelette

Summary status ( 2 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 09:35, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

• Top. Defines our project.
  Errabee 10:07, 11 December 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top. As above :: Kevinalewis : ^{(Talk Page)}/_(Desk) 09:35, 10 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Oliver Twist

Summary status ( 3 for | 3 against) Top class - as at 10:02, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

• Top - Most important novel by Dickens.
  Errabee 12:50, 11 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• High - Not as important as Bleak House, David Copperfield, and Great Expectations. About the same level of importance as Nicholas Nickleby or A Tale of Two Cities, I'd say. --Ibis3 21:11, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - If it were the only novel that Dickens had ever written it would clearly be one of the major novels of western literature. It seems tough to exclude it merely because Dickens wrote better. --Sordel 07:09, 19 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Dickens is important enough to have several.
  john k 18:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• High - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• High - in world context Dickens is not important enough to have 5 books listed --Wikimol 15:50, 22 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oh, I don't know about that...Tolstoy considers him the greatest...anyway 7-8 Dickens does not seem that far fetched. Mandel 15:14, 10 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

Summary status ( 5 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 16:07, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

• Top - Solzhenitsyn should be represented and this novel is very accessible to readers and a great insight into labour camp conditions under Stalin. Loyola 08:42, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - although if it was novel, The Gulag Archipelago would be better. --Wikimol 15:50, 22 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Weakish support. Not a Solzhenitsyn fan.
  ee 15:57, 4 April 2007 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Important. Mandel 15:25, 10 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - His mosst accessible novel and also his most well known. --Alabamaboy 01:23, 28 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Summary status ( 7 for | 1 against) Top class - as at 10:03, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

• Top - Nobel price winner García Marquez's materpiece.
  Errabee 09:35, 13 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - The seminal work in magical realism. --Ibis3 21:40, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - This work not only important as a premier example of magic realism, but its impact on the understanding of Latin American literature. --chemica 00:28, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - One of the major novels of the 2nd half of the 20th century, I think.
  john k 18:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• High - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Best known Latin American novel, had a great impact.--Rataube 14:07, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - all of the above --Lethaniol 17:39, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - as above, CZMBP#56 --Wikimol

Out of Africa

Summary status ( 1 for | 3 against) Top class - as at 07:23, 24 October 2006 (UTC)

• Top - Another editor has rated this as Top. Personally I can see no reason to object but it should be debated here. :: Kevinalewis : ^{(Talk Page)}/_(Desk) 07:23, 24 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• High - Compared to the other novels listed here it's not that important. There's many other 20th century novels I think should be on here before this.
  john k 21:47, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• High - Wikimol 15:50, 22 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• High - Only became known after the movie with Meryl Streep.
  ee 15:46, 4 April 2007 (UTC)[reply
  ]

Pride and Prejudice

Summary status ( 5 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 16:00, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

• Top -
  Errabee 12:50, 11 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top -
  john k 18:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Silverthorn 09:09, 22 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - This would be the best example possibly of a JA novel --Lethaniol 17:40, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Robinson Crusoe

Summary status ( 6 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 16:44, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

• Top - By popular demand.
  Errabee 12:50, 11 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - One of the earliest and most influential of English novels.--Ibis3 21:45, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Silverthorn 16:19, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Very influential and consistently popular for hundreds of years, although it's horribly boring.
  john k 18:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - as above - don't know why, but everybody have read it- CZMBP#15 --Wikimol

Sherlock Holmes

Summary status ( 4 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 09:37, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

• Top A must have in every encyclopedia
  Errabee 13:51, 11 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top, although I'd prefer the category restrict itself to actual novels, and not to fictional characters.
  john k 18:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
  • How about
    Errabee 12:28, 21 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
    ]
  • I'd rather have the character than the novel, because it's the body of work that gets top-importance rather than that one novel. It's the same with Harry Potter. --Sordel 14:45, 21 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - both - Character / series is of great priority - and the classic novel from that series. :: Kevinalewis : ^{(Talk Page)}/_(Desk) 12:33, 21 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top --Wikimol 15:50, 22 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Short story

Summary status ( 2 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 09:34, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

• Top. Defines our project.
  Errabee 10:09, 11 December 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top. For reason above has to be Top. :: Kevinalewis : ^{(Talk Page)}/_(Desk) 09:34, 10 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Tarzan of the Apes

Summary status ( 1 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 16:00, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

• Top. Cultural icon.
  ee 15:47, 4 April 2007 (UTC)[reply
  ]

• Top - Thomas Hardy seems to have been overlooked in the top importance listings. Tess is set for public examination, has given rise to a major film, and is regularly regarded as a key late Victorian novel, and as a strong example of the influence of the sensation novel on English literature. --Sordel 07:08, 19 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Probably the best known novel by Hardy, who should be represented. The Return of the Native should perhaps also be.
  john k 18:52, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - and Jude the Obscure. These are cases that will probably be made once we have a fuller and more representative selection of writers and major novels. --Sordel 19:33, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Hardy should definitely be represented and this would be the obvious novel in my opinion. It is probably the best known and has had the most influence on popular culture. Silverthorn 11:32, 21 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Big Sleep

Summary status ( 3 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 18:17, 3 March 2009 (UTC)

• Top - Chandler was tremendously influential in the detective genre, and this is his most famous one.
  john k 20:32, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top. I agree completely.
  ee 21:01, 4 April 2007 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top -- if not this one then Farewell, My Lovely. One of the great & most influential detective novels by an influential writer. -- llywrch 20:47, 8 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The Brothers Karamazov

Summary status ( 3 for | 0 against) Top class - as at 15:48, 15 February 2007 (UTC)

• Top - Dostoevsky's other masterpiece.
  Errabee 12:50, 11 August 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top -
  john k 18:47, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top - Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Catcher in the Rye

Summary status ( 2 for | 1 against) Top class - as at 09:38, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

• Top. Not in the first rank of literary significance, but has had a pervasive effect on U.S. culture and is an especially good example of unreliable narration. --Sordel 14:25, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top. As Sordel says.
  john k 18:47, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• High. Overrated, and though famous, not influential. Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Count of Monte Cristo

Summary status ( 5 for | 1 against) Top class - as at 16:41, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

• Top - Not one of the most important literary works of all time, but very famous - on a par with Dumas's other work,
  john k 13:14, 24 September 2006 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• Top or High - Tough one though. Mandel 06:21, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - 9muses 15:11, 31 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
• Top -
  ee 16:04, 4 April 2007 (UTC)[reply
  ]
• High. Less known than The Three Musketeers. More than one Dumas' work would be overrating him.--Rataube 04:10, 19 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]
• Top - More important to literature than The Three Musketeers Ccady (talk) 14:28, 16 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]