The NYT Book Review has published a list of the best American fiction of the past 25 years from nominations solicited from high-profile writers, critics, and other literary luminaries by editor Sam Tanenhaus, who asked what they felt was the single best work from this period. More to the point, there is a lengthy piece by A.O. Scott, the NYT’s film critic, about why making such a list is nearly impossible. He says:
To ask for the best work of American fiction, therefore, is not simply – or not really – to ask for the most beautifully written or the most enjoyable to read. We all have our personal favorites, but I suspect that something other than individual taste underwrites most of the choices here. The best works of fiction, according to our tally, appear to be those that successfully assume a burden of cultural importance. They attempt not just the exploration of particular imaginary people and places, but also the illumination of epochs, communities, of the nation itself. America is not only their setting, but also their subject.
This list makes for an interesting debate about what we should be reading vs. what we really do read. The National Endowment for the Arts and the Institute for Museum and Library Services have teamed up to create a national reading program called The Big Read to encourage reading of fiction and “revitalize the role of literature in the nation’s popular culture.” They have chosen four titles and encourage communities nationwide to choose one of these and hold a community discussion about the book. The titles they chose are all stellar examples of American literature, but haven’t most of us read these and discussed them in high school? Did they consider that the reason why people don’t read literary fiction for pleasure might be because of the way literary fiction was taught in high school, with endless discussions of character and theme? Wouldn’t a different approach work better to renew adults’ interest in reading than repeating the same approach used in high school? Couldn’t more recent titles have been chosen so that reading them would be a new experience?