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The English Teacher's List of Defiance: Popular Genre Books That Are Better Than "Literature "

I was once asked during a job interview who I thought were the 3 greatest American Novelists of the 20th Century. I said Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and Elmore Leonard. I didn't get the job. (I learned later that I was supposed to say Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Faulkner.Mea Culpa.) In my subsequent career in Academia, I have held to two principles:1) Drama is not Literature - it is its own separate form; and 2) The best writing is found in the genres. I don't discount mainstream literary fiction; "Gatsby", for example, is a great book. It's just that "The Glass Key" is just as good, and Hammett is a better storyteller AND writer than Fitzgerald. So here are a bunch of genre titles that meet the criteria of "Literature", and are better than some of the crap I was required to teach.
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Alas Babylon (Frank)
Alas Babylon
1
Frank
American Gods (Neil Gaiman)
American Gods
2
Neil Gaiman
American Tabloid (James Ellroy)
American Tabloid
3
James Ellroy
An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (P. D. James)
An Unsuitable Job for a Woman
4
P. D. James
And Chaos Died (Joanna Russ)
And Chaos Died
5
Joanna Russ
And Then There Were None (Agatha Christie)
And Then There Were None
6
Agatha Christie
Aubrey/Maturin Series
Aubrey/Maturin Series
7
Bag of Bones (Stephen King)
Bag of Bones
8
Stephen King
Bid Time Return (Richard Matheson)
Bid Time Return
9
Richard Matheson
The Big Clock (Kenneth Fearing)
The Big Clock
10
Kenneth Fearing
The Big Nowhere (James Ellroy)
The Big Nowhere
11
James Ellroy
The Big Sky (A.B. Guthrie)
The Big Sky
12
A.B. Guthrie
The Big Sleep (Chandler)
The Big Sleep
13
Chandler
Blackout/All Clear (Connie Willis)
Blackout/All Clear
14
Connie Willis
Buffalo Gals Won't You Come Out Tonight? (Ursula K Leguin)
Buffalo Gals Won't You Come Out Tonight?
15
Ursula K Leguin
Burnt Offerings (Robert Marasco)
Burnt Offerings
16
Robert Marasco
A Canticle for Leibowitz (Miller)
A Canticle for Leibowitz
17
Miller
Cat's Cradle (Kurt Vonnegut)
Cat's Cradle
18
Kurt Vonnegut
Childhood's End (Arthur C. Clarke)
Childhood's End
19
Arthur C. Clarke
The City and the City (China Mieville)
The City and the City
20
China Mieville
A Coffin for Dimitrios (Ambler)
A Coffin for Dimitrios
21
Ambler
Cotton Comes to Harlem (Chester Himes)
Cotton Comes to Harlem
22
Chester Himes
The Crook Factory (Simmons)
The Crook Factory
23
Simmons
Dangerous Visions (Harlan Ellison)
Dangerous Visions
24
Harlan Ellison
The Dark Country (Dennis Etchison)
The Dark Country
25
Dennis Etchison
A Dark-Adapted Eye (Barbara Vine)
A Dark-Adapted Eye
26
Barbara Vine
The Daughter of Time (Josephine Tey)
The Daughter of Time
27
Josephine Tey
The Day of the Triffids (John Wyndham)
The Day of the Triffids
28
John Wyndham
Deathbird Stories (Harlan Ellison)
Deathbird Stories
29
Harlan Ellison
Devil in a Blue Dress (Walter Mosley)
Devil in a Blue Dress
30
Walter Mosley
The Dispossessed (Ursula K. Le Guin)
The Dispossessed
31
Ursula K. Le Guin
Doomsday Book (Willis)
Doomsday Book
32
Willis
The Doors of His Face (Zelazny)
The Doors of His Face
33
Zelazny
Double Indemnity (James M. Cain)
Double Indemnity
34
James M. Cain
The Drowning Pool (Ross MacDonald)
The Drowning Pool
35
Ross MacDonald
Dune (Frank Herbert)
Dune
36
Frank Herbert
The Dunwich Horror (H. P. Lovecraft)
The Dunwich Horror
37
H. P. Lovecraft
Dying Inside (Robert Silverberg)
Dying Inside
38
Robert Silverberg
The Einstein Intersection (Samuel R. Delany)
The Einstein Intersection
39
Samuel R. Delany
Eye of the Needle (Ken Follett)
Eye of the Needle
40
Ken Follett
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