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The English Teacher's List of Defiance: Popular Genre Books That Are Better Than "Literature " - Page 2

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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Farewell My Lovely (Raymond Chandler)
Farewell My Lovely
41
Raymond Chandler
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said (Philip K. Dick)
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said
42
Philip K. Dick
The Forever War (Joe Haldeman)
The Forever War
43
Joe Haldeman
From Hell (Alan Moore)
From Hell
44
Alan Moore
Funeral in Berlin (Deighton)
Funeral in Berlin
45
Deighton
Get Shorty (Elmore Leonard)
Get Shorty
46
Elmore Leonard
Ghost Story (Peter Straub)
Ghost Story
47
Peter Straub
The Girl on the Train (Paula Hawkins)
The Girl on the Train
48
Paula Hawkins
The Glass Key (Dashiell Hammett)
The Glass Key
49
Dashiell Hammett
The Haunting of Hill House (Shirley Jackson)
The Haunting of Hill House
50
Shirley Jackson
The Hemingway Hoax (Joe Haldeman)
The Hemingway Hoax
51
Joe Haldeman
Her Smoke Rose Up Forever (Tiptree)
Her Smoke Rose Up Forever
52
Tiptree
Hornblower Series (C.S. Forester)
Hornblower Series
53
C.S. Forester
The House Next Door (Anne Rivers Siddon)
The House Next Door
54
Anne Rivers Siddon
The Hunter
The Hunter
55
Hyperion Cantos
Hyperion Cantos
56
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream (Harlan Ellison)
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream
57
Harlan Ellison
I Married a Dead Man (Cornell Woolrich)
I Married a Dead Man
58
Cornell Woolrich
In a Lonely Place (Hughes)
In a Lonely Place
59
Hughes
The Ipcress File (Len Deighton)
The Ipcress File
60
Len Deighton
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (Susanna Clarke)
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
61
Susanna Clarke
Journey Into Fear (Ambler)
Journey Into Fear
62
Ambler
The Last Good Kiss (James Crumley)
The Last Good Kiss
63
James Crumley
Laura (Vera Caspary)
Laura
64
Vera Caspary
The Left Hand of Darkness (Ursula K. Le Guin)
The Left Hand of Darkness
65
Ursula K. Le Guin
The Listeners (James Gunn)
The Listeners
66
James Gunn
The Long Goodbye (Raymond Chandler)
The Long Goodbye
67
Raymond Chandler
The Long Tomorrow (Leigh Brackett)
The Long Tomorrow
68
Leigh Brackett
Lord of Light (Roger Zelazny)
Lord of Light
69
Roger Zelazny
The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (Heinrich Böll)
The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum
70
Heinrich Böll
The Maltese Falcon (Dashiell Hammett)
The Maltese Falcon
71
Dashiell Hammett
The Man in the High Castle (Philip K. Dick)
The Man in the High Castle
72
Philip K. Dick
The Mexican Tree Duck (Crumley)
The Mexican Tree Duck
73
Crumley
The Ministry of Fear (Graham Greene)
The Ministry of Fear
74
Graham Greene
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress (Robert A. Heinlein)
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
75
Robert A. Heinlein
The Moonstone (Collins)
The Moonstone
76
Collins
Mother Night (Kurt Vonnegut Jr.)
Mother Night
77
Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Murder on the Orient Express (Agatha Christie)
Murder on the Orient Express
78
Agatha Christie
Mystic River (Dennis Lehane)
Mystic River
79
Dennis Lehane
The Name of the Rose (Eco)
The Name of the Rose
80
Eco
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