This list of the century’s “best” novels as determined by the board of The Modern Library is almost 10 years old now, and it still has the power to piss me off.
There are a whopping 8 women on this list.
Did you hear that? Eight out of 100 authors in 100 years.
15. (1927) To the Lighthouse – Virginia Woolf
17. (1940) The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter – Carson McCullers
58. (1920) The Age of Innocence – Edith Wharton
61. (1927) Death Comes for the Archbishop – Willa Cather
69. (1905) The House of Mirth – Edith Wharton
76. (1962) The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie – Muriel Spark
84. (1938) The Death of the Heart – Elizabeth Bowen
95. (1954) Under the Net – Iris Murdoch
Not only did Virginia Woolf have to wait for the #15 slot on the list, one of the most admired female authors ever, Harper Lee, didn’t make it at all.
That’s right, no To Kill A Mockingbird. Even though it’s been called “the perfect novel” by many people, many times since its publication.
And that’s just the beginning. Bad enough to be female, but God forbid you be anything but white!
The Modern Library currently has some pretty righteous ribs on their board. I do not know if these esteemed authors were on it ten years ago when the list was compiled, but I sure to hell hope not. I mean, Maya Angelou! Joyce Carol Fucking Oates!
The rival list from Radcliffe Publishing is marginally better. It has 20 female authors on it, 3 of them are in the top ten (Mockingbird‘s #4), and people of color are better represented.
These lists illustrate exactly why nobody gives a shit about the so-called literary elite except themselves. They can’t see through the dust of their dead forefathers.
Technorati Tags: writing, literature, books, authors, sexism, racism
Fear not. When the list is updated, J.K. Rowling will take up the top seven spots on the list.
Only if she comes out as a man and then dies. But I’m not cynical or anything…