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Subject: Percy-L: Literary, Religious, Scientific, and Philosophical Discussion on Walker Percy

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  • From: "Karey Perkins" <karey1 AT charter.net>
  • To: "'Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion'" <percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [percy-l] Ten Best Southern Novels of All Time...
  • Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 22:31:44 -0400

We had this discussion before on the best Percy novel and didn't come to a
consensus - and for me, I've concluded it's impossible to choose. Replace
#6 the Moviegoer with the Last Gentleman? Or another one? How could I say?
As I go through the dissertation and edit the chapters on each, I think
they're all great and do different things - all good and necessary. With
the current dearth of Percy fans and attention - I was surprised - and
thrilled - to see one of his - any in fact, in the top ten, and the rest
filling out the depth of the list.

I have a friend who also says ATKM is best novel ever written - swears by
it, always has. Loved the description of it you gave, Rhonda, - it was
beautiful! And he felt exactly the same way.

I also loved C of D and was ROFLMAO (can you say that about good
literature??) when I read it. Would be a great movie. (Wish Percy's would
be a movie too...)

I'm glad to see O'Connor made the list as well... She is a true genius.

Karey

-----Original Message-----
From: percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Beck, David A
Sent: Wednesday, September 09, 2009 9:50 PM
To: percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Re: [percy-l] Ten Best Southern Novels of All Time...

Agreed! I'd like to have seen C of D moved up, too. Wasn't someone
talking about making a movie based on Dunces? Can you imagine what the
Cohen brothers could do with that one.

-David



Quoting RHONDA MCDONNELL <rhonda_mcdonnell AT msn.com>:

>
> Since Absalom, Absalom is my favorite Faulkner novel, I had no real
> complaints (even if AKM is the one I keep coming back to). I
> certainly agree, David, with the dread followed by relief regarding
> Huck Finn. Just because Hemingway thought it was the greatest
> doesn't mean the rest of us have to keep drinking that kool-aid. I
> would've liked to have seen A Confederacy of Dunces moved up, by the
> way. I forgot to mention that last night.
>
> --Rhonda
>
> "You live in a deranged age, more deranged than usual, because in
> spite of great scientific and technological advances, man has not the
> faintest idea of who he is or what he is doing."
>
> Walker Percy
>
>
>
>> Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 09:29:04 -0400
>> From: dabeck AT iupui.edu
>> To: percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org
>> Subject: Re: [percy-l] Ten Best Southern Novels of All Time...
>>
>> Hey Rhonda,
>>
>> I have to (respectfully, of course) disagree. I was hoping that they
>> weren't going to put Huck Finn as number one. But I completely agree
>> with Absalom being number one; in fact, I'd go as far to say that it is
>> the great American novel. Your description of AKM fits Absalom as well
>> ("the confluence of all American
>> > Literature, with all the past flowing in and everything after
>> > carrying a piece of it").
>>
>> That's just my two cents. Both novels are great. But I would have
>> switched Last Gentleman in place of The Moviegoer. (Yes, I think my
>> letter ended up with yours.)
>>
>> I'm interested in hearing what others think.
>>
>> -David
>>
>> Quoting RHONDA MCDONNELL <rhonda_mcdonnell AT msn.com>:
>>
>> >
>> > Thanks Karey. Looks like just about all of WP's fiction got mentioned
>> > (I didn't see Thanatos or LITR but I was skimming--I guess that's 2/3
>> > then). It's hard to argue with #1 and #2 except I'd flip their
>> > order. All the King's Men is the confluence of all American
>> > Literature, with all the past flowing in and everything after
>> > carrying a piece of it. But that's just me getting a little purple
>> > about it. It just doesn't get better than that, I say. Unfortunately,
>> > my survey must have gotten lost in the mail.
>> >
>> > --Rhonda
>> >
>> > "You live in a deranged age, more deranged than usual, because in
>> > spite of great scientific and technological advances, man has not the
>> > faintest idea of who he is or what he is doing."
>> >
>> > Walker Percy
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > From: karey1 AT charter.net
>> > To: percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org
>> > Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 13:18:50 -0400
>> > Subject: [percy-l] Ten Best Southern Novels of All Time...
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>>
http://www.oxfordamerican.org/articles/2009/aug/27/best-southern-novels-all-
time/
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Percy is #6 on this list with ?The Moviegoer,?
>> > but if you click on the link at the bottom of the list, you?ll find
>> > others by him as well, further down.
>> >
>> >
>> > _________________________________________________________________
>> > Get back to school stuff for them and cashback for you.
>> >
>>
http://www.bing.com/cashback?form=MSHYCB&publ=WLHMTAG&crea=TEXT_MSHYCB_BackT
oSchool_Cashback_BTSCashback_1x1
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> An archive of all list discussion is available at
>> https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/
>>
>> Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> HotmailR is up to 70% faster. Now good news travels really fast.
>
http://windowslive.com/online/hotmail?ocid=PID23391::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:W
M_HYGN_faster:082009



--
An archive of all list discussion is available at
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Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy

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