Hello readers!
Welcome to the second segment of A Century of Books!
If you are new or are looking for the first part, you can find that HERE!
I am so excited for this decade because I adore the roaring 20s. I love the music and the clothing but mostly I love the literature. Although I could talk about The Great Gatsby and all of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s other books he wrote in the 1920s, I am going two focus on two other books.
But if you do want to read about The Great Gatsby you can find a post about it HERE!
Now let’s get onto the books!
Let’s jump in.
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1920-1929:
Ulysses by James Joyce (1922)
There are a lot of mixed emotions when it comes to this book. It is 730 pages but the story only spans over the course of one day. That’s right. Episode one starts at 8 AM on June 16, 1904, and episode 18 just before the dawn of June 17th.
Yet, those 730 pages are able to keep readers captivated for its entirety.
The story followed the day of a man named Leopold Bloom as he visits a friend at the bar, checks in on a woman who is to give birth any minute as well as does errands for his wife. We get a thorough view of a man’s life from the moment he wakes up to the moment he goes back to sleep.
Many people look down upon those who have read Ulysses because it is seen as an elitist book and only those who are sophisticated would read it. At least that’s how it used to be.
Ulysses was first published serially in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920. Then it was published as a novel in 1922, on Joyce’s 40th birthday! What a nice present.
Why is it important?
Ulysses is considered one of the greatest modernist novels of all time.
Joyce starts the novel as a stream of consciousness novel but abandons that and moves on to, not just one, but many literary techniques throughout the novel.
His work has influenced many great writers such as Virginia Woolf.
A Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (1920)
A Mysterious Affair at Styles is Agatha Christie’s first novel. The first of at leave 77 stories!
This is one of her classic detective novels with Hercule Poirot as a familiar character.
A murder happened at Styles Court. The owner of the manor, Emily Inglethorp, was poisoned. Hercule Poirot is sought out by his friend Arthur Hastings to help solve the mystery.
The book follows the trails set as they investigate those in the manor as well as looking at Emily’s will to find out what incentive anyone could have had.
I won’t give much more of the summary because there is nothing worse than spoiling a good mystery novel!
Agatha Christie is known for her genius writing where you never know what is going to happen.
Why is it important?
Christie uses the character of Hercule Poirot throughout many of her novels. A Mysterious Affair at Styles set up his character to be able to serve in many different stories.
Many of her books are famous because they leave people hanging on each word, just trying to guess what will happen. And oftentimes they can’t!
She is considered one of the most published authors of all time, as well as the most translated author!
In Conclusion.
These are two really great books published in the 1920s! There are so many great books published in this decade but for A Century of Books, I knew I had to choose two amazing ones.
If you missed part one of A Century of Books, you can find it HERE!
Over to you.
I would love to know what your favorite 1920s book is! Feel free to leave it in the comments.
“The supreme question about a work of art is out of how deep a life does it spring.” ― James Joyce, Ulysses
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