Monday, December 08, 2014

The 10 Most Notorious Parts of Famous Books

A little controversy goes a long way in the book world, where tweets from prestigious publishers resembling Kanye West lyrics cause people to flip out. In the case of the books below, notoriety and controversy have added an extra facet to their reputations, propelling discussion and (in some instances) fierce debate that involved censorship. Here are our picks for the most infamous passages of famous books. Some spoilers follow.


1. The talking poo in The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
If you read The Corrections a long time ago and forgot all about its industrial-to-tech themes, the particulars of its familial strife, or even the characters’ names, you probably remember Alfred, as he descends further and further into insanity, hallucinating that his poop is out to get him, hanging from the ceiling and marching on him. It’s hard to find a review of Franzen’s book without a take on the scene. Some examples:
“The passage is amusing, but it reduces Alfred to something of a ventriloquist’s doll.” – Yale Review of Books
“Alfred’s hallucinations of turds were grimly funny, too, though Franzen is well aware that humour like this carries a risk.” – The Guardian
“Franzen manages to take it to the point where we don’t worry about his mental state, because he is simply providing us with comedy gold.” – A Novel Approach

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