--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When The Journal of Words compiled its…" description: "\"“When The Journal of Words compiled its list of the one hundred best novels written in English, do you know that Pride and Prejudice was number twelve?..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af1/michael-thomas-ford-7867_humor_when-the-journal-of-words-compiled-its-l_724778.jpg" --- # When The Journal of Words compiled its list of the one… ![“When The Journal of Words compiled its list of the one hundred best novels written in English, do you know that Pride and Prejudice was number twelve?" She stopped pacing and glared at Jane. "And do you know where Jane Eyre was?" she asked. She looked at the four of them in turn, but nobody…” quote by Michael Thomas Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af1/michael-thomas-ford-7867_humor_when-the-journal-of-words-compiled-its-l_724778.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af1/michael-thomas-ford-7867_humor_when-the-journal-of-words-compiled-its-l_724778.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af1/michael-thomas-ford-7867_humor_when-the-journal-of-words-compiled-its-l_724778.jpg) > ““When The Journal of Words compiled its list of the one hundred best novels written in English, do you know that Pride and Prejudice was number twelve?" She stopped pacing and glared at Jane. "And do you know where Jane Eyre was?" she asked. She looked at the four of them in turn, but nobody answered her. "Number fifty-two!" she shrieked. "Fifty-two! Below that pornographic travesty Lolita !" She spat the title as if it were poison. "Below Huckleberry Finn ! Below Ulysses . Have you ever tried to read Ulysses ? Have you ever finished it? No, you haven't. No one has. They just carry it around and lie about having read it.”” [Michael Thomas Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-thomas-ford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She disparages classic literature, viewing it as pretentious, and challenges others to read challenging works. **In simple terms:** She mocks classic books and dares others to read them. Key Takeaway Encourage reading challenging literature despite stigma. Themes literature elitism challenge Mood critical playful Type analytical conversational When to use this quote - education - book clubs - literary discussions Key Concepts cultural criticism reading habits Questions to Reflect On - Why do we label some books as “too hard”? - How can we make classic literature more approachable? A Different Perspective Highbrow literature can be inaccessible without guidance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Best Novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-novels/) [Huckleberry finn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/huckleberry-finn/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novels/) [Pride And Prejudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride-and-prejudice/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [When someone asks me to list the 10 best novels ever written, I always refuse to answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-mankell/when-someone-asks-me-to-list-the-10-best-novels-ever-written-i-always/) [Henning Mankell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-mankell/) > [Though people may read more into Ulysses than I ever intended, who is to say that they are wrong: do any of us know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/though-people-may-read-more-into-ulysses-than-i-ever-intended-who-is/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [“To pass the time, I made valiant strides in my effort to read Ulysses, but feared I was losing the war. 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A novel can be a trivial waste of time, and a game can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/i-do-not-think-novels-are-necessarily-more-worthwhile-than-games-a/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [A Heart So White is simply one of the best novels I know. I'm also thrilled by Javier Marías sentences, by how elegant they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/a-heart-so-white-is-simply-one-of-the-best-novels-i-know-i-m-also/) [Garth Greenwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-greenwell/) ## More by Michael Thomas Ford > [“Sometimes seeing the changes in one another had the opposite effect and actually comforted them. 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So clever.” “I’m afraid mine is broken,” Burke said. “It never occurred to me that you were gay.” “It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-thomas-ford/i-love-that-word-gaydar-so-clever-i-m-afraid-mine-is-broken-burke/) [Michael Thomas Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-thomas-ford/) > [“Just because your life isn't as awful as someone else's, that doesn't mean it doesn't suck. You can't compare how you feel to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-thomas-ford/just-because-your-life-isn-t-as-awful-as-someone-else-s-that-doesn-t/) [Michael Thomas Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-thomas-ford/) > [“Nobody talks around here," she said. "We all pretend to, but we never really do." She pointed to the television. "We're like the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-thomas-ford/nobody-talks-around-here-she-said-we-all-pretend-to-but-we-never/) [Michael Thomas Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-thomas-ford/) > [“Anyone can be crazy,” she answered. “That’s usually just because there’s something screwed up in your wiring, you know? 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There were other contenders: The Adventures of Huckleberry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/i-told-them-this-novel-was-an-american-classic-in-many-ways-the/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) [Browse all 53 Huckleberry finn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/huckleberry-finn/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When The Journal of Words compiled its list of the one hundred best novels written in English, do you know that Pride and Prejudice was number twelve?\" She stopped pacing and glared at Jane. \"And do you know where Jane Eyre was?\" she asked. She looked at the four of them in turn, but nobody answered her. \"Number fifty-two!\" she shrieked. \"Fifty-two! Below that pornographic travesty Lolita !\" She spat the title as if it were poison. \"Below Huckleberry Finn ! Below Ulysses . Have you ever tried to read Ulysses ? Have you ever finished it? No, you haven't. No one has. 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