- I understood this book even less after finishing reading it. This is a book for
people who are unstable, and I loved it. To my core, I am a hater of this book. This was the first book that I read for my English Lit degree, and it genuinely made me
consider dropping out. (amusing music) Okay guys, I think it's finally time. So over the past year, I have been doing some tier ranking. We've tier ranked
celebrity autobiographies, celebrity poetry, or attempts of poetry, and even the books that Lisa Simpson reads in "The Simpsons". And I feel like all of those
videos have been leading up to this moment, the final boss, because today we are going to
be tier ranking the classics. This is the cannon of English literature. Or at least the ones that I've read. So welcome, welcome, welcome. Save your tiers for another day 'cause I've got mine right here. Let me show you the categories. So at the bottom we have "shoot
it from a literal cannon". This is a category for
books that I despise. These books are widely considered to be in the literary cannon. I think they should be
projected out of one. Above that is "I wouldn't
wish that on my worst enemy". The mid-tier is called
"clothbound classic". Please tell me you know
what I'm talking about here. They are these beautiful
clothbound editions of classic novels. They're just stunning. And so I feel like the
books in this category deserve their status as a classic. They're not overrated.
They're not underrated. They are perfectly rated, and
that is where they belong. The next category is "I think you drop something... my jaw". That speaks for itself. And then the final category, the top, the creme de la creme is
"six out of five stars". These are books that I
want to give five stars but that's not enough. And so I've invented a sixth start specifically for this tier. This is literary criticism. (chuckles) Let's go. Okay, we're gonna start
with "Of Mice and Men". I actually don't think I felt happiness since finishing this book. The ending is traumatizing. Someone please explain to me while we were like 14 years old and our English teachers were telling us that Curley's wife was a whore because she had red fingernails. They don't even get me started on Curley's glove full of Vaseline. Oh, boy. Lennie just wanted to live
off the fast of the land, and you know what? He can live in the land of jaw droppers. They deserve it. Okay, next up we have "Moby-Dick". Do you wanna read a book
about whale anatomy? No, me neither. Look. It's an iconic book. It's one that I'm pleased to have read so that I can brag about it, but it's literally time that
I will never ever get back and I wouldn't wish
that on my worst enemy. Fun fact. This is the book where
Starbucks gets its name. So you can't say the Jack
Edwards YouTube channel doesn't prepare you
for pop quizzes, right? "The Catcher in the Rye". People say it's a red flag
if you like this book, and you know what, maybe I'm color blind. I liked it. It's about an angsty teen who's been through a
hell of a lot of trauma and he's just sort of
disillusioned with the world. And so you can catch her in the mid-tier. Next up we have "Emma". Now, Jane Austen put her
whole austissi into this book. It's an absolute corker. I think it's her Magnum Opus. I'm conflicted about which
category to put it in here. But I think if you're going
to read a Jane Austen book, you should make it this one. It's at the top of the
chart. I had to do it. And while we're on the topic, let's also do "Pride and Prejudice". Listen, I thought it was good. I was waiting for it to be great. Also, I do think it loses a point for inspiring "Bridgerton" by Julia Quinn, because that book is possibly
the worst thing ever written. I love the series, but the book
is a crime against humanity. Okay, "Pride and Prejudice" is
taking a spot in the middle. And actually, while we're
on the topic of classics, I want to talk to you about one of my favorite classic TV shows that I loved growing up. That show is "Waterloo Road". And the best news ever is that
all 10 seasons of this show are available to watch on BBC iPlayer. I'm gonna leave a QR code
on the screen right now which you can scan and it will take you straight
to the BBC iPlayer page for "Waterloo Road", and also there'll be a link in the description box down below. But I've been absolutely binging this show and watching back all the seasons. So much nostalgia. I literally used to run home from school so I could watch this show, and then the next morning
I would run into school so that we could discuss it. And watching it back, I'm
still just as obsessed. I would recommend season
seven with Sambuca Kelly, it's the best one, but there's so many brilliant
characters and storylines. It's all set in a school, and they are actually currently
making an 11th season. So now is the perfect time to catch up on the original 10 series so that you're ready for when
the new one drops on the BBC. So massive shout out to BBC iPlayer for sponsoring this video. As I said, the link is down below, and you can join me in binge
watching "Waterloo Road". And now back to these classics. "Moll Flanders", we meet again. This was the first book that I read for my English Lit degree, and it genuinely made me
consider dropping out. It's a horrible book. Basically, Daniel Defoe, who's the author, is widely considered to be the
father of the English novel. And you know what, I think
he should have pulled out. (Jack laughs) But essentially, because poetry
was all full of metaphors and similes and elevated language, the novel needed to define itself as something that was distinctively
different from poetry. And as a result, early
novels are painfully precise in terms of the level of detail. So you can literally imagine exactly how every room they enter looks. This book just explains
absolutely everything. It tells you constantly how
much money she has in her purse. She has a baby on like every other page. And you know what? There's two things I
don't wanna hear about: capitalism and children. So shoot out the cannon,
get it away from me. I'm having war flashbacks
just thinking about it. Oh, here we go. Let's introduce my real
enemy, Charles Dickens. I'm sorry. I just hate
his style of writing. It's not for me. And like, this is an opinion
I know is objectively wrong. In the same way that I
have absolutely no interest in going to space, like if someone said to me,
"You can go to space tomorrow," I'd be like, "I'd rather stay at home. You guys have fun though.
Take a picture for me." You know, I just have no interest. And I know that's objectively wrong. I know that's a stupid opinion to have, and that's the same way that I feel about hating Charles Dickens. I appreciate the impact this
man had on English literature. Look, I'm happy for him, but if I never had to read
another one of his books, it would be too soon. I had great expectations for this book, but they didn't pull through. And you know what? It's being joined by
"A Tail of Two Cities" and "Bleak House". "Bleak" really is the word here. Do you know that someone
spontaneously combusts in this book? Wild. Oh, speaking of wild, "The
Picture of Dorian Gray". I'm not gonna lie, Oscar Wilde did what needed
to be done with this book. It's a banger. It's a
belter. It's a classic. My jaw did drop, but I actually think it needs
to go in six out of five. This book lit really
invented the plot twist. I love this book and I think
it deserves every bit of praise that it ever gets. So it's up there. It's at the top. And you know what? It's gonna get some company
because "The Bell Jar" is next. This is a book for
people who are unstable, and I loved it. Ding, ding! We have a winner. Oh, "To the Lighthouse". More like to the top of the chart. This is a kind of stream of consciousness about time, about memory, about gender, about perspective, about loss and war. You know what? I think it needs to be at the top. And what a lineup at the top. This is a festival I would go to. And another banger "Little Women"! Oh, it's just so good, and one of those few books
where the movie adaptation just does it such justice. The women may be little,
but my love for it is big. It's going in at number two. And then we have "The Book Thief". Literally scraping my jaw
off the floor as we speak. This book is narrated by death itself. (claps) Genius! And that is where it belongs. Oh, next we have "In Cold Blood". One of my favorite, favorite books that I read during my degree. It's about a brutal, horrible murder, and it's like the OG nonfiction novel. What's so interesting
is that Capote formed this really intimate bond
with one of the murderers that he was writing about, like while he was
interviewing him for the book. And so it's so interesting 'cause it was only published
after that guy died. So no one really knows for certain whether he only got close to this murderer so he could kind of get all
his secrets for his story or whether he wrote
about him sympathetically because they had that close connection. Either way, it's fascinating and a fantastically well written book. I'm actually tempted to put it up there. I do really, really like it. I'm gonna leave it there for now and we'll come back to that. Oh, here's another fun fact for you. So when Truman Capote went
to interview those murderers, he went alongside his best
friend from childhood, Harper Lee, who wrote
"To Kill a Mockingbird". Mad. Name a more iconic duo, other than SpongeBob and Patrick. This is excellent, superb work. 10 out of 10. Thank you. "Wuthering Heights". I actually can't believe that Emily Bronte wrote a whole book based on that Kate Bush song. That's mad. And I do think it's gonna
go in clothband classic. I like it. Oh, and while we're on the
topic of the Bronte sisters, the Haim of their day, I have two books here by Charlotte Bronte starting with "Jane Eyre",
the original girl boss. It's a great story. It
keeps you on your toes. It's about social class,
religion, love, gender roles, and it did give what
needed to be gave, I think. However, let's not talk about the time where I read "Jane Eyre Laid Bare", which is like erotic twist
on the classic novel, because that made me want
to twist my eyeballs out. Speaking of which, the
next book is "Vilette", which is also by Charlotte Bronte. However, this book is pretty unreadable unless you speak fluent French, because for some reason, Miss Charlotte just decided to flex her French Duolingo streak over here. And aside from that, it just isn't really an interesting plot, so I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. Sorry. Ah, "Wide Sargasso Sea". Now this was actually written
as a prequel to "Jane Eyre", but it's by a different author, and it's all about colonialism. I think it's genius. And you know what? Normalize writing prequel to
books that you didn't write. I loved it, but I can't decide
which category to put it in. Okay, fine. You've charmed me. "Heart of Darkness" is
another kind of colonial book. It's definitely a classic that
I think everyone should read, but it's not necessarily one
of my favorites, you know? "Frankenstein" such a brilliant book that I could talk about all day. You know, fun fact. My hometown is actually
where Mary Shelley's husband was from, Percy Shelley, and so literally everything
is named after him. They even, at one point, had a fountain that was named after him, but unfortunately it looked so
much like a vagina (chuckles) that they had to take it down. They had to remove it. This is what it looked
like. I wish I was joking. "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". This is one of the few sci-fi
books that I've ever enjoyed. I think it's really great. I love that it's ridiculous and
revels in its own absurdity. Big fan. On the other hand is "Dune",
which sucks. (chuckles) In my opinion. It's a long story and it's very boring. I think the characters
are one dimensional. It's all about spice and yet has none. Even Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya couldn't save this for me. After of reading the book, I've got no interest in the film, and I'm really sorry about it. To my core, I am a hater of this book. Okay, now we have "The Great Gatsby". Iconic cover, iconic book. And you know what? I know that I'm trash
for devouring this book like it was an all-you-can-eat buffet. But I'm a basic bitch and I'm owning it. At one point, I even wrote a whole essay on the semicolons in this book. Like that's it. Don't even get me
started, I'll go all day. Speaking of which, "A Single Man" is the book that
I wrote my dissertation on. I think this is brilliant. It's getting a bit crowded at the top but I'm not mad about it. Okay. "A Journal of the Plague Year". This is another book by Defoe which I Defoe-nitely would not recommend. Maybe this would've been good if I hadn't read it during
our own plague year. I don't know. It wasn't for me. "Dracula". (Jack claps) I love this book. Bram Stoker understood
the damn assignment. And this book genuinely terrified me the first time I read it, and I don't think I've
ever felt such intense fear from a book before or since. Ah, some Orwell. Next we have "Animal Farm" and "1984". I would say these are probably the books that made me fall in love with literature, and I actually think they
both belong at the top. This is like trying to
pick between my babies. I remember the allegory
for the Russian Revolution in "Animal Farm" just
blowing my little mind and made me realize what you
can actually do with a book. And then "1984" is a book that I'll just never ever forget reading. So I love them. You know what else I love?
"The Handmaid's Tale". My copy of this book is so
densely filled with notes that it's actually now hard to read the actual original text, because every time I reread
it I just find so much more. Such a textured book. So brilliant. It's at the top. "Fahrenheit 451" is
another great dystopia. And "Brave New World", also excellent. "Treasure Island" is a masterclass in making an adventure
really unbelievably dull. I don't know how they manage to do that but shoot it from the cannon. It's not for me. "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland". Obviously, it's great and groundbreaking. We know this. Alice, you can sit right next to Dracula. (chuckles) That's a duo you didn't expect. "Life of Pi". Hmm. I remember this book being
great at the beginning and at the end. It's just the middle that was the problem. I think the fact that it's
so repetitive and monotonous is an artistic choice, but
it's not one that I enjoyed. And I found it really
quite laborious to read. Oh, "Ulysses" now this
is one of the most clever and celebrated pieces of
fiction ever to exist, but it just went straight
over my head, to be honest. You have to read so much stuff in advance of reading this book to understand what the hell
James Joyce is going on about, and I just don't have the
smarticle particles for this book. Like it's not you, it's me.
I'm just not on that level. Next we have the "Odyssey"
by my favorite Homer after Homer Simpson. Just phenomenal. We are going
on "Odyssey" to the top. And then of course we have the "Iliad". Now this is like if you had
a favorite reality TV show that's been on for like 15 seasons and suddenly they do an all-stars show, but also it's a battle
to the death. (chuckles) That's what this book is
for Greek mythology lovers. Fantastic. Of course, it's up there. "Beloved". Holy moly,
what an exquisite book. It's about slavery, about making difficult choices, about family, about solidarity. Everybody say, "Thank you, Toni Morrison." Thank you indeed. "The Scarlet Letter." Now, if anyone has seen the
film "Easy A" with Emma Stone, that's "The Scarlet Letter". It's one of those books
where it's a great story, it's had a huge impact on pop culture, but it's really horrible to actually read. That actual prose is kind of unreadable, like it makes about five
points per sentence. So, hmm, I'm actually not sure. I'm gonna be nice and put it there. Next we have "The Crying of Lot 49", and truly "crying" is the key word here. That's how it left me. I understood this book even
less after finishing reading it. And you know what? I don't think that's
a sign of a good book. But again, maybe it's me.
Maybe I'm the problem. On the contrary, "Around
the World in 80 Days", I enjoyed this a lot. So I think we're onto our second line in "I think you dropped
something... my jaw". "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under
the Sea" also by Jules Verne, except this had me going,
"Who's Jules? Do I know Jules?" because it's so boring. It feels like you've been
reading it for 20,000 pages. It just keeps going on and on and on. So get in the bin "Rebecca". Ah, amazing twists. Thank you, next. Oh, "The Alchemist". Pretty sweet, pretty naive, pretty basic. It's a self-help fictional book about listening to your heart
and following your dreams, but it lacks a lot of nuance. No nuance, just vibes right here. So it's going in the mid-tier for sure. "Lord of the Flies". If you haven't read this,
you absolutely should. "Tess of the d'Urbervilles". If you haven't read this,
you absolutely should. "A Farewell to Arms". If you haven't read this,
(chuckles) maybe don't bother. It's all about being kind of disillusioned and desensitized by war. And it's got some lovely lines but you know what, it is quite dull. "Lolita", I think, is a brilliant book. I think this is where you
have to really separate theme from art, because the themes in this book are disgusting, and
depraved, and horrible. But as a piece of art, it's brilliant. The unreliable narrator
is executed so well, and though the themes are
horrid, it's a great book. "Charlotte's Web" is exceptionally sweet but it also just really irked me that the pig gets all the
credit for the spider's work 'cause the pig actually
isn't special at all. In fact, he's entirely useless. So I have a bee in my
bonnet about this book and so that's why it's
going in the middle. "Crime and Punishment", for me, is one of the biggest surprises out of any book I've ever read. I didn't expect to enjoy
it as much as I did. "Middlemarch" is a book that
I simultaneously enjoyed but also it reignited my big book fear. George Elliott both
impresses and terrifies me with this book. "Things Fall Apart" is pretty stunning, but it's a tough read. It's about masculinity, about traditions, language, pre-colonial life, and invasion, and it's really interesting
to read about the friction between two lifestyles and ways of living. And finally, "Lord of the Rings". This is the first book, "The
Fellowship of the Ring". I didn't get past this one. So that's a bit of a spoiler
as to where this is gonna go. I literally saved this to
near the end of the video in the hope that less people
would see me rate this badly. It's literally just a
bunch of creatures walking. I felt like I was doing my DMV. And for me, the quality of the writing just wasn't good enough
to justify that plot. This is my unpopular opinion, and maybe I'm just wrong, but I do think it's overhyped. Sorry. And so that is my finished
tier ranking list. I think I'm pretty happy with it. You can absolutely disagree with me in the comment section down below. I'm sure you will. If anything, it's encouraged. Thank you so, so much
for watching this video. If you enjoyed it, you can give it a thumbs up
and subscribe down below. The simulation has completely glitched and we're approaching
a million subscribers which shouldn't be allowed. But if you haven't subscribed
yet, please, please do. Also, remember you can
check out "Waterloo Road" over on BBC iPlayer. Link is down below. Thank you so, so much to the BBC for their continued
support to this channel. It means the world to me. And I'll be back very
soon with another video. So all the best, stay in touch, have a wonderful day, and
I'll catch you next time. (kisses) Bye-bye!
