What is a book of literary merit that I can write about?

Damn dude. I had to google what literary merit meant.

1984, To Kill A Mockingbird, Fahrenheit 451, Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, Great Gatsby, Of Mice and Men, pretty much anything in the canon most students have to read at one point or another.

Harry Potter

1984, Brave New World, Crime and Punishment, Oliver Twist, Anna Karenina, i.e. any (Penguin) classic really.

Just a note, OP: literary merit isn't really quantifiable. It's very vague and essentially subjective. You should take that into consideration when asked to write on a book with supposed literary merit. If you approach these sorts of questions as if you're trying to present a case for a book of your choice and therefore convince the marker it has literary merit, you'll likely improve not only your writing and analytical skills, but your argumentation skills also (which are crucial in writing). Write about a book you've read and enjoyed - you'll find it easier to write on, and it will also, by definition, have literary merit.

Mice of men, is short, read that

Yea every single book the guy above listed is fine. Some others; scarlett letter, native son, heart of darkness, the book thief, etc. (all those books are AP certified and ive written essays on them myself)

How long is the essay? I could probably send you one of mine from various books

I read catch 22 for that class. Longer book, but one of the more interesting ones that I've read.

Monkeywrench gang. E Abbey is legit and legend.

Of what I've read somewhat recently, the novel I would find the most enjoyable to write about would probably be Slaughterhouse 5. The themes in it are outrageous yet relatable.

If I were choosing to write about the actual language and structure of a novel, I would choose Frankenstein.

If I were choosing to write about the satire, I would choose Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions. This one isn't terribly popular, likely because it's about geometry and being able to visualize different dimensions all while being a satire of victorian women and society. I really enjoyed it.

I enjoyed Siddhartha and Things Fall Apart. not too hard to write on them either.

slothkingI read catch 22 for that class. Longer book, but one of the more interesting ones that I've read.

Took me a few years (whenever I was in a deer blind), but that was a really good book

From what I remember it's about Yossarian, a man who to the best of his knowledge has never been wrong

Beloved is great

The Bible.

These novels are the suggested novels of 'literary relevance' for Australian Highschools in my state.

Basic Level Senior English Novels:

Amsterdam, Steven, Things We Didn’t See Coming (A) (3)
Atwood, Margaret, Cat’s Eye (2)
Bronte, Emily, Wuthering Heights (1)
Brooks, Geraldine, Year of Wonders (A) (4)
Dickens, Charles, A Christmas Carol (3)
Hamid, Mohsin, The Reluctant Fundamentalist (3)
Malouf, David, Ransom (A) (3)
Matar, Hisham, In the Country of Men (1)
Tóibín, Colm, Brooklyn (1)


AP Equivalent Course Novels

Calvino, Italo, If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller, Vintage,
1998 (4)
Dick, Philip K, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Orion
Publishing (Hachette), 1968 (1)
Dunmore, Helen, The Betrayal, Penguin, 2010 (1)
Flanagan, Richard, Wanting, Random House, 2009 (A) (2)
Ham, Rosalie, The Dressmaker, Duffy & Snellgrove, 2000
(A) (4)
Leigh, Julia, The Hunter, Penguin, 1999 (A) (3)
Parrett, Favel, Past the Shallows, Hachette, 2011 (A) (1)
Temple, Peter, The Broken Shore, Text Publishing, 2010 (A) (2)
Wharton, Edith, Ethan Frome, Penguin Classics, 2005 (4)
Winterson, Jeanette, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Vintage,
2001 (3)
Austen, Jane, Persuasion, Penguin, 2003 (1)
Bronte, Charlotte, Jane Eyre, Penguin, 2006 (1)
Fowles, John, The French Lieutenant’s Woman, Vintage
Classics, 2005 (2)
Leys, Simon, The Death of Napoleon, Black Inc, 2006 (A) (4)
Marquez, Gabriel Garcia, Love in the Time of Cholera, Penguin
Modern Classics, 2007 (2)
McCarthy, Cormac, All the Pretty Horses, Pan Macmillan,
2010 (1)
McEwan, Ian, Atonement, Vintage, 2007 (4)
White, Patrick, The Aunt’s Story, Vintage Classics, 2008 (A) (3)
Woolf, Virginia, Mrs Dalloway, Penguin Modern Classics,
2000 (2)

You can go here for a preview of each: http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/documents/bulletin/2012/2012febsup3.pdf

Since you have to ask here: "The Very Hungry Caterpillar"

slothkingI read catch 22 for that class. Longer book, but one of the more interesting ones that I've read.

soulskierTook me a few years (whenever I was in a deer blind), but that was a really good book

From what I remember it's about Yossarian, a man who to the best of his knowledge has never been wrong

Haven't been able to get through it yet, it is a good read when I'm reading it, but doesn't pull you back in at all

las.1984, Brave New World, Crime and Punishment, Oliver Twist, Anna Karenina, i.e. any (Penguin) classic really.

Just a note, OP: literary merit isn't really quantifiable. It's very vague and essentially subjective. You should take that into consideration when asked to write on a book with supposed literary merit. If you approach these sorts of questions as if you're trying to present a case for a book of your choice and therefore convince the marker it has literary merit, you'll likely improve not only your writing and analytical skills, but your argumentation skills also (which are crucial in writing). Write about a book you've read and enjoyed - you'll find it easier to write on, and it will also, by definition, have literary merit.

Yeah I feel you. I tried to make the argument yesterday about how Lord of the Rings and books like those (classics) are of literary merit. My teacher made the point that lord of the rings was released as a young adult book much like TKAM which only recently made it on the AP test list.

guentrya16Yeah I feel you. I tried to make the argument yesterday about how Lord of the Rings and books like those (classics) are of literary merit. My teacher made the point that lord of the rings was released as a young adult book much like TKAM which only recently made it on the AP test list.

your teacher is a twat if they don't think LOTR has any literary merit. Probably just doesn't want you to have any fun doing your work.

Lolita is a good one to do, kinda fucked up book though. Maybe give Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath a go, I really enjoyed that one. On the Beach by Nevil Shute is a good read too.

Matterhorn (novel about the vietnam war) The Hunt for Red October. The Man in the High Castle (book about japan & germany occupying the US after we lose WWII) etc...there's a fair amount of good shit out there