Two books that come to mind are The Recognitions by William Gaddis and Moby-Dick by Herman Melville. I love both of these books. Moby-Dick is one of my favorite books of all time (yes, including the rambling sections about whales). I didn’t understand all of the complexity in The Recognitions and should re-read it at some point, but I think the quality of Gaddis’ writing is outstanding. The Recognitions was very poorly received upon its release in the 1950s, but as time went on it has come to be seen as one of the most important American novels of the 20th century. I think the same was the case for Moby-Dick, initially seen as bad quality and sold poorly, but now is also one of the greatest American novels. I wonder how this happens. How do peoples’ perceptions of a book change so completely?
by _SemperCuriosus_