was so glad to see another video from this channel! you have such a knack for compelling art criticism

That's a very nice and sincere discussion of 'The Corrections'. Although I have the book already, I've not read it yet - actually I've read nothing from Franzen whatsoever, but in my country, Greece, he is very popular and beloved both from the public and critics as well. Still I'm not sure if I would read it now, because I'm going to read 'The Sound and the Fury', exactly as you are. A new Greek translation has been just published (the fourth since 1974) and that makes the novel much more interesting in the moment. Two years ago I read 'Absalom, Absalom!' and I was fascinated, I loved that book, although it was a tough read to be sure. I had to read the first chapter 4 or 5 times plus watching YT videos in order to figure out what's going on. But as I read forward I understood better what I've read previously. It's a book that works retrospective (the same goes for 'The Sound and the Fury', because the narrative style and architecture are very similar). As soon as you've read 'Absalom, Absalom!' as a whole, go back and read again that first chapter - you'll realise that you understand every bit of it! Have you ever heard or maybe read anything by Nikos Kazantzakis? He's an author I would definitely recommend to you ('Christ Recrucified', 'The Last Temptation of Christ', 'The Fratricides', 'Zorba the Greek', ' The Odyssey, a modern sequel' etc.). I'm curious to watch your thoughts on Faulkner. Greetings from Greece!

It's because he's not that good of a writer. I understand you liked it, but that doesn't make it good. Have you read Wellness by Nathan Hill? It's like Franzen, but better. Check it out. I like Crossroads by him. I think he succeeds in making it a sophisticated soap opera. It's no Gilmore Girls, but it's pretty good.