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The Big Book Project
The Big Book Project is a multi-venue reading experience for bibliophiles fascinated by long or dense works of fiction and interested in discussing them with others, one novel at a time.
The works selected will be capacious novels from the mid-nineteenth century through today that possess an abundant writing style or complexity in structure and themes.
The notion that reading need not be a solitary activity has special resonance with these novels given that there is much to discuss, elaborate upon and question in the authors’ expression of ideas. I like to think of these novels as abundant because I appreciate their richness and volume, characteristics bestow a sort of grace to luxuriate with the text.
The critic and scholar Alexander Nehamas writes that when a work of art beckons, it is because we do not fully understand it but feel the strong desire to do so. And it is this deliberative process, the journey, of trying to understand why a novel is extraordinary that I want to explore with fellow readers at The Big Book Project.
We discuss books like Roberto Bolaño’s 2666
The Big Book Project
What Makes Big Books Work? Abundance, Complexity, and the Joy of Long Novels with James Elkins
Why do some readers gravitate toward sprawling, ambitious novels that take weeks—or even months—to read? What is it about long books that makes them so immersive, so risky, and so rewarding?
In this episode of The Big Book Project, Lori Feathers is joined once again by writer and professor James Elkins for an in-depth conversation about the magic and challenges of big books. They explore their personal criteria for what makes a long novel worth reading, comparing Lori’s idea of “abundance novels” with James’s concept of “complex novels.”
Together, they discuss overlapping favorites like Miss Macintosh, My Darling, Ducks, Newburyport, and Septology, while debating whether detective fiction can ever provide the same level of interiority and immersion. They reflect on rhythm, atmosphere, and the way long novels often give readers a sense of danger—the thrill of knowing the narrative could veer off in unexpected directions at any moment.
Whether you’re a longtime lover of big books or curious about what draws readers to them, this conversation will give you fresh insight into why we keep coming back to these enormous, challenging, and unforgettable works.
For the image reference James mentioned visit the substack here