/lit/ - Literature

For what purpose does Gaddis use allusion in The Recognitions?

Are there typically major differences between the Penguin "Modern" Classics and the Penguin "20th Century" Classics editions of a book?
The one I've bought (pic related) is from the latter, but it was published in the same year as the "Modern" Classics edition.

So /lit/, have you read the American novel to end all American novels?

But seriously, this book is like a dense nugget or themes and issues. My hope of writing a great book ended with this novel, because it is literally everything. Are there any other books as philosophically rich, just by volume of social and religious commentary, as this?

"How about this one? I call it 'Bold and Brash.'"
"More like: Belongs In The Trash!"

>10 page paper on The Recognitions due Friday

I don't know what to write on, /lit/. I've got dozens of half-baked ideas but I don't know how to write on a book this big, especially in only 10 pages.

Can we talk about this book?