Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor
"Wise Blood" is a novel about a young man named Hazel Motes, who returns home to Tennessee after serving in World War II and finds his religious beliefs shaken. He becomes a street preacher, founding the Church Without Christ to preach his message of faithlessness. The book explores themes of redemption, faith, and the struggle between belief and atheism as Hazel interacts with a variety of eccentric characters and faces his own internal battles.
The 449th greatest book of all time
Ranking Details:
Our ranking system awards points to books based on their appearance and position on curated lists. Here's how it works:
Unranked Lists: For lists without specific rankings, each book receives points equivalent to the list's weight. This approach recognizes the book's inclusion on prestigious lists.
Ranked Lists: Books on ranked lists receive points in two ways:
- Base Points: Initially, every book is awarded points equal to the list's weight, acknowledging its significance.
- Bonus Points: Additionally, books earn bonus points based on their ranking. The total bonus pool, equal to 100% of the list's weight, is distributed among the books, with higher-ranked books receiving more points.
Exponential Distribution: The distribution of bonus points follows an exponential model. This means the top-ranked book (#1) receives significantly more bonus points than those further down the list (e.g., #100). Our algorithm ensures that higher placements are rewarded more generously, reflecting the achievement of a top rank on any given list.
This scoring system ensures that each book's ranking reflects both its presence on multiple lists and its positions within those lists, providing a comprehensive measure of its acclaim and popularity.
Total Points: 768
Since this book was first published in 1952, there is a penalty of 0%. The age adjusted score is 768.0.
This is to prevent newer books from reaching super high on the ranked list of the greatest books of all time. The greatest books should also stand the test of time.
- score: 150 -- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (Weight: 150)
- score: 105 -- The Best Southern Novels of All Time (Weight: 96)
- score: 90 -- Our Users' Favorite Books of All Time (Weight: 90)
- score: 82 -- 20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction (Weight: 81)
- score: 81 -- In Which These Are the 100 Greatest Novels (Weight: 81)
- score: 69 -- The 100 Greatest Novels of All Time: The List (Weight: 69)
- score: 69 -- The Modern Library: The Two Hundred Best Novels in English Since 1950 (Weight: 69)
- score: 63 -- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon (Weight: 63)
- score: 57 -- D. G. Myers’ 50 Greatest English Language Novels (Weight: 57)