I want to read Alfred Döblins Berlin Alexanderplatz. Should I read Ulysses first?
No, just jump right in and read Alexanderplatz. I read it without even having heard of Ulysses, and I found it impressive in its own right, and memorable without any reflective “profundity”. Honestly, if you want to read all “derivatives” in proper chronological order, you’d have to start at a much earlier point. Like, by reading the Iliad, and all works of fiction and non-fiction that were influenced by it. It would probably take several lifespans just to get to modern novels. And it doesn’t sound like much fun. Go light on the secondary stuff, modern literature is hard enough to get without theories. (And this is coming from a doctorate-level philosopher who really, really likes herself some fancy theories. I just don’t think literature should be about them.
