The Guardian's 100 Best Novels Written in English Bondage by W Somerset Maugham (1915) 45. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (1920) 46. Ulysses by James Joyce (1922) 47. Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis (1922) 48. A Passage to India by EM Forster (1924) 49. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos (1925) 50. Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (1925) 51. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (1925) 52. Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner (1926) 53. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway (1926) 54. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (1929) 55. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (1930) 56. Brave New World by Aldous
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (novel) prompting Judge Hibbard to buy her a ticket to Hollywood so that she could use her talent to become a professional actress. He also names her ‘Lorelei’ because he believed it expressed her personality. Major Falcon informs Lorelei that Bartlett is now a senator travelling to Vienna for a secret conference. Major Falcon reveals that his mission is to find out what Bartlett is up to in Vienna. He encourages Lorelei to become friends with Bartlett, discover official secrets, and pass them on to him. Meanwhile, Lorelei deplores Dorothy's wasting time with a man who is a mere tennis champion.