So, let’s talk about classic books, specifically, what makes a book ‘classic’ and how many you have read or plan to read.
I think classic books are considered such when they meet certain criteria, namely:
- They are well written. No work can be revered if it is littered with poor grammar, weak characters and badly conceived sentences. Yes, language itself has changed over time but the novel, play or poem must be artistic and full of flair. It should represent the period in which it was written and must be both inspirational in some way and teach us a little something about life, truth and beauty.
- It should be unforgettable. When people say Austen books are based on people visiting each other’s houses drinking tea surely cannot explain why her books, written 200 years ago have endured. If they were mundane, they would not be so well loved.
- Any classic should be universal in theme and able to bridge the generation gap. Everyone must be able to relate in some way to a classic; man, woman, child, old or young, our neighbours and those living far away. Anything niche just doesn’t cut the mustard.
Here’s my list of my top classic ‘book-et’ list reads.
- PRIDE AND PREJUDICE - Jane Austen
- FRANKENSTEIN - Mary Shelley
- JANE EYRE - Charlotte Bronte
- GREAT EXPECTATIONS - Charles Dickens
- 1984 - George Orwell
- LITTLE WOMEN - Louisa May Alcott
- THE SECRET GARDEN - Frances Hodgson Burnett
- A CHRISTMAS CAROL - Charles Dickens
- KIDNAPPED - Robert Louis Stevenson
- WUTHERING HEIGHTS - Emily Bronte
- THE GREAT GATSBY - F. Scott Fitzgerald
- MADAME BOVARY - Gustave Flaubert
- VANITY FAIR - William Makepeace Thackeray
- THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES - Arthur Conan Doyle
- MIDDLEMARCH - George Eliot
- THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY - Oscar Wilde
- THE CATCHER IN THE RYE - J. D. Salinger
- DRACULA - Bram Stoker
- GONE WITH THE WIND - Margaret Mitchell
- REBECCA - Daphne du Maurier
- ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND - Lewis Carroll
- THE GRAPES OF WRATH - John Steinbeck
- ANNE OF GREEN GABLES - L. M. Montgomery
- THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA - Ernest Hemingway
- THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE - C. S. Lewis
- THE BELL JAR - Sylvia Plath
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD - Harper Lee
- THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO - Alexandre Dumas
- MOBY DICK - Herman Melville
- THE STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE - Robert Louis Stevenson
I’ve tried not to put more than one novel on the list by the same author which was really tricky as some amazing books have been omitted. For example, Treasure Island could easily replace Kidnapped and The Importance of Being Earnest stands equally next to the giant that is The Picture of Dorian Gray. I’ve only chosen one Austen, although all are worthy to be put on the list, as is Orwell’s Animal Farm.
You’ll also notice that the Bard is missing because I need to do a whole separate list for his work; Shakespeare is just too huge to put in a list with others, and all modern classics have been omitted because again, that is another list. Who doesn’t love lists? Getting ticking!!
