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Essential Classic Novels 📚
12
items Do you want to start reading classic literature but don't know where to start? Here's a list of my essentials!
Sections
3
The best to start with!
Gothic Literature 🦇
Mythology 🏺
The best to start with!
These are the best books to dip your toes into classic novels.
In this story, the narrator is enticed by his wealthy neighbor and the extravagant parties he throws. Filled with loaded character histories and a twisty ending, it's a book you can't skip.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A coming of age story about a young girl who is still learning to understand her social life and its inner workings. It's charming, funny, and a little quirky.
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Even if you know the ending of the story, it still gives a glance at the human psyche from a unique lens. If you like or are familiar with Jungian archetypes, I think it adds to the reading experience even further.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories
It's about 100 pages, which makes it a really quick read and excellent place to pick up!
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Paperback
Gothic Literature 🦇
Vampires, monsters, and ghosts!
Each chapter is written as a journal entry from multiple characters, which makes the story feel all the more intimate. This book will scare and intrigue you all at once; and by the end, will leave you contemplating it's ending.
Dracula by Bram Stoker
The story that inspired Bram Stoker to write Dracula! It touches on repressed sexuality and desires and is set in a remote castle. If you haven't read Dracula yet, I believe in reading this one first.
Carmilla - Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Frankenstein is my favorite book of all time! It's a wonderful tale of what constitutes good and evil, parental figures, and humanity's disdain for things we don't know. I'm partial to the 1818 edition, but the 1831 edition is great as well with no d...
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
This novel feels so relevant to today's world and people wanting to stay young. In this book, Oscar Wilde asks: What are the consequences of sacrificing your soul for youth?
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Mythology 🏺
Most of these books are much older than others on the list but are the building blocks of our favorite modern media!
War, heroism, tragedy, and rage. Can it be any more Greek?
The Iliad by Homer
The famous Biblical tale told from a controversial perspective.The Norton Critical is my favorite because of all the academic information it has to offer, but the Penguin edition is also a great and affordable option.
Paradise Lost: A Norton Critical Edition by John Milton
You're never really sure if Odysseus is going to make it home with all the distractions constantly in the way!
The Odyssey by Homer
Severely overlooked!! Ovid writes the most incredible ancient mythological epic poems that surpass Homer in my opinion.
Metamorphoses by Ovid, Paperback