5 Books to Get Into Classic Literature

Explore masterpieces with our guide to 5 must-read classic books.

Reading can be hard, period! And if you remove place holder words like "period" it can be even harder... But classic novels can open up your world of understanding! Here are 5 "light" examples for amateur readers (No, Faulkner isn't invited to the party this time... And I doubt he was ever invited to one!):

1. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

You've probably heard of this one! The Picture of Dorian Gray was published in 1890 by the Irish author Oscar Wilde and it's the only novel he ever wrote.

Oscar was mainly a poet and playwright, and he is still recognized as so. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s.

The Picture of Dorian Gray revolves around a portrait of the protagonist Dorian Gray himself, painted by Basil Hallward, a friend of Dorian's and an artist infatuated with his beauty. Dorian expresses the desire to sell his soul, to ensure that the picture, rather than he, will age and fade. The wish is granted but of course we all know how frail wishes are from the times of the genie in the lamp...

If you liked this famous gothic fiction novel, Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde published only 4 years earlier (and sharing some uncanny similarities with Wilde's only novel), could be your next read.

The highly esteemed Dr. Jekyll and Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray have despite many differences, both in appearance and personality, at least one thing in common: the desire to veil their bad side from the rest of the world.

2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

This novel of manners, follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreciate the difference between... Why am I summarizing the book when you've already seen the movie (statistically speaking)?

Pride and Prejudice has consistently appeared near the top of lists of "most-loved books" among literary scholars and the reading public. It has become one of the most popular novels in English literature, with over 20 million copies sold, and has inspired many derivatives in modern literature. If you've seen the movie you will most likely imagine Keira Knightley playing Elizabeth Bennet as you are reading... It's nothing to be ashamed of!

3. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Another one you've probably seen! The story follows the lives of the four March sisters and details their passage from childhood to womanhood... But you already knew that!

In May 1868, Alcott wrote in her journal: "Niles, partner of Roberts (Alcott's publisher), asked me to write a girl's book. I said I'd try." Alcott set her novel in an imaginary Orchard House modeled on her own residence of the same name, where she wrote the novel.

She later recalled that she did not think she could write a successful book for girls and did not enjoy writing it -  "I plod away," she wrote in her diary, "although I don't enjoy this sort of things."

By June, Alcott had sent the first dozen chapters to Niles, and both agreed that they were dull. But Niles's niece, read them and said she enjoyed them. The completed manuscript was shown to several girls who agreed it was "splendid". Alcott wrote, "they are the best critics, so I should definitely be satisfied."  She wrote Little Women "in record time for money", but the book's immediate success surprised both her and her publisher.

4. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Another gothic classic! But I don't think you've "seen" this one, since it hasn't successfully being portrayed in a movie. No, I don't count the attempts that were made... Except for "Young Frankenstein" of course!

Did you know that both "The Vampyre" 1819 by John William Polidori which debuted the concept of the "romantic vampire" and Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein" were made in response to a challenge proposed by the famous romantic poet Lord Byron? Well, now you know...

Anyways, the main idea for the monster was based on the conversations that Polidori and Percy Shelley (Mary's husband) frequently had regarding the new research of Luigi Galvani and Erasmus Darwin that dealt with the power of electricity to revive already inert bodies. We've already seen the trope of the American high school science class where they have to electrocute a dead frog to see how the legs twitch into the upward position. That's what Galvani was doing. Hence the name "Galvanism" given to the practice.

Frankenstein's subtitle is "The Modern Prometheus" because Prometheus is the name in Greek mythology of the Titan friend of human beings who provided them with fire. The idea is that Dr. Frankenstein (not the monster, that one has no name in the novel) would be a modern Prometheus by giving humanity the gift of creating life from death.

5. Moby Dick by Herman Melville

And finally, the infamous Moby Dick (both the fictional whale and the book)! This might not be as easy and short as the previous novels in this list but reading Melville is worth it!

I don't see the point in summarizing a plot so well known even if it's rarely actually read! Instead I will recommend to you other less time consuming options Melville has to offer so that you can get hooked by his masterfully written prose:

"Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" is a short story by the American writer that is commonly edited accompanied by his other most acclaimed short tales. And not to spoil it I will simply ask a question: Have you ever thought "I would prefer not to" when confronted with an obligation? Well, Bartleby takes that thought to its logical limits!

Are you jealous of long gone Melville for appearing on this list of classics instead of "you"?

Don't worry, you just need to join some Domestika writing courses and you'll surely appear on the next one (you might need to die and let a century pass, too... I don't make the rules!):

- Online writing classes
- 5 Forms of Writing
- Novel VS Short story