30 classic books to read at least once in your lifetime!
What makes a book be considered as a "classic"? There's been endless debates on the topic - is it it's longevity, popularity or it's ability to voice the author's thoughts in a manner that resonates with readers of various ages? Perhaps it is a mix of all three? Or perhaps, it is something else entirely?
There is no right or wrong answer to these questions and everyone has their own opinion on the top classic books to read at least once in your lifetime. That being said, there are certain books, which normally come up in such discussions more than others, and those are the books that we'll be taking a look at today.
Before anyone sounds the bells of revolution and raises the village to storm our doors, we have to mention that by no means do we consider only these books to be classics. These are merely our recommendations for 30 classic book to read at least once in your lifetime! Of course, there are many more classics, which deserve attention, and we will tackle those in a series of pots in the weeks to come. We'd love to hear your suggestions on what we've missed here in the comments.
Classic Books to Read at least once in your lifetime! Photo credit: Unsplash.
Hamlet - William Shakespeare
Undisputedly one of Shakespeare's finest works, Hamlet is the gloomy tale of a Danish prince, who sets out to kill his uncle on the behest of his father's ghost. Considered by many to be progenitor of psychological thrillers, the tragedy has been adapted into numerous theatrical and movie releases.
2. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice follows the romantic story of fiery and quick witted Elizabeth Bennet and brooding, but kind-hearted Mr Darcy. The book, however, is so much more than a simple love story, but rather a comedic satire on a society where manners and courtesy are of the utmost importance. It is also one of the most famous cautionary tales on judging others too quickly.
3. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
When talking about classic books to read at least once, we cannot skip over The Great Gatsby. Published almost a century ago, The Great Gatsby is a riveting expose on the decadence of what is now known as "the Jazz age", exploring the age old question: Can wealth and indulgence replace the need for love?
4. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Besides being featured in nearly every single crossword puzzle out there (seriously, is it because of all the vowels in her last name?), Jane Eyre is arguably one of the most influential heroines of all time. Strong-willed, timid and headstrong, Jane is set on a quest for stability and happiness, and must find a way to balance her romantic feelings for her employer, without compromising her independence. The book is an absolute masterpiece, exploring themes as forbidden love, poverty and the loss of loved ones.
5. 1984 - George Orwell
Big brother is always watching... Although 1984 has passed a long time ago, Orwell's description of a dystopian, totalitarian world of absolute control, fear and lies has never been more terrifyingly relatable than it is today. The story follows the life of protagonist Winston Smith, as he struggles to maintain his humanity in a world that exact a heavy toll on individuality, love and free will.
6. The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Hailed as the progenitor of the modern fantasy genre, Tolkien's magical tale of Frodo Baggins's quest to destroy the One Ring is a true testament to the fact that sometimes even the smallest of lives can have the greatest of impacts. No list about classic books to read at least once would be complete without this fantasy epic.
7. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
We've all often imagined what it would be like to live in a world where we get to make all the rules. Yet in William Golding's Nobel Prize winning novel, we quickly discover the futility of this notion, as we follow the story of a group of boys stranded on an island, who steadily embrace the more savage aspects of human nature, collapsing their utopian island experience into a cruel and primitive nightmare.
8. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
Of Mice and Men is a beautiful tale of friendship and dreams, following the story of two migrant workers: George Milton and Lennie Small, as their work towards fulfilling their modest goal of owning their own piece of land.
9. The Iliad - Homer
Easily one of the most influential tales ever written, this epic poem by Homer is the oldest surviving work of Western literature. The story is centred on the last year of the Trojan War, exploring the contrast between the jealous nature of the Greek gods and humanity's struggle for compassion, survival and, in one particular case, a glorious death.
10. The Odyssey - Homer
Homer's other surviving work details the tale of Odysseus, as he and his crew attempt to reach the shores of their homeland Ithaca, following the end of the Trojan War. The epic is a story of determination, cunning and the undying power of hope - concepts that are as valid today as they were more than two thousand years ago.
11. Don Quixote - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
The book follows the adventures of Don Quixote, who becomes so fascinated by chivalric romances that he decided to become a knight-errant himself. Aided by his trusted squire, Sancho Panza, Don Quixote embarks on numerous fanciful adventures and exploits, usually saved from himself by Sancho's cunning. A sane madman and a cunning fool, the duo's journeys have captivated the world's attention for nearly 400 years.
12. The Decameron - Giovanni Boccaccio
Boccaccio's skill as a master dramatist shines through in this series of stories, written in the wake of the Black Death sweeping through Europe. The stories are narrated by ten young noble men and women, cooped together in a villa on the outskirts of Florence in a desperate attempt to escape the ravaging devastation of the plague.
13. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain
Often referred to as "The Great American Novel", Mark Twain's deep tale of friendship, adolescence and the complexities of shifting societal norms touches on themes that are as relevant today as they were at the time of it's writing.
14. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
One of Tolstoy's masterful epics, Anna Karenina follows one's woman's tale of scandalous passions and ultimate tragedy, set to the background of a vast panorama of contemporary life in Russia (and humanity in general) in the 19th century.
15. Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley's own tragic life makes for a proper novel itself, filled with death, heartbreak and ultimately a battle against the inevitable. Her most famous work, Frankenstein, which follows one man's obsession to cure death and the terryfing consequences of his success, is still one of the most widely acclaimed and read horror stories of all time.
16. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
While any of Dickens's novels are absolute must-reads, the tale of a young boy coming of age in 19th century England is perhaps the most-beloved of all. The story follows Pip, who after helping an escaped convict is told to hold "great expectations for his future". Suddenly raised from poverty to the glamorous life of a London socialite, Pip will eventually realize that the family he left behind is the greatest treasure of all.
17. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
"Call me Ishmael." - one of the most famous opening lines of all time, which somehow brings unprovoked intensity with it's hidden notes of pain and resignation. Herman Melville's epic is based on the true story of the whaler ship Essex and it's unfortunate and tragic encounter with a giant white whale.
18. Paradise Lost - John Milton
Paradise Lost is a poem in blank verse (unrhymed) by John Milton, detailing the biblical story of the Fall from Grace of Adam and Eve, their expulsion from the Garden of Eden and the consequences that all humanity bore for their actions.
19. The Last of the Mohicans - James Fenimore Cooper
Set in 1757, the Last of the Mohicans is the second novel of Cooper's series, taking place during the French and Indian War. The story follows Natty Bumppo (also called Hawkeye) and his brutal battles with the Iroquois tribes and their French allies. The book explores motives of cruel captures, narrow escapes and brutal revenge, as well as evoking sorrow at western civilization's conquest of the unspoiled wilderness of the Americas, symbolized in Hawkeye and his Mohican friends, the last remnants of their once powerful tribe.
20. Metamorphoses - Ovid
The Roman poet's epic work, consisting of a series of short stories, is one of the defining works on the gods' jealous nature and humanity's unpredictable, and often shockingly dark love affairs. Originally written in Latin, it's nuanced lyrics exploring hundreds of classical myths are still widely enjoyed by readers everywhere.
21. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
The original story of "selling your soul to the devil", Oscar Wilde's novel follows one man's lavish life of debauchery, hidden desires and eventual moral disintegration sparked such controversy upon it's release that it's moral dilemma and perceived corrupting influence played significant parts in Wilde's imprisonment.
22. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
One of the most powerful works of American literature, the tale of Scout Finch and her father Atticus offers a disturbingly realistic window into the heart-breaking reality of social and racial injustice in the American South during the Great Depression.
23. Ulysses - James Joyce
Homer and his epic retelling of Odysseus's adventures has influenced untold generations of writers. This can most notably be observed in Irish writer James Joyce's chronicles on the appointments and encounters of his protagonist Leopold Bloom in the novel Ulysses. Ulysses, being the Latinized name of Odysseus, draws a series of parallel's between the poem and the novel, highlighting structural similarities between the characters and experiences of Bloom and the ancient Greek hero, all the while exploring themes like love and sex, fate versus free will, and Irish identity and nationalism.
24. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
One of the greatest works in the swashbuckler's genre, Alexandre Dumas' novel, published in 1844, is an imaginative historical romance, relating to the adventures of four fictional heroes during late 17th and early 18th century France. Their daring escapades, unwavering friendship, swaggering charisma, and shrewd maneuvering of court intrigue and politics have been so entrenched in Western culture that they have become the staples against which numerous other fictional heroes are measured.
25. The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
Another epic novel of Dumas', which I simply could not abstain from including in this list. A deep and emotional story of innocence, romance, suffering and a man's eventual triumph over everything life has to throw at him. But more importantly, a prime example of why revenge is a dish best served cold.
26. Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Long before Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman bedazzled the world with their award-winning musical adaptation, readers all over the globe had their heartstrings tugged by Victor Hugo's sweeping tale of love, anger and redemption, which takes place during the conflict-rich period of the French Revolution.
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky
Dostoevsky's masterful novel is a captivating depiction on one man's profound mental unravelling and the effects of crushing guilt on one's soul, and is one of our absolute-must-reads, when it comes to classic books to read at least once in your lifetime! Few other novels have made me feel so deeply for their characters, and even fewer have evoked such terrible sense of loss in me upon their completion.
28. Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift
A wicked and clever satire on the nature of man and society as a whole, Gulliver's Travels describe the four voyages of Lemuel Gulliver, a ship's surgeon, to the land of Lilliput, where he discovers a world of miniature creatures, whose way of life he is able to observe by towering above their buzzing society, much like a God towers over the world of normal men. Yet, Lilliput is only one of the lands that Gulliver discovers, and he soon finds out that there are places out there where roles can be easily reversed.
29. Around the World in Eighty Days - Jules Verne
I can't even remember how many bets I've made on a night out to friends, only to shamefully retract my boasts the morning after. Unlike me, however, Phileas Fogg - protagonist of Jules Verne epic tale - uphold his honour and embarks on the seemingly crazy and impossible adventure of traveling across the world in just eighty days.
30. The Divine Comedy - Dante Alighieri
Examining questions of faith, desire and enlightenment, Dante's epic poem describes his descent into the nine circles of Hell, guided by Virgil, his ascent to Purgatory and, finally, his arrival and redemption in Heaven.
What did you think of our list for 30 classic books to read at least once in your life? Did we miss any of your favorites? Let us know in the comments below.
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