A list of Classics

[Fi Skirata]

Hello all!

I have recently made it my goal to read as many classic books before I go to college in two years. Seeing as some of you seem to be fans of the art of literature, I was wondering if anyone had suggestions for ones I should read. I have read all of the ubber-famous ones (Moby Dick, Invisible Man, Pride& Prejudice and Black Arrow just to name a few) but I am sure that there are less heard of ones that would be good for me to read. If needed I could post a list of all the classics I have already read if that would make a difference in selection processes. Thanks!

[GeneralGrievous13]

Hmmm... you may have already read most of these, but here are a few of the classics that I have enjoyed reading over the years:

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Around the World in Eighty Days

The Count of Monte Cristo

A Journey to the Center of the Earth

The Last of the Mohicans

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood

Mutiny on the Bounty

The Red Badge of Courage

Robinson Crusoe

The Hound of the Baskervilles

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

The Three Musketeers

The Time Machine

Treasure Island

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

The War of the Worlds

Additionally, I highly recommend reading The Hobbit and all three books of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. If you are a crazy Tolkien fan like me, then you may also enjoy reading The Silmarillion.

Since this popped into my mind while thinking about these books, I also highly recommend Bored of the Rings, a parody of The Lord of the Rings written by the Harvard Lampoon back in 1969. This book may not officially be a classic, but it is a wonderfully fun read.

[ollie]

i'd be curious to see what your list so far looks like. Here are a few I read and enjoyed as a teenager (or a bit later). There was a great series available in the UK then (and possibly still now) called "pound classics" that ran out-of-copyright books on cheap paper for GBP1.

• * Three Men in a Boat, Jerome K. Jerome.
  * The Club of Queer Trades, G. K. Chesterton.
  * Brave New World, Aldous Huxley.
  * Woman in White, Wilkie Collins.
  * Emma, Jane Austen (I know you mentioned an Austen already, but this one is my pick---add it if you haven't already).
  * 1984, George Orwell.
  * The Thought Gang Tibor Fischer (it will be a classic, I'm sure).
  * The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde.

Perhaps as important are the ones not to read! Here are some I struggled through (or at least part of the way through) but decided weren't worth the effort. Of course, better minds than mine will disagree.

• * The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald.
  * Anything by Virginia Woolf.
  * Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad.
  * Turn of the Screw, Henry James.
  * Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien.

There are others too I'm sure that I've managed to blank.

[Onacara]

Adding to the list....

Frankenstein:The Modern Prometheus
The Odyssey
Dante's Inferno
Slaughterhouse Five
A Clockwork Orange

[screwDriver]

In addition to GeneralGrievous13's suggestion of The 3 Musketeers, I'd follow it up with Man In The Iron Mask. Both by Alexander Dumas.

Also an addition to Onacara's suggestion of The Odyssey, I'd suggest read the Trojan war, Iliad, first. Both are by Homer.

Others...

Prisoner of Zenda - Anthony Hope
Call of the Wild / Wild Fang - Jack London
Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan and John Carter series
Romance of the Three Kingdoms - Luo Guanzhong (this is a Chinese literature which is particularly a favorite subject of a number of video/computer games and Chinese movies, you can find a number of translation of this.)
Edgar Allan Poe's poems and short stories.
Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain
For Whom The Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemingway
Dracula - Bram Stoker

Some readings that I think the current generation should read...
Fairy Tales collections - Hans Christian Anderson or the Grimm Brothers (don't rely on Disney)
Aesop's Fables

And finally... The Bible. Whether you believe in God or not, whether you care about religion or not. This book still have stories and teachings that are relevant to everyone. And it's probably the oldest classic of all.

[Fi Skirata]

I'd be curious to see what your list so far looks like.

Here you go:

Spoiler Alert!

The Three Musketeers (translated directly from french)
Prisoner of Zenda
Tom Sawyer
Huckleberry Finn
Old Man and the Sea
Call of the Wild
White Fang
Moby Dick
Secret Garden
Merchant of Venice
A Midnight Summers Dream
Sea Wolf
Pride & Prejudice
Black Arrow
The Time Machine
The Island of Dr. Moreu
The Invisible Man
War of the Worlds
First Men in the Moon
Aesops Fables (Most of them anyway )
Frankenstein
Brave New World
Of Mice and Men
Heart of Darkness
The Bible
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
The Mysterious Island
Treasure Island
To Kill A Mockingbird
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
A Journey to the Center of the Earth
A Christmas Carol
Lord of the Flies
Great Expectations
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Around the World in Eighty Days

I am not sure if the following count as classics, so I will include them:
Most of Isaac Asimov's books
Lord of the Rings Trilogy
The Hobbit
Fahrenheit 451

Read after starting this thread:
The Prince and the Pauper

Thanks to those who have so far made suggestions. I do have one question about one of the books listed. I have looked into Dracula before and have heard it is a romance novel (one that might have inappropriate content in it for my age) could someone tell me if this is true or not. Because if it is not then I would love to read that one.

[Scapemage]

How can you forget To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

[Fi Skirata]

Originally Posted by Scapemage

How can you forget To Kill A Mockingbord by Harper Lee.

I forgot to have added that to my list of read books, that and Lord of the Flies...

[Onacara]

What I am finding slightly disturbing about this is that you are two years away from college and have not read some of these books already as part of your school curriculum?

[ollie]

Originally Posted by Fi Skirata

Thanks to those who have so far made suggestions. I do have one question about one of the books listed. I have looked into Dracula before and have heard it is a romance novel (one that might have inappropriate content in it for my age) could someone tell me if this is true or not. Because if it is not then I would love to read that one.

Judging from your original post, you're about 16. To my mind, that's plenty old enough that you'll be strong-willed enough to deal with any "inappropriate content" in Dracula or pretty much any other book. The bible, to take an example from your list, is much racier.

If you're really getting stuck into the issues when reading these books (and if you're not, why bother reading them?) then "romance" is going to a long way down the list of items that you should be worrying about corrupting/inspiring you.

[Scapemage]

Originally Posted by Fi Skirata

I forgot to have added that to my list of read books, that and Lord of the Flies...

I'm surprised you haven't read this yet. My English class just finished it on Friday, and I'm a freshman.

[Arch-vile]

1984 and Animal Farm, both by George Orwell, are incredible reads. They tell a chilling story that is all to real. I enjoyed The Crucible by Arthur Miller (be warned- it's a play) and both The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer are fantastic.

Once I got past the Shakespearean language, I thought MacBeth was interesting. It is a really short Shakespeare play with a unique protagonist for Shakespeare's writing.

Originally Posted by Onacara

What I am finding slightly disturbing about this is that you are two years away from college and have not read some of these books already as part of your school curriculum?

I'm a high school senior and I have only read a few of these books in school, as "required reading". Most classics I've read on my own. It's really sad how anti-literature schools have become. Just last week I was talking to my old English teacher, who said that next year's kids won't be reading To Kill a Mockingbird until Freshman year now.

EDIT- wait, is the list what you have read or haven't?