Classical Suggestions

[purplesilk]

I just finished Uncle Tom's Cabin for the same reason you posted this discussion. I don't remember any of the classics I read for school and thought it would be a shame not to re-read them.

[Seraphy]

Old Man and Sea
The Bluest Eye
Walden
Invisible Man

[MandyMe]

I'm very fond of Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, and Lord Byron. The way the books, plays, and poetry are written is almost lyrical in nature and I appreciate the way the flowery words can hide darker or tawdry undertones.

Some other classics I enjoyed:
The Count of Monte Cristo
Little Women
Huckleberry Finn
Frankenstein
The Illiad
The Odyssey

[Bearsfan]

I'll second For Whom The Bell Tolls, what a well told story. It is also not difficult to read because it is not really that old. I recently read Treasure Island for the first time. It was decent, but a much tougher read.

[ralfy]

There are lots to consider. Try, for example, Bloom's canon list.

[DATo]

I think it depends on what type of reader you are. By this I mean, if you are an accomplished reader who tends to vet a novel thoroughly with an eye to symbolism, metaphor, motif, etc then any of the classics mentioned above would suffice; but, if you tend to read more superficially then I would recommend authors like Dickens, Steinbeck, or Austin as a good place to start. Even these author's works are deeper than they appear at first glance but I think they are more accessible to the average reader than say, for instance, the Russians (Tolstoy & Dostoyevsky).

To give you an example of what a reader can miss with regard to a novel which could otherwise be read and thoroughly enjoyed superficially I have posted an exegeses of things I found in a Dickens book - link included below. The topic is called Observations: David Copperfield, by Charles DIckens . (May be of interest to those who have already read the novel but it contains spoilers - a warning to those who have not.) forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php ... amp;t=9962

[ralfy]

Also, check out books like The Well-Educated Mind.

[Artistic]

I don't know if this could qualify as a novel but the translation reads like one:
Odysseus.

[shyluh_anne]

I love Fahrenheit 451. But I am a huge Ray Bradbury fan. The Catcher in the Rye is also great.