4 Great Classic Books

[Shanaya]

Catcher in the Rye was the only required read in my English Literature Classes. The rest I have not read. However, I did not like the book that very much. Wuthering Heights another required read was much more interesting and had me turning pages a number of times. I think I have read it at least 4 times. It is a great classic, however different people interpret in in different manner.

[Ayla_Cal]

George Orwell’s 1984 is a great classic and still influences society of today. Apart from “Big Brother,” “The Hunger Games” comes to mind, especially in the characters of Winston and Julia. Readers may feel negatively or positively towards totalitarian government, but this novel will always be a classic as it provokes and stirs people’s concept of an ideal or not so ideal government.

Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” was one of my assigned readings in college. It most definitely is cathartic.

I will most likely read the other 2 books after reading this. As for one of the books on my list, I would recommend Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.”

[avent_michelle]

Those are great Classic. Not necessarily in my top for but great one. I happened love great Gatsby and to kill a mockingbird. I have heard of the book of mice and men. I am defiantly going to put that on the to read list for this year.

Again. Great choices

[whitneybell]

4 More Great Classics

The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler. It's long but worth it. It's a semiautobiographical attack on Victorian hypocrisy, and it's great for people whose politics don't match those of their parents'. Highly recommended.

Candide by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment. It's quick and easy, and you'll be shocked at how much you can have in common with a cynic who lived in the 1700s. The parody and picaresque methods in this work of literature inspired many modern writers of black humor.

Moby Dick by Herman Melville. If you haven't read this, you should...and see as many of the movies as possible. A recent one features William Hurt and Ethan Hawke. It will improve your vocabulary, and you'll be amazed at how Melville could've written something so great in only sixteen months. He truly was a genius, and this is considered by many to be the greateset American novel ever written.

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf. This one has universal appeal. I promise that if you read it every ten years, you'll relate to a different character each time. Her sophisticated style is one I personally strive to emulate.

-- 31 Jan 2014, 12:13 --

Steinbeck wrote a short novela called The Pearl that you Of Mice and Men lovers might like. I'm not a huge fan of Steinbeck, but his writing reminds me that simple writing can be just as powerful as complicated--so why not be simple?

[ericao]

I read 1984 a couple years ago and it still resonates with me. One of the things that really hit me was NewSpeak and how similar to TextSpeak for us is. When I made that connection, I thought, yeah, our society is screwed.

I thought the same with Fahrenheit 451. I read that in 9th grade and all the connections between the book and our society today almost made me panic. It amazes me how sometimes science fiction writers can just predict the future like that. It makes me want to be cautious about trusting technology too much because it can make those in control of it become more powerful than you. This is why I love those two books.

[Cschahfer]

All four are good, but my favorite by far is Fahrenheit 451. That book cracked my mind open when I read it at 15, and introduced me to Bradbury's rich catalog.

[Harika16]

Fahrenheit 451 was an impacting book especially for book lovers and it's written masterfully as all Bradbury works are. Love that book!

[cynthia-t]

SPEAK, MEMORY by Vladimir Nabokov. An autobiography. Beautiful writing. Fascinating life, and man.

[pinkandrose]

My favourite book of all time is Crime and Punishment.
It was a fun read and I enjoyed figuring out the meaning of their mannerisms and getting to know Russian culture at that time.

[MeganebuKris22]

I have read both "Of Mice and Men" and "Catcher in the Rye" multiple times and somehow they never seem to get old lol

[Cyborg1964]

I must admit that I have only read 1984( high school), but have heard of " Of Mice and Men" and. of "Fahrenheit 451".
I have also read "Brave New World"(not recently) and "Animal Farm" They are all good books to read and reflect on, however, my favorite is the "Sherlock Holmes" collection, the first one , before Mr Doyle was knighted.
But them H.G.Wells and J. Verns were very good authors, their stories were almost prophetic.

[Aubinelizabeth]

Of mice and men = AMAZING. I was required to read this book in High School. I remember laying in my front yard on a blanket reading the last few pages in tears. What a great read

[JenniferBoyce]

I love all four of those books! Wonderful and simple list; just perfect.

[sp8+]

interesting perspective

[ChelseaH]

I have only read "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck and loved it! I need to check out the other three books!