Classical novels. They tend to get a bad rep. Whether we’re forced to read them during secondary school or whether we have to spend hours writing about them in college, they’re a genre of literature that tends to get overlooked or forgotten about when it comes to the modern-day reader.
Let’s be honest. The great novels, those truly epic books that have stood the test of time, tend to intimidate us a little bit. The print is small, we usually have bad memories of reading them (see the above points about school and college) and we tend to assume that the ‘classical’ tag is just a polite way of saying ‘old’ and ‘boring.’
But did you ever stop and think why these books never went out of fashion? Why they still manage to sell thousands (if not millions) of copies every single year?
We’ll let you in on a little secret: the classical novels are the ones that have amazing, thrilling plots, incredible characters and mesmerizing words that can literally transport you to another world.
If you’re currently trying to decide what your next read will be, step away from the ‘Just Published’ section and go retro. Here are the top 10 most accessible classical novels that will give you a great introduction to the relams of slightly older literature. Hey, you know what they say – much like wine, books always get better with age!
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“A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens
If you fancy a gripping page-turner then you need to get your hands on a copy of this book. Don’t let the fact that it’s Dickens turn you off. The book itself is set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. Featuring complex stories, action and characters that will linger in your mind long after you put it down, it can beat any work of modern fiction out there right now – that’s why it’s still considered to be one of the most famous works in the history of literature.
“Jude the Obscure” by Thomas Hardy
When it was first published in 1895 this novel sparked a mass amount of outrage, mainly for its portrayal of marriage and family life. We’re not going to lie, it’s a little slow to get going but it is really worth the effort. You won’t see the major twist at the end coming. One Her.ie staffer who read this in college is still a little shook by the ending.
“Villette” by Charlotte Bronte
Charlotte Bronte is most well known for her novel Jane Eyre but if you want a slightly darker novel filled with adventure and romance, Villette is definitely worth a read. After a family disaster, Lucy Snowe travels to the city of Villette to teach and an all-girls school, but she gets a little more than she bargained for when she meets the fiery principal Mr Emanuel. You won’t be able to put it down.
“Tender is the Night” F. Scott Fitzgerald
He’s most well-known for his novel The Great Gatsby but many critics argue that Tender is the Night is Fitzgerald’s real masterpiece. First off, the writing is absolutely beautiful. Secondly, the plot is fantastic. The novel centres on the relationship between Dick and Nicole Diver, a glamorous couple who are spending the summer in the South of France. But what happens when Dick starts getting a little too close to Rosemary Hoyt – a young starlet who’s just arrived in France? There are so many twists in this book, you’ll be left guessing right until the very last page.
“The Sound and the Fury” by William Faulkner
This book completely changed the way in which novels were written and heralded the start of ‘modernism’ in America. It follows the lives of the members of the Compson family – former aristocrats from the deep South who are struggling to deal with the break-up of their family. Featuring financial run, inappropriate relationships and a host of tragic characters, this is a slightly dark but completely gripping read.
“To The Lighthouse” by Virgina Woolf
Beautifully written and with a gorgeous ‘dreamy’ quality to it, To The Lighthouse is Virginia Woolf at her absolute best. The novel centres on the Ramsay family and their visits to the Isle of Skye in Scotland. This book is considered to be one of the best English-language novels of the 20th century. It’s relatively short, but you will literally be transported into the Ramsay’s world as soon as you open the first page.
“Dracula” by Bram Stoker
Forget Twilight, forget True Blood and forget Interview With A Vampire, if you want to see where the entire vampire thing came from, sit down and crack open a copy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Told in a series of letters and journal entries, this novel centres on Count Dracula’s attempts to relocate from Transylvania to England. It’s creepy, it’s unnerving and it’s still considered one of the best works of gothic fiction out there right now.
“Gone With The Wind” by Margaret Mitchell
You’ve probably seen the film but that doesn’t mean that you should skip on reading the book. Set in the deep south during the American Civil War, Gone With The Wind tells the story of Scarlett O’Hara, the pampered daughter of a plantation owner, who has to do everything she can when she suddenly finds herself in poverty. Try not to swoon at the dark and brooding Captain Rhett K. Butler – it’s impossible.
