Good Reads - Fiction
Back to the Classics
Ancient Times
882/AES
Aeschylus - Oresteia
(Agamemnon, The Libation-Bearers, Eumenides) - 408 B.C.
The only extant trilogy of Greek
tragedies, these three plays recount the treacherous
murder of Agamemnon, the
vengeance of Orestes, and his trial for the murder of his
mother.
883/HOM
Homer - The
Iliad - 9th Century B.C.
This epic drama of
the Trojan War, told from the Greeks' point
of view, describes the tragic consequences of the wrath
of Achilles against Agamemnon.
883/HOM
Homer - The
Odyssey - 9th Century B.C.
The story of the
Odysseus' ten-year voyage homeward
from Troy, as he confronts and overcomes obstacles, both
natural and supernatural, during his travels.
882/SOP
Sophocles - Oedipus
Rex - 5th Century B.C.
Tragic tale based
on the myth of Oedipus, who fulfills the oracle's
prophecy by unknowingly killing his father and marrying
his mother.
873/VIR
Virgil - The
Aeneid - 1st Century B.C.
As he traces the
development of Rome from Aeneas to Octavius Caesar, Virgil
glorifies the legendary Trojan origin of
the Roman people.
Medieval and Renaissance
821/CHA
Chaucer, Geoffrey - The
Canterbury Tales - 1387–1400
A
story-telling contest among pilgrims going to Becket's
shrine at Canterbury Cathedral provides the framework for
this collection of stories, as well as a fascinating glimpse
of 14th century English people and life.
851/DAN
Dante Alighieri - The
Divine Comedy - 1321
With Virgil and
later Beatrice as his guides, Dante takes an epic journey
through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise,
following the progress of the human soul toward God and
vividly revealing the inhabitants along the way.
398.2/MAL
Malory, Sir Thomas - Le
Morte D'Arthur - 1485
Early
collection of the tales of King Arthur and his knights,
full of battles and courtly love.
822.34/SHAKESPEARE
Shakespeare, William - Complete
Works of William Shakespeare - 1590–1613
Called the "greatest treasure of Western literature
since the ancients," Shakespeare wrote 35 histories,
comedies, and tragedies which combine humor, action, lively
plots, and subtle characterization to create memorable
reading.
European Classics
F/CERVANTES
Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de - Don
Quixote - 1605–1615
Satirical
portrait of the chivalric hero of adventurous romances
as well as the nature of 17th century Spanish
society. As he travels about the countryside, a country
gentleman from La Mancha tries to recapture the days of
chivalry. A story related with a great deal of humor and
tempered with sadness, as the hero recognizes the futility
of his dream.
891.72/CHE
Chekhov, Anton - Plays - 1878–1903
Atmosphere and
strong characters highlight these plays which reflect changes
in 19th century Russia with the passing
of power from the landed gentry.
F/DOSTOYEVSKY
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor - Crime
and Punishment - 1866
Psychological
study of the student Raskolnikov, who murders a pawnbroker.
The memory of this vicious act, haunts him
through the nightmare streets of St. Petersburg, as he
slowly loses touch with reality.
F/DUMAS
Dumas, Alexandre - The
Three Musketeers - 1844
Melodramatic,
swashbuckling adventure of courtiers and court intrigue
set in 17th century France.
F/FLAUBERT
Flaubert, Gustave - Madame
Bovary - k1857
Often called the
first modern novel, this story depicts the dilemma of
a provincial woman, caught between the romances
she has read and dreamed and the dull reality of her life.
Her attempt to reconcile fact and fancy leads to tragedy.
832/GOE
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang Von - Faust - 1808–1832
Classic
tale of the intellectual who sells his soul to the devil
in return for knowledge, suffers the consequences
of his choice, but finds salvation in the end.
F/HUGO
Hugo, Victor - The
Hunchback of Notre Dame - 1831
The Cathedral
of Notre Dame in 15th century Paris serves as backdrop
for this historical romance featuring Quasimodo,
the hunchback bellringer, and his passionate love for a
gypsy dancer.
839.82/IBS
Ibsen, Henrik - A
Doll's House - 1879
Pampered Nora
asserts her independence to save her husband's
good name, but her efforts are met with scorn and condescension
instead of gratitude. Trapped in this suffocating marriage,
she realizes that only leaving will allow her to be free.
842/MOL
Moliere - Tartuffe,
and Other Plays - 1659–73
The
father of modern French comedy, Moliere portrays a wide
range of 17th century society, as he satirizes human
foibles.
F/TOLSTOY
Tolstoy, Leo - War
and Peace - 1866
On one level an historical
novel chronicling Napoleon's
invasion of Russia. Its strength and success, however,
derive from the combination of disparate themes—historical,
social, and personal—as Tolstoy interweaves the stories
of a large cast of characters.
English Classics
F/AUSTEN
Austen, Jane - Pride
and Prejudice - 1813
In this delightful
comedy of manners, the hero's
pride of class is opposed by the heroine's natural
prejudice with nearly disastrous results. Austen combines
a satisfying love story with a perceptive view of the English
gentry.
F/BRONTE
Bronte, Emily - Wuthering
Heights - 1847
This novel of love
and revenge set against the backdrop of the English moors
traces the passionate love of Heathcliff
for Catherine and the events that follow when that love
is thwarted.
F/DEFOE
Defoe, Daniel - Robinson
Crusoe - 1719
This, the original
desert island shipwreck story, follows Crusoe and his
Man Friday on myriad adventures, as they
struggle to exist on an uninhabited island.
F/DICKENS
Dickens, Charles - Great
Expectations - 1861
Regarded by
many as Dickens' greatest achievement,
this novel traces the growth of Philip Pirrip, called Pip,
from a boy of shallow dreams to a man of depth and character.
M/DOYLE
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan - The
Complete Sherlock Holmes - 1887–1927
Mystery short stories featuring
the ultimate fictional detective Sherlock Holmes and
his affable assistant Dr.
Watson.
F/ELIOT
Eliot, George - Middlemarch - 1872
Novel of provincial life
featuring intelligent, idealistic heroine Dorothea Brooke
who strives to find a cause to
which she can devote herself. A compelling portrait of
all levels of society during a period of great political
and social upheaval.
F/HARDY
Hardy, Thomas - The
Return of the Native - 1878
Clym Yeobright's
return to Egdon Heath, where he starts a school and marries
the passionate, self-centered
Eustacia Vye, triggers a series of events that lead to
tragedy in this novel which explores the contrasts between
characters and their varying attempts to control their
own destinies.
821/MIL
Milton, John - Paradise
Lost - 1667
Epic poem that tells
the story of the Creation, Adam and Eve in the Garden
of Eden, and Eve's temptation by
Satan, which caused their expulsion from Paradise.
F/STERNE
Sterne, Laurence - Tristram
Shandy - 1760–67
Tristram's humorous, if somewhat chaotic, account
of his life from his conception to the present and his "opinions," philosophical
discourses on all manner of things, comprise this somewhat
eccentric novel.
F/THACKERAY
Thackeray, William - Vanity
Fair - 1848
Contrasting characters,
Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley, form the focus for this
novel which explores 19th century
society and the frailties of human nature.
19th Century American Classics
F/CRANE
Crane, Stephen - The
Red Badge of Courage - 1895
Unromanticized,
vivid, and realistically drawn account of a young soldier's
coming of age and coming to terms with fear, as he
faces battle in the Civil War.
811/DIC
Dickinson, Emily - Complete
Poems of Emily Dickinson -
1890
One of the greatest women poets, she wrote from her
isolated vantage lyrical poems that illuminate life and
death with
wit and intelligence.
814/EME
Emerson, Ralph Waldo - Essays - 1841, 1844
Quintessential
Transcendentalist philosophy dominates these pieces on
self-reliance, nature, and instinctual
understanding of the universe, by America's most
prominent, essayist.
F/HAWTHORNE
Hawthorne, Nathaniel - The
Scarlet Letter - 1850
Set in
Puritan New England, this intense psychological study
explores the lives of the fallen Hester and her daughter
Pearl, her comforter Rev. Dimmesdale, and the evil machinations
of the revenging Chillingworth.
F/MELVILLE
Melville, Herman - Moby
Dick - 1851
A symbolic study of
good and evil as well as a gripping adventure story featuring
Captain Ahab as he pursues the
great white whale Moby Dick.
F/POE
Poe, Edgar Allan - Tales - 1845
Master of atmosphere and
horror as well as the precursor of the modern detective
story, Poe explores the dark side
of human nature in his classic short stories, including
The Pit and the Pendulum and Murders in the Rue Morgue.
F/STOWE
Stowe, Harriet Beecher - Uncle
Tom's Cabin - 1852
Anti-slavery
novel which focuses on the plight of slaves Uncle Tom and
Little Eva, as they struggle to escape the
villainous Simon Legree.
814/THO
Thoreau, Henry David - Walden - 1854
Life at Walden Pond,
where the philosopher Thoreau strives to focus on simplicity
rather than worldly concerns and
encourages a lifestyle that reflects the Transcendentalist
ideas of self-reliance and individualism.
F/TWAIN
Twain, Mark - The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - 1884
Social
satire and coming-of-age join in Huck's first-person
account of his adventures on a raft on the Mississippi
River. Joined by a runaway slave Jim, the two encounter
a wide range of unusual characters and learn about life
and human dignity.
811/WHI
Whitman, Walt - Leaves
of Grass - 1855,
1892
Revolutionary and accessible poet, whose work explores
the self, death, equality, and immortality.
20th Century World Classics
F/ACHEBE
Achebe, Chinua - Things
Fall Apart - 1958
Okonkwo, banned
for seven years for killing a clansman, returns to
his Nigerian village to find it very much altered,
as Christian values have replaced tribal beliefs. His struggle
to resume his life there ends in tragedy.
F/BOLL
Boll, Heinrich - Billiards
at Half-Past Nine - 1962
St.
Anthony's Abbey provides the focus for this
story of the Fahmel family, with its three generations
of architects, whose lives and relationships are intertwined
with the building they both created and destroyed.
F/CAMUS
Camus, Albert - The
Plague - 1948
When an Algerian port
city is overrun by the bubonic plague, measures are taken
to quarantine the area. Within the city,
however, humanistic feelings overcome individual fears,
as men struggle against the odds to save their fellow men.
839.01/DIN
Dinesen, Isak - Out
of Africa - 1937
Inspired by the author's
own experiences, this evocative novel explores the hardships
and pleasures of the day to
day running of a coffee plantation in Kenya, early in the
20th century.
F/FUENTES
Fuentes, Carlos - The
Death of Artemio Cruz - 1962
Stream
of consciousness account of Cruz's death-bed
ruminations, as he recalls the opportunism that became
a way of life and led to his own moral decay.
F/GARCIA MARQUEZ
Garcia Marquez, Gabriel - One
Hundred Years of Solitude - 1968
This quintessential novel of Magical Realism
recounts the dreamlike story of the Buendia family, whose
adventures
and discoveries, in their own isolated world, mirror a
history of the earth.
F/GORDIMER
Gordimer, Nadine - July's People - 1981
Revolution
in South Africa forces Bamford and Maureen Smales to flee
the comforts of their home and seek refuge
in the bush with their former servant. This role reversal
wreaks havoc among both black and white families in the
primitive village.
F/MAHFUZ
Mahfuz, Najib - Palace
Walk, Palace of Desire, Sugar Street - 1956–57
His Cairo trilogy traces
the fortunes of a middle class Egyptian merchant family
from the turmoil of the 1919 revolution
through the world wars.
F/NAIPAUL
Naipaul, V.S. - A
House for Mr. Biswas - 1961
In this Caribbean
classic, told with humor and compassion, Mr. Biswas longs
only for independence and a place of his
own, free from his overbearing and numerous relatives.
F/SOLZHENITSYN
Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr - One
Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich - 1962
This short novel details the struggles
of one man to survive while maintaining his dignity and
humanity in a Stalinist
prison camp.
20th Century British Classics
M/CHRISTIE
Christie, Agatha - The
Murder of Roger Ackroyd - 1926
This
classic novel of detective fiction features the eccentric
Belgian detective M. Hercule Poirot. This, one of Christie's
most famous works, epitomizes her use of intricate plots,
inspired motives and surprise endings as Poirot brilliantly
solves the murder.
F/FORSTER
Forster, E.H. - Passage
to India - 1924
Set in tumultuous
turn of the century India, this novel explores relations
between the Indians and the British,
when a visiting Englishwoman accuses a well-respected Indian
of attacking her in the Marabar Caves.
F/GREENE
Greene, Graham - The
Power and the Glory - 1940
Compelling
story follows a Mexican Catholic priest as he eludes
revolutionaries. The "Whiskey Priest," as
he is known to the locals, refuses to give up his priestly
obligations, and become a fugitive.
F/LAWRENCE
Lawrence, D.H. - Sons
and Lovers - 1913
Believed to be autobiographical
in nature, this novel follows the life of Paul Morell
as he grows up in a small
mining town amid poverty and despair, and his struggle
to escape the town and his possessive mother.
F/LECARRE
LeCarre, John - The
Spy Who Came in from the Cold - 1963
Classic
cold-war thriller inspired by the Berlin Wall, this novel
is regarded by many as the ultimate spy story.
It follows Alec Leamus on his last assignment when he is
literally caught in a deadly confrontation between East
and West.
F/RHYS
Rhys, Jean - Wide
Sargasso Sea - 1966
Based on the Bronte
novel, Jane Eyre, the story recounts the life of Rochester's
mad Caribbean wife. It is the story of her background,
their courtship and marriage,
and her eventual descent into insanity.
F/TOLKIEN
Tolkien, J.R. - Lord
of the Rings - 1954–56
Set in
the fantasy world Middle-earth, this trilogy details the
world of the hobbits, their heroic deeds, and obstacles
they overcome on their quest to ultimately destroy the
One Ring.
F/WAUGH
Waugh, Evelyn - Brideshead
Revisited - 1945
In this nostalgic
evocation of a time now lost, Charles Ryder recalls his
relationship with members of the aristocratic
but dysfunctional Marchmain family, from his days at Oxford
with younger son Sebastion to his romantic involvement
with Julia years later.
F/WOOLF
Woolf, Virginia - To
the Lighthouse - 1927
Atmospheric,
stream-of-consciousness novel which relates the everyday
lives of the Ramsay's, told through
the points of view of husband and wife, as well as through
the eyes of their children.
20th Century American Classics
F/FAULKNER
Faulkner, William - The
Sound and the Fury - 1929
Set
in the years following the Civil War, this stream-of-consciousness
novel, told in four parts by different narrators, recounts
the decline of the Compsons, formerly a prestigious Southern
family. Once wealthy, they now face poverty and the disintegration
of their family and its traditions.
F/FITZGERALD
Fitzgerald, F. Scott - The
Great Gatsby - 1925
A critical
look at the false glamour and wealth of the Jazz Age.
Nick Carraway, the narrator, tells the story
of Jay Gatsby and his obsession with Daisy Buchanan. Despite
Gatsby's great wealth, his attempts to woo her only
lead to tragedy.
F/HEMINGWAY
Hemingway, Ernest - The
Sun Also Rises - 1926
Set in the
1920's, this novel deals with a group
of expatriates in Spain. Wounded both physically and psychologically
during World War I, they drift aimlessly in an attempt
to recapture some meaning in their lives.
F/HURSTON
Hurston, Zora Neale - Their
Eyes Were Watching God - 1937
Considered a classic in feminist literature,
this novel relates the life story of Janie Crawford,
whose experiences,
often dramatic and violent, reflect a continual quest for
her own personal freedom and fulfillment.
F/LEE
Lee, Harper - To
Kill a Mockingbird - 1960
Told through
the eyes of Scout Finch, a six-year-old girl, this novel
explores injustice, ignorance, and prejudice
in a small Southern town in 1935, as her father defends
a black man accused of raping a white woman.
F/SALINGER
Salinger, J.D. - The
Catcher in the Rye - 1951
Holden Caulfield,
expelled from prep school and unwilling to go home, spends
two days alone in New York City. He
relates his rather humorous adventures, all the while conveying
an adolescent's dissatisfaction with the adult world.
F/STEGNER
Stegner, Wallace - Angle
of Repose - 1971
Beautifully written
and realistic depiction of the American frontier as a
retired historian pursues a quest to learn
about his grandparents, long dead, and their life in the
early days of the West.
F/STEINBECK
Steinbeck, John - The
Grapes of Wrath - 1939
Set during
the Great Depression, this novel traces the Joad family
forced to leave their Oklahoma farm, their
difficult journey to California, and the hardships they
face as migrant workers.
F/WHARTON
Wharton, Edith - The
House of Mirth - 1905
Lily Bart, a
beautiful but penniless heroine, tries desperately to
attach herself to an acceptable suitor. However, after
several unsuccessful relationships she must comes to terms
with the only alternatives society allows.
Prepared by Sheila Guenzer and Joyce Saricks, August 1999 |
