Ancient Times
882/AES
AeschylusOresteia (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
HomerThe Iliad9th 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
HomerThe Odyssey9th 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
SophoclesOedipus Rex5th 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
VirgilThe Aeneid1st 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, GeoffreyThe Canterbury Tales1387–1400

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 AlighieriThe Divine Comedy1321

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 ThomasLe Morte D’Arthur1485

Early collection of the tales of King Arthur and his knights, full of battles and courtly love.

822.34/SHAKESPEARE
Shakespeare, WilliamComplete Works of William Shakespeare1590–1613

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 deDon Quixote1605–1615

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, AntonPlays1878–1903

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, FyodorCrime and Punishment1866

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, AlexandreThe Three Musketeers1844

Melodramatic, swashbuckling adventure of courtiers and court intrigue set in 17th century France.

F/FLAUBERT
Flaubert, GustaveMadame Bovaryk1857

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 VonFaust1808–1832

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, VictorThe Hunchback of Notre Dame1831

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, HenrikA Doll’s House1879

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
MoliereTartuffe, and Other Plays1659–73

The father of modern French comedy, Moliere portrays a wide range of 17th century society, as he satirizes human foibles.

F/TOLSTOY
Tolstoy, LeoWar and Peace1866

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, JanePride and Prejudice1813

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, EmilyWuthering Heights1847

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, DanielRobinson Crusoe1719

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, CharlesGreat Expectations1861

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 ConanThe Complete Sherlock Holmes1887–1927

Mystery short stories featuring the ultimate fictional detective Sherlock Holmes and his affable assistant Dr. Watson.

F/ELIOT
Eliot, GeorgeMiddlemarch1872

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, ThomasThe Return of the Native1878

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, JohnParadise Lost1667

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, LaurenceTristram Shandy1760–67

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, WilliamVanity Fair1848

Contrasting characters, Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley, form the focus for this novel which explores 19th century society and the frailities of human nature.

19th Century American Classics
F/CRANE
Crane, StephenThe Red Badge of Courage1895

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, EmilyComplete Poems of Emily Dickinson1890

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 WaldoEssays1841, 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, NathanielThe Scarlet Letter1850

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, HermanMoby Dick1851

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 AllanTales1845

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 Pendelum and Murders in the Rue Morgue.

F/STOWE
Stowe, Harriet BeecherUncle Tom’s Cabin1852

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 DavidWalden1854

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, MarkThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn1884

Social satire and coming-of-age join in Huck’s first-person account of his adventures on a raft on the Mississipppi 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, WaltLeaves of Grass1855, 1892

Revolutionary and accessible poet, whose work explores the self, death, equality, and immortality.

20th Century World Classics
F/ACHEBE
Achebe, ChinuaThings Fall Apart1958

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, HeinrichBilliards at Half-Past Nine1962

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, AlbertThe Plague1948

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, IsakOut of Africa1937

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, CarlosThe Death of Artemio Cruz1962

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, GabrielOne Hundred Years of Solitude1968

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, NadineJuly’s People1981

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, NajibPalace Walk, Palace of Desire, Sugar Street1956–57

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. Biswas1961

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, AleksandrOne Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich1962

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, AgathaThe Murder of Roger Ackroyd1926

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 India1924

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, GrahamThe Power and the Glory1940

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 Lovers1913

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, JohnThe Spy Who Came in from the Cold1963

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, JeanWide Sargasso Sea1966

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 Rings1954–56

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, EvelynBrideshead Revisisted1945

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, VirginiaTo the Lighthouse1927

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, WilliamThe Sound and the Fury1929

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. ScottThe Great Gatsby1925

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, ErnestThe Sun Also Rises1926

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 aimlessy in an attempt to recapture some meaning in their lives.

F/HURSTON
Hurston, Zora NealeTheir Eyes Were Watching God1937

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, HarperTo Kill a Mockingbird1960

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 Rye1951

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, WallaceAngle of Repose1971

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, JohnThe Grapes of Wrath1939

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, EdithThe House of Mirth1905

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