8 classics of English literature that you should read
What elements make a book a classic? The first answer that comes to mind for most bibliophiles has to do with the significance of a narrative text. When a literary work has the ability to endure over time, to provide guidance to other authors, and even to continue teaching new generations of readers, it usually becomes essential material.
At the same time, a classic, By its very nature, it usually addresses universal arguments and exposes them to a dialectic that allows debate. In this sense, literature in the English language has given rise to a variety of masterpieces that have moved, enlightened, educated and left a broad mark on universal history. These are 8 classics of English literature that you should read.
Middlemarch (1874)
This is not intended to be a quantitative classification. However, it is evident that Middlemarch had to hold one of the first places. Is about a realistic novel that faithfully draws the settings of the Victorian Midlands. It follows several main plots, such as those of the idealistic and unorthodox Dorothea Brooke, the brilliant Will Ladislaw, Dr. Tertius Lydgate and the irresponsible Fred.
As the stories progress and relate to each other, other adjacent plots are created that nourish the work with an admirable complexity, while events such as the signing of the Reform Act, the death of King George IV or the succession of his brother, the Duke of Clarence, are recounted. The novel was written by Mary Ann Evans, better known by her pen name, George Eliot.
Lord jim (1899)
The novel follows the life of Jim, a British sailor who works as an officer for the Patna, a ship that transports pilgrims to Mecca so they can celebrate the Hajj. Everything was going well until, At some point, the hull of the ship is damaged. Soon, the protagonist and the rest of the crew abandon the ship and the passengers. Later, Jim and the others are rescued by another ship.
However, the pilgrims are also saved, so the behavior of the main character and the assistants becomes public, and they are subjected to the scrutiny of English society. The book moves toward Jim's quest for redemption., which is told by Marlow, a captain whom he befriends. The novel was written by Joseph Conrad for the Blackwood's Magazine.
Wuthering Heights — Wuthering Heights (1847)
Written by Emily Brontë, this It is the dark romantic novel par excellence. Set in York County, it tells the story of love, deception and disagreements between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw. He was adopted by her family when he was a child. They both grew up together and, although the rest of the people mistreated him, she gave him her friendship.
That feeling turned into love, but she, believing that a union with him would lower her position, decides to marry her neighbor. Since then, the lives of all the inhabitants of Wuthering Heights are quite miserable more or less until the end, when the author closes with a brighter resolution. The book had a lukewarm first reception, but the years have turned it into an example of storytelling and character construction.
Ulysses — Ulysses (1922)
James Joyce
As its name indicates, the novel is inspired by The odyssey by Homer, since the Latin version of this is “Ulysses”. In fact, This work presents many literary parallels with the Greek classic, such as symbolism and rhetoric. The book, written by the Irish James Joyce, tells the adventures of Leopold Bloom —alter ego of the author—and Stephen Dedalus during his visit to Dublin on June 16, 1904.
To better understand the apparent literary chaos created by Joyce, Linati and Gilbert wrote outlines, providing the text with several titles per chapter. Structurally speaking, the novel is divided into 18 episodes. Each of them has a name, a narrative style and a parallelism with The odyssey different, which makes the book maintain an air of mysterious challenge.
Great Expectations (1861)
This is one of Charles Dickens' most sophisticated and popular novels. This tell the story de life of Philip Pirrip (Pip), an orphan boy living with his sister and brother-in-law in Kent. One day, the little boy meets a criminal who forces him to provide him with food while he flees from the law and looks for his enemy. Later, Pip is sent to Miss Havisham's house to entertain her.
In his mansion he meets Estella, a young girl with whom he falls in love, although she mocks him for his social position. Later, Pip He is informed that he has a benefactor, and is urged to move to London to study. a career as a knight. This fact completely modifies the protagonist's context, bringing him closer to his own happy ending.
Romeo and Juliet — Romeo and Juliet (1597)
Despite being the oldest title on this list, it is also the only one that needs no introduction. Everyone knows the story of the tragic lovers written by William Shakespeare. The play begins with a fight between two men belonging to families who hate each other to death: the Montagues and the Capulets. What none of the castes suspect is that soon all their tensions will be relieved.
Juliet Capulet enjoys her engagement dance with Count Paris when, suddenly, is enthralled with the beauty of a young man unknown, which turns out to be Romeo Montague. They both fall madly in love, and get married, ignoring the dispute between their families. Knowing that they will not be able to consummate their relationship in this context, they resort to suicide, which, ironically, reconciles the Montagues and the Capulets.
to the lighthouse — To the lighthouse (1927)
Written by Virginia Woolf, tells what happened during two days - separated by ten years - in which the Ramsay family visited a lighthouse, in addition to reflections on this trip and the tensions between the members. Other fundamental themes are the passage of time, death and psychological exploration. Likewise, topics such as marriage and sexism are addressed.
More than the plot itself, The important thing about this novel is the way it is narrated, structured and set.. The book, set in the Hebrides, on the Isle of Skye, also presents what the lives of the inhabitants of a nation at war are like, as well as the people behind it and the consequences of the conflict. Likewise, the work is divided into three sections: Part I: “The window”, Part II: “Time passes”, Part III: “The lighthouse”.
Pride and Prejudice (1813)
This is, without a doubt, one of the most famous romantic comedies in history, and also one of Jane Austen's most read. The book tells the love story between Elizabeth Bennet, a beautiful and intelligent young woman from the middle class, and Fitzwilliam Darcy, a wealthy man about the city. The plot revolves around how these two characters must overcome their personal crises and mature.
As Elizabeth and Darcy fall in love with each other through a back-and-forth of scenarios and feelings, The author shows the reality of English society in the Victorian era, and addresses topics such as self-knowledge, femininity, marriage, social classes, perspectivism and the search for one's own happiness.
