10 books proving that classics aren't boring

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Classical literature is deep in content, it raises important social and philosophical problems. However, for many people it is associated with boredom. Ten books will prove that classics can be fun, too.

1. "Ivanhoe", Walter Scott

All the romantic pathos that is shrouded in the Middle Ages is presented in "Ivanhoe". Valorous knights, beautiful ladies, castle sieges and political subtleties of vassal relations - all this found a place in the novel by Walter Scott.

In many ways, it was his creation that contributed to the romanticization of the Middle Ages. The author described the historical events that affect the period in the history of England after the Third Crusade. Of course, it was not without serious artistic improvisation and fiction, but this only made the story more exciting and beautiful.

2. "Dead Souls", Nikolai Gogol

It was impossible not to include in this selection the most famous creation of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. For many schoolchildren, the study of "Dead Souls" is the most striking event in literature lessons.

Nikolai Gogol is one of the few classics who knew how to write about the problems of philistine life and Russia as a whole in such a sarcastic and direct tone. There is neither the epic ponderousness of Tolstoy, nor the unhealthy psychology of Dostoevsky. Reading the work is easy and pleasant. However, hardly anyone will deny him the depth and subtlety of the observed phenomena.

3. The Headless Horseman by Mine Reid

The adventure novel "The Headless Horseman" is multi-layered: mystical, detective and love motives are intertwined in it. The intricacies of the plot create intrigue and keep you in suspense until the very last pages of the book. Who is this headless horseman? A ghost, a figment of the imagination of heroes, or someone's insidious trick? You are unlikely to fall asleep until you get the answer to this question.

4. "The Pickwick Papers" by Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens was extremely popular during his lifetime. People were waiting for his next novels in about the same way as we are now waiting for the release of some "Transformers". The educated English public loved his books for their inimitable style and plot dynamism.

The Pickwick Papers is the funniest piece by Dickens. The adventures of English snobs, who proclaimed themselves as researchers of human souls, are full of ridiculous and comical situations. Social issues, of course, are present here, but they are presented in such a simple form that it is simply impossible not to fall in love with the English classics after reading them.

5. "Madame Bovary", Gustave Flaubert

"Madame Bovary" is rightfully considered one of the greatest novels of the world classics. This title does not in the least detract from the fascination of Flaubert's creation - the defiant story of Emma Bovary's love affairs is bold and daring. After the publication of the novel, the writer was even prosecuted for insulting morality.

The psychological naturalism that permeates the novel allowed Flaubert to vividly reveal a problem that is relevant in any era - the convertibility of love and money.

6. "The Portrait of Dorian Gray", Oscar Wilde

The most famous work of Oscar Wilde touches the living with a deeply worked out image of the protagonist. Dorian Gray, an esthete and snob, has an extraordinary beauty that contrasts with the inner ugliness that develops throughout the plot. You can revel in watching Gray's moral fall, allegorically reflected in the visual change of his portrait, for hours on end.

7. "American Tragedy", Theodore Dreiser

American Tragedy is the other side of the American Dream. The desire for wealth, respect, position in society, money is characteristic of all people, but for the majority the way up is closed by default for various reasons.

Clyde Griffiths is a bottom-up who is trying his best to break into high society. He is ready to do anything for the sake of his dream. But society, with its ideals of success as an absolute goal in life, is itself a catalyst for the violation of morality. As a result, Clyde breaks the law to achieve his goals.

Dreiser's novel is tragic in the classical, ancient Greek sense. Rock plays the main role, the person turns out to be a puppet in the hands of fate. The hope for a person's victory over the inevitable and empathy for the protagonist will force the reader to overcome the work in the shortest possible time.

8. "The Adventures of the Gallant Soldier Schweik", Jaroslav Hasek

At the beginning of the First World War, a soldier Švejk, engulfed in patriotic duty, voluntarily goes into the army. However, he does not achieve his goal - the military commissariat takes his zeal to serve the Fatherland as a sign of idiocy. So Schweik ends up in an insane asylum, where he is proclaimed a simulator. As a result, the brave soldier still ends up in the army.

This is just the beginning of Hasek's satirical novel, each page of which will make even the most serious reader laugh out loud.

9. "Lolita", Vladimir Nabokov

Nabokov is famous for his love of playing with words, florid descriptions and bright sonority of the syllable. Sometimes the form is more important for him than the content. Lolita's language is also endlessly diverse and polyphonic. However, this novel is by no means boring.

In classical literature, it is difficult to find a plot that would be devoted to the topic of pedophilia. Nabokov quite frankly describes the sexual attraction of the protagonist Humbert to a 12-year-old girl.

After the release of the novel, a huge scandal erupted, thanks to which Nabokov made a name for himself in America.

10. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird is an autobiographical novel. Harper Lee described her childhood memories. The result is a story with an anti-racist message, written in simple and accessible language. Reading the book is useful and interesting, it can be called a moral textbook.

Not so long ago there was a sequel to the novel called "Go and Set a Watchman." In it, the images of the characters in the writer's classic work are so turned inside out that cognitive dissonance cannot be avoided when reading.