What's your favorite classic novel?

оnе bооk I'vе аlwаys thоught gоt а bаd rеp frоm pеоplе whо hаvе nеvеr rеаd it is сrimе аnd Punishmеnt by Fyоdоr Dоstоyеvsky.
I fееl likе muсh оf Russiаn Litеrаturе is соnsidеrеd tо bе аutоmаtiсаlly dеnsе, bоring, аnd hаrd tо rеаd by mоst аmеriсаns I'vе еnсоuntеrеd. Thе Brоthеrs Kаrаmаzоv, оnе оf my fаvоritе bооks, spеnds а lоt оf timе dеvеlоping сhаrасtеrs rаthеr thаn hаving а bunсh оf асtiоn-pасkеd plоt twists аnd Russiаn nаmеs аnd niсknаmеs аrе аdmittеdly diffiсult fоr thоsе unfаmiliаr with thеm. I аdоrе Thе Brоthеrs K, but I саn sее hоw it's nоt fоr еvеryоnе.
 
I would have to say Harold and Maude here. There are some good comedies that I was thinking about instead, but the more I thought about it the more I remembered just how great this movie was. Truly a classic love story with a great soundtrack.
 
Classical literary pieces is not an easy read, some would says that it bores them they could have gotten into sleep. It is because classic pieces are meant to be dissected and understood unlike any other genre. I've read a few pieces myself and one of them is Crime and Punishment by Leo Tolstoy, another that struck me the most is the one written by Oscar Wilde-The Picture of Dorian Gray. Wilde used of language as a combination of wittiness and eloquence is probably one of the reason why I was not able to get my hands off his novel. The content of the novel seems to be off-chart from a classical piece yet his cunning remarks displayed in writing made it unique. I could never get over the fact that so much beauty can delusional a man to an extent he only thinks of himself without regarding others feeling. Dorian is vain, reflecting a man of utter narcissistic impulse, one that brought him to his destruction.
 
The Count of Monte Cristo
I love adventures, and Alexandre Dumas masterfully creates one hell of an epic adventure in this book. It tells the story of a young and successful sailor who falls in love with a young girl and returns to marry her but is betrayed and accused by none other than his best friend. Thus, he spends 14 years in prison where he will find desolation but also the doors of knowledge will be opened to him.

Les Miserables
Victor Hugo screened one of the most important novels of the nineteenth century. It presents and analyzes the French society of his time set in the events of the Rebellion of June 1832. I adore both the book and the Broadway musical.
 
Alice in Wonderland. It comes across as a children's book, but it's fantastically clever and pun-filled - to really get an idea of the depth, try The Annotated Alice - who knows if it's still in print; I found a copy in my school library, but it's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass with annotations by Martin Gardner.
 
My favorite has been Pride and prejudice, by Jane Austen. But then I love all of Charles Dickens' work especially Oliver Twist, Huckleberry Finn and the others. John Milton has been one of my other favorites too, I have enjoyed reading Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained . Contemporary novelist Taylor Caldwell with her novels Dear and Glorious physician, The great lion of God, A Prologue to Love has equally held my interest. I basically enjoy reading and any good author keeps my attention for hours without end.
 
My all-time favourite is a more modern classic; 1984 by George Orwell. It's the first ever book that got me properly thinking, and for weeks afterwards as well.

If you've never read the book, it's basically set in 'the future', which is rife with government surveillance, interference and propaganda.

I feel that many themes in the novels are still relevant today - perhaps even more so. It deals with government surveillance, interference and propoganda, as well as censorship. The latter of which is particularly relevant in this day and age with the internet.
 
My favorite classic novel is "Crime and Punishment." It is so good, the plot is great and the novel has complex characters. It is really a classic. I adore reading Russian classic literature and I think those classics describe the reality as it is, unlike some of the western literature.
 
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is my favorite classic novel. It's one of the few novels I remember vividly and that I actually want to re-read. Although there are other classics I have deeply enjoyed as well that are close seconds. The Catcher in the Rye really captures the inner thoughts of a teenager, which I really like. Jane Eyre is dark, romantic, and feminist which I also like. So it's a tough choice, but Brave New World is the one I enjoyed reading the most.
 
My favorite classics novel is the Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I encountered his writing once and the rest was history. I got lost on how good he could get create words that reverberate and left imprint. He is once of my most admired writer next to Rowling.
 
AlexZ said:
оnе bооk I'vе аlwаys thоught gоt а bаd rеp frоm pеоplе whо hаvе nеvеr rеаd it is сrimе аnd Punishmеnt by Fyоdоr Dоstоyеvsky.
I fееl likе muсh оf Russiаn Litеrаturе is соnsidеrеd tо bе аutоmаtiсаlly dеnsе, bоring, аnd hаrd tо rеаd by mоst аmеriсаns I'vе еnсоuntеrеd. Thе Brоthеrs Kаrаmаzоv, оnе оf my fаvоritе bооks, spеnds а lоt оf timе dеvеlоping сhаrасtеrs rаthеr thаn hаving а bunсh оf асtiоn-pасkеd plоt twists аnd Russiаn nаmеs аnd niсknаmеs аrе аdmittеdly diffiсult fоr thоsе unfаmiliаr with thеm. I аdоrе Thе Brоthеrs K, but I саn sее hоw it's nоt fоr еvеryоnе.
Click to expand...
Russian novels give me problems with the names of people. They challenge me much until I get the whole thing to be boring. I love short names.
 
Back
Top