Everyone has those ‘I really should get to them’ classics sitting neglected on a bookshelf somewhere – it’s time to get ‘em down, dust ‘em off and discover why they’re so famous and beloved (before some terrible straight-to-dvd remake ruins them for you!) The pay-off? – their reputation is richly deserved because these are some of the most engrossing, entrancing, and immensely readable novels you’re ever going to open…
Jane Eyre (1847) by Charlotte Bronte
So most people know Jane has a thing for this dark, dangerous guy called Rochester – but did you know about her other boyfriend? Plus has anyone ever told you there is a full-on cross-dressing scene in this novel? And do you even know who – or what – is being kept behind locked doors on the third-floor…?
Wuthering Heights (1847) by Emily Bronte
Death threats, adultery, foul language, random acts of violence and terrifying hauntings – and that’s just what the heroine gets up to! If someone filmed this properly, the movie would have to be rated R – this is the most vicious, passionate, gothic love story the critics had ever read, and it still makes for scandalous reading…
Great Expectations (1860) by Charles Dickens
An unknown benefactor makes you rich overnight – will it change your life, fulfil all your wildest dreams, and help you get the girl? Throw in a creepy old bride still waiting for her lover in the wedding dress he jilted her in half a century ago, an escaped convict hiding out in a graveyard, and an unsolved murder: Pip might not find rags to riches as easy as he thought…
Mill On The Floss (1860) by George Eliot
Where should your loyalties lie? With the big brother who helped raise you? Your crippled best friend who has fallen in love with you? Or your cousin, whose handsome fiancé wants you to run away with him? Maggie’s choices in life are fascinating (and reflect some of her female author’s own amazing experiences) - and the twist at the end will take your breath away.
Tess of the d’Urbervilles (1891) by Thomas Hardy
This novel created a furore when it was published. How dare Hardy present a ‘fallen’ woman - a sexually active unmarried girl – sympathetically? But in an era of sexual repression, how culpable could Tess be when no-one had ever taught her what sex was? Rape, revenge, and the plight of Victorian women: Tess’ story breaks all the boundaries.
Vanity Fair (1848) by William Thackeray
Becky Sharp is by far one of the most frightening, fascinating, fearless female characters ever invented. The world dances attendance on her as she works her way determinedly up the social ladder, and Thackeray is ruthless in his sparkling, satirical exposure of the follies and failings of human society.
Pride and Prejudice (1813) by Jane Austen
Forget the sweet and saccharine sighs of the lovesick Austen fans. The real charm of any of her novels is the delicious, biting wit, the vigorous characters (both ridiculous and delightful), and the clever dissecting of language use and social mores to see what’s really going on between genteel ladies and austere men at country dances. Any romance is just a bonus!
Madame Bovary (1856) by Gustave Flaubert
Flaubert’s masterpiece was brought to trial on obscenity charges which made it both notorious – and a best-seller. Both achievements are richly deserved – the fierce sexual tension beating at the heart of this novel is palpable, and though you know you shouldn’t want Emma to, you just can’t wait until she does…
Portrait of a Lady (1881) by Henry James
This novel really really gets inside a character’s head, and empties out all the surprising, remarkable and infinitely complex feelings and thoughts that it finds there. Thing is – though we may think we come to know Isabel better than she knows herself, can we ever explain why she does what she does right at the end?
Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope
The man who invented mail boxes (I kid you not) also wrote wonderfully readable novels that unroll out in your imagination with ease, and smoothly introduce you to a whole town of people you suddenly wish you actually knew – whether it’s to live with them, loathe them, or fall lightly in love with them…
Tips:
Like reading poetry or Shakespeare, settling in with the style of nineteenth-century novels is something to warm into. Push through any initial feeling of the language being too dense or complex – you’ll be surprised how quickly the writing becomes familiar, easy, and satisfying to read, and how intensely you’ll be engaged with these books throughout and afterwards…! Enjoy!
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Kim Edwards - Dr. Kim Edwards holds a PhD in literature, and when not teaching English, drama, cabaret or writing, she is a freelance writer, scholar, ...
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