Classic Novels You Should (Re)Read

In a world of reality shows and Facebook and Kindles, it is really easy to forget how refreshing it is to actually print photos and put them in an album or inhale the deliciousness of that new book smell. While I’m all for looking forward, as I sit here watching The Cosby Show, I’m a little sad at how much we are moving away from the classics! I mean, have you taken a look at Cartoon Network these days? It’s a hot mess now! The days of Powerpuff Girls are long gone… My point is new isn’t always better and being the bookworm that I am, here is a list of a few classic novels that you need to read (or re-read) because they deserve a place on our 21st century bookshelves (or iBook library, whichever is your preference)

1. Emma by Jane AustenIt’s tough living in the shadow of Pride and Prejudice which is probably why Emma is often overlooked in favor of its much popular older sister. That being said, there are a couple reasons why Emma should make it on your lists of novels to read over winter break. For one thing, I strongly believe that everyone should read all of Jane Austen’s novels because she is such a fabulous author. In the male dominated world of classic literature, the fact that Jane Austen is one of the few women to rise to such heights is tribute to her amazing-ness. Secondly, Emma is a really fun read (even though Emma herself is a little annoying). The novel is witty, poignant and romantic; all ingredients for a perfect novel in my opinion. In fact, for a while I’ve had this theory that Jane Austen originated the rom-com genre so if you are into stories like that you will love this. 
2. Brave New World by Aldous HuxleyWith the recent popularity of the dystopian genre, as well as all the technological and scientific advances that our generation has made, I feel like it’s time for Brave New World to be revisited. This is really a fantastic work; darkly humorous, yet incredibly thoughtful and sad and it definitely makes you think about what could be the possible consequences of the increasing automation of the 21st century. Our generation has been witness to rapid changes in technology over a very short space of time (I mean literally, we went from cassette tapes to CDs to MP3s in about 10 years) and definitely makes you wonder at what point do we decide that we have gone too far. The novel discusses what happens when we become too focused on becoming efficient and as a result lose our ability to feel and I feel like in an age where text messages have replaced face-to-face conversations it is super relevant. And yes, the title is a Shakespeare reference in case you needed further incentive. 
3. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret AtwoodWhile this is another dystopian novel it is pretty different so I decided to add it to the list anyways. Basically this novel is set in a time where all women’s rights have been revoked by a new authoritarian government and women are thrust into a permanent state of subservience. The main character is a “handmaid” which means that her job is to produce a child with the “commander” and give it to his wife to raise. In this society women are essentially classified by their abilities to reproduce, cook, clean and provide sexual pleasure for men and there is very little chance to escape the system. It’s a novel I think every woman and man should read because as Atwood states, it isn’t science fiction; it is “speculative fiction” and given the recent closure of all those abortion clinics in Texas, maybe the novel could serve as a reminder of how easily our rights as women could be taken away. 
4. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale HurstonI actually just finished reading this for one of my classes and I was simultaneously reminded of how much I love it and realized how much I missed the first time I read it. It’s a pretty common novel in high school curricula so I’m sure most people have read it already, but trust me when I say that reading it again when you are older makes the world of difference. It is one of those works that really resonates, even decades after it was first published and even if you can’t relate to the story (although that’s hardly a requirement of enjoying a book) at the very least read it so you can savor Hurston’s beautiful use of language. I literally spent half my time writing out quotes from the novel because Hurston is just that good. Her words literally soothe the soul. 
5. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre DumasI remember reading the children’s version of this when I was about 9 and being told that I should read “books for girls” because I would enjoy them more so for that reason alone I decided to place this on my list. I’m not sure how many people have read this before, but I get the impression it’s not too many and I can’t understand why. I was so  upset when I started typing the name into the Google search bar and the three stooges came up in the predicted text before musketeers did (I always thought the fact that there was an entire candy bar named after it was a testament to its greatness was but apparently not). I know it’s weird to describe a novel about sword-fighting men in wigs and tights as sexy, but I swear it is. Maybe it’s because it’s French but for some reason the adventure, suspense and deception all come across as super exciting and really seductive at the same time (I can’t believe I just described a wonderful work of classic literature as “sexy” but there you go; the point is you need to read it).