Taking out books from the library – for fun – probably seems like an entirely foreign concept, but it can be worth doing, especially over this Christmas break, when we actually have the time to get into a book. Unfortunately, as our library is overrun with academic literature, there is a severe lack of modern fiction and poetry available. However, the library does have a pretty extensive collection of the classics, thanks to us English students.
If you are like me and are simultaneously repulsed and afraid of boring books, the classics can be a hit or miss genre. Some of my favourite books are classics and some of my most hated books are classics. But in my experience, you never know until you try, because these books are read differently by everyone. To help, I have collated a list of ten classic novels and plays that you can find in the library, accompanied by varying levels of vague description. No spoilers ‘round here partner!
The library is currently allowing break-long loans to be taken out, giving you no excuse not to get on top of that book you say you’ve read!
Haven’t read them? Start now. Already devoured them? Well, they’re called classics for a reason – so enjoy them all over again.
1. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
The heart-warming tale of a miserable man’s redemption arc. Given the season, come on.
2. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.
An intense short novella depicting the struggle between an old fisherman and, well, a pretty big fish.
3. Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon.
Scandalous, mysterious, feminist.
4. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.
For a good laugh – very Victorian, very camp.
5. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.
Dark, passionate, love, revenge. Best suited to English weather.
6. The Stranger by Albert Camus.
Existential. An emotionally detached bloke finds the meaning of life.
7. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.
A comprehensive warning against vanity.
8. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.
A heart-warming and heart-breaking consideration of love and identity in the deep south. Check content warnings before reading.
9. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.
Controversial. Psychologically (and morally) complex. You might want to check the content warnings here too…
10. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez.
Magical realism meets family drama meets Latin American lit.
Happy reading!