20 Essential Classics to Read

The classics are some of the best novels ever written. But not all of them are equally as great. That is why have created a list of the 20 essential classics to read. Keep reading to find out which classics made our list!

Like many people, we also have a love hate relationship with the classics. Some of them are amazing reads while others can be a bore. The only real way to find out which classics you like or don’t like is to read the first few pages and see if it is your cup of tea.

Our list includes our favorite works of literature as well as some of the most highly regarded classics. If you were to read just a few classics, then the ones on this list should come first. You can see the full list below!

The 20 Essential Classics to Read

• The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood  
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 
• 1984 by George Orwell
• The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien   
• Lord of the Flies by William Golding   
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley    
• Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad   
• The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton   
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë   
• The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger   
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas   
• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez   
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte   
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald   
• Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
• Beloved by Toni Morrison
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
• The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

The Handmaid’s Tale

One of the most popular classic novels ever written has to be The Handmaid’s Tale. Some people may have read it in school while others read it for fun but either way, it is an impactful novel. It is no wonder that is has turned into a hit TV show.

To Kill a Mockingbird

Like many readers, I first read To Kill a Mockingbird in school and couldn’t put the novel down. The story is told by the viewpoint of Jean Louise Finch and tells the story of Atticus Finch defending Tom Robinson, a black man who has been accused of raping a white woman in Maycomb, Alabama.

1984

1984 is a classic dystopian novel by George Orwell that imagines a future where the government watches and controls our every movement. The novel is based on Soviet Union in the era of Stalinism, and Nazi Germany. But when Americans realized that their government was secretly spying on them, this novel soared in popularity.

Frankenstein

If you like horror novels, then you will love Frankenstein. It is a classic that has aged well over the past two centuries. Read the novel that many consider the first sci-fi novel and a novel that asks philosophical questions that readers are still thinking about.  

Beloved

A powerful novel that everyone should read is Beloved. It is a story of a former Kentucky slave that is haunted by her past life. The novel went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It is considered one of the best works of fiction and there is no other novel like it.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

One of my all-time favorite novels and series has to be The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The writing is brilliant and the humor is timeless. The fate of planet Earth is at stake yet Adams has the reader laughing throughout the book. This novel changed the way I saw sci-fi novels and became a lifelong fan.

Conclusion

These are 20 essential classics that you should read. They cross many genres and highlight some of the best works of literature. How many of these classics have you read? What other essential classics should have made our list? Let us know in the comments below?

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