Books Written Before I Was Born | The Classics Edition

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For this week, I opted to talk about classics, specifically classics I’ve read and loved. Without further ado, here’s the list:

Les Misérables by Victor Hugo – Victor Hugo’s tale of injustice, heroism and love follows the fortunes of Jean Valjean, an escaped convict determined to put his criminal past behind him. But his attempts to become a respected member of the community are constantly put under threat: by his own conscience, when, owing to a case of mistaken identity, another man is arrested in his place; and by the relentless investigations of the dogged Inspector Javert. It is not simply for himself that Valjean must stay free, however, for he has sworn to protect the baby daughter of Fantine, driven to prostitution by poverty.

The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman – A woman and her husband rent a summer house, but what should be a restful getaway turns into a suffocating psychological battle. This chilling account of postpartum depression and a husband’s controlling behavior in the guise of treatment will leave you breathless. 

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray – A novel that chronicles the lives of two women who could not be more different: Becky Sharp, an orphan whose only resources are her vast ambitions, her native wit, and her loose morals; and her schoolmate Amelia Sedley, a typically naive Victorian heroine, the pampered daughter of a wealthy family.

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen – Jane Austen’s first novel—published posthumously in 1818—tells the story of Catherine Morland and her dangerously sweet nature, innocence, and sometime self-delusion. Though Austen’s fallible heroine is repeatedly drawn into scrapes while vacationing at Bath and during her subsequent visit to Northanger Abbey, Catherine eventually triumphs, blossoming into a discerning woman who learns truths about love, life, and the heady power of literature. The satirical novel pokes fun at the gothic novel while earnestly emphasizing caution to the female sex.

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell – When her father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience, Margaret Hale is uprooted from her comfortable home in Hampshire to move with her family to the north of England. Initially repulsed by the ugliness of her new surroundings in the industrial town of Milton, Margaret becomes aware of the poverty and suffering of the local mill workers and develops a passionate sense of social justice. This is intensified by her tempestuous relationship with the mill-owner and self-made man, John Thornton, as their fierce opposition over his treatment of his employees masks a deeper attraction.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery – As soon as Anne Shirley arrives at the snug white farmhouse called Green Gables, she is sure she wants to stay forever . . . but will the Cuthberts send her back to to the orphanage? Anne knows she’s not what they expected—a skinny girl with fiery red hair and a temper to match. If only she can convince them to let her stay, she’ll try very hard not to keep rushing headlong into scrapes and blurting out the first thing that comes to her mind. Anne is not like anyone else, the Cuthberts agree; she is special—a girl with an enormous imagination. This orphan girl dreams of the day when she can call herself Anne of Green Gables.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë – Orphaned as a child, Jane has felt an outcast her whole young life. Her courage is tested once again when she arrives at Thornfield Hall, where she has been hired by the brooding, proud Edward Rochester to care for his ward Adèle. Jane finds herself drawn to his troubled yet kind spirit. She falls in love. Hard. But there is a terrifying secret inside the gloomy, forbidding Thornfield Hall. Is Rochester hiding from Jane? Will Jane be left heartbroken and exiled once again?

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien – Tolkien’s famous saga, the prelude to the Lord of the Rings, has all the ingredients of fantasy and adventure: dwarves, elves, goblins and trolls, a fearsome dragon, a great wizard, a perilous quest and a dramatic climax. At the centre is the unsuspecting hero Bilbo Baggins, a home-loving unambitious Hobbit who is suddenly thrust into the biggest, indeed the only adventure of his life. The radio dramatisation of The Hobbit became a classic when it was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1968 and it continues to delight today.

Heidi by Johanna Spyri – Little orphan Heidi goes to live high in the Alps with her gruff grandfather and brings happiness to all who know her on the mountain. When Heidi goes to Frankfurt to work in a wealthy household, she dreams of returning to the mountains and meadows, her friend Peter, and her beloved grandfather.

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith – Through six turbulent months of 1934, 17-year-old Cassandra Mortmain keeps a journal, filling three notebooks with sharply funny yet poignant entries about her home, a ruined Suffolk castle, and her eccentric and penniless family. By the time the last diary shuts, there have been great changes in the Mortmain household, not the least of which is that Cassandra is deeply, hopelessly, in love.

What are some classics you love?

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60 Responses

  1. Oh The Yellow Wallpaper is so good and creepy! And Northanger Abbey is my favourite Austen – slightly less mired down in the social etiquette maybe – and Jane Eyre is wonderful! I did put a little twist on the topic this week: rather than disappearing into the classics (where there are so many that I love but rarely blog about) I went for books published in the year I was born!

  2. Colletta says:

    I’ve read a few of the ones on your list. I hope you can stop by:

    https://collettaskitchensink.blogspot.com/2021/02/top-ten-books-written-before-1978-222021.html

    Colletta

  3. Greg says:

    Les Miserable has always fascinated me since I saw a movie version when I was younger.

    I love the Hobbit. 🙂

  4. Great list. I’m going to be reading some Gaskill soon… I got one of her books from the Gutenberg Project!

    • stefitabak says:

      Yes, I believe there’s several on there. I got used copies from awesombooks.com myself, got a few left to read. Thanks for visiting, happy reading!

  5. Chiara says:

    I should have put Les Miserables in my list of TBR long term residents

  6. Lydia says:

    The Yellow Wall-Paper was such a good read.

    My post.

  7. Lori says:

    I finished Les Miserables last night. It took me forever to read (13 months) and I wish it had been about 500 pages instead of almost 1500 because that’s about all I enjoyed of it 😬

  8. I have Vanity Fair on my list to read.

  9. ANNE OF GREEN GABLES and JANE EYRE are both on my list today. I just love them both so much! I had forgotten all about I CAPTURE THE CASTLE, but I’ve seen it on several lists today already. It’s been so long since I read it that I can’t remember what it was about – I do remember enjoying it, though!

    Happy TTT!

    Susan
    http://www.blogginboutbooks.com

  10. Not read the first three but loved all the others! North and South is one of my favourites 🙂

  11. Jo says:

    I’m glad you enjoyed Jane Eyre more than I did!
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2021/02/02/top-ten-tuesday-301/

  12. I read The Yellow Wallpaper at uni and found it such a brilliant piece of literature, it was so powerful and vivid.

    I included Emma on my list but Northanger Abbey is my other favourite Austen of the ones I’ve read so far!

  13. I love Les Mis and Jane Eyre.

  14. imyril says:

    Great list. I grew up on LM Montgomery and Jane Austen – Northanger Abbey has always been my favourite. I’m planning to read The Yellow Wallpaper later this year.

  15. Cholla says:

    The Hobbit is one of my favorites!

    Here is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!

  16. Bex says:

    I read The Hobbit within 2020 and I really enjoyed it, I hope you like it when you get to it 😀

  17. Great list! I’m glad that Elizabeth Gaskell is back in favor. Such a great writer.

  18. I loved Lord of the Rings, but for some reason I never finished The Hobbit… Would love to read Les Misérables someday.

  19. Cheri says:

    Sometimes it surprises me, with how much I read, how many classics I haven’t read. I see lists like yours and remember all the books I have yet to get to, like Anne of Green Gables and Heidi. They’re definitely in my “some day” category.

  20. I read I Capture the Castle twice. The first time I loved it, the second not so much but I don’t remember why. I am a huge Jane Austen fan and yet I was very timid about reading Northanger Abbey. It is really different than her other books but I do like it. Thanks for visiting my blog.

  21. Jessica says:

    Northanger Abbey might be my favorite Austen novel, though it vies with Persuasion for the top spot. Ironic, considering they book-ended her writing career! I just love Tilney so much!

    • stefitabak says:

      I think I’m due a reread of Persuasion, it was the last one I read coincidentally, but the first I’d like to reread. Thanks for visiting Jessica.

  22. Louise @Foxes and Fairy Tales says:

    Northanger Abbey was a lot of fun.

  23. Leslie says:

    I’m planning on reading Heidi and Anne of Green Gables this year! I loved Anne of Green Gables the original tv series. SO good.

  24. Seeing The Yellow Wall-Paper on this list takes me back. Loved taking a look at your list.

  25. Some excellent choices here! I have always loved Anne of Green Gables

  26. I still need to read North and South and I Capture the Castle but I loved all of the other books on your list. 🙂

  27. Natalie says:

    Great list! I was surprised to realize that I’ve read most of these 🙂 Happy reading!

  28. Great list. I’ve read eight of them (except for 2 and 10) and I think they were all written before I was born. So, either we’re about the same age or you love really old novels.

    I never heard of “The Yellow Wall-Paper” which sounds just like a book I would enjoy. So thanks for that.

    And thanks for visiting my TTT earlier.

  29. Carissa says:

    The Yellow Wallpaper is a terrifying and brilliant story. One of my favorites. I enjoyed I Capture the Castle, such an unusual departure for folks that are only accustomed to her children’s books. Northanger Abbey is a favorite of mine too and it’s impossible to go wrong with Tolkien. What a terrific list!

    Here’s my TTT if you’re interested.

  30. I don’t read many classics but I’ve read the Hobbit! Great list.

  31. So many wonderful books on here. I just read Les Miserables for the first time last year and fell in love with it.

  32. One of these days I’m going to have to read Les Mis. One of these days!

  33. Northanger Abbey is my favorite Jane Austen novel

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