November 2, 2011

Classic Novels

A few years back I became interested in reading the classics. My definition of a classic novel would be a book over a hundred years old that is as much beloved now as it was when it was first published. Here are some I have read, some favorites and others I want to read soon.

                             
What I'm reading now:



Classic Novels I have read:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (1813)
North Anger Abbey by Jane Austen (1816)
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (1814)
Emma by Jane Austen (1815)
Persuasion by Jane Austen (1817)
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (1873)
Bleak House by Charles Dickens (1852)
Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte (1847)
Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan (1678)
Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (1876)
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (1852)
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (1847)
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (1847)
The Call of the Wild by Jack London (1903)
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1850)
Moby Dick by Herman Melville (1851)
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte (1848)
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (1843)
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (1859)


These five were my favorites:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I hadn't heard of Jane Austen till a few years ago when the movie Pride and Prejudice staring, Keira Knightly, came out. I rented it and watched it several times before I had to take it back. I then ran out and bought the book and read it within two days. Of course the book was even better than the movie. :) I loved the story line...how first impressions can often be wrong and how unwise it is to judge someone before we really know them. I don't usually reread books but this was the exception. I reread it that same week!


  
 Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte

This is one of those books I would usually not even look at, but I decide I wanted to read a story from each of the Bronte sisters. I was pleasantly surprised to find a wonderful story here of what life was like for a governess in the 19th century. This novel is definitely one of my favorites now.



Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

This was a book I knew nothing about and had never seen a movie version of. I just dove in because it was Jane Austen! I loved this book because of the hint of mystery and humor Austen uses and I just loved the characters in this novel.


 
Uncle Tom's Cabin By Harriet Beecher Stowe

This was a very stirring novel based on the history of slavery in the U.S. I love the fact that the author met Abraham Lincoln and he said to her:

 "So you're the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war!" 


Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

This is definitely one of my all time favorites.  I loved Jane's character in this book....plain, sweet, quiet and kind. The kind of person that gets looked over in this world , but has a special place in God's heart. If I could be half the woman Jane Eyre was I'd be doing well. :)




Classic Novels on my TBR shelf:

Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy (1871)
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (1860)
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (1811)
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1866)
Little Women  by Louisa May Alcott (1868)
Villette by Charlotte Bronte (1853)
Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (1847)

Feel free to share your favorites and let me know about other great classic novels I haven't listed. I love discovering  new 'old' books! :)


7 comments:

  1. Great idea! I would love to read more classics. I think I'd like to read Agnes Grey.

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  2. Hi, Cathy. I don't usually do this, but after reading your post especially about watching the Keira Knightly Pride and Prejudice... I thought you might be interested in an ebook I just came out with. It's called "If You Believed in Love," and in it, the heroine teaches a class on Jane Austen that the hero gets roped into taking. Talk about first impressions being off. I actually wrote this book as a direct result of having watched that movie. Thanks for sharing your love of books with the world!

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  3. Hi Cathy,
    My ever so much favorite books are the classics! :-D
    There are so many that you have listed that I have on my shelves and have happily read.
    I have been interested in the Bronte sisters books of late, and am starting to collect some as I go along. The professor will be the next on my list! :-)
    Blessings Hugs and Love Linnie

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  4. Trema - I loved Agnes Grey. It was a short delightful read...only about 150 pages.

    Staci - Your book sounds interesting! I don't have anything I could read an e-book on, so unfortunately I wouldn't be able to purchase it. I'm thinking of adding a nook on my Christmas list though! Thanks for stopping by. :)

    Linnie - I'm finding 'the professor' a little slow, but I'm hoping it picks up. (I'm only about 1/4 through) It's so fun to read an historical written in the time period it is set in!

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  5. You've challenged me! I always think I want to read the classics but haven't made it any farther than Pride & Prejudice. Now I have a list to begin with:)

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  6. Excellent list! Emma is my favorite of all of Austen's books. Jane Eyre is my favorite Bronte novel that I love to re-read. I've never read Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte but now I want to!
    When am I going to find the time?

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  7. Hi, I just wanted to drop by and let you know that I awarded you blog award and you can pick it up at my blog http://labornotinvain.blogspot.com/2011/11/tell-me-about-yourself-award.html Great blog :)

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Feel free to leave your own thoughts in the comments. I try to respond to all of them by the end of the week. : )