Impactful Classics
Six books that stand out for their significant reflections and eminent writing.
Many literary figures and academic specialists have attempted to define the properties of a classic and almost everyone's descriptions revolved around endurance, impact and consistency.
For instance, Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve stated that a true classic "is an author who has spoken to all in his own peculiar style, a style which is found to be also that of the whole world, a style new without neologism, new and old, easily contemporary with all time."1
Or, Italo Calvino expressed in his essay Why Read the Classics that "The classics are books which exercise a particular influence, both when they imprint themselves on our imagination as unforgettable, and when they hide in the layers of memory disguised as the individual's or the collective unconscious."2
When I started discovering the classics, I quickly realized that I was diving into a part of literature where outstanding writing, universal themes and sharp thinking can be combined, creating works of major importance.
As mentioned above, even though written in previous centuries, their primary subjects and impact remain relevant, serving as an important reference for future generations, including readers, writers and everyone else involved in the literary field.
Below there are some great examples of classic literature, all crafted during the 19th century (a coincidence I didn't pay attention to, until I gather them together).
Reminder: If I haven't mentioned authors and works from more countries, most probably it's because I still haven't read them.
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
The book revolves around a young man, Dorian, who wishes to remain eternally young and beautiful. Cursing his recently-made portrait, he makes the painting to bear the burden of his aging and the weight of his sins. Highly influenced by his social circle, Dorian falls progressively into moral decay, seeking wealth, pleasure and hedonism at the cost of his own soul. Oscar Wilde offered an excellent text, filled with sharp dialogs and a gothic atmosphere, making a range of critiques on society and egotism's ridiculousness.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
The story tells Jane Eyre's life, from a mistreated child, living under her abusive aunt's roof and her days in a boarding school, to her womanhood, when she works as a governess for the Rochester family. Several events unfold throughout the years, where Jane faces life's turbulences and her inner strength gets challenged. Charlotte Brontë's most famous work examines the themes of self-autonomy, self-respect, resilience, love, morality and religion. It's a work ahead of its time, as most the of Brontë sister's literary creations, that deals with human nature and displays societal issues.
The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol
The story follows a clerk, who tries to save money to buy a new coat. Once he finally posses it, he is able to protect himself properly from the sharp Eastern cold. In the meantime, he notices a change in the behavior of his co-workers towards him, feeling more accepted than before, because of his new coat. However, something unfortunate happens to him after he has attended a social event, which adds an extra layer to the story. Gogol's short work deals with corruption, a theme often met in his writings, offering social criticism too. Although short, the story successfully captures the human need for belonging, depicting the abnormality and the hypocrisy that lie in the illusion of high status.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
The book’s story is about a marriage marred by abuse during the Victorian era: A woman, Helen Graham, flees her husband and takes their child with her to prevent his father’s bad influence upon him. The book holds great power within it, especially when one takes into account the profound social consequences such an act carried at the time.
Anne Brontë created diverse layers, many of them being shocking or scandalous for those times, and constructed a range of characters, each embodying different facets of human nature, showing and proving the complexity that lies within all.
Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev
The book follows two young friends, Yevgeni Bazarov and Arkady Kirsanov, who, after having finished college, visit their folks back at the countryside. Although written just after the Emancipation of the Serfs in Russia, the story depicts the sociopolitical tensions between classes and generations, before the Reform. Through his memorable characters, Turgenev portrayed the different ideologies prominent at a period of great changes, showcasing and criticizing the sickness of radical ideas, especially when put above humans.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
This famous story revolves around a man named Ebenezer Scrooge, who is bitter, mean and colder than ice, treating everyone as inferiors. One night, his deceased work partner visits him in the form of a ghost and guides him through a series of past, present and future events that transform Scrooge drastically. Although read mostly during the winter holiday, this book's universal messages can be welcomed throughout the whole year, offering important pieces of humanity and hope.
Note: No AI was used to write this post. Only my partner's valuable help to spot little mistakes.