Written by Mima A
If you ever wonder how millennials feel about classics, a quick internet peruse will reveal that many of us love the feel of them in our hands and the sight of them on our shelves, but absolutely dread the idea of having them in our brains. A lot of millennials don’t delve into classics at all, and while I find the reasons behind that quite justifiable, I still feel that we are missing out on a great deal of literature, which is why I started a classics reading challenge last year, and now here I am recommending some of my favourites!
Those With Great Adaptations
The first classic I remember reading is Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. I had no interest in that book at first, but seeing 21-year-old Leonardo Di Caprio in the film intrigued me enough to pick up the book. Now, I am not a big fan of this particular story, but I think a good adaptation can help ease anyone into a book, such as Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and its 2005 adaptation, as well as Macbeth by Shakespeare and its 2015 adaptation.
Those That Read Like Telenovelas
If you are a fan of scandalous tales of romance and ambition, absolutely pick up The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough and Bel Ami by Guy De Maupassant. These two might intimidate some because of their sheer number of pages (more than 400 each), but they are page turners and read like the most ludicrous romance drama you have ever seen.
Those Key To The Mystery Genre
The these two books have shaped the genre and became an integral part of our mystery DNA. I am of course talking about And Then, There Were None by Agatha Christie and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I am afraid I can’t say much about these books that haven’t been said before, apart from the fact that they read as masterpieces for the twenty-something I was when I picked them up.
Those Relevant To Today
Sometimes, we just need a book that reflects the current conjectures we live in. A book, that, while still being a fiction, helps us mull over our thoughts and fears for the future. Animal Farm by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury did just that to me, plus both are fairly short but still pack a punch to the gut.
Those You Won’t Be Able To Get Enough Of
These next recommendations will leave you with a smile on your face and a whole lot of thoughts in your brain. My favourite in this list is On ne badine pas avec l’amour, or in English, Don’t Trifle With Love by Alfred De Musset, probably because I find it introspective in the most charming way. But I also love the cunning violence Shakespeare writes in Richard III, or the smart comedy Molière delivers in L’avare.
First classic I ever read was Pride & Prejudice. The 2005 version had popped up on some TV channel – don’t remember which – and I only caught the second half of it. Loved the film and turned to my dad saying that I wished I could have seen the first half. He told me that he was pretty sure it was based on a book. The next day we went treasure hunting for it. Still have that copy. Its pages have yellowed, and boy is it tattered, but I’ll always hang on to the single book that kick-started my love of reading and bookstores.
Great list by the way. Gonna add “L’avare” to my TBR, can’t wait to read it 😀