We all know the feeling. The collective groan throughout the class when your freshman comparative literature professor pulls out "War and Peace," over a thousand pages of pure struggle that results in confusion and hatred for all things Tolstoy. After filtering through classic literature from years of English classes and essays, it’s surprising how many are actually enjoyable to read. There’s a reason they are classics after all, they had to be popular once.
Brave New World
Aldous Huxley’s 1932 novel is so bizarre, at every turn it leaves you wondering what strange invention, practice or event could come next. With sexual promiscuity encouraged from a young age, Bernard Marx feels like an outcast with his desire to wait to sleep with the woman he is interested in, Lenina Crowne. Bernard rejects the cavalier lifestyle the rest of the World State embraces, disliking the popular hallucinogenic drug “soma”, and wanting a family. This behavior is considered pornographic and obscene even, his peers continually repeat the mantra “everyone belongs to everyone else”. With a class system determined at birth and categorized by the two upper divisions, Alpha and Beta, and the lower divisions, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon. Now notice any similarities with another system?
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Murder! Remorse! Action! Mystery! Evil! Robert Louis Stevenson captures every emotion in this whirlwind of a tale surrounding Dr. Henry Jekyll and the mysterious Mr. Hyde. Many people already know the gist of this story; Jekyll transforms into the grotesque Mr. Hyde and commits grisly crimes with no repentance. However, Stevenson’s novella dives deeper into explaining the transformation, and the background of both characters. I definitely recommend this classic for those who like action and excitement because it never stops. The language may get a bit difficult at times, but stick with it and you won’t be disappointed.
(I also recommend the Broadway play version and the Jekyll and Hyde restaurant in New York City. Why not reward yourself with an end of the summer treat for finishing the book?)
Of Mice and Men
If you are looking for a book that will undoubtedly leave you in tears, John Steinbeck’s tale of California migrant workers George and Lennie will have you choking up multiple times. The Depression era setting is, well, depressing in itself, but the gentle giant nature of Lennie proves to be both heartwarming and sorrowful. What stayed with me most of all from the story was the loyalty and friendship between the two men. A very short novel, it will take you no time to finish it, but rest assured you will be thinking of the two men, the most unlikely pair of friends, for weeks to come.
