hopeless romantic society discussion

what are your favorite classics that aren’t the picture of dorian gray or jane austen??

honestly there is sooo many classics, literally one for everyone, and idk what you’re looking for loll. after looking at your profile a bit (not weirdly 💀) I came up with these:

★ on the heavens— aristotle ★
my friend loves all stuff ancient and greek, and this book touches on what ancient greeks thought about astronomy and the cosmos. of course it isn’t scientifically accurate lol, but it is a super cool example of intellectual thought from that time period, intermixed with some philosophical theory.

★ my ántonia — willa cather ★
I’m that one person that always yaps about willa cather I know, and I get the descriptions of plains and stuff isn’t for everyone. if you like nature and a western-front setting then you’d might like it. and it has other stuff like complex characters in my opinion, less of a focus on typical classics romance but the characters still have a lot of emotions and identity.

★ maurice — e.m. forester ★
some people really go crazy for this book but it’s pretty good. written in 1913-1914, it’s about a guy named maurice who lives in england during this time and he is gay. I learned today that it was modeled after someone e.m. forester knew, so it’s pretty touching and personal, it talks about society’s view on homosexuality and maurice dealing with his feelings from his school years throughout university.

★ villette — charlotte brontë ★
“blah blah average brontë book” NO, it’s actually good! basically a girl named lucy snowe (who can’t handle finances or life apparently) “teaches at a french school.” the plot is complex but it’s definitely a more traditional classic in terms of language and general vibe but the language and plot is unique and interesting. it’s hard not to like it for any reason besides people who aren’t used to classics’ plots and language.

★ a country doctor — franz kafka ★
this is a short story and no idea why I threw it in but I wanted to. I don’t think “everyone has to start with the metamorphosis” when it comes to kafka, I started with the castle and it was a great fit for me. unless you read it online/ebook, chances are you’ll read it included in his short story compilations. It’s a short story so I can’t really summarize it but it’s deep about a rural doctor and philosophical stuff. I think a Japanese short film was made about it too.

★ leaves of grass — walt whitman ★
idk if you’ll like this and I gotta read it again 💀 but it’s just poems about walt whitman, nature, philosophy etc. definitely some people hate it and I can see why it’s a bit “boring,” but those who like walden chances are they find it interesting, enough that you’ll probably find it on lists like “top 10 books similar to walden.”

★ mrs. dalloway — virginia woolf ★
I also added this for no reason but it’s just a very stream-of-consciousness early 1900s existential crisis work about a woman named clarissa who reflects on her life in a day. some of the sentences take up a pageeee 😭 i don’t know if this is something you’d typically read, but the characters are very well developed and you’ll see that.


that’s all, sorry for “all that” text. I’m big into less-known classics so I just tried to stick to ones you might like. and I am relatively new to goodreads and haven’t posted much here so yea 👍

ahh tysm!

el wrote: "what are your favorite classics that aren’t the picture of dorian gray or jane austen??"

well what do you usually like to read? it depends a bit on that but these are my favourites: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (have you watched the movie? it's quite popular), any book by the Brontë sisters (Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre), Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (very different vibes from the others, but very good... it's a dystopian novel), the Sherlock Holmes books by Arthur Conan Doyle (if you like mystery)...

it depends on what you like but I really recommend Frankenstein by Mary Shelley!!!

I highly recommend “Little Women” is so beautiful, but if you like mystery I would suggest you to read “Sherlock Holmes” there’s a huge variety of books so you can choose the one that suits your taste the most 💓

probably little women and maybe george orwell books (like 1984 or animal farm)

I’ll always recommend A Midsummers Nights Dream

tender is the night by f. scott fitzgerald:
one of my top favorites, it’s a story about a couple living in the south of france. it has themes of wealth, disintegration of relationships, and difficulties within this era (1920s).

the age of innocence by edith wharton:
set in new york city, the protagonist seeks something different and more appealing from the societal norms, creating a complex love triangle and a deep exploration of personal desires versus social expectations.

the catcher in the rye by JD salinger:
a very influential novel that explores themes of teenage angst, alienation, and rebellion through the eyes of the protagonist. those who may feel isolated or misunderstood can relate deeply to this classic.

~Nana by Emil Zola
~For whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
~Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

wuthering heights by emily brontë!

mine has to be The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas. i had a really good time reading it! it's a fictional memoir that the mc decided to write after his death

Hour of the Star is also a really good & short modern classic written by Clarice Lispector. it's a good book to get you out of a reading slump!

i’m a biiiig dante’s inferno girl

The brothers Karamazov, the phantom of the opera!

rebecca by daphne du mauriee

Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar !

white nights by fyodor dostoyevsky

1984, animal farm, Frankenstein, Anna Karenina and Little Women are all great!

The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe

Anne of green gables is amazing and easy to read! Also animal farm, Frankenstein and crime and punishment are great too