It is hard to deny that modern people read less than a hundred years ago. Therefore, any attempts to revive interest in literature arouse respect.
British Daily Telegraph published Top 10 best works of classical literature. Newspaper experts are convinced that these books have changed the world. We can say that they have successfully passed the test of time. Of course, it should be borne in mind that the list was made by British journalists, so it is not surprising that more than half of the list are English-language works.
10. The Wind of Change, George Eliot
The heroes of this novel are impulsive, romantic and full of desire to make the world around them better. Characters are found in the small British town of Middlemarch. Everyone is looking for a goal in life and is on the verge of big changes. The book was filmed in 1994.
9. “Madame Bovary,” Gustav Flaubert
The novel was published in 1856, and the author was immediately charged with insulting morality. However, the work was called a masterpiece by many great writers, including Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev.
8. Vanity Fair, William Thackeray
A novel without a hero is full of pessimism and black humor, it reveals the darkest sides of human nature. The work was screened as much as 10 times in the period from 1911 to 2004.
7. “War and Peace”, Leo Tolstoy
The epic work of the great Russian classic gives an idea of the life of all walks of life and describes the events of two wars at once - 1805 and 1812. Work on the novel took 6 years. The book contains more than 550 heroes, 200 of which are real historical characters.
6. “David Copperfield,” Charles Dickens
The novel is largely an autobiographical work. The book was published in 1850 and immediately received a lot of enthusiastic reviews. In Russia, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky admired the novel. By the way, in one of the film adaptations of the little Copperfield book, the future Harry Potter Daniel Radcliffe played.
5. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
This classic novel was published in 1847. Readers are invariably attracted by the strong and integral character of the main character. The book contains features of a Gothic novel. The novel was filmed 9 times, the last film was released on world screens in 2011.
4. Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift
The satirical and fantastic work in four parts immediately became a classic of moral and political literature. However, despite the serious background of the plot, the novel often serves as the basis for alterations intended for a children's audience.
3. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
The work, which today is considered an exemplary classic novel, was initially rejected by the publishers and lay under the cloth for 15 years. The best translation among Russian translations is I. I. Marshak. The novel was filmed 5 times.
2. The Barsetshire Chronicles, Anthony Trollope
This cycle of six novels is a striking example of the satirical literature of the Victorian era. The author reflects in the works the political, social and family problems characteristic of his time.
1. The Iliad and the Odyssey, Homer
The epic poems of the great Homer became for readers not only an object of admiration, but also a valuable source of information about the life and customs of the era of the Trojan War. For many famous authors, the Odyssey and the Iliad became a source of inspiration. Both poems stood at the origins of Western literature, embodying the folklore legends of that time. And while the historical authenticity of the events described by Homer is controversial, the value of his work cannot be denied.
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