Learn What Top Ten Classic Books Mean For You
The list of classic books in the English language is vast as it covers different forms of writing, different genres and crosses different eras. Most lists of classic books consist solely of novels, but we should also consider short stories and the novella.
The novel is generally thought to be between 60,000 and 100,000 words in length but can often be longer. Samuel Richardson's 1748 novel, Clarissa is one of the longest at 969,000 words and, in contrast, The Notebook, by American novelist Nicholas Sparks, is one of the shortest at 49,000 words. Some experts argue that novels like The Notebook should be categorized as Novellas.
There are many examples of the novella including Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde and George Orwell's Animal Farm. At just over 30,000 words Animal Farm is short but its continued popularity shows that the novella is an important vehicle for literature. Both of these writers were also proponents of the short story. A format they used to gain public attention.
This short story depicts Jonathan Harker's journey to Count Dracula's castle and was published 17 years after the novel. Although Dracula was not an instant success for its author, it has lasting appeal and was always highly praised by critics and Stoker's contemporaries. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle even sent a letter to Stoker in which he wrote, "I write to tell you how very much I have enjoyed reading Dracula."
Conan Doyle's greatest creation, Sherlock Holmes, was introduced in the novel A Study in Scarlet, but it was not until he published short stories that the character became popular. In all 56 short stories were published between 1891 and 1927. These are collected in five volumes beginning with The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
A lot of aspiring writers use the short story to begin their career but some writers are best known for them. American author Edgar Allen Poe wrote his tales to make money whilst he wrote poetry. But it can be argued that he is now better known for stories like The Tell-Tale Heart and The Fall of the House of Usher than poetry like The Raven. Since his work is now in the public domain, a lot of publishers sell his stories collected in one volume.
Many modern authors list Poe as an influence. This includes Agatha Christie. The personality of Hercule Poiret draws a lot of influence from Poe's Inspector Dupin, if only because of the broad conventions of the detective genre which Poe pioneered. Another popular author influenced by Poe is Stephen King. Although his work is only 30 to 40 years old, stories like The Shining and Salem's Lot are already considered classic.
The novel is generally thought to be between 60,000 and 100,000 words in length but can often be longer. Samuel Richardson's 1748 novel, Clarissa is one of the longest at 969,000 words and, in contrast, The Notebook, by American novelist Nicholas Sparks, is one of the shortest at 49,000 words. Some experts argue that novels like The Notebook should be categorized as Novellas.
There are many examples of the novella including Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde and George Orwell's Animal Farm. At just over 30,000 words Animal Farm is short but its continued popularity shows that the novella is an important vehicle for literature. Both of these writers were also proponents of the short story. A format they used to gain public attention.
This short story depicts Jonathan Harker's journey to Count Dracula's castle and was published 17 years after the novel. Although Dracula was not an instant success for its author, it has lasting appeal and was always highly praised by critics and Stoker's contemporaries. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle even sent a letter to Stoker in which he wrote, "I write to tell you how very much I have enjoyed reading Dracula."
Conan Doyle's greatest creation, Sherlock Holmes, was introduced in the novel A Study in Scarlet, but it was not until he published short stories that the character became popular. In all 56 short stories were published between 1891 and 1927. These are collected in five volumes beginning with The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
A lot of aspiring writers use the short story to begin their career but some writers are best known for them. American author Edgar Allen Poe wrote his tales to make money whilst he wrote poetry. But it can be argued that he is now better known for stories like The Tell-Tale Heart and The Fall of the House of Usher than poetry like The Raven. Since his work is now in the public domain, a lot of publishers sell his stories collected in one volume.
Many modern authors list Poe as an influence. This includes Agatha Christie. The personality of Hercule Poiret draws a lot of influence from Poe's Inspector Dupin, if only because of the broad conventions of the detective genre which Poe pioneered. Another popular author influenced by Poe is Stephen King. Although his work is only 30 to 40 years old, stories like The Shining and Salem's Lot are already considered classic.
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