5 Masterpieces of English literature
Here are five masterpieces – all quite different from one another, but all very important. The MUST HAVE (or in this case, must read) list of English classics is long, but this is a good starting point for getting used to reading in English. With these under your belt it will be even easier for you to read more, and you’ll feel pretty accomplished, too!
A Christmas Carol
You’ve already read it and seen it in Italian, but the original will always be the original and cannot be beat. All of Charles Dickens’ books tell stories of poverty and hardship, with things slowly improving and then eventually arriving at the happy ending. However, a Christmas Carol makes you reflect on your life and how easy it can be for your heart to become cold and for you to make certain mistakes without seeing the beauty the world has to offer. This tale teaches a valuable lesson and the full meaning can’t be grasped if you don’t read it in its original language.
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen is the perfect example of the irony and sarcasm aimed at the English bourgeoisie. Her extraordinary style always manages to conceal her criticisms of the snobby culture she describes in her novels in the the most subtle and concise way. Pride and Prejudice is quite possibly the most well-known novel in the world, but even Mansfield Park gives a good representation of the environment of insincere friendships and envy that Jane loved to write about.
Animal Farm
George Orwell had a short life but left behind two undisputable masterpieces: Animal Farm and 1984. Animal Farm will amaze you by how much it still applies to our world today. Animals on a farm rebel against their tyrant masters, and take power by driving the humans away. After a brief period of peace and serenity, however, the pigs begin to take over and other animals see them acting more and more like the old masters, to the point where it’s impossible to distinguish between the two. This story is a satire against totalitarian Russia. If you’re interested, you could do a bit more research after you read the book, since almost every character in Animal Farm is based on a real historical figure!
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Considered an ode to the cult of beauty, the Picture of Dorian Gray will make you think about the important things in life – about how youth and outer beauty are not enough to preserve a person’s integrity and morality, or to bring happiness in life. Dorian wants to stay young at all costs, which is why he makes a deal with the devil: the painting of his portrait will age, while he will stay young forever. Things are bound to go wrong, and hiding his portrait in the attic is not enough because he is still wracked with guilt; not even a wild life of parties and luxury are enough to lift the weight from his shoulders.
The Merchant of Venice
Last but not least is a play by William Shakespeare that can easily be read in English (it shouldn’t be too hard to find versions with the translation on the opposite page, either). Contrary to what you may expect from a play, this is a really fascinating read and you can also see the film adaptation (with Al Pacino, here) to get even more into it. It tells a story of hatred between Christians and Jews, of forbidden love, daughters who run away from home to get married in secret, wives who disguise themselves as men to save their husbands, and payments demanded in ‘pounds of flesh”. Shakespeare never disappoints.
