Why 8 classic books are still perfect from start to finish—and worth reading beyond school
Frankenstein’s tragic creation
Mary Shelley developed the idea for Frankenstein during a stormy summer in 1816, while staying near Lake Geneva with Percy Shelley and Lord Byron. She completed the novel at age 20, and it was published anonymously in 1818.
Victor Frankenstein makes a living creature from body parts, but the creature remains unnamed and learns language by secretly observing a family. The story unfolds through letters from an Arctic sea captain, presenting the creature as a figure readers may pity as well as fear.
Gatsby’s costly dream
In The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway recounts the life of his wealthy Long Island neighbor, Jay Gatsby, who hosts lavish parties in hopes of seeing Daisy Buchanan again. The story takes place in the summer of 1922 and runs about 180 pages.
The novel appeared in 1925 and initially sold poorly; Fitzgerald died in 1940 believing it had failed. During World War II, about 150,000 copies went to American soldiers overseas, bringing the book to a wider readership. Its green light and billboard eyes remain among its most examined images in American fiction.
Jane Eyre seeks equality
Charlotte Brontë published Jane Eyre in 1847 as Currer Bell, concerned that critics might dismiss a woman writer. Jane, an orphan raised at a harsh school, later works as a governess at Thornfield Hall and falls in love with its owner, Mr. Rochester.
Jane narrates directly to readers as she pursues love without surrendering her self-respect. The novel’s strange laughter and locked room conceal a secret, while the school Lowood draws on Cowan Bridge, where two of Brontë’s older sisters became ill and died. Jean Rhys later explored the attic woman’s story in Wide Sargasso Sea.
Key points
- Frankenstein first appeared anonymously in 1818, after Mary Shelley developed its idea in 1816.
- World War II distribution helped The Great Gatsby find a new generation of readers.
- Jane Eyre’s heroine insists on self-respect while pursuing love.
- Pride and Prejudice was published in 1813 after an earlier version was rejected.