Famous Novels for Literature Students : Gleams of Classic Works

"The novel being dead, there is no point to writing made-up stories. Look at the French who will not and the Americans who cannot."

Gore Vidal (1925 - 2012 )

U.S. novelist and essayist.

Myra Breckinridge

A novel is a literary work where the author narrates a fictitious story in the prose form which can taken the place of the ancient epics if not in The magnitude of epic by the volume or narrative enlargement; rather by expansion of thought and perception. The term, 'novel' has been coined from the Italian word novella during the late 18th century. Though the novel form was introduced much later than the other forms of literature namely, the poetry and drama; novel, today has gained immense popularity among the masses. Today, one is exposed to innumerable novels written by authors from every corner of the world.  Today's novels reflects the conscience of an age, its life style and thought equilibrium. As from Homer to Milton the epics become the carriage of social, moral and communal representation, the same search of age – consciousness is done, at least tried, through the novels. The dramas in the early stage have their limitation in its time frame and dramatic setting. Even Shakespeare fails to cross these limitations. After many currents and cross currents of prose-lyrics become mulch-faceted, many – sided, complex and abundantly rich in it astonishing variety. The modern novelists are reading the conscience of his characters through the medium of his own, and by the process the dimensional mirror of novel is reflecting an age conscience which we have already read in epics. Modern novel is truly the ‘comic prose epic’.  These novels fall into different categories according to genre they come under. The different genres of novels include romantic, drama, science fiction, political, historical, etc. Though loads of novels are published every year, not all become famous. The novels that become well known to readers are those that have a good plot, storyline and written in a way that entices the readers. So, this article is for people who want to know about the famous novels that have become a favorite of book lovers all over the world. Read more on bestselling books.

Modern novels have taken place of the ancient epics. The magnitude of epic is not its volume or narrative enlargement; rather it is expansion of thought and perception. An epic reflects the conscience of an age, its life style and thought equilibrium. Thus, from Homer to Milton the epics become the carriage of social, moral and communal representation. Later, the same search of age – consciousness is done, at least tried, through the dramas. The dramas have their limitation in its time frame and dramaturgic setting. Even Shakespeare fails to cross these limitations. After many currents and cross currents of prose-lyrics become multi-faceted, many – sided, complex and abundantly rich in it astonishing variety. The modern novelists are reading the conscience of his characters through the medium of his own, and by the process the dimensional mirror of novel is reflecting an age conscience which we have already read in epics. Modern novel is truly the ‘comic prose epic’.(Fielding) - See more at: http://ardhendude.blogspot.in/2010/10/twentieth-century-novel-or-novel-as.html#sthash.yQq772rF.dpuf

Famous Novels of the Last Century

Gone With the Wind
One of the most famous novel of the 20th century that has to be mentioned here is 'Gone with the Wind'. This exuberant and ambitious novel which was Margaret Mitchell's only work, was published in the year 1936. The novel portrays American Civil War and Reconstruction through the life of its main character, Scarlett O'Hara. Though the novel has lots of political, historical and social references, it is still popular as a romantic novel. This novel was also adopted as a film with the same name which won the Academy Award in the year 1939.

To Kill a Mocking Bird
Harper Lee's 'To kill a Mockingbird', published in the year 1960 is considered to be a classic work of African American literature. The novel is based on an event that occurred in Lee's hometown, Alabama in the year 1936. This novel which deals with issues like racial inequality and rape is narrated through the eyes of a ten year old girl. However, though the novel portrays serious issues like race, class, gender roles, courage and compassion, it is well known for its humor and warmth. This novel which is Harper Lee's only published book which won the Pulitzer Prize.

The Catcher in the Rye
Another famous English novel, 'The Catcher in the Rye', published in 1951 was written by J. D. Salinger. This novel is written in the first person narrative and follows the experiences of its main character, Holden Caulfield. Though the novel was actually published for adult reading, it soon became popular among teenagers as well because it dealt with themes like teenage rebellion and alienation.


It was included in the 100 best English novels of the 20th  century by the Modern Library. Read more on books everyone should read.

Famous Novels of This Century

Kite Runner
One of the most famous English novels of the 21st century is the 'Kite Runner' which was published in 2003. The book written by Khaled Hossenin tells the story of two friends set against the tumultuous backdrop of Afghanistan. The book traces the life of the narrator and protagonist Amir through the fall of the Afghan monarchy and the rise of Taliban in the country. This novel was adapted as a film of the same name which was released in the year 2007.

Life of Pi
'Life of Pi' is an adventurous novel written by Yann Martel, a Canadian author. The book which was published in the year 2003 is based on the adventures that Martel's childhood friend had in India. The book tells the story of the protagonist of the novel, Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi) who becomes a victim of a ship wreck and survives for 227 days on a stranded boat in the Pacific Ocean. The book deals with issues like practicality and spirituality through the experiences of the protagonist. Martel's 'Life of Pi' gained the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 2002.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows', J. K. Rowling's last book of the Harry Potter Series was published in 2007. This book is the last of Harry's adventures where he along with his best friends, Ron and Hermione leaves school to find the horseboxes which are important to destroy Lord Voldemort. In the end of the book, Harry comes face to face with his enemy and kills him in a duel. This is considered to be the fastest selling book as 15 million copies of this book was sold on the first day itself. The book is in the process to be made into a movie which will be released in two parts.

Famous Novels of All time

Apart from the novels that are mentioned above, here is a list of some other famous novels of all time. Read more on world's bestselling books of all times.

Famous Novels	Author
Ulysses	James Joyce
Lolita	Vladimir Nabokov
Catch-22	Joseph Heller
The Grapes of Wrath	John Steibeck
Sons and Lovers	D. H. Lawrence
Nineteen Eighty-Four	George Orwell
An American Tragedy	Theodore Dreiser
Native Son	Richard Wright
To the Lighthouse	Virginia Wolf
Invisible Man	Ralph Ellison
Animal Farm	George Orwell
Sister Carrie	Theodore Dreiser
A Handful of Dust	Evelyn Waugh
Lord of the Flies	William Golding
Pride and Prejudice	Jane Austen
The Sun Also Rises	Ernest Hemingway
The Age of Innocence	Edith Wharton
Light in August	William Faulkner
Kim	Rudyard Kipling
Midnight's Children	Salman Rushdie
Wide Sargasso Sea	Jean Rhys
The Fountainhead	Ayn Rand
The Lord of the Rings	J. R. Tolkien
Anthem	Ayn Rand
A Town Like Alice	Nevil Shute
Slaughterhouse-Five	Kurt Vonnegut
Beloved	Toni Morrison
A Farewell to Arms	Ernest Hemingway
The Great Gatsby	F. Scott Fitzgerald
A Thousand Splendid Suns	Khaled Hosseini
Middlesex	Jefferey Eugenides
Twilight	Stephenie Meyer
The Glass Castle	Jeannette Walls
My Sister's Keeper	Jodi Picoult
The Da Vinci Code	Dan Brown
The Alchemist	Paulo Coelho
The Namesake	Jhumpa Lahiri
The Memory Keeper's Daughter	Kim Edwards
The Thirteenth Tale	Diane Setterfield
Unaccustomed Earth	Jhumpa Lahiri
Nineteen Minutes	Joi Picoult
Old Man and the Sea	Ernest Hemingway
Anna Karenina	Leo Tolstoy
Stranger in a Strange Land	Robert Heinlein

These are some of the novels that were not only loved by people when they were published, but are popular even today. So, pick up one from this famous novels list that suits your mood. Surrender yourself to the mastery of the author and let his words weave a new world around you.

Ardhendu De