1. A Clockwork Orange (Anthony Burgess, 1962)
A dystopian novella in which the main character, living in a subculture of teenage violence, describes the state’s attempt to reform him.
2. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain, 1884)
Commonly named among the great American novels, Huck Finn is a scathing satire of the entrenched attitudes of Southern society, particularly on race. It has been frequently challenged.
3. All Quiet on the Western Front (Erich Maria Remarque, 1929)
A novel by a German author depicting a group of soldiers in World War I who undergo extreme physical and mental stress and increasing detachment from civilian life. It was, of course, one of the first books burned by the Nazis on their rise to power.
4. Lord of the Flies (William Golding, 1954)*
5. As I Lay Dying (William Faulkner, 1930)
A Southern Gothic novel (and one of the best novels of the 20th century) that depicts the transportation of the Bundren family’s mother to her final resting place. It is a darkly humorous stream-of-consciousness novel with multiple narrators.
6. Atonement (Ian McEwan, 2001)
Considered metafiction, Atonement follows an upper-class girl’s journey from 1935 Britain where she makes a half-innocent mistake, Second World War England and France where the consequences of that mistake are played out, and in the end, an older woman’s reflection on that mistake and the nature of writing.
7. Beau Geste (P.C. Wren, 1924)
A frequently parodied adventure novel set in pre-World War I Britain and Africa detailing the adventures of three English brothers who enlist in the French Foreign Legion after the theft of a valuable jewel.
8. Paradise Lost (John Milton, 1667)
One of the giants of all English literature, Paradise Lost depicts no less a subject than the Fall of Man. Lucifer takes center stage for most of it, achieving Byronic anti-hero status. Difficult, but a seminal work.
9. Blood Meridian (Cormac McCarthy, 1985)
A highly acclaimed “anti-Western” which follows a teenager’s experiences with the Glanton Gang, a historical group of scalp-hunters operating in the US-Mexico borderlands in the mid-19th century for bounty, pleasure, and nihilism. Not for the faint of heart, but features a fascinating antagonist in Judge Holden, and is considered McCarthy’s masterpiece.
10. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley, 1932)
Often paired with 1984, a frequently challenged dystopian novel depicting a future society in which reproductive technology, a rigid caste system, sexual freedom, and psychological manipulation all combine to produce a society in which we amuse ourselves to death.
11. The Bonfire of the Vanities (Tom Wolfe, 1987)
Sometimes considered the quintessential depiction of the 1980s, this bestseller is a Dickensian satire of class conflict, politics, racism, and greed in 1980s New York City.
12. The Caine Mutiny (Herman Wouk, 1951)
This Pulitzer-prize winning novel deals with the complex ethical and moral decisions of sailors on a World War II minesweeper (and the following court-martial) as they grapple with one of the most fascinating military villains of fictional WWII, Captain Queeg.
13. Candide (Voltaire, 1759)
A picaresquewide-ranging satire which parodies many philosophical, romantic, and adventure clichés, Candide, if short, is rightfully part of the Western canon and one of the most frequently taught works of French literature.
14. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller, 1961)
A satirical novel set during World War II following the lives of several American bomber pilots trying to maintain their sanity under unreasonable restrictions and paradoxical service requirements. Darkly humorous and obviously the origin of the phrase catch-22.
15. A Confederacy of Dunces (John Kennedy Toole, 1981)
A tragicomic, Pulitzer-Prize-winning cult classic featuring a slothful but educated 30-year old living with his mother in 1960s New Orleans. In his quest for employment, he has various adventures with colorful French Quarter characters. You can visit the Ignatius Reilly statue on Canal Street.
16. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoevsky, 1866)
One of the greats of the Western Canon, this novel focuses on the mental and moral anguish of a student who, in an attempt to prove a theory, kills an unscrupulous pawnbroker and then tries to live with it. A frequent AP Lit Question 3 favorite.
17. Days with Diam (Sven Age Madsen, 1995)
An experimental work, metafictive in nature, in which the narrator contemplates decisions made and rejected, as he pursues his dream woman. Loosely constructed in the form of a Choose Your Own Adventure book. May be hard to find--if you find a copy, buy an extra one for me and I’ll pay you back!
18. Deliverance (James Dickey, 1970)
More known for the film based on it two years later, this work follows a group of friends who on a canoeing trip in the South suddenly must fight for their lives. It is a clash of civilization with the baser instincts of man.
19. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Philip K.Dick, 1968)
A science fiction novel upon which the 1982 movie Bladerunner was based and one of the giants of the genre. It examines the nature of consciousness and in the context of a bounty hunter hunting down rogue androids, what it means to be “alive.”
20. Dragon’s Egg (Robert L. Forward, 1980)
A landmark in hard science fiction, it chronicles the interaction of humans and the cheela, a race of tiny creatures which live on Dragon’s Egg, a neutron star, and are evolving at a rate a million times faster than humans.
21. Essays on Love (Alain de Botton, 1993)
A hybrid novel about two people who meet, fall in love, and fall out of love. Each stage of their relationship, from the nuances of the first date to an examination of how one recovers from a failed relationship, is put under a philosophical microscope by the narrator/author.
22. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Anita Loos, 1925)
Edith Wharton called this, not The Great Gatsby, “the Great American Novel.” Gentlemen is a Jazz Age comic novel in which the main character, an actress with really bad spelling, recounts her adventures bewitching older, richer men into giving her expensive jewelry.
23. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald, 1925)
Considered by many to be the “Great American Novel,” this book depicts how an “honest” Midwesterner, Nick Caraway, gets wrapped up in the intrigues of the super-wealthy out East, including the mysterious and compelling Jay Gatsby. A cautionary tale about the American Dream.
24. Gulliver’s Travels (Swift, 1726)
On the Mount Rushmore of satire, Swift’s novel offers withering attacks on human nature, politics, religion, and the travel writing of the time. Gulliver travels to fantastical lands with odd inhabitants and all-too-familiar flaws.
25. Hard Times (Dickens, 1854)
A biting satire about the educational system and moralizing of Dickens’s times, and ours too, for that matter. “Facts, not fancy,” is one of the recurring themes, one that may resonate with today’s data-driven, money-obsessed decision-makers.
26. The Handmaid’s Tale (Atwood, 1985)
Atwood’s dystopian novel that depicts a near-future society in which women have been subjugated in a ruthless theocracy. Despite its recent surge in popularity, it remains one of the most frequently-challenged books in America.
27. Heart of Darkness (Conrad, 1899)
Conrad’s novella follows the voyage of a British merchant up the Congo River to find out what happened to the mysterious Kurtz, an ivory trader who’s gone off the rails. It explores topics of imperialism and racism, as well as the so-called differences of savagery between London and the Congo. It was also the inspiration for the Vietnam War-film Apocalypse Now.
28. Inherent Vice (Pynchon, 2009)
One of Pynchon’s more accessible works, a darkly comic detective novel set in 1970s California which sets likable dopers against reactionary police and counter-culture agents.
29. Invisible Man (Ellison, 1952)*
A novel about an African-American man whose color renders him invisible in his society. Touches on many of the issues facing black men in the 20th century, including personal identity, individualism, black nationalism and Marxism. An AP favorite.
30. Les Liaisons Dangereuse (Laclos, 1782)
An epistolary novel set in the decadent courts before the French Revolution in which rivals and ex-lovers use seduction as a weapon to socially control and exploit others. Considered scandalous at the time, it presents a complex view of betrayal and redemption.
31. Lolita (Nabokov, 1955)
Marked by irony and sarcasm, Lolita is one of the most controversial books of the 20th century. Its main character (an unreliable narrator) is an older man obsessed with an underage girl. Aside from its content, it has been highly praised for its style and subtlety.
32. The Natural (Malamud, 1952)
The story of Roy Hobbs, a 1920s-era baseball prodigy whose career is sidelined by a mysterious gunwoman, and his subsequent comeback. It draws heavily on mythological motifs, such as the Fisher King.
33. Madame Bovary (Flaubert, 1856)
The story of a young woman in provincial France who seeks to escape her empty life through adulterous affairs and excessive shopping. Flaubert’s masterpiece, and one of the most influential books of the 19th century.
34. The Mandarins (de Beauvoir)
Written by one of the giants of French existentialism, this novel follows the lives of several French intellectuals in post-World War II Paris. It is noted for its feminist and existentialist examinations of their shifting relationships.
35. The Metamorphosis (Kafka, 1915)
A novella in which the main character is a young working drone who one day wakes up to find himself transformed into a large beetle. Often read as allegory, and not to be confused with William Lasher’s 2007 Kockroach, in which a cockroach wakes up to discover he’s transformed into a human.
36. Mrs. Dalloway (Woolf, 1925)
A stream-of-consciousness novel set in pre-WWI England in which a older, higher-class lady prepares for a party and ruminates over the choices in her life. Noted for its style and psychological realism, it’s one of Woolf’s finest works.
37. The Name of the Rose (Eco, 1980)
This postmodern historical murder mystery is set in a 14th century Italian monastery. It leans heavily on semiotics, allusion, and actual history.
38. Pride and Prejudice (Austen, 1813)
Possibly Austen’s most popular novel, this ironic, playful romance follows a Regency heroine who learns about hasty judgments and superficiality. An AP favorite.
39. The Return of the Native (Hardy, 1878)
Hardy’s novel charts the return of a local who has been living abroad and comes back to a web of intrigue on the moody, melancholy moors of Hardy’s fictional Wessex. It’s known for its irony and considered one of the first “modern” novels.
40. The Scarlet Letter (Hawthorne, 1850)
One of the great 19th century American novels, Scarlet Letter has endured as a tale of hypocrisy, guilt, and redemption, as its main character, Hester Prynne, has a child out of wedlock in a Puritan settlement in New England. An AP favorite.
41. The Shipping News (Proulx)
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, this novel follows a newspaperman’s journey from his wrecked life in New York to a Newfoundland fishing village where he creates a new life. The only novel to owe a significant debt to a book about knots. An AP favorite.
42. Sirens of Titan (Vonnegut, 1959)
Centering on a Martian invasion of Earth, this blackly humorous novel looks at free will, omniscience, and the purpose of human history.
43. Skinny Legs and All (Robbins, 1990)
As with all of Tom Robbins’s novels, this comedy involves a cast of quirky characters (including a belly dancer, as well as a sentient boot and sock) and complex narrative strands. Skinny deals with how Art “lifts the veil” on our society.
44. The Sun Also Rises (Hemingway, 1926)
Often touted as Hemingway’s greatest work, Sun follows a group of American and British ex-pats who travel from post-WWI Paris to Pamplona for the Running of the Bulls. It is perhaps the quintessential Lost Generation novel.
45. Things Fall Apart (Achebe, 1958)*
Set in 19th century colonial Nigeria, this work is often considered the Great African Novel, taking on themes of colonialism, African identity, religion, and cross-cultural misunderstanding. An AP favorite.
48. Watership Down (Adams, 1972)
A fantasy adventure novel in which a small group of rabbits survive the destruction of their warren and make a perilous trek to create a new one. It can be considered a modern epic, as the rabbits have their own mythology and culture.
49. Watchmen (Moore, 1987)
A seminal comic-book series, later compiled into a graphic novel, in which the advent of superheroes drastically alter American history, such as the winning of Vietnam. Stylistically, it is multilayered and complex, and serves as a great example of deconstruction.
50. Waverley (Scott, 1845)
A historical novel set in the 18th century Jacobite uprisings in Scotland and an important depiction of Highlander culture of the time, as well as one of the Romantic Era’s great examinations of tolerance.
51. We Need to Talk about Kevin (Shriver, 2003)
Written from the perspective of the mother of a teenage mass murderer, this controversial, Orange Award-winning work explores the difficult topic of who or what is responsible for the horrific tragedies of our times. Harrowing and thought-provoking.
52. Life, the Universe and Everything (Douglas Adams, 1982)
What is the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything? 42. But don’t ask what the question is. Adams’s brainy sci-fi comedy has a beleaguered hero and very polite alien invaders. Really must be read to be appreciated.
53. Slaughterhouse-Five (Kurt Vonnegut, 1969)*
54. Beowulf (The Beowulf Poet, c. 700-1000)
The epic work of Old English, Beowulf features a brave, highly principled, and strong warrior who takes on nasty trolls and dragons for his and other peoples.
55. Dietland (Sarai Walker, 2015)
A savage take-down of our modern culture that objectifies, marginalizes, and ultimately discards women, especially if their bodies don’t match what men prefer. Obviously contains some adult content.
56. Babel-17 (Samuel Delany, 1966)*
A Nebula award-winning depiction of the relationship of thought and language. Asks: if there’s no word for it, how do you think about it? A sci-fi space opera that does not disappoint.
57. Annihilation (Jeff VanderMeer, 2014)
Part of the Southern Reach Trilogy, Annihilation features a group of female scientists who infiltrate a mysterious environmental disaster zone looking for answers. Features a brilliant biologist main character who is most likely an unreliable narrator.
The works above are works with which I am familiar and are noted for their literary merit. But as is the case with all readers, I acknowledge that there are holes in my reading list. Nobody can read everything, after all. I've marked works I have not myself read with an asterisk (*).
Also available to you are any of the Pulitzer Prize winners for Fiction available here. You may also choose important works by Nobel Laureates. I encourage you to give preference to works of diversity, i.e., not works by dead white males, since they are already well-represented, here and elsewhere. You are limited, however, to one “off the menu” work, so choose carefully, and run it by me first.
3 works required (in bold, above)
3 works of your choice, one from each list below.
The Canon
2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 13, 16, 23, 24, 25, 33, 35, 38, 39, 40, 44, 54
Non-Canonical Works
1, 3, 7, 12, 14, 22, 26, 27, 30, 31, 32, 34, 50, 52, 53, 56
“Contemporary Canon”
9, 11, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 28, 37, 41, 42, 43, 48, 49, 51, 55, 57