What Great and Influential work of literature should I read?

Lately, I’ve been taking English literature courses as a hobby, and I’ve been toying with the idea of a self-study aimed at filling the gaps. So, dopers, can you name some Really Important and Really Influential works of literature that I haven’t read? My main criterion here is influence. I’m a little biased towards the English language, but I’ll take a good translation. I’m also a little wary of anything published in the last 50-100 years, as we can’t really tell yet what is going to be most influential.

So far, I’ve got:

The Aeneid
Don Quixote
Paradise Lost
Jane Eyre
War and Peace

The Bible. As I mentioned in another thread, it’s a very basic source for all sorts of references sprinkled throughout the rest of the literary world. It’s sorta like the Sinanju of Literature.

Shakespeare–at least all the plays. Sonnets are worthwhile reading, too.

Bullfinch’s Mythology–pretty much a primer on the subject.

If you’re going to read Jane Eyre, you should probably read Wuthering Heights, too. I agree with Shakespeare, of course, but I would also suggest some of his contemporaries like Marlowe or The Revenger’s Tragedy.

Oakminster: I’ve read the Bible, lots of Shakespeare, Edith Hamilton’s Mythology, and Homer. But after wikipediaing, I’ll add Merchant of Venice, Julius Caeser, King Lear, Richard III, and The Tempest to my list.

pepperlandgirl: I saw the 1939 movie version of Wuthering Heights on the big screen, but I didn’t particularly like it. I think I have an aversion to all things Gothic or Horror. (I also didn’t like The Turn of the Screw, for example). Did you know that Wuthering Heights is the only entry for “wuther” in the OED? I’ll add Marlowe. Is/was The Revenger’s Tragedy very influential?

Also, I just remembered Beowulf. New list:

The Aeneid
Beowulf
Don Quixote
Merchant of Venice, Julius Caeser, King Lear, Richard III, The Tempest
Marlowe (Dr. Faustus, Tamburlaine, and Jew of Malta?)
Paradise Lost
Jane Eyre
War and Peace

Edgar Allan Poe “The Murders of Rue Morgue.” I would also suggest “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tell-Tale Heart” but those might fall under your definition of Gothic Literature.

Charles Dickens Oliver Twist and Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty influenced society reforms as well as literary. Also Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle.

Franz Kafka’s Metamorphis and The Trial

Tennessee William’s plays: A Streetcar Named Desire and The Glass Menagerie

The Revenger’s Tragedy was quite popular in its day, and a rather early example of the revenge play. The writing isn’t as good as Shakespeare, but the story is nicely twisted and dark and a great contemporary example of the genre. There was a recent film adaptation starring Eddie Izzard and Christopher Eccelston.

Don’t judge Wuthering Heights based on the movies. The prose is engaging and often surprising, and I think it’s far more…visceral than its adaptations. I haven’t seen the 1939 version, but it’s my understanding that there were some major differences between it and the source material.

I can seriously think of very few books more influential than Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.

Some other influential Dickens works would be Tale of Two Cities and possibly Martin Chuzzlewit (Just finished reading and enjoyed very much!)

Rudyard Kipling - The Man who would be king, Gunga din and The jungle book. I read a collection of his short stories a while ago and he wrote about everything. There was even a sci-fi where airships ruled the world (in the year 2000 :dubious:)

Mary Shelley - Frankenstein, and James Fenimore Cooper - The last of the Mohicans were two I never liked but certainly are pretty well remembered.

And finally, it’s recent, but in 200 years Catch 22 will be confusing bored teenagers in english class :smiley:

I personally enjoy his poetry. It isn’t usually mentioned as great English language verse, but if you want good narrative verse his is very hard to beat.

This is one of those books where if you just kind of stop reading it around the end, you won’t miss any references because everyone else did, too.

My recommendation is Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift. To begin with, it’s never been out of print since 1726. It’s also the source of two words in the English language: ‘lilliputian’ and ‘yahoo’, both of which mean the same things Swift intended them to mean. Finally, of course, it’s just a good read with enough humor, both dirty and clean, to keep you engaged.

Madame Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert. I had to read this for a Lit for Writers unit last year, and enjoyed it far more than I expected.

*“Waiting for Godot” * by Samuel Beckett.

Bleak, yet such a perfect metaphor for Life and its utter meaninglessness.

Some of my favorites are included above. I’d add:

Mark Twain. Huckleberry Finn is supposed to be his classic, the Great American Novel if ever there was one, but I prefer A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court and Life on the Mississippi.

Charles Dickens. A Christmas Carol is a favorite, and very accessible, but A Tale of Two Cities is a perennial English Class staple.

If you can, read the Annotated editions of Frankenstein, Gulliver’s Travels, The Tales of Edgar Allen Poe, A Christmas Carol and Huckleberry Finn. It adds to them

Thanks, guys!

Renifer: I’ve read Poe, and I like him. I’ll add Oliver Twist, and The Castle for Kafka, since an English grad student friend of mine really pushed it. Tennessee Williams is a bit late for my purposes, though.

pepperlandgirl: I’ll add The Revenger’s Tragedy

Thudlow Boink: I’ve read the Alice books, but I do agree. Someday, I’ll read the Martin Gardner Annotated version, though.

Jaguars!: I’ve just finished The Man Who Would Be King, and am about to start Kim. I loved Catch 22, but I have no interest in Frankenstein or James Fenimore Cooper.

Derleth: I’ve read Gulliver.

tavalla: I’ll add Madame Bovary.

I Love Me, Vol. I: I’ve read Godot, and I saw the recent production in NYC with Nathan Lane and John Goodman. Absolutely brilliant!

CalMeacham: I’ve read Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, Puddinhead Wilson, and a bunch of shorts. While other Twain are worthwhile (and I’m sure gobs of fun), I’m trying to broaden my horizons, so to speak. I did read Tale of Two Cities.

The Aeneid
Beowulf
Don Quixote
The Revenger’s Tragedy
Merchant of Venice, Julius Caeser, King Lear, Richard III, The Tempest
Marlowe (Dr. Faustus, Tamburlaine, and Jew of Malta?)
Paradise Lost
Jane Eyre
Oliver Twist
Madame Bovary
War and Peace
The Castle

If you’re interested in poetry, Coleridge and Wordsworth’s Lyrical Ballads was hugely influential and basically created Romanticism.

Try as I might, I’ve never been much of a fan of classics, but The Picture of Dorian Gray is beautifully written and compelling.

And you really shouldn’t write off Frankenstein, it’s a great story.

I agree. Considering how widely influential Frankenstein was and continues to be, it would be a shame if you gave it a pass. Honestly, I don’t enjoy it at all, but I’ve learned to love it over the years and appreciate it a great deal.

If you’re going to read the Aeneid, why not read the Divine Comedy while you’re at it? Though make sure to read the Aeneid first. Everyone always likes Inferno best, but my favorite part is Purgatorio. Paradiso is… well, a bit dry, even for me, although I do also love it.

I highly recommend the Sarah Ruden translation for the Aeneid and the Ciardi translation for the Divine Comedy. Stay far, far, FAR away from any translation by Mandelbaum.

A few Dickens novels have been mentioned, but not my favorite (and his favorite), David Copperfield. Although, **Oliver Twist ** is also very good. Both are much better than A Tale of Two Cities or Great Expectations. I couldn’t say which of them was most influential.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer would also be considered pretty influential, and is also a good read.

As for translated novels, I like Crime and Punishment. Although it’s a little dreary, it’s very well written and the Constance Garnett translation is excellent.

Finally, The Catcher in the Rye, although maybe not as old as you prefer, can not be denied for influence in America.

Apuleius’ The Golden Ass is a great, influential classic work that is a whole lot of fun

Thanks Everybody!

pepperlandgirl: Poetry for me is penance. I read the first 200 pages of Harold Bloom’s “Best Poems of the English Language,” and I really liked the Pope I read for a class last year, but I still have a hard time with poetry. Your endorsement for Frankenstein is less than compelling. :wink: In any case, I’ve seen the 1910 and 1931 movies.
Only Mostly Dead: I’ve totally not read Oscar Wilde! I’ll add it. But you should know that “classics” covers a wide range of things. Maybe you haven’t found anything yet?

raspberry hunter: Of course, Dante! Duh. I appreciate the recommendations on translations.

Barkis is Willin’: You may be right about Dickens, but I’ve read Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations already, so I’m only letting one onto my list. I’ve read Catcher in the Rye and Tom Sawyer. Now, as to Dostoevsky: He’s one of my favorite authors ever, but I must take exception to the implication that Constance Garnett can translate her way out of a paper bag. My earlier rants.

Lethal Babydoll: Aha, thanks.

The Aeneid
The Golden Ass
Beowulf
Divine Comedy
Don Quixote
The Revenger’s Tragedy
Merchant of Venice, Julius Caeser, King Lear, Richard III, The Tempest
Marlowe (Dr. Faustus, Tamburlaine, and Jew of Malta?)
Paradise Lost
Jane Eyre
Oliver Twist
Madame Bovary
Picture of Dorian Grey
War and Peace
The Castle