# What Great and Influential work of literature should I read? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 28, 2010, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-great-and-influential-work-of-literature-should-i-read/562213 "2010-11-28T22:50:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-great-and-influential-work-of-literature-should-i-read/562213/1 "2010-11-28T22:50:55Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-great-and-influential-work-of-literature-should-i-read/562213/2 "2010-11-28T22:58:06Z")
**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. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-great-and-influential-work-of-literature-should-i-read/562213/3 "2010-11-28T23:08:51Z")
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**. ---
**Author:** ![Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-great-and-influential-work-of-literature-should-i-read/562213/4 "2010-11-28T23:58:31Z")
**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 ---
**Author:** ![Renifer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Renifer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renifer)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-great-and-influential-work-of-literature-should-i-read/562213/5 "2010-11-29T00:25:51Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-great-and-influential-work-of-literature-should-i-read/562213/6 "2010-11-29T04:10:16Z")
**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. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-great-and-influential-work-of-literature-should-i-read/562213/7 "2010-11-29T04:38:10Z")
I can seriously think of very few books more influential than **Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland** and **Through the Looking Glass**. ---
**Author:** ![Jaguars](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaguars/32/5879_2.png) [@Jaguars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaguars)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-great-and-influential-work-of-literature-should-i-read/562213/8 "2010-11-29T08:08:42Z")
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 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-great-and-influential-work-of-literature-should-i-read/562213/9 "2010-11-29T08:31:19Z")
> [@Jaguars](#): > > Rudyard Kipling 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. > [@](#): > > _Catch 22_ 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. ---
**Author:** ![tavalla](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tavalla/32/89_2.png) [@tavalla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tavalla)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-great-and-influential-work-of-literature-should-i-read/562213/10 "2010-11-29T09:18:02Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-great-and-influential-work-of-literature-should-i-read/562213/11 "2010-11-29T09:39:58Z")
\*“Waiting for Godot” \* by Samuel Beckett. Bleak, yet such a perfect metaphor for Life and its utter meaninglessness. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-great-and-influential-work-of-literature-should-i-read/562213/12 "2010-11-29T12:16:50Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-great-and-influential-work-of-literature-should-i-read/562213/13 "2010-11-29T16:36:03Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-great-and-influential-work-of-literature-should-i-read/562213/14 "2010-11-29T16:45:33Z")
If you’re interested in poetry, Coleridge and Wordsworth’s _Lyrical Ballads_ was hugely influential and basically created Romanticism. ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-great-and-influential-work-of-literature-should-i-read/562213/15 "2010-11-30T01:57:29Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-great-and-influential-work-of-literature-should-i-read/562213/16 "2010-11-30T02:09:30Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![raspberry\_hunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@raspberry\_hunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raspberry_hunter)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-great-and-influential-work-of-literature-should-i-read/562213/17 "2010-11-30T20:55:32Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-great-and-influential-work-of-literature-should-i-read/562213/18 "2010-11-30T21:04:57Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Lethal\_Babydoll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3be4f8/32.png) [@Lethal\_Babydoll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lethal_Babydoll)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-great-and-influential-work-of-literature-should-i-read/562213/19 "2010-12-01T00:22:03Z")
Apuleius’ [The Golden Ass](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Ass) is a great, influential classic work that is a whole lot of fun ---
**Author:** ![Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-great-and-influential-work-of-literature-should-i-read/562213/20 "2010-12-01T03:12:32Z")
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. 😉 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](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=11506479&postcount=18) [rants.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=11512410&postcount=46) **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 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-great-and-influential-work-of-literature-should-i-read/562213.md?page=2)