Join the Challenge!
Do you ever look at those lists of books that "everyone should read"? Here's an opportunity to conquer some of the classics that may be on your "to do" list. Every month, we'll select two relatively short novels (250 pages or less) and share a little information about why you should read them. By the end of the year, you could proudly say that you've read works by 24 classic authors and can check them off of your literary bucket list!
Can't wait to see the whole list?
Check it out at 2012 Short Classics Challenge. This list is alphabetical by author and is not the order in which the books will be presented each month.
Classic quizzes
How well do you know Hemingway? Click on this quiz.
February Challenge
- Ethan Frome - Edith Wharton
ISBN: 0142437808Why read it? Among other things, this is a great book for a February night, due to the sometimes bleak winter setting in New England. It is the most frequently read book by Edith Wharton and if you managed to get through high school without finishing it, this is another opportunity to do it! - The Return of the Soldier - Rebecca West
ISBN: 014118065XWhy read it? This is author Rebecca West's debut novel and is significant for its examination of what we now call post traumatic stress disorder. The book also explores how the war also affects the women closest to Captain Christopher Baldry after his return from World War I trench warfare.
January Challenge
- The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
ISBN: 1907590277Why read it? Published in 1952, this book was a bestseller and Hemingway's last major work of fiction to be published in his lifetime. William Faulkner said that "Time may show it to be the best single piece of any of us, I mean his and my contemporaries."
Here's a brief overview of the author's importance from the Hemingway Foundation: "Hemingway is known for creating novels that usually follow a basic chronological order, which some critics deem as boring and ‘typical’ for such a great American author. A few stories used summary accounts and flashbacks in the writing, but the basic function of chronology was very important to this man’s work. Ernest Hemingway is a very direct, intentional writer. He is also very subtle in his intentions and allusions, but that is not something that is quite American to most people. Ultimately, Hemingway might have been born an American citizen but he was far more of an international artist who entered too many new territories to actually be considered a great American author by many." - Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
ISBN: 0812416317Why read it? The Center for Steinbeck Studies at San Jose State University explains:
"Though there has been some negative criticism of the novel over the last 70 years, and it has been both censored and banned for its use of offensive language, Of Mice and Men ... has been translated into numerous languages and is still enormously popular in the United States. Like many of Steinbeck's works, Of Mice and Men has the unique ability to capture an important period in American history while containing values that transcend specific time frames and cultures. Moreover, the characters in Of Mice and Men show a difficult truth about loneliness and an unreachable dream--something that most people, no matter their nationality or social station, can identify with. "
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