BRITISH LITERATURE
INDEPENDENT READING
Books written in England and Ireland during the 19th and 20th centuries are
appropriate for this course. This list is not a complete collection of titles,
however. The amount of literature -- fiction, nonfiction, poetry and drama -- is too
great to be contained in one list. Nevertheless, here are some suggestions for
reading for this course. If you find a book that interests you and that is not listed,
speak up and ask the teacher to add it to the list.
Some writers who preceded this time period
DANIEL DEFOE (1660-1731)
Robinson Crusoe the famous story of a shipwrecked sailor--immensely
popular in its own time (1719)
Moll Flanders a fictional biography of a criminal (1722)
JONATHAN SWIFT (1667-1745)
Gulliver's Travels a famous satire of English society and government
(1726)
SAMUEL RICHARDSON (1689-1761)
Pamela a novel in four volumes told through a series of letters (1740-41)
HENRY FIELDING (1707-1754)
Joseph Andrews a humorous parody of Pamela; a picaresque novel
(1742)
Tom Jones another picaresque, humorous novel; extraordinarily popular;
the inspiration of an entertaining film (1749)
LAURENCE STERNE (1713-1768)
Tristam Shandy a humorous novel that breaks many traditions; a
bildungsroman, a fictional biography that traces the moral development of the
hero from youth to maturity; nine volumes
(1760-67)
OLIVER GOLDSMITH (1730-1774)
The Vicar of Wakefield a sentimental or satirical story of a vicar whose
fortunes take several turns; either simplistic or ironic -- you decide (1766)
MRS. ANN RADCLIFFE (1764-1823)
The Mysteries of Udolpho an early Gothic novel set in an Italian castle
(1794)
Quotations are from The Novel, From its Origins to the Present Day by Andrew
Michael Roberts (Bloomsbury Publishing, Ltd., London, 1993)
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BRITISH LITERATURE
INDEPENDENT READING
Many important 19th century novelists
JANE AUSTEN (1775-1817)
Sense and Sensibility published anonymously,as were all of her works;
a contrast between accepting the world as it is ("sense") and longing romantically
for the ideal ("sensibility") (1811)
Mansfield Park a challenge to the romantic style of fiction, examines
three different styles of moral feeling: conservative, emotional, and liberal (1814)
Emma "I am going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much
like." J.A. (1816)
Pride and Prejudice (Ms. Taylor’s favorite)
MARY SHELLEY ( 1797-1851)
Frankenstein a tale of terror in the Gothic tradition, explores themes of
isolation, suffering and social injustice (1817)
SIR WALTER SCOTT (1771-1832)
Ivanhoe one of the first novels of the Middle Ages with some historical
accuracy (1819)
CHARLOTTE BRONTE (1816-1855)
Jane Eyre an impassioned portrait of an intelligent and sensitive woman;
an immediate success (1847)
WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY (1811-1863)
Vanity Fair first published serially; a panorama of contemporary life;
contains an unsolved (even by the author) murder mystery (1848)
CHARLES DICKENS (1812-1870) an observer and interpreter of contemporary
life; all novels should be read; a short list includes Oliver Twist (1837-8),
Nicholas Nickleby (1838-9), Martin Chuzzlewit 1843-4), David Copperfield
(1849-50), Bleak House (1852-3), Hard Times (1854), Great Expectations
(1860)
ANTHONY TROLLOPE (1815-1882)
The Warden a psychological study of the warden in a hospital for old men
(1855)
GEORGE ELIOT (1818-1880)
The Mill on the Floss psychological study of Maggie Tulliver's complex
motivations (1860)
Silas Marner the story of a miserly weaver who replaces his lost gold
with a child (1861)
Quotations are from The Novel, From its Origins to the Present Day by Andrew
Michael Roberts (Bloomsbury Publishing, Ltd., London, 1993)
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BRITISH LITERATURE
INDEPENDENT READING
WILKIE COLLINS (1824-1889)
The Moonstone details the mysterious disappearance of a valuable
diamond (1868)
R. D. (Richard Dodderidge) BLACKMORE (1825-1900)
Lorna Doone a somewhat sentimental novel set in Devonshire (1869)
THOMAS HARDY (1840 - 1928)
Far from the Madding Crowd a sensation in its time, published
anonymously; the story of a woman who is loved by three men (1874)
The Mayor of Casterbridge character study of a respected person with
secrets (1886)
Tess of the d'Urbervilles a portrayal of social prejudice (1891)
Jude the Obscure a story of "the derision and disaster that follow in the
wake of the strongest passion known to humanity" (1896)
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON (1850-1894)
Treasure Island the search for hidden treasure burried by Captain Kidd
(1883)
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde examination of a divided
personality (1886)
Many important 20th century novelists
JOSEPH CONRAD (a.k.a. Jozef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski) (1857-1924)
Lord Jim a story of betrayal of trust, shame, and redemption of character
and regaining of self-respect; based on a factual incident (1900)
The Heart of Darkness a triple-level story about civilization's darkest
places (1902) and Typhoon a romance of the sea (1902)
E. M. FORSTER (1879 - 1969)
Howard's End characterization of the malady of modern England and
possible cure (1910)
A Passage to India many conflicts and relationships emerge from a
colonial setting (1924)
VIRGINIA WOOLF (1882 - 1941)
The Voyage Out (1915) a realistic, first novel that took seven years to
write
Mrs. Dalloway (1923) a novel that follows the flow of consciousness on
which human beings are borne from birth to death
The Waves (1930) a study of identity through the changing fortunes of six
characters
Quotations are from The Novel, From its Origins to the Present Day by Andrew
Michael Roberts (Bloomsbury Publishing, Ltd., London, 1993)
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BRITISH LITERATURE
INDEPENDENT READING
D. H. LAWRENCE (1885 - 1930)
Sons and Lovers (1913) a Bildungsroman [novel of development]
examining the instinct for personal independence
SOMERSET MAUGHAM (1874-1965)
Of Human Bondage (1915) a semi-autobiographical novel
The Moon and Sixpence (1919) a fictionalized account of the artist
Gaugin's life
JOHN GALSWORTHY (1867-1933)
The Forsyte Saga (1906-1922) a series of novels that follow several
generations of an aristocratic British family
EVELYN WAUGH (1903-1966)
Decline and Fall (1928) novel based on author's experiences as an
assistant schoolmaster
Scoop (1938) an hilarious story of Western journalists in Africa
Brideshead Revisited (1945) "the sacred and profane memories of
Captain Charles Ryder"
The Loved One (1948) a satire of American commercialism
H. G. (Herbert George) WELLS (1886-1946)
The Time Machine (1895) , The Invisible Man (1897), The War of the
Worlds (1898) all are pioneers and models for science fiction novels of the
20th century
The Shape of Things to Come (1933) the title suggests the theme of this
novel
GRAHAM GREENE (1904-1991)
Brighton Rock (1938) an early novel reflecting the author's religious
conversion
The Power and the Glory (1940) a novel resulting from visit to Mexico to
report on the religious persecution there (Note: Greene was a journalist by
training.)
The Third Man (1950) a popular post-war, cold-war novel set in Vienna
The Quiet American (1955) a novel of international intrigue
Our Man in Havana (1958) an "entertainment" spy novel
Travels with my Aunt (1969) a humourous travelogue
WILLIAM GOLDING (1911-1995)
The Inheritors (1955) science fiction about the remote human past
The Spire (1964) a dramatization of the conflict between faith and reason
in a story that describes the building of the spire of Salisbury Cathedral
Quotations are from The Novel, From its Origins to the Present Day by Andrew
Michael Roberts (Bloomsbury Publishing, Ltd., London, 1993)
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BRITISH LITERATURE
INDEPENDENT READING
DORIS LESSING (1919 - )
Martha Quest (1952) first of a series of Bildungsroman about a young
Rhodesian girl in revolt against the establishment; ends in England with a vision
of a utopian future -Others in the series are: A Proper Marriage (1954), A Ripple from the
Storm (1958), Landlocked (1965), The Four Gated City (1969)
The Diary of Jane Somers (1984) a critique of society's treatment of the old
The Good Terrorist (1985) a study of the making of a terrorist
The Fifth Child (1988) elements of the horror story used to explore problems in
liberal ideals
I
IRIS MURDOCH (1919- ) Her novels of ideas combine "exciting and sometimes
macabre plots, elements of the grotesque and supernatural, and touches of
social comedy."
T
They include: The Sandcastle (1957), A Severed Head (1961), The Unicorn
(1963), An Accidental Man (1971), The Black Prince (1973), The Sea, the Sea
(1978), Nuns and Soldiers (1980), The Philosopher's Pupil (1983), The Good
Appretice (1985), The Book and the Brotherhood (1987), A Message to the
Planet (1989)
MURIEL SPARK (1918- )
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961) the story of a progressive
teacher's influence
"Her novels have tended to take a parabolic form combining overt, often
wittily satirical realism with implications of an extra-realist, spiritual dimension."
They include: Memento Mori (1950), The Bachelors (1960), The
Mandelbaum Gate (1965), The Abbess of Crewe (1972), The Takeover
(1976), Territorial Rights (1979), Loitering with Intent (1981), A far Cry from
Kensington (1988), Symposium (1990)
JOHN FOWLES (1926- ) "He is an experimental writer, interested in the nature
of fiction and its
interaction with history and reality....The recurrent concerns
of his novels are the power of repressive convention and social conformity...the
influence of existentialism."
They include: The Collector (1963), The Magus (1965), The French
Lieutenant's Woman (1969),
Daniel Martin (1977), Mantissa (1982),
A Maggot (1985)
FAY WELDON (1931) "The feminism of her work is concentrated in the
portrayal of the exploitation of women by men in domestic situations, and in
relationships....The endings of her books, however, often hint at the emergence
of a new and more liberated woman."
Her novels include: Praxis (1978), The Life and Loves of a She-Devil
(1983), The Rules of Life(1987), The Cloning of Joanna May (1990),
Moon over Minneapolis (1991), Growing Rich (1992), Life Force
(1992)
Quotations are from The Novel, From its Origins to the Present Day by Andrew
Michael Roberts (Bloomsbury Publishing, Ltd., London, 1993)
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BRITISH LITERATURE
INDEPENDENT READING
Some other interesting choices:
Douglas Adams
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy; The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul;
Mostly Harmless
Anthony Burgess
A Clockwork Orange; The Wanting Seed
Helen Fielding
the Bridget Jones’ Diary series
Frank McCourt
Angela’s Ashes
Classic Authors of Mysteries:
Arthur Conan Doyle
Agatha Christie
Ngaio Marsh
Dorothy Sayres
Ruth Rendell
Anne Perry
Quotations are from The Novel, From its Origins to the Present Day by Andrew
Michael Roberts (Bloomsbury Publishing, Ltd., London, 1993)
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