It is a curious and prevalent opinion that literature, like all art, is a mere play of imagination, pleasing enough, like a new novel, but without any serious or practical importance. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Literature preserves the ideals of people; and ideals--love, faith, duty, friendship, freedom, reverence--are the part of human life most worthy of preservation. 

From creating characters and stories that have become embedded in cultures around the world to upsetting suppression to inspiring the imagination of many, these works of literature have all touched the world in significant ways.

 

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

Written in the 14th century, this collection of tales brought to life characters and stories that remain popular today. This work is one of the most read and studied in the world.

 

 

Lady Chatterley's Lover by DH Lawrence

Lawrence's book about an aristocratic woman who commits adultery with a working-class man was banned in the UK due to the sexual details and language used. This book brought the idea of censorship to light and helped overthrow it.

 

 

Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri

Considered one of the most important pieces of literature in the world, the Divine Comedy is an epic poem that details a journey through the realms of the dead.

 

 

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

Read all the plays and poems written by William Shakespeare to understand why he is known as one of the greatest writers in the world. The characters, stories, and language have taken hold of readers for hundreds of years and continue to play an important part on modern culture.

 

 

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

The theme of preserving cultural history in the face of Western supremacy in this novel gave voice to the exploited in Africa and caught the attention of the world. This novel, written in 1958, is still widely read and studied as an example of the damage of colonialism.

 

 

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

This now-famous book about a man's hunt for the great whale is considered one of the greatest novels. The book is heavy on symbolism, but is also famous for the nature writing and detailing of the whaling industry.

 

 

1984 by George Orwell

This dystopian novel describes life in an authoritarian establishment that has stripped the people of their rights. The themes in this novel have become a major part of modern culture, as have terms such as "big brother" and "doublespeak" (resulting from Orwell's term of "doublethink").

 

 

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Another dystopian novel, this one by Huxley is often considered one of the great novels of the 20th century. Huxley's novel looked unfavorably on the loss of an individual's identity through technological advancements. Some of the developments Huxley wrote about have become startlingly true as the future he predicted in 1931 has come closer to reality.

 

 

Iliad and Odyssey by Homer

These two ancient Greek epic poems were a part of young Greek scholars' education and remain so today for students around the world. The Iliad details a few weeks during the end of the Trojan War and the Odyssey describes Odysseus' ten year journey home from the Trojan War. These two works are important for their detail of Greek history and legend.

 

 

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

This novel, originally published as two books, is one of the most influential and popular novels to emerge from Spain. The adventure, symbolism, and characterization contained in this novel has promoted this book to the popularity it still enjoys today, and it continues to inspire others to create movies, stories, and more based on the story of the man of La Mancha.

 

 

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

From the time this book was first published in December of 1843, it has enjoyed enormous popularity. During the time that Dickens' wrote the story, Christmas traditions were going out of style. He is often credited with saving the old traditions of Christmas.

 

 

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

Flaubert's story of a woman who engages in adulterous affairs in an attempt to escape from a loveless marriage was subjected to censorship, and Flaubert was taken to trial over the novel. After his release, Madame Bovary became renowned as a masterpiece of the Realism movement.

 

 

The Arabian Nights Entertainment by Andrew Lang

This English language version of One Thousand and One Nights retells the ancient stories that have now become popularized around the world, including the plight of Scheherazade, the adventures of Aladdin, and the voyages of Sinbad.

 

 

Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling

The wildly popular Harry Potter series has sparked the imagination of an entire generation of young readers and inspired those with a few more years under their belts too. The cultural impact the Harry Potter series has had (and continues to have) on the world is unmistakable.

 

 

 

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

The realistic details of this novel and the depth of psychological exploration have contributed to this book's frequently being included as one of the best novels of all time.

 

 

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

One of the best-selling books around the world, this story (which is often debated about whether or not it is a children's book) invites the reader to think about the meaning of life, love, and separation. There have been many adaptations of this book, reflecting the deepness of the impact it has made.

 

 

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

This book has the characteristic of being the most translated book by a living author. The reason for its popularity resides not only in the inspirational tale that Coelho has told, but also in the fact that Coelho has embraced technology and sharing of this novel at no cost. He credits this action with promoting book sales.

 

 

(Compiled by Jessica Lord)