20th century, an era that explored several things and was widely written. The themes that this century followed are gender, sexuality, alienation, isolation, identity, freedom, desire, and more. In this article, we are going to read about 20 classic literature from 20th century. These classical books have explored modern humans and society to their best.
Classic Literature from 20th Century | 20 Classical Books of 20th Century –
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
This is perhaps one of the most-read coming-of-age stories of all time. It talks about innocence, experience, adulthood, and more. The ‘mockingbird’ simply presents innocence which explains when Scout says ‘…it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird…’ The book just talks about the ruin of innocence that comes along with growing up and as we get to see it in the adult world.
Animal Farm – George Orwell
This book by Orwell created a lot of chaos, arguments, to simply put a revolution that let people think about the current society of their time and which also led this book to be banned from several nations. This book talks about a group of animals who stood against their human farmer in the hope to create a society where the animals could be happy, equal, and free.
The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway
This is a tragic story of a Cuban fisherman. It is one of the best writings of Hemingway and it covers several issues that are common and conventional to date. It talks about aging, existentialism, survival, and more.
The Catcher in the Rye – J. D. Salinger
This book by Salinger is considered a classic of coming-of-age literature as it covers the severity of teenage – the alienation, sense of loss for leaving childhood behind and going forward with ‘maturity’, adulating, and the need for a deep connection from others. According to Modern Library, this book is one of the best 100 books of the twentieth century.
Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
This remarkable tale of the Great Depression records the Dust Bowl Migration during the 1930s and covers one farm family of Oklahoma – who were driven from their place to the promised land of California. The novel captures the powerful and powerless, the reaction of men and women towards injustice, and the extreme horrors of the Great Depression.
Lord of the Flies – William Golding
A plane crashes on an unexplored island, stranding a group of school-going, boys. In the beginning, the thought of having no adult supervision was extremely exciting for them as they had the chance to do anything they wish to do. They attempted to create their society and after collapsing the thought of getting rescued was nowhere in sight.
Fahrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury
Bradbury covers the story of Guy Montag who transformed from a book-burning fireman to a reading rebel. He lives in a domineering society that attempts to get rid of every source of intricacy, mystification, and disagreement to make sure simple contentment for all citizens. The book gives a vital message of how significant knowledge ad identity is, especially in a society that can easily get corrupted by censorship.
Mrs. Dalloway – Virginia Woolf
Mrs. Dalloway could never be explained in short sentences as it explores a variety of themes, mental illness, society, self, and whatnot. But the most significant thing that one can learn from this book is the fact that we are so preoccupied with the outside that we do not realize that we live inside of us our whole existence.
The Metamorphosis – Franz Kafka
With the help o the character of Gregor, Kafka explains the absurdity of time and the shift change in emotions that can happen within a night. It covers several themes that just make it a classic read of 20t century and post-modern era as well – responsibility, family duty, absurdity, alienation, transformation, and more.
The Stranger – Albert Camus
Albert Camus in his every writing explores alienation, absurdity, existential crisis, and more in this book. It also demonstrates the apathy present in humans with the help of the main character when he was put on trial for murdering an Arab man.
A Room With A View – E. M. Forster
This book by Forster covers the struggle Lucy that she faced to belong somewhere between old Victorian rules and new liberal rules; the struggle of achieving fulfillment from being indecisive. In this restrain and struggle Lucy emerged as a true being and comprehended the authentic self.
The Sound and the Fury – William Faulkner
The misfortune of the Compson family features some of the most unforgettable characters in literature: good-looking, disobedient Caddy; neurotic Quentin; the manchild Benjy; the wicked skeptic Jason; and their black maid Dilsey. Their lives are disjointed and harrowed by heritage and history.
Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
This dystopian novel by Huxley is chiefly set in a revolutionary World Sate, occupied by hereditarily adapted citizens and intellect-based communal hierarchy. The novel anticipates enormous scientific progressions in reproductive technology, psychological exploitation, sleep-learning, and classical conditioning that are united to build a dystopian society that is confronted by the story’s protagonist.
One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
This book elucidates the genre of magical realism – it tells the tale of the Buendia family and records the incompatible fight between the yearning for solitude and the need for love. It will teach us how we keep longing for what we do not possess till we get it, and then we begin to long for what we lost when we conquered our dreams.
The Trial – Franz Kafka
This story of Kafka released a year after his death is about Joseph K., a reputable bank officer who is abruptly and mysteriously arrested and must protect himself against an accusation about which he can get no clue or information.
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
Atwood focuses on the life of a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead named Offred. During this time women are no longer allowed to read and learn. And, handmaids are only significant if their ovaries are workable, so she would lie once in a month on her back and hope for the commander to make her pregnant. Throughout this book, Offred would recall moments that she remembers of her happiness and freedom – when she was happy with her husband Luke and her daughter, the time she had a job and wealth of their own.
Ulysses – James Joyce
This popular book by Joyce is a loose knot based on Odyssey and it follows the lives of Dubliners during 1904. It covers the single day of Dubliners named Leopold Bloom, and his mates Buck Mulligan and Stephen Dedalus, his spouse Molly.
Beloved – Toni Morrison
Sethe was born as a slave but she managed to escape to Ohio. It has been 18 years but she is still not completely free from within and from thoughts of her home where several horrific things happened. Sethe’s house is haunted by the destructive ghost of her baby who dies nameless, just with a tombstone engraved with – Beloved. What will happen if the past knocks on the door of Sethe?
The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist is successful in winning billion hearts. The story focuses on Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd who journeyed from Spain to the deserts of Egypt in search of a treasure that is buried close to the Pyramids. In his journey, he met an alchemist, a Romany woman, and a man who address himself asking. All of them point towards the right for his expedition. No one is aware of what the treasure is, but turns out it’s a discovery of the treasure present within.
The Color Purple – Alice Walker
This book by Walker received the prestigious Pulitzer Prize. The Color purple covers significant themes and discussions related to women – The behaviour towards African-American women, domestic and sexual abuse, marriage, homosexuality, and more. This book is capable of taking us on a trip of love and salvation.
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