Top 100 Classic Novels

"Exploring the essence of storytelling through timeless literature"

Embark on a literary journey through the most acclaimed classic novels of all time. These masterpieces have shaped literature and culture, offering profound insights into the human condition. From epic sagas to intimate narratives, this list celebrates the enduring power of storytelling.

Topics

• Top 100 Classic Novels
  • Topics
  • Overview
  • Cheat
  • 19th Century
  • 20th Century
  • Gothic
  • Modernist
  • Epics
  • Top 100 List
  • Top 100 Table
  • Images
  • Conclusion

Overview

• Title: "Top 100 Classic Novels: A Journey Through Literature's Timeless Masterpieces"
• Subtitle: "A Journey Through Literature's Timeless Masterpieces"
• Tagline: "Exploring the essence of storytelling through timeless literature"
• Description: "A curated list of the top 100 classic novels that have stood the test of time, offering readers a diverse range of genres and styles."
• Keywords: Literature, Classic Novels, Timeless Stories, Literary Masterpieces, Books, Reading, Authors, Fiction, Novels, Storytelling

Cheat

# Top 100 Classic Novels
- A Journey Through Literature's Timeless Masterpieces
- Exploring the essence of storytelling through timeless literature
- A curated list of the top 100 classic novels that have stood the test of time, offering readers a diverse range of genres and styles.
- 5 Topics

## Topics
- 19th Century: Dickens, Austen, Tolstoy, Brontë, Melville...
- 20th Century: Orwell, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Woolf, Steinbeck...
- Gothic: Shelley, Stoker, Poe, Stevenson, Hawthorne...
- Modernist: Joyce, Kafka, Faulkner, Proust, Mann...
- Epics: Homer, Virgil, Dante, Milton, Cervantes...

19th Century

"Exploring the social and cultural landscapes of the 1800s"

The 19th century produced some of the most influential novels that explored the complexities of society, class, and human nature. These novels continue to be celebrated for their rich characters and intricate plots.

1. "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen: A witty commentary on society and romance.
2. "Moby-Dick" by Herman Melville: An epic tale of obsession and the sea.
3. "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy: A sprawling epic of Russian society during the Napoleonic era.
4. "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens: A story of growth and personal development.
5. "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Brontë: A dark and passionate tale of love and revenge.
6. "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë: A novel of strong will and moral integrity.
7. "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy: A tragic story of love and infidelity.
8. "David Copperfield" by Charles Dickens: A coming-of-age narrative with rich detail.
9. "Madame Bovary" by Gustave Flaubert: A critique of bourgeois society.
10. "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne: A tale of sin and redemption.
11. "Les Misérables" by Victor Hugo: An epic story of justice and societal change.
12. "The Brothers Karamazov" by Fyodor Dostoevsky: A philosophical exploration of morality.
13. "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky: A psychological drama about guilt and redemption.
14. "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley: A pioneering work of science fiction and horror.
15. "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain: A satirical take on American society.
16. "Sense and Sensibility" by Jane Austen: A narrative about balancing reason and emotion.
17. "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas: A thrilling story of vengeance and forgiveness.
18. "Middlemarch" by George Eliot: A comprehensive study of English provincial life.
19. "Bleak House" by Charles Dickens: A complex tale of legal intrigue and human connection.
20. "Persuasion" by Jane Austen: A story of love and second chances.

20th Century

"Modern narratives that redefined literature"

The 20th century witnessed significant changes in narrative style and subject matter, reflecting the complexities of modern life. These novels are known for their innovative approaches and profound themes.

1. "1984" by George Orwell
2. "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
3. "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
4. "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel García Márquez
5. "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
6. "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
7. "Ulysses" by James Joyce
8. "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger
9. "Beloved" by Toni Morrison
10. "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck
11. "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov
12. "Mrs Dalloway" by Virginia Woolf
13. "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway
14. "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
15. "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
16. "The Trial" by Franz Kafka
17. "A Passage to India" by E.M. Forster
18. "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad
19. "A Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway
20. "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac

Gothic

"Dark tales of mystery and the supernatural"

Gothic novels are known for their dark, mysterious settings and elements of horror and romance. These stories delve into the supernatural and explore the darker aspects of human nature.

1. "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
2. "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde
3. "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Brontë
4. "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley
5. "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson
6. "The Turn of the Screw" by Henry James
7. "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
8. "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
9. "The Phantom of the Opera" by Gaston Leroux
10. "The Castle of Otranto" by Horace Walpole
11. "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" by Victor Hugo
12. "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe
13. "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson
14. "Northanger Abbey" by Jane Austen
15. "The Monk" by Matthew Lewis
16. "Melmoth the Wanderer" by Charles Maturin
17. "The Mysteries of Udolpho" by Ann Radcliffe
18. "Carmilla" by Sheridan Le Fanu
19. "The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
20. "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield

Modernist

"Revolutionary narratives that challenge traditional forms"

Modernist novels broke away from traditional storytelling techniques, offering fragmented narratives and exploring the inner consciousness. These works reflect the complexities of the modern world.

1. "Ulysses" by James Joyce
2. "To the Lighthouse" by Virginia Woolf
3. "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner
4. "In Search of Lost Time" by Marcel Proust
5. "The Trial" by Franz Kafka
6. "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka
7. "Mrs Dalloway" by Virginia Woolf
8. "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" by James Joyce
9. "As I Lay Dying" by William Faulkner
10. "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
11. "Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Beckett
12. "The Waves" by Virginia Woolf
13. "A Room of One's Own" by Virginia Woolf
14. "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse
15. "The Magic Mountain" by Thomas Mann
16. "Steppenwolf" by Hermann Hesse
17. "Under the Volcano" by Malcolm Lowry
18. "The Man Without Qualities" by Robert Musil
19. "Nightwood" by Djuna Barnes
20. "The Cantos" by Ezra Pound

Epics

"Timeless tales of heroism and adventure"

Epic novels are grand narratives that span across generations and cultures, often featuring heroic characters and monumental events. These stories have left an indelible mark on literature.

1. "The Odyssey" by Homer
2. "The Iliad" by Homer
3. "The Aeneid" by Virgil
4. "Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri
5. "Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes
6. "Paradise Lost" by John Milton
7. "Beowulf" by Anonymous
8. "The Mahabharata" by Vyasa
9. "The Ramayana" by Valmiki
10. "The Epic of Gilgamesh" by Anonymous
11. "The Tale of Genji" by Murasaki Shikibu
12. "The Decameron" by Giovanni Boccaccio
13. "The Nibelungenlied" by Anonymous
14. "Metamorphoses" by Ovid
15. "The Shahnameh" by Ferdowsi
16. "Jerusalem Delivered

" by Torquato Tasso 17. "The Kalevala" by Elias Lönnrot 18. "The Faerie Queene" by Edmund Spenser 19. "Orlando Furioso" by Ludovico Ariosto 20. "The Song of Roland" by Anonymous

Top 100 List

1. "Pride and Prejudice" (19th Century)
2. "1984" (20th Century)
3. "Dracula" (Gothic)
4. "Ulysses" (Modernist)
5. "The Odyssey" (Epics)
6. "Moby-Dick" (19th Century)
7. "The Great Gatsby" (20th Century)
8. "The Picture of Dorian Gray" (Gothic)
9. "To the Lighthouse" (Modernist)
10. "The Iliad" (Epics)
11. "War and Peace" (19th Century)
12. "To Kill a Mockingbird" (20th Century)
13. "Wuthering Heights" (Gothic)
14. "The Sound and the Fury" (Modernist)
15. "The Aeneid" (Epics)
16. "Great Expectations" (19th Century)
17. "One Hundred Years of Solitude" (20th Century)
18. "Frankenstein" (Gothic)
19. "In Search of Lost Time" (Modernist)
20. "Divine Comedy" (Epics)
21. "Jane Eyre" (19th Century)
22. "Brave New World" (20th Century)
23. "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" (Gothic)
24. "The Trial" (Modernist)
25. "Don Quixote" (Epics)
26. "Anna Karenina" (19th Century)
27. "Catch-22" (20th Century)
28. "The Turn of the Screw" (Gothic)
29. "The Metamorphosis" (Modernist)
30. "Paradise Lost" (Epics)
31. "David Copperfield" (19th Century)
32. "Ulysses" (Modernist)
33. "The Phantom of the Opera" (Gothic)
34. "Mrs Dalloway" (Modernist)
35. "Beowulf" (Epics)
36. "Madame Bovary" (19th Century)
37. "The Catcher in the Rye" (20th Century)
38. "Rebecca" (Gothic)
39. "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" (Modernist)
40. "The Mahabharata" (Epics)
41. "The Scarlet Letter" (19th Century)
42. "Beloved" (20th Century)
43. "Jane Eyre" (Gothic)
44. "As I Lay Dying" (Modernist)
45. "The Ramayana" (Epics)
46. "Les Misérables" (19th Century)
47. "The Grapes of Wrath" (20th Century)
48. "The Castle of Otranto" (Gothic)
49. "Brave New World" (Modernist)
50. "The Epic of Gilgamesh" (Epics)
51. "The Brothers Karamazov" (19th Century)
52. "Lolita" (20th Century)
53. "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" (Gothic)
54. "Waiting for Godot" (Modernist)
55. "The Tale of Genji" (Epics)
56. "Crime and Punishment" (19th Century)
57. "Mrs Dalloway" (20th Century)
58. "The Fall of the House of Usher" (Gothic)
59. "The Waves" (Modernist)
60. "The Decameron" (Epics)
61. "Frankenstein" (19th Century)
62. "The Sun Also Rises" (20th Century)
63. "The Haunting of Hill House" (Gothic)
64. "A Room of One's Own" (Modernist)
65. "The Nibelungenlied" (Epics)
66. "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (19th Century)
67. "Slaughterhouse-Five" (20th Century)
68. "Northanger Abbey" (Gothic)
69. "Siddhartha" (Modernist)
70. "Metamorphoses" (Epics)
71. "Sense and Sensibility" (19th Century)
72. "Invisible Man" (20th Century)
73. "The Monk" (Gothic)
74. "The Magic Mountain" (Modernist)
75. "The Shahnameh" (Epics)
76. "The Count of Monte Cristo" (19th Century)
77. "The Trial" (20th Century)
78. "Melmoth the Wanderer" (Gothic)
79. "Steppenwolf" (Modernist)
80. "Jerusalem Delivered" (Epics)
81. "Middlemarch" (19th Century)
82. "A Passage to India" (20th Century)
83. "The Mysteries of Udolpho" (Gothic)
84. "Under the Volcano" (Modernist)
85. "The Kalevala" (Epics)
86. "Bleak House" (19th Century)
87. "Heart of Darkness" (20th Century)
88. "Carmilla" (Gothic)
89. "The Man Without Qualities" (Modernist)
90. "The Faerie Queene" (Epics)
91. "Persuasion" (19th Century)
92. "A Farewell to Arms" (20th Century)
93. "The Shadow of the Wind" (Gothic)
94. "Nightwood" (Modernist)
95. "Orlando Furioso" (Epics)
96. "The Cantos" (Modernist)
97. "On the Road" (20th Century)
98. "The Thirteenth Tale" (Gothic)
99. "The Song of Roland" (Epics)
100. "The Cantos" (Modernist)

Top 100 Table

Rank	Name	Topic	Tagline
1	Pride and Prejudice	19th Century	"A witty commentary on society and romance."
2	1984	20th Century	"A dystopian vision of totalitarianism."
3	Dracula	Gothic	"A dark tale of vampirism and fear."
4	Ulysses	Modernist	"A revolutionary stream-of-consciousness novel."
5	The Odyssey	Epics	"An epic journey of heroism and adventure."
6	Moby-Dick	19th Century	"An epic tale of obsession and the sea."
7	The Great Gatsby	20th Century	"The American dream and its discontents."
8	The Picture of Dorian Gray	Gothic	"A tale of vanity and corruption."
9	To the Lighthouse	Modernist	"A poetic exploration of family dynamics."
10	The Iliad	Epics	"The saga of the Trojan War."
11	War and Peace	19th Century	"A sprawling epic of Russian society."
12	To Kill a Mockingbird	20th Century	"A profound story of justice and race."
13	Wuthering Heights	Gothic	"A dark and passionate tale of love and revenge."
14	The Sound and the Fury	Modernist	"A fragmented narrative of a Southern family."
15	The Aeneid	Epics	"A Roman epic of duty and destiny."
16	Great Expectations	19th Century	"A story of growth and personal development."
17	One Hundred Years of Solitude	20th Century	"A magical realist tale of a family."
18	Frankenstein	Gothic	"A pioneering work of science fiction."
19	In Search of Lost Time	Modernist	"An introspective exploration of memory."
20	Divine Comedy	Epics	"A journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven."
21	Jane Eyre	19th Century	"A novel of strong will and moral integrity."
22	Brave New World	20th Century	"A dystopian vision of a controlled society."
23	The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde	Gothic	"A tale of duality and hidden desires."
24	The Trial	Modernist	"A surreal and oppressive legal drama."
25	Don Quixote	Epics	"A satirical tale of chivalry and delusion."
26	Anna Karenina	19th Century	"A tragic story of love and infidelity."
27	Catch-22	20th Century	"A satirical take on the absurdities of war."
28	The Turn of the Screw	Gothic	"A chilling tale of supernatural ambiguity."
29	The Metamorphosis	Modernist	"A surreal transformation of man into insect."
30	Paradise Lost	Epics	"An epic poem on humanity's fall."
31	David Copperfield	19th Century	"A coming-of-age narrative with rich detail."
32	Ulysses	Modernist	"A revolutionary stream-of-consciousness novel."
33	The Phantom of the Opera	Gothic	"A haunting story of obsession and mystery."
34	Mrs Dalloway	Modernist	"A single day in the life of a woman."
35	Beowulf	Epics	"A heroic tale of battles and monsters."
36	Madame Bovary	19th Century	"A critique of bourgeois society."
37	The Catcher in the Rye	20th Century	"A story of teenage angst and alienation."
38	Rebecca	Gothic	"A suspenseful tale of memory and secrets."
39	A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man	Modernist	"An artist's development in a repressive society."
40	The Mahabharata	Epics	"An epic of duty, family, and destiny."
41	The Scarlet Letter	19th Century	"A tale of sin and redemption."
42	Beloved	20th Century	"A haunting story of slavery and motherhood."
43	Jane Eyre	Gothic	"A novel of strength and moral integrity."
44	As I Lay Dying	Modernist	"A family’s journey to bury their matriarch."
45	The Ramayana	Epics	"A Hindu epic of virtue and devotion."
46	Les Misérables	19th Century	"A story of justice, love, and revolution."
47	The Grapes of Wrath	20th Century	"A tale of hardship during the Great Depression."
48	The Castle of Otranto	Gothic	"The first Gothic novel in history."
49	Brave New World	Modernist	"A dystopian vision of a controlled society."
50	The Epic of Gilgamesh	Epics	"An ancient Sumerian epic of kingship."
51	The Brothers Karamazov	19th Century	"A philosophical exploration of morality."
52	Lolita	20th Century	"A controversial and lyrical exploration of obsession."
53	The Hunchback of Notre-Dame	Gothic	"A tragic tale set in medieval Paris."
54	Waiting for Godot	Modernist	"A play exploring existential despair."
55	The Tale of Genji	Epics	"The first novel in world literature."
56	Crime and Punishment	19th Century	"A psychological drama about guilt and redemption."
57	Mrs Dalloway	20th Century	"A poetic reflection on life and society."
58	The Fall of the House of Usher	Gothic	"A tale of madness and decay."
59	The Waves	Modernist	"A poetic novel of interconnected lives."
60	The Decameron	Epics	"A collection of tales from plague-era Florence."
61	Frankenstein	19th Century	"A pioneering work of science fiction and horror."
62	The Sun Also Rises	20th Century	"A story of disillusioned expatriates in Paris."
63	The Haunting of Hill House	Gothic	"A psychological and supernatural horror."
64	A Room of One's Own	Modernist	"A feminist essay on women and fiction."
65	The Nibelungenlied	Epics	"A medieval German epic of love and betrayal."
66	The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn	19th Century	"A satirical take on American society."
67	Slaughterhouse-Five	20th Century	"A darkly humorous anti-war novel."
68	Northanger Abbey	Gothic	"A satire of Gothic fiction."
69	Siddhartha	Modernist	"A spiritual journey of self-discovery."
70	Metamorphoses	Epics	"A Roman masterpiece of mythological transformations."
71	Sense and Sensibility	19th Century	"A narrative about balancing reason and emotion."
72	Invisible Man	20th Century	"A profound commentary on race and identity."
73	The Monk	Gothic	"A shocking tale of sin and the supernatural."
74	The Magic Mountain	Modernist	"A philosophical novel set in a Swiss sanatorium."
75	The Shahnameh	Epics	"An epic of Persian kings and heroes."
76	The Count of Monte Cristo	19th Century	"A thrilling story of vengeance and forgiveness."
77	The Trial	20th Century	"A surreal and oppressive legal drama."
78	Melmoth the Wanderer	Gothic	"A tale of a cursed wanderer."
79	Steppenwolf	Modernist	"A novel of duality and self-realization."
80	Jerusalem Delivered	Epics	"A tale of the First Crusade."
81	Middlemarch	19th Century	"A comprehensive study of English provincial life."
82	A Passage to India	20th Century	"A story of friendship and colonial tension."
83	The Mysteries of Udolpho	Gothic	"A quintessential Gothic romance."
84	Under the Volcano	Modernist	"A tragic story set in Mexico."
85	The Kalevala	Epics	"An epic of Finnish folklore and mythology."
86	Bleak House	19th Century	"A complex tale of legal intrigue."
87	Heart of Darkness	20th Century	"A dark exploration of imperialism."
88	Carmilla	Gothic	"A precursor to Dracula."
89	The Man Without Qualities	Modernist	"An unfinished masterpiece of Austrian literature."
90	The Faerie Queene	Epics	"An allegorical poem celebrating Queen Elizabeth I."
91	Persuasion	19th Century	"A story of love and second chances."
92	A Farewell to Arms	20th Century	"A tragic romance set during World War I."
93	The Shadow of the Wind	Gothic	"A mystery set in post-war Barcelona."
94	Nightwood	Modernist	"A groundbreaking modernist novel."
95	Orlando Furioso	Epics	"A fantastical chivalric romance."
96	The Cantos	Modernist	"A long, complex modernist poem."
97	On the Road	20th Century	"A defining novel of the Beat Generation."
98	The Thirteenth Tale	Gothic	"A modern Gothic tale of secrets and lies."
99	The Song of Roland	Epics	"An epic of chivalry and honor."
100	The Cantos	Modernist	"A long, complex modernist poem."

Images

Conclusion

Classic novels stand as the bedrock of literature, transcending time with their profound insights, innovative storytelling, and captivating narratives. From the social intricacies of the 19th century to the fragmented modernist forms of the 20th century, these literary masterpieces continue to inspire readers, writers, and scholars alike. Whether exploring the depths of human emotion, the heroism of epic tales, or the darkness of Gothic fiction, this curated list of the top 100 classic novels invites readers on a timeless journey through the art of storytelling. Their enduring relevance affirms the transformative power of literature across generations.