By Ben Robinson
It’s been a while since I suggested some of my favourite classics, but with the longer months drawing in, a good hearty read is exactly what I find myself craving. Whilst some of these reads are particularly hard-hitting, they feel truly important to our understanding of the world – something I always look for in a classic novel. From romantic classics to modern must-reads, here are three books that are more than worth picking up this autumn…
Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
I have to admit, I was unsure what this famous classic would be like when I first picked it up. But despite being a nineteenth-century novel,
Great Expectations still feels surprisingly relevant to the modern-day reader. It is a sprawling, atmospheric story about growing up and discovering that wealth does not necessarily make us better people. The story follows Pip, who leaves his humble beginnings and enters London society, becoming increasingly obsessed with wealth, status and the elusive Estella. Dickens combines humour and social commentary to explore class, ambition and the consequences of wanting to become someone we are not. For a book written nearly two centuries ago, it is still remarkably captivating!
1984 – George Orwell
Widely regarded as one of George Orwell’s finest and most influential works, 1984 imagines a future Britain in which the state controls almost every aspect of its citizens’ lives. Winston Smith works rewriting history for the ruling Party, but privately begins to question the world around him. His growing sense of rebellion, and his forbidden relationship with the mysterious Julia, lead him into increasingly dangerous territory. Orwell’s dystopian classic explores surveillance, propaganda, censorship and the manipulation of truth, making it a book that continues to feel uncomfortably relevant to readers today. 1984 is not necessarily an easy read, but its discussion of power and political control makes it one of those books that stays with you long after you finish it, especially in the world we currently live in…
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
Whilst this is not necessarily an easy read either, The Handmaid’s Tale feels like one of those books that we should all have read. Set in a world where the United States has been replaced by the Republic of Gilead, where women have lost their rights, the novel follows Offred, a narrator who is forced into servitude as a Handmaid, tasked with bearing children. Atwood gradually reveals how such a society came to exist, and again, this book feels so relevant in this day and age. The novel is both a gripping dystopian story and a powerful exploration of gender, identity, freedom and resistance. While it’s deliberately unsettling, it does what all good books should, and makes us question the world we live in!
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