In honor of the new Great Gatsby film to be released this May, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite classics from my high school English classes. I can’t say that any of these books are particularly feel-good reads, but each is entertaining and thought-provoking. (I promise, it won’t be like reading your bio textbook.) Pick up one of these novels next time you visit the BU bookstore, and don’t miss The Great Gatsby premiering May 10 and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Carrey Mulligan, and Tobey Maguire.
1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
When business brings modest Midwesterner Nick Carraway to Long Island, he moves in next to the mysterious Jay Gatsby. While Gatsby himself is a modest man, he throws lavish parties that attract hundreds every Saturday in his East Coast mansion. Meanwhile, Nick pays a visit to his cousin Daisy Buchanan and her husband Tom living in a more fashionable neighborhood of Long Island. The plot thickens as Nick learns of Tom’s crude mistress Myrtle Wilson, and Daisy meets Gatsby for what doesn’t appear to be the first time. Poignant and dramatic, The Great Gatsby is a novel of style, scandal, and star-crossed lovers.
2. 1984 by George Orwell
In this futuristic dystopian novel, Winston Smith lives and works under the omnipresent ruling Party in London. The Party watches its citizens’ every move, broadcasting its slogan: WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH. When Winston receives a love note from a co-worker at the so-called Ministry of Truth, he begins a forbidden affair with a woman named Julia. Can Winston and Julia forever escape the watchful eye of the Party? You’ll have to find out for yourself.
3. Anything Shakespeare
Okay, so I know that Shakespeare isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but here’s the thing: Shakespeare is everywhere. I mean really. Ever seen West Side Story, She’s the Man, or The Lion King? These movies are all based on plots from Shakespeare. Have you ever felt like you “wear your heart on your sleeve,” found yourself “in a pickle”, or asked yourself how to “break the ice” at a party? These expressions are all from Shakespeare. If the Bard’s flowery language is hard to understand, pick up a copy of Spark Notes’ No Fear Shakespeare—just don’t miss out on reading Shakespeare at least once in your life.
4. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
As Vonnegut flip flops between present and past, he reveals the story of veteran Billy Pilgrim’s experience as a soldier in World War II. Billy is captured by the Germans at the Battle of the Bulge, where he is held captive with other prisoners of war in a slaughterhouse. As a timeline of Billy’s bizarre life emerges, Vonnegut creates an interesting commentary on war and its effects on our world.
5. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
This short story is about as close as you can get to a feminist novel in the Victorian Era. When the narrator, a young newlywed, complains to her husband, a doctor, of feelings of nervous depression, he asks her to stay inside and remain inactive. The narrator spends the story in the bedroom of her summer vacation house, staring at walls plastered in gaudy yellow wallpaper. While this story isn’t for everyone, Gilman presents readers with fantastic imagery and an oppressed protagonist who slowly breaks.