Life > January 19, 2006

By Caitlin Kenney

Life Editor

To Kill A Mockingbird. A Tale of Two Cities. Hamlet. The Catcher in the Rye. Chances are anyone who is a product of the American school system has read these “classics.” Whether or not you enjoyed them is immaterial.

The real tragedy here is that unless you’re an English major, your required reading will be focused on the most celebrated and most studied works of literature … leaving behind hundreds of remarkable novels that go practically untouched because of modern education.

For a trip outside of the ordinary, try these more obscure and often-overlooked classics. They’re easy reads, perfect for any chilly winter afternoon.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead tells the complete story of Hamlet’s two friends/betrayers who play a less-than-pivotal role in Shakespeare’s drama, but whose story comes to light in this peculiar retelling.

Their story is full of philosophical banter as the heroes deal with constant confusion over their identities (no one can tell which character is which, not even Rosencrantz and Guildenstern themselves), failed attempts to understand their purpose in life and the interfering of a group of perceptive players.

Stoppard’s modern classic was part of the dramatic movement known as the theatre of the absurd. The movement developed in the 1960s with the idea that the human condition was basically meaningless and the world was outside of human control.

The film version of the play comes highly recommended, as theatre is always better seen than read.

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

This Victorian horror story tells the tale of an English governess, two peculiar children and the spirits that haunt the manor they inhabit.

The true terror in the story is in what is left unsaid. The novel makes implications about the children’s relationship with each other and the spirit world that are never truly satisfied.

The sanity of the helpless and haunted narrator comes into question as she falls deeper and deeper under the spell of the eerie children and their familiars.

The Third Policeman by Flan O’Brien

This quirky novel by Irish writer Flan O’Brien is about a man’s journey into a county in which three policemen try to keep order by keeping watch on the bicycles of its residents, in which Eternity is located slightly down the road and in which an eccentric philosopher’s musings about the nature of the world (which is sausage-shaped rather than round) and the Atomic Theory (which has a good deal to do with bicycles) seem to be in perfect operation.

With the help of his soul, whose name is Joe, the narrator must try to come to terms with his existence and the truth about the world. The novel is a witty comedy that will keep you laughing and wondering.

Quincas Borbas by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis

“To the victor, the potatoes!” These are the words of Quincas Borbas, a fictitious Brazilian philosopher who bequeaths his vast fortune to his disciple, Rubiao, under one condition: Rubiao must care for Quincas Borbas’ beloved dog, also named Quincas Borbas, whom Rubiao comes to believe hosts the reincarnated soul of his master.

Rubiao’s dive into decadence is accompanied by a descent into madness. His obsessive pursuit of an unattainable woman who embodies his ideal of beauty provides an interesting view into his degenerating mind.

The novel is an interesting departure from the norms of English-language literature and is an evocative novel even in translation from the original Portuguese.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burguess

This chilling prediction for the future is told through the words of Alex, a teenage thug who robs, beats, murders and rapes people on a daily basis.

The book is not for the faint of heart, but its message is ultimately challenging and rewarding. It asks questions about morality, the ability of the human character to change and the role of the government in law enforcement.

The novel is made even more challenging by the use of slang completely invented by Burguess.

The first few chapters are disorienting and practically unintelligible on first read, but as the novel continues, context clues make the slang terminology second nature.

Soon you’ll find yourself thinking in Alex’s language as he confronts the system. Make sure you pick up the latest edition of the work, in which the original ending (which was removed from the first edition) has been added. It makes all the difference.

The Next Generation in Classics

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

What starts out at the memoirs of one man who was involved in the murder of a friend in college, turns into a chilling coming-of-age tale to rival the popular Catcher in the Rye. Tartt’s genius is in her ability to describe human interaction and the perception of the word.

Whether describing drug induced frenzies or the biting cold of the New England winter, Tartt’s tale comes to life in the thoughts of her narrator, Richard Papen.

Richard comes to Vermont hoping to find himself at a small college where he chooses to study the classics. But what Richard finds instead is a group of students who draw him in with their romance and mystique.

Each character is flawed in some fatal way, but you cannot help but like them. Even as their actions become sicker and sicker, the reader clings to the tale of these haunted youths.

The novel feels timeless and though it is meant to be set decades ago, the descriptions of college life strike close to home. The book is an excellent read for a chilly winter evening.