Book list English Literature

17
th
century
Plays by William Shakespeare (not all of them are mentioned, for further information
please check: http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/ )
Tragedies
Antony and Cleopatra (1606-1607)
The story of Mark Antony, Roman military leader and triumvir, who is madly in love with
Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt.

Hamlet (1600-1601)
Since its first recorded production, Hamlet has engrossed playgoers, thrilled readers, and
challenged actors more so than any other play in the Western canon. No other single work
of fiction has produced more commonly used expressions.

Julius Caesar (1599-1600)
Although there were earlier Elizabethan plays on the subject of Julius Caesar and his
turbulent rule, Shakespeare's penetrating study of political life in ancient Rome is the only
version to recount the demise of Brutus and the other conspirators.

King Lear (1605-1606)
The story of King Lear, an aging monarch who decides to divide his kingdom amongst his
three daughters, according to which one recites the best declaration of love.

Macbeth (1605-1606)
Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's most stimulating and popular dramas. Renaissance records
of Shakespeare's plays in performance are scarce, but a detailed account of an original
production of Macbeth has survived, thanks to Dr. Simon Forman.

Othello (1604-1605)
Othello, a valiant Moorish general in the service of Venice, falls prey to the devious schemes
of his false friend, Iago.

Romeo and Juliet (1594-1595)
Celebrated for the radiance of its lyric poetry, Romeo and Juliet was tremendously popular
from its first performance. The sweet whispers shared by young Tudor lovers throughout the
realm were often referred to as "naught but pure Romeo and Juliet."


Histories
Henry IV, Part I (1597-1598)
One of Shakespeare's most popular plays, featuring the opportunistic miscreant, Sir John
Falstaff.

Henry IV, Part II (1597-1598)
This is the third play in the second tetralogy of history plays, along with Richard II, Henry IV,
Part 1, and Henry V.

Henry V (1598-1599)
Henry V is the last in the second tetralogy sequence. King Henry is considered Shakespeare's
ideal monarch.

Henry VI, Part I (1591-1592)
The first in Shakespeare's trilogy about the War of the Roses between the houses of
Lancaster and York.

Henry VI, Part II (1590-1591)
Part two of Shakespeare's chronicle play. Based on Hall's work, the play contains some
historical inaccuracies.

Henry VI, Part III (1590-1591)
Part three begins in medias res, with the duke of Suffolk dead and the duke of York being
named Henry VI's heir.

Henry VIII (1612-1613)
Many believe Henry VIII to be Shakespeare's last play, but others firmly believe that he had
little, if anything, to do with its creation.

King John (1596-1597)
In the shadow of Shakespeares second tetralogy of history plays lies the neglected
masterpiece, King John. Although seldom read or performed today, King John was once one
of Shakespeare's most popular histories, praised for its poetic brilliance.

Richard II (1595-1596)
More so than Shakespeare's earlier history plays, Richard II is notable for its well-rounded
characters.

Richard III (1592-1593)
The devious machinations of the deformed villain, Richard, duke of Gloucester, made this
play an Elizabethan favorite.

Comedies
All's Well That Ends Well (1602-1603)
Modern scholars contend that this is a problem play, due primarily to the character Helena
and her ambiguous nature. Is she a virtuous lady or a crafty temptress?


As You Like It (1599-1600)
As You Like It is considered by many to be one of Shakespeare's greatest comedies, and the
heroine, Rosalind, is praised as one of his most inspiring characters.


The Comedy of Errors (1592-1593)
This is Shakespeare's shortest play, which he based on Menaechmi by Plautus.

Love's Labours Lost (1594-1595)
Love's Labours Lost fell out of favour for many years, criticized by scholars as muddled and
confusing. But the play is making a comeback, and Kenneth Branagh's version has helped it
along.

The Merry Wives of Windsor (1600-1601)
The Merry Wives is unique amongst Shakespeare's plays because it is set in Shakespeare's
England. It features the Bard's beloved character, Falstaff.

The Merchant of Venice (1596-1597)
The character of Shylock has raised a debate over whether the play should be condemned as
anti-Semitic, and this controversy has overshadowed many other aspects of the play.

A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595-1596)
A magical exploration of the mysteries of love, and one of Shakespeare's best-known
comedies.

Much Ado About Nothing (1598-1599)
The story of two very different sets of lovers, Beatrice and Benedick and Claudio and Hero.
The witty banter between Beatrice and Benedick is the highlight of the play.

The Taming of the Shrew (1593-1594)
The Taming of the Shrew revolves around the troubled relationship between Katharina and
her suitor, Petruchio, who is determined to mold Katharina into a suitable wife.

The Tempest (1611-1612)
Hailed as a stunning climax to the career of Englands favorite dramatist, The Tempest is a
play praising the glories of reconciliation and forgiveness. Some believe that Prosperos final
speeches signify Shakespeares personal adieu from the stage.

Twelfth Night (1599-1600)
Shakespeare loved to use the device of mistaken identity, and nowhere does he use this
convention more skillfully than in Twelfth Night.

Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594-1595)
The tale of two friends who travel to Milan and learn about the chaotic world of courting.

The Winter's Tale (1610-1611)
The Winter's Tale is considered a romantic comedy, but tragic elements are woven
throughout the play. We have a first-hand account of a production of the play at the Globe
in 1611. It is one of Shakespeare's final plays.



18
th
century
1. Robinson Crusoe (1719) Daniel Defoe
2. Gullivers Travels (1726) Jonathan Swift (Irish writer)
3. Pamela (1740) Samuel Richardson
4. Tom Jones (1749) Henry Fielding
19
th
century
1. Pride and Prejudice (1813) Jane Austen
2. Sense and Sensibility (1811) Jane Austen
3. Emma (1816) Jane Austen
4. Persuasion (1818) Jane Austen
5. Jane Eyre(1847) Charlotte Brnte
6. Wuthering Heights (1847) Emily Brnte
7. Great Expectations (1860) Charles Dickens
8. David Copperfield (1850) Charles Dickens
9. A Tale of Two Cities (1859) Charles Dickens
10. A Christmas Carol (1843) Charles Dickens
11. Oliver Twist(1837) Charles Dickens
12. Little Women (1868) Louisa M Alcott
13. Tess of DUrbervilles (1891) Thomas Hardy
14. Far from the Medding Crowd Thomas Hardy
15. Alice in Wonderland (1865) Lewis Carroll
16. The Wind in the Willows (1908) Kenneth Grahame
17. The Adventures of Huckelberry Finn (1885) Mark Twain (American)
18. The Woman in White (1859) Wilkie Collins
19. Uncle Toms Cabin (1852) H. Beecher-Stowe (American)
20. Moby Dick (1851) Herman Melville (American)
21. The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) Oscar Wilde (Irish)
22. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1891) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Scottish)
23. Vanity Fair (1848) William Makepeace Thackeray

20
th
century
24. The Secret Garden (1911) Frances Hodgson Burnett
25. To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) Harper Lee (American)
26. 1984 (1949) George Orwell
27. Animal Farm (1945) George Orwell
28. Catcher in the Rye (1951) J.D. Salinger
29. The Great Gatsby (1925) F. Scott Fitzgerald
30. The Grapes of Wrath (1939) John Steinbeck (American)
31. Of Mice and Men (1937) John Steinbeck (American)
32. The Pearl (1947) John Steinbeck (American)
33. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) CS Lewis
34. A Kiss Before Dying (1953) Ira Levin (American)
35. The Boys from Brazil (1976) Ira Levin (American)
36. Memoirs of a Geisha (1997) Arthur Golden (American)
37. A Prayer for Owen Meaney (1989) John Irving (American)
38. The Cider House Rules (1985) John Irving (American)
39. The Handmaids Tale (1985) Margaret Atwood (Canadian)
40. Lord of the Flies (1954) William Golding
41. Brave New World (1931) Aldous Huxley
42. The Secret History (1992) Donna Tartt (American)
43. On the Road (1951) Jack Kerouac (American)
44. Breakfast at Tiffanys (1958) Truman Capote (American)
45. Bridget Joness Diary (1996) Helen Fielding
46. Empire of the Sun (1984) JG Ballard
47. Beloved (1987) Toni Morrison (American)
48. The Bluest Eye (1970) Toni Morrison (American)
49. Ordinary People (1976) Judith Guest (American)
50. The Stepford Wives (1972) Ira Levin (American)
51. The Cement Garden (1978) Ian McEwan
52. The Joy Luck Club (1989) Amy Tan (American)
53. Brideshead Revisited (1945) Evelyn Waugh
54. Charlottes Web (1952) EB White (American)
55. The Remains of the Day (1989)- Kazuo Ishiguro
56. The Color Purple (1982) Alice Walker (American)
57. The Woman in Black (1983) Susan Hill
58. The Queen and I (1992) Sue Townsend
59. Walk two Moons (1994) Sharon Creech
60. Mr Vertigo (1994) Paul Auster (American)
61. The Old man and the Sea (1951) Ernest Hemingway (American)
62. The Woman who Walked into Doors (1996) Roddy Doyle (Irish)
63. Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha (1993) Roddy Doyle (Irish)
64. His Dark Materials (comprising Northern Lights (1995, published as The Golden Compass in
North America), The Subtle Knife (1997), and The Amber Spyglass (2000). Philip Pullman
65. One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest (1962) Ken Kesey (American)
66. Angelas Ashes (1996) Frank McCourt (Irish-American)
67. About a Boy (1998) Nick Hornby
68. Fever Pitch (1992) Nick Hornby
69. Secret History (1992) Donna Tartt (American)
70. Across the Barricades (1972) Joan Lingard (Scottish)
71. Postcards from No-Mans Land (1999) Aidan Chambers
72. The Chosen (1967) Chaim Potok (American Jewish writer)
73. The Collector (1963) John Fowles
21
st
century
74. Atonement (2001) Ian McEwan
75. Life of Pi (2001) Yann Martel (Canadian)
76. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (2003) Mark Haddon
77. Queen Camilla (2006) Sue Townsend
78. Number 10 (2002) Sue Townsend
79. Gentlemen & Players (2005) Joanne Harris
80. One Day (2009) David Nicholls
81. Starter for Ten (2003) David Nicholls
82. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2005) - Jonathan Safran Foer (American)
83. Everything is Illuminated (2002) Jonathan Safran Foer (American)
84. Notes on a Scandal (2005) Zoe Heller
85. Black Swan Green (2006) David Mitchell
86. Slam (2007) - Nick Hornby
87. The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007) Mohsin Hamid (American/Pakistani)
88. The Help (2009) Kathryn Stockett (American)
89. Rivers of London/Midnight Riot (US title) (2011) - Ben Aaronovitch
90. Moon over SoHo (2011) - Ben Aaronovitch
91. Pigeon English (2011)- Stephen Kelman
92. Private Peaceful (2003) Michael Morpurgo
93. Room (2010) Emma Donoghue (Irish)