Having grown up in Scandinavia, my literary background and my perception of “the classics” is somewhat different from that of the average English reader. Whilst living in London, I have slowly started to fill the gaps in my knowledge about English literature. Becoming a book blogger has helped as well. Alas, I still regularly come across authors and books, including classics, which everyone but me seems to know.
Recently, I found this BBC list of The 100 greatest British novels. It has been created by poll, with non-British critics from around the world participating. Hence, it may be interpreted as the world’s opinion on the best British books.
Obviously, lists like this are highly subjective, but I like to use them as inspiration. The list is mainly composed of classics, but more recent novels such as Ian McEvan’s Atonement and Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day are included as well. You can see the full list using the link above, but Top Ten is shown here.
10. Vanity Fair (William Makepeace Thackeray, 1848)
9. Frankenstein (Mary Shelley, 1818)
8. David Copperfield (Charles Dickens, 1850)
7. Wuthering Heights (Emily BrontΓ«, 1847)
6. Bleak House (Charles Dickens, 1853)
5. Jane Eyre (Charlotte BrontΓ«, 1847)
4. Great Expectations (Charles Dickens, 1861)
3. Mrs. Dalloway (Virginia Woolf, 1925)
2. To the Lighthouse (Virginia Woolf, 1927)
1. Middlemarch (George Eliot, 1874)
I haven’t read Middlemarch and don’t intend to either. But I am thrilled to see Mrs Dalloway as number three; that’s got to be one of my favourite classics. Jane Eyre, on the other hand, didn’t make much of an impression. Based on this list, Woolf and Dickens are considered the best British authors. Whereas I like Dickens, he isn’t a favourite of mine. I suspect Woolf could become one, though.
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So what are my thoughts and observations?
- I’ve only read around 20 of the 100 books. Not very impressive.
- As expected, there are novels included, I haven’t heard of before. I didn’t count, but it’s a lot!
- The highest ranking novel, I haven’t heard of is Vanity Fair as number 10. Hands up – who thinks of the magazine, rather than the novel, when someone says Vanity Fair? π
- The End of the Affair [31] is my least favourite of those I’ve read. I did NOT get on with that one.
- There are at least four children’s books/series on the list; The Chronicles of Narnia [97], His Dark Materials [79], Aliceβs Adventures in Wonderland [40] and The Wind in the Willows [33]
- The oldest book is Robinson Crusoe [27] which was first published in 1719.
- The newest book is Julian Barnes’ The Sense of an Ending [39] from 2011.
- Famous crime writers such as Agatha Christie or Arthur Conan Doyle are not represented. I also looked in vain for Daphne du Maurier’s popular Rebecca.
- It’s interesting to note, that the 82 book critics from all over the world, who could vote for 10 books each, came up with 228 novels in total. This implies a relatively high consensus about the best British books.
I have no intentions of reading my way through the Top 100. But I’ve selected a few, which I would like to get to.
[2] To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf, 1927. I decided to read this after finishing Mrs Dalloway. It is already on my Kindle
[4] Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, 1861. This one is on my Kindle as well. I’ve heard so much about the story, I almost feel, I’ve read it already.
[9] Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, 1818. I’ve recently seen this recommended by Jane @ Just Reading A Book and the booktuber Ciara. Otherwise I doubt, it would have occurred to me to pick it up.
[15] Atonement by Ian McEwan, 2001. I guess, Ian McEwan really is one of the British authors you ought to be familiar with and Atonement seems a good place to start.
[23] Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy, 1895. Hardy isn’t known for his cheerfulness, but I often find the miserable ones are having the greatest impact. This one is also on my Kindle already.
[32] A Room with a View by EM Forster, 1908. Having enjoyed all the film adaptations of EM Forster’s novels, I need to read at least one of them. Howard’s End has the highest ranking on the list (A Passage to India the lowest), but I think A Room with a View appeals the most. Let me know if you disagree.
[39] The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes, 2011. This is another one which is already on my Kindle. It won the Booker Prize in 2011 and has generally received a lot of praise.
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Ok, this almost felt like cheating. I had more or less decided to read all these, before even seeing the Top 100 list. But the plan is, if when I get through this bunch, I’ll choose another handful and in this way I can gradually (very gradually) improve my knowledge about English literature without imposing any targets as such.
And now to the fun part. What do you think are the best British books? How many have you read from the Top 100? Are any of your favourites missing from the list? Are you surprised or even outraged by any of the choices? And do you have a recommendation, which I just have to read? Please, let me know in the comments.
As I’m a Brit, my own efforts in the top 100 aren’t too bad, though frankly, not anything like good enough. One big hole is one you have already plugged – Virginia Woolf. That’s pretty shameful, and I should fix that soon. Of your want-to-reads, the Woolf and the Barnes – that particular one – are the ones I’ve yet to tackle. For someone not born or educated in England, I find 20 books read from the list a really impressive total. Well done. Many quite well-read Brits wouldn’t match that.
Both of us probably have a lot of books from the list, which we wouldn’t want to read in any case, but I have no doubt you have read a lot more and also recognise more of the titles than I do. Having read Mrs Dalloway but nothing else by Woolf, I am just marginally ahead of you. I would like to get the Barnes novel relatively soon, will let you know, how I get on with it. And thanks, yes I guess 20 books isn’t too bad (at least, it could have been worse). π
I’m going to be looking out for the Barnes too. The library’s open properly now, so .. maybe soon.
Excellent, good luck with getting it from the library! I look forward to discuss it with you.
I have a lot of these books on my classics club list and haven’t read many of them yet I believe. Everyone is recommending Vanity Fair to me though π . I did like Jane Eyre a lot. And I disliked the Sense of an ending. Barnes just isn’t an author for me I guess.
Ah yes, you are doing the Classics Club Spin as well. Haha, it might actually be considered something of an *achievement*, that I’ve managed to go through life without ever hearing about Vanity Fair. π Sorry to hear you didn’t get on with Barnes, I could imagine he is the type of author, who is quite divisive.
Thank you for this interesting list! I have read 19 books so far … I like to read English classics every now and then, but being from Germany I had many other classics to read in my school days … I am a big fan of Charles Dickens though, and plan to read all of his works: Great Expectations is a fascinating book! Bleak House is on my reading list for this year. I have read nearly every book by Ian McEwan, he is one of my favorite authors. From your Top Ten list I would recommend to read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. It is nothing compared to all the horror movies, but a very moving book. From the Top 100 I still have to read both novels by Kazuo Ishiguro and Hilary Mantel.
You are welcome! π We seem to be in a similar situation. I also read a completely different set of classics growing up and have read same number of books from the list as you have. Good to hear you found Great Expectations fascinating. Don’t know why, but I think it could become one of my favourite Dickens novels. Ahh, so you are a McEwan expert. π Maybe you can tell me, if it’s a wise decision to start with Atonement? I look forward to Frankenstein and can highly recommend the two Ishiguro novels. Don’t think Hilary Mantel is for me.
Maybe you are right with Dickens, I am curious about Bleak House … I think, The Atonement was the first novel by McEwan for me. Every novel is different though, and I cannot say which one is the best. I pretty much liked Machines Like Me lately, but remember that The Innocent and Enduring Love were impressive too. I look forward to reading the Ishiguro novels.
I haven’t read Bleak House yet, but I’ve heard some people saying it’s his best. When Machines Like Me first came out, I meant to read it (as you may have realised, I love AI), but the reviews were quite mixed, so I skipped it. Will start with Atonement and see how I get on with that. And I would love to hear your thoughts on the two Ishiguro novels since they are amongst my favourite books ever. π
This is brilliant, I love lists and will go over and look at the 100! Thank you for linking me to Frankenstein, it was such a fabulous and unexpected read. A Room With A View is wonderful and I love Middlemarch! My favourite Woolf though is Jacob’s Room which never seems to get on to ‘Top’ lists, I don’t know why. I could really do with a list like this from around the world so that I can broaden my reading. Have fun with your challenge!
I thought it was quite a fun list! π Your review of Frankenstein gave me a very different picture of the novel compared to the one I had in my head (no doubt inspired by the various film adaptations). I really look forward to reading it. Glad that you recommend A Room with a View as well. On the other hand, it will take a bit of persuasion to change my mind about Middlemarch π. Haha, I’ve never heard of Jacob’s Room. Let’s see how I get on with To the Lighthouse – if it’s a success, I will continue with other Woolf novels. Thanks!
Daniel Defoe wrote what to me is a great novel: Journal Of The Plague Year. Itβs about the bubonic plague that killed many people in England in the 1600s.
It does sound like an intriguing way of learning about life in London during the plague!
My foreign background also provided me with a different set of “classics”. I am trying to catch up with English and American literature now, hence for example my Classics Club list might look very unoriginal for some people! Julian Barnes is for example one of my favourite authors – he might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I just absolutely love his style of writing and I remember I used to just swallow his books in one. Looking forward to your opinion about The Sense of an Ending!
I believe most of the “great classics” are popular for a reason. I don’t necessarily want to read all of them, but I am curious, why they are so popular. Although not essential, I also like to familiarise myself with some of the cultural heritage in the country I live in. So in short: I approve of your classics choice! Great to hear Julian Barnes is a favourite of yours, I can’t wait to see how I get on with him!
Can’t help wondering if this list – like those for 100 best classical pieces and similar concoctions – is based on what people feel they and everyone else should be reading rather than what they actually read. So predictable and lacking any basis in reality. Having made their recommendation they then settle back in their armchair to read the latest crime fiction or romance novel.
Haha, that is a good point. I guess in this case all the participants in the poll were book critics and presumably they have a more “literary” taste, than the average reader. N S Ford mentioned this link in her comment to The Big Read, which is a list selected by “normal” readers. It’s interesting how the two lists compare, there are a lot more I’ve read and heard of on The Big Read list. However, I think it is super tricky to even define what is a good book. Sometimes you want easy-going entertainment and find a crime novel the best book in the world. At other times, you want mental stimulation and something more literary might be better suited. Thanks for a great comment!
I was an English major and I’ve only read 16 of these. Part of that is because this list is only novels and starts in the 1800s. In my opinion there’s so much richer reading from the medieval and renaissance periods.
Oh really, that is so interesting! I wonder what got you started on these periods? The issue for the average reader probably is, we don’t come across this literature that often, but actively have to seek it out. Don’t think I’ve read anything medieval, so not sure how I would get on with it. But I am intrigued!
I actually took classes on it, which introduced me to it. I also took an Irish mythology class and one on old Irish law while studying abroad in Ireland.
Ah that makes sense. I could imagine taking classes is the best way to get introduced to this specialised area. Personally, I’ve always known, mathematics was my thing, so my literary education is unfortunately relatively minimal.
Jude the Obscure is also on my list of classics to read. This was such an interesting post and the list of best British books was also really interesting to look at!
Jude the Obscure might be my next classic, although I am still recovering from Crime and Punishment π, so it may take a little while before I get to it. Glad you enjoyed the list, I always think it’s quite fun to look at these “best of” lists.
Crime and Punishment! Youβre brave haha
Haha, thanks, I felt rather brave π
I generally don’t like lists like this and, for the most part, I don’t like the so called “classics.” I have read a few on the list, but only because I had to for my English classes.
That is fair enough! For me it’s just a bit of fun and I honestly don’t think anyone takes them too seriously. Since I like many of the classics, it’s good inspiration though. I didn’t have to read any of these in school, maybe that is a good thing? It probably gives some youngsters a bad impression of the classics, being forced to read them at a very young age.
PS I agree that if you’re going to do a list like this, “Rebecca” should be on it.
Oh, I’m not as big a Rebecca fan as a lot of other readers, but I did wonder, since so many mention it as their favourite book.
So, I loved Middlemarch. Best book ever? Not sure and Virginia Woolf and I? Well, in the past, we haven’t gotten along but having just been reconciled with James Joyce after also having a rift between us, I may give her fiction another look.
Good to hear you loved Middlemarch. From what I’ve heard, I’m not sure, it’s my kind of book. Furthermore, the length of it tends to put me off. I may try one of her shorter books (assuming she wrote shorter books…) and if I get on with her writing, I may attempt Middlemarch at a later stage. Haha, it is my clear impression, Woolf is not for everyone. To be honest, I struggled with Mrs Dalloway in the beginning and it was only in my third attempt, I made it all the way through. But I ended up loving it!
I’ve never been able to finish Great Expectations!
Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that! I have high hopes for that one! π
I read Mrs Dalloway and I was not impressed, so I won’t be reading any more Woolf. As for Barnes, I cannot recall anything about his Sense of Ending but I really liked his Noise of Time.
Since Woolf has quite a distinct writing style, I’m guessing it’s a fair assessment to skip her other novels, if you didn’t get on with Mrs Dalloway. It can’t have made much of an impression, if you don’t remember anything about Sense of an Ending? Hopefully, it will have more of an impact on me. π
Lists like this are very frustrating because what the ‘critics’ say are the greatest books are not the same as the public’s favourites and as such are not likely to be enjoyable. It depends what you want in your reading. Have you heard of The Big Read? Interesting to compare the British public’s favourites with the list you found https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Read – note that Rebecca is no.14 on the list! I think critics tend to be snobbish about du Maurier but also perhaps her books are not so well known outside of Britain. As for Middlemarch… often considered the ‘greatest’ novel but I found it so dull.
Thanks for the link, I hadn’t heard of The Big Read before. I suppose it’s the opposite of the list I posted which was British books chosen by international readers, whereas The Big Read was global books chosen by British readers. I can imagine that the latter is a better reflection of what is actually being read, even if there is quite a bit of overlap. But to be honest, I don’t think one list is better than the other and personally I just look at lists like this as a bit of fun and potential source of inspiration. Anyway, what is a good book? One which makes you think? Moves you to a different place mentally?Teaches you a lot? Keeps your attention caught even when you are stressed out and tired? Depending on when you ask me, my answer might differ. Haha, yeah I’m feel fairly sure, I would find Middlemarch dull as well, but who knows… Thanks for great input to the discussion!
Absolutely, yes, and lists are great discussion points! Everyone is going to have different views on what should be included and how we are defining good books!
Yes! That is one of the reasons I enjoy being a book blogger, we all have different views and it’s great fun to discuss our various opinions.
46 for me, but frankly these lists are so subjective they rarely inspire me, and this is no different – there aren’t many of the ones I haven’t read that I particularly want to. I certainly don’t rate Middlemarch as the greatest novel of all time. I guess if you love Woolf and don’t like Dickens our tastes are diametric opposites of each other, so you should probably take me telling you that Vanity Fair is great as a warning rather than a recommendation! π
46 – goodness me! You know what, I think it was after reading your review of Middlemarch, I decided not to read it (that and the 900+ pages…). Haha, it isn’t correct to say I love Woolf (only read one of her books) or dislike Dickens. Nevertheless, I shall bear in mind your *advice* on Vanity Fair! π
I am surprised (and somewhat ashamed) that I’ve only read 21 of these with several more already waiting in the wings. They’ve been waiting a very long time and I see little likelihood of them stepping into centre stage any time soon. I’m even more ashamed to acknowledge that I’ve not knowingly read any classic Scandinavian literature!
Maybe you and I should agree, it’s perfect to have read around 20 from the list? π I do hope to read more though, but it may take a while. You know what, one of my many ideas for blog posts (which hasn’t yet materialised) is to highlight some of the Scandinavian authors I grew up with such as H.C. Andersen and Astrid Lindgren. Perhaps, I might inspire you? Although, I am sure most people outside Scandinavia haven’t read any books from that region, so you are certainly not alone!
Yes! We’ve read the perfect number! π And yes, I would genuinely love that series of blog posts on Scandinavian authors. I’m very much aware that my reading is britcentric. (Think I just made up that word!) I’m quite happy with this but there’s so much more out there and it can be difficult to know where to start beyond Scandi noir π
I am glad to hear that. There are no guarantees, when it comes to me and blog post ideas, but I really would like to write about some of the literature from “back home” (being an expat, I call UK as well as Denmark “home”, so when I am traveling back and forth, I’m always going home π ).
I have only read 5 of the books on this list. @FictionFan that is impressive to have read 46. There are so many of you that have read a fifth of this list. I think that is impressive! I really enjoyed Jane Eyre and 1984. There are several of these that are on my TBR but I wonβt be trying to read them all. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Yes, I agree, 46 is impressive! But of course it isn’t a competition, the important thing is to find books we love and I don’t know if I can even find 46 from the list, I really would want to read. I enjoyed 1984 as well and actually want to reread it at some point. Jane Eyre was fine, but it didn’t make such as strong impression on me. You are welcome!
Definitely not a competition. I do know there are many people who want to read classics though. I have found the ones I’ve read that I had little hope for were some of the ones I most enjoyed. So I don’t mind giving them a try but I have found my peace with DNFing books. I used to never DNF books but now I will. It means I can try more books and if I don’t like it I’ll just move on. It took me so long to get to this point but Now that I do I don’t mind trying books I wouldn’t normally read.
I wish, I were able to DNF. Don’t know what it is, but I simply can’t do it. Maybe it’s the fear of missing out? Or perhaps I am an optimist, who always think it’s going to get better? It’s an extremely good point about being more experimental, when you know you can just DNF, if it doesn’t work. I really need to learn it! π
I used to be the same way and still struggle with it sometimes but I will definitely DNF a book these days as long as its not a buddy read or I need to read it for review purposes. Otherwise, I donβt mind putting it aside. Sometimes I will not be interested in a book but later it I will think why didnβt I finish that. I can always come back to it. There are time when a book doesnβt fit with our mood, life, etc. I just try to remember that I can always come back to it later. I have before and really enjoy the book. Time can be everything.
Yes, I agree with putting a book aside. I am a big mood reader, so it regularly happens that I pick up a book, which doesn’t fit. In that case, I can put it aside. However, I always get back and finish it at some point, even if it may take a while. But I guess it’s the first step towards learning to DNF. π
I just donβt hold myself to finishing it if I do set it aside anymore. I still occasionally feel the need to finish a book but I remind myself that it is not something I have to do and that I would rather read something I enjoy rather than push through with something I dislike. I find that since I stopped forcing myself to get through book that I hate picking up that I am no longer having reading slumps like I used to.
I like that – makes a lot of sense!
Oh wow, I expected that I’d read more considering I had British Lit at uni, but I guess not! Guess I got some catching up to do then π
Agree with you on Mrs. Dalloway, I really enjoyed it as well. And I have been planning to read To The Lighthouse for ages, but just haven’t gotten around to it yet
Ah, good to hear you like Woolf as well, let’s see who gets to To the Lighthouse first. π Oh, you had British Lit at uni – I sometimes envy people who studied literature, I suppose it gives a different background and also a better understanding of some of the classics. Anyway, I was more into math and computer science at uni, my studies couldn’t have been further from literature if they tried! π
Hahah, deal, the race is on! π Oh it’s definitely fun to study literature, especially since you get to read so many books you otherwise wouldn’t. But it did get a bit overwhelming when we had a new book to read every second week!
True, seems like our studies were very different π I gotta say though, I do love maths
Oh yes, you are right of course. In the worst case, you may end up disliking books, because you are being forced to read so many of them. When I went to uni, I didn’t read any books for fun. I had enough reading for my studies. Nice that you love math as well. Some people think, if you are interested in math and the technical sciences, you can’t be into literature as well (and vice versa) but that of course isn’t true.
I read 27 ( I grew up in France and have been living in the US for 20 years). In the top 10 would definitely be at least one book by Daphne, I can’t believe she’s not there at all!! So hard to pick my favorite, there are so many genres. Wolf Hall / Never Let Me Go/ The Woman in White are among those I really loved a lot
That is great! One of the other commenters said, Daphne may be less known outside of the UK compared to some of the others? Ah yes, Never Let Me Go is one of my favourites as well and I really want to read The Woman in White. Don’t have the urge to attempt Wolf Hall, though. π
Just looked and a lot of them I haven’t heard of! I have tried to read some Dickens but I just don’t get on with his writing…
Well, that makes two of us! I didn’t even want to count how many I hadn’t heard of. π Yes, I can see why some people don’t get on with his writing. There are elements, I don’t get on with as well, but on balance, I’ve enjoyed his books.
Iβm happy to see some of my very favorites here, Great Expectations, Jane Eyre, and Frankenstein. I still several I need to read though. This is a great post, Stargazer. I love these types of roundups!
Good to hear that Great Expectations and Frankenstein are amongst your favourites, I look forward to read both of them! Thanks Jennifer, I love to write these roundups as well (and make lists of books I may – or may not – read in the future). π
Anyone reason why Middlemarch got scratched off your TBR so easily? Maybe a subject matter that doesn’t interest you? I’ve always wondered if I’ll someday look into some kind of “100 must-read books” just so I can clear my conscious a bit but, for now, I’ll work through my ever-growing physical TBR first hahaha Great post! π
Haha, well I guess it’s the combination of the 900+ pages and the rather mediocre reviews I’ve seen. Even if I like character driven stories, I just can’t see myself getting into Middlemarch. I never feel obliged to read certain books, but I like to use lists like this to discover books, I wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. Thanks! π
I astonished myself – I’ve read 50 of those books. There are some I wouldn’t care to read at all (Tristram Shandy for one). In the top 10 the only one I;d disagree with is Frankenstein which I loathed π
Wow, you’ve actually read half of them – that is so impressive! I guess you may not even be able to find anymore you’d want to read from the list? Sorry to hear about Frankenstein, since that is one, I definitely mean to read.
I’d quite like to read more classics , I’ve read like Jane Eyre but things like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde I just cant get my head around.
Classics are obviously very different books and not a genre as such. So I guess you should look for the classics which fit your general reading taste. Perhaps, if you enjoyed Jane Eyre, Rebecca might be a good fit? It also has the dark gothic elements and a romance at its core.
Thanks might try and read that.
Good luck with your British literature exploration! I read about 40 from the list. I am not originally from the UK either and read my first Dickens in Russian while living in Russia. Hardy and Dickens are probably my favourites. I think Hardy is very exquisite, and really my favourite author and surely represents the best of the British. I am not surprised by the exclusion of Christie and Doyle – being crime mysteries, “that’s not really literature”, as some would say. I don’t quite agree, and Du Maurier may have faced the same “prejudice” whoever compiled this list; and that considering Conrad, who wrote in his THIRD language and being Polish too did make the list. At least no attempts were made to put Henry James there who did become a British subject. A lot of people recommended to me Anthony Powell (no 36) and I already have huge expectations.
It’s quite impressive, that you have read 40 books from the list, especially seeing that you didn’t grow up in the UK. I have yet to read my first Hardy, but I am glad to hear that you consider him your favourite British author. I really look forward to trying his books.
You are of course right regarding crime mysteries and other genre fiction. It’s not considered to be “real literature” and is rarely considered for lists like this or literary book prizes (although Piranesi, which with a stretch could be classified as fantasy, just won the Women’s Prize). It’s true what NS Ford points out, there is a gap between what critics consider the best books and what the public actually reads.
I am not familiar with Anthony Powell at all, but I will definitely check out your review if you decide to go ahead and read it.