A noble (hidalgo) from La Mancha named Alonso Quixano, who reads so many chivalric romances that he loses his mind and decides to become a knight-errant.
By Miguel de Cervantes, Published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615
The obsessive quest of a sea captain following a white whale.
By Herman Melville, 1851
The poetic story of the ancient War of Troy.
By Homer, 8th century BC
The mental anguish and moral dilemmas of Rodion Raskolnikov, an impoverished ex-student in Saint Petersburg who formulates a plan to kill an unscrupulous pawnbroker for her money.
By Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 1866
A girl finds herself in a mysterious land after her house is blown away by a tornado.
By L. Frank Baum, 1900
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Two days in the life of 16-year-old Holden Caulfield after he has been expelled from prep school. Confused and disillusioned, Holden searches for truth and rails against the “phoniness” of the adult world.
By J.D. Salinger, 1951
The character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreciate the difference between superficial goodness and actual goodness.
By Jane Austen, 1813
The story primarily concerns a young and mysterious millionaire and his quixotic passion and obsession with the beautiful former debutante Daisy Buchanan.
By F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925
The Picture of Dorian Gray
A dystopian society keeps citizens ignorant of history and current events and watches everything they do.
By George Orwell, 1949
The story of Pip, an orphan boy adopted by a blacksmith's family, who has good luck and then loses his luck. Through this rise and fall, however, Pip learns how to find happiness.
By Charles Dickens, 1841
The story of Josef K., a man arrested and prosecuted by a remote, inaccessible authority, with the nature of his crime revealed neither to him nor to the reader.
By Franz Kafka, 1925 (posthumously)
Chronicling the experiences of Jake Barnes and several acquaintances on their pilgrimage to Pamplona.
By Ernest Hemingway, 1926
After 19 years as a prisoner, Jean Valjean is freed by Javert, the officer in charge of the prison workforce. Valjean promptly breaks parole but later uses money from stolen silver to reinvent himself as a mayor and factory owner. Javert vows to bring Valjean back to prison.
By Victor Hugo, 1862
The Count of Monte Cristo
A group of boys finds themselves on a remote island without adults.
By William Golding, 1954
The Trouble With Paradise
Set in Jonesboro and Atlanta, Georgia during the American Civil War and Reconstruction and follows the life of Scarlett O'Hara, the daughter of an Irish immigrant plantation owner.
By Margaret Mitchell, 1936
Time to Read More Books
We're afraid to say you failed this test. This may mean you just haven't had read many classics. It could also mean you don't read much at all. These books are classics for a reason, and we recommend you pick up at least one of them and see for yourself what all the hoopla is about! Also, have a look at the answers to learn a bit about each book and decide if it sounds interesting to you, and you'd like to read it. We promise you - these books sure return the investment!
You Should Read More Classics
You didn't fail, which means you knew a few of these books. But you still got less than half of the classic books correctly, which means you may have some room in your life for reading some really REALLY terrific books. This doesn't mean you're not a reader or that you don't read modern books, but these are classics for a reason, and we do recommend trying them out. Have a look at the answers to learn more about them.
Great Job!
You did an outstanding job identifying the correct book, which means you not only have knowledge of some of the big classics but a great memory besides! We're super proud to have readers on our website. Continue to read classic literature; there's a reason these books are classics. Convince others to read them as well; everyone should know the classics! You still had a few mistakes, so have a look at the answers to learn more about the ones you missed.
Your Mind is a Library
Wow, you really ACED this test! Your knowledge of literary classics is astounding. In a perfect world, everyone would know them just as well, but that is not the world we are living in. We're super impressed and are excited to have such knowledgeable people on our website! Make sure you tell other people about these classics and get them to read some for themselves; we must all encourage new minds to discover them. Way to go, we bow before your superior knowledge!