Have you ever wanted to pick up a classical novel and read it from start to finish without getting confused, bewildered and/or frustrated? Do you ever want to look smart, flicking through the pages of a famous feminist’s 19th-century novella? Maybe you want to learn something new about ancient cultures and outdated customs? Well, you’re in luck!

Here are the best classics for all readers, comprising of twenty-five novels for five different reading levels!

---

---

Novice: “I’ve never even looked at a classic before”

1. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
2. The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
3. The Ultimate Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
4. The Hobbit – J. R. R. Tolkien
5. Animal Farm – George Orwell

---

Beginner: “I remember doing one in school and it was alright” 

1. Wuthering Heights – Emily Brontë
2. Frankenstein – Mary Shelly
3. The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
4. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë
5. The Catcher in the Rye – J. D. Salinger

---

---

Competent: “I’ve read a few before and like the challenge”

1. 1984 – George Orwell
2. Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
3. The Outsiders – S. E. Hinton
4. Moby Dick – Herman Melville
5. Lord of the Flies – William Golding

---

---

Proficient: “I’m a seasoned vetern when it comes to classics” 

1. The Phantom of the Opera – Gaston Leroux
2. The Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
3. A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
4. Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
5. Don Quixote – Miguel de Cervantes

---

Expert: “I hate life and want a book to represent that”

1. Ulysses – James Joyce
2. Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoevsky
3. Les Miserables – Victor Hugo
4. Bleak House – Charles Dickens
5. War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy

---

Here’s the best step-by-step guide on how to read classical novels!

Read more reading lists here!

---