Classical English literature is truly admirable. It is based on the works of a whole galaxy of outstanding masters. No country in the world has given birth to as many outstanding word masters as Britain. There are many English classics, the list can be continued for a long time: William Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy, Charlotte Bronte, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, William Thackeray, Daphne Dumorier, George Orwell, John Tolkien. Are you familiar with their works?
Already in the XVI century, the British William Shakespeare earned the glory of the best playwright in the world. It is curious that until now the plays of the “javelin-shaking” Englishman (his last name is literally translated) are staged in theaters more often than works by other authors. His tragedies Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth are universal values. Getting acquainted with his creative legacy, we recommend MANDATORY to read the philosophical tragedy “Hamlet” - about the meaning of life and moral principles. For four hundred years she has been leading the repertoires of the most famous theaters. It is believed that the English classic writers began with Shakespeare.
Jane Austen became famous thanks to the classic love story “Pride and Prejudice”, which introduces us to the daughter of the impoverished nobleman Elizabeth, who has a rich inner world, pride and an ironic look at the environment. She finds her happiness in love for the aristocrat Darcy. Paradoxically, this book with a fairly straightforward storyline and a happy ending is one of the most beloved in Britain. She is traditionally ahead of the popularity of the work of many serious novelists. At least that's why it is worth reading. Like this writer, many English classics came to literature at the very beginning of the 18th century.
Thomas Hardy glorified himself with his works, as a deep and genuine expert on the life of ordinary British people in the 18th century. His characters are invariably soulful and convincing. The novel "Tess from the clan d'Herberville" shows the tragic fate of a simple decent woman. She commits the murder of a rogue nobleman breaking her life in order to free herself from his persecution and find happiness. By the example of Thomas Hardy, the reader can see that the English classics had a deep mind and a systematic look at the society around them, clearly saw the flaws of others, and, having ill-wishers, nevertheless courageously presented their creations to evaluate the whole society.
Charlotte Bronte showed in her largely autobiographical novel "Jane Air" the emerging new morality - the principles of an educated, active, decent person who wants to serve society. The writer creates a surprisingly holistic, deep image of governess Jen Eyre, walking towards her love for Mr. Rochester, even at the cost of sacrificial service. Bronte, inspired by her example, was followed by other English classics, not from the nobility, urging society to social justice, to stop all discrimination of man.
Charles Dickens possessed, according to the Russian classic F.M. Dostoevsky, who considered himself his pupil, "the instinct of universal humanity." The writer’s huge talent created the seemingly impossible: he became famous even in his early youth thanks to his very first novel, Posthumous Notes of the Pickwick Club, followed by the following - Oliver Twist, David Copperfield and others, which won the writer unprecedented fame who put him on a par with Shakespeare.
William Thackeray is an innovative novelist. None of the classics before him turned the bright, textured depicted negative characters into the central images of his work. Moreover, as in life, often their characters were inherent in something individually positive. His outstanding work - “Vanity Fair” - is written in a unique spirit of intellectual pessimism, implicated in subtle humor.
In 1938,
Daphne Dumurier created the impossible with her Rebecca: she wrote a novel at a key moment, when it seemed that English literature was exhausted, that everything that was possible was already written, that the English classics “ended”. Having not received worthy works for a long time, the English reading audience was interested, delighted with the unique, unpredictable plot of her novel. The opening phrase of this book has become a catch. Be sure to read this book by one of the world's best masters of creating psychological images!
George Orwell will amaze you with the ruthless truth. He wrote his famous novel "1984" as a powerful universal human convictive weapon against all dictatorships: present and future. His creative method is borrowed from another great Englishman - Swift.
The novel "1984" is a parody of a dictatorship society that has finally crushed universal values. He exposed and called to account for anti-humanity an ugly model of socialism, which in fact became the dictatorship of leaders. A man who is extremely sincere and uncompromising, he suffered poverty and hardship, having passed away early - at the age of 46.
But is it possible not to love The Lord of the Rings by Professor John Tolkien? This real miraculous and surprisingly harmonious temple of the epic of England? The work carries its readers deep humanistic and Christian values. It is no accident that Frodo destroys the ring on March 25, the day of the Ascension. The creative and competent writer showed insight: all his life he was indifferent to politics and parties, he passionately loved the "good old England", was a classic British tradesman.
This list goes on and on. I apologize to dear readers who have the courage to read this article that they were not included in it, due to limited volumes, the most worthy Walter Scott, Ethel Liliane Voynich, Daniel Defoe, Lewis Carroll, James Aldridge, Bernard Shaw and, believe me, many, many others. English classical literature is a huge interesting layer of achievements of human culture and spirit. Do not deny yourself the pleasure of meeting her.