THE CLASSICS!
By Jennifer Park
There’s a reason these evergreen books stay popular past the era they were written in and continue to fascinate readers today. A broad variety of famous books fall under the category of classics, from books on deep romances to horror to teenage venting. See if any of these well-known titles spark any interest to you, then quickly stop by the nearest library or bookstore near you to satisfy your literary craving.
“The Catcher in the Rye” - J.D. Salinger
If you’ve been feeling sick of prim and proper books written in older forms of English, “The Catcher in the Rye” will not be a disappointment. Holden Caulfield has just received notice that he is being expelled from the Pencey preparatory school after he has failed already out of three other schools. At sixteen years old, Caulfield narrates his story using a colloquial writing style familiar to many teenagers. At his stage between adolescence and adulthood, he struggles with complex ideas of his self-identity, belonging, and sexuality.
“Salinger’s simplistic writing style made it easy to understand,” said Northwood junior Kevin Lee. “But past the easy words and casual tone, Holden constantly questions the deeper meaning behind many traditional aspects of life, fondness between people, which reveals a hidden depth within the novel.”
“Lord of the Flies” - William Golding
This book is also concerned with a young boy - actually, lots of them. However, the world they temporarily adapt to have completely different standards than ones you may be accustomed to because by a twist of fate, they have been shipwrecked on a coral island and make up their own rules to survive. Initially, the young boys view this situation as an extension of their freedom away from parents, school, other restrictive elements of a rigid and routinely society. Without any guiding limits or rules to stop them, they return to the basic rules of primitive and degenerate human nature, and participate in activities and rituals that categorize them as savages.
“What was unique about this book was that it actually showed me what could go wrong if every young teenager was allowed to reign free without any restrictions. It made me appreciate school a little more.” said Jared Johannessen, an Irvine High student.
“Frankenstein” - Mary Shelley
Okay, okay. So you already have a basic gist of this book. Who doesn’t already know about the horrifying tale of the monster Frankenstein created from dead people by a mad scientist, right? Wrong. Frankenstein is the name of the scientist,actually, Victor Frankenstein. The monster is referred to throughout the book as “the monster” and “the creation,” and has no exact name. What else? “Frankenstein” isn’t just a horror story. Beyond the surface layer of a monster made of stolen human skins and muscles coming to life, is the tragic heart-wrenching tale of how this creation felt heartbroken that he was unanimously shunned by society for his fearsome physical appearance. He yearned for affection or even love by a partner that would be able to relate to him, but received neither. Thus, began the monster’s evil rampages and vengeful murders to his master’s loved ones. Whether you read a simplified version of “Frankenstein” or the original story, it’ll surely grab your attention - and your heart.
“I originally thought this read was going to be a frightening thriller, a sort-of Stephen King in Shelley’s time,” said Elizabeth Jung, a student at Sunny Hills. “Instead, I found myself grieving for the poor monster in this unrequited love sort-of story. It was unexpected.”
