4 Classic Novels That Easily Make You Feel Smart

If you are a beginner, here is your guide to classic novels.

A “classic” is a book everybody wants to have read but nobody wants to read. – Mark Twain

1. The Picture Of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde

“Experience is merely the name men gave to their mistakes.”

Dorian Gray is a handsome yet innocent young man whose life turns dark when he discovers a portrait that allows him to preserve youth and beauty. As the picture of Dorian Grey bears the brunt of his wrongdoings and grows wrinkly, Dorian turns from an innocent young boy to an evil and ugly creature whose true identity hides behind his eternal youth.

Perfect for beginners, The Picture Of Dorian Grey uses comprehensible language yet provides a beautiful commentary on the corruptive nature of beauty itself. The Picture Of Dorian Grey paints a clear portrait of society, vanity, selfishness, manipulation and (accidentally) misogyny. Read if you like morally grey characters, philosophical tangents, and existential crises.

2. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Translated from German, The Metamorphosis is a novella by author Franz Kafka.

A true classic in all its glory, The Metamorphosis has a plethora of interpretations. Franz Kafka composes a masterpiece that, in just 70 pages, leaves behind a lot to unpack.

Almost all of Kafka’s work is so thought-provoking that the type of conflicts he presents can best be described only as “Kafkaesque”.

In The Metamorphosis, protagonist Gregor Samsa wakes up as a giant beetle-like bug. What follows is absurdist humour, a morbidly comic situation, and a multifaceted ending that one cannot stop thinking about.

Unlike most other classics, The Metamorphosis is easy to read and has a simple writing style. While the other books on this list are known for their lyrical prose, iconic quotes and sophisticated writing styles, The Metamorphosis is an existential crisis wrapped in paper.

You can choose to skip this part. But if you don’t, here is my interpretation of the book:

When Gregor realizes his predicament, his first instinct isn’t to panic or delve into disbelief but rather to go to work and continue to play his role as the only breadwinner of his family.

Gregor’s responsibilities and identity as a working man form one of the central conflicts. The eventual betrayal by his family provides the cherry on top to finally seal his fate as a tragic metaphor for the common man (or woman in today’s world) falling victim to a system created by capitalist society.

Apart from this, the title “The Metamorphosis” suggests not just the apparent transformation of Gregor into a “monstrous vermin” but also the transformation of his sister Greta from a girl to a woman capable of taking responsibility. But I doubt whether Kafka intended this to be a feminist statement. The Metamorphosis also indicates transformations in the rest of the family, each revealing their selfishness, helplessness and dissatisfaction with life while also finally working for themselves.

I do not know much about Franz Kafka. But to conclude, I think at the end of the day, Kafka’s novella is a culmination of his “daddy issues” and his troubles as a young man mixed with mysterious creative choices like not revealing what bug Gregor had turned into.