Literature in the 20th century saw the creation of what are often considered to be some of the best books of all time, shifting from the realism of the late belle époque; through the propensity for introspection, experimental techniques and streams of consciousness explored by Modernist writers; to responses to the political tendencies that emerged following the Second World War. Whether reflecting social upheaval or an individual’s psychological state, the work of novelists such as Virginia Woolf, George Orwell and Salman Rushdie continues to provide inspiration, escapism and insights into human nature to readers around the world – aided by technological advances and the rise in globalization that has enabled literary ideas to spread far and wide. While there are of course hundreds of titles that simply should be read, including many from non-Western cultures, here is our pick.
Ambassadors by Henry James (1903)
Tasked with finding his wealthy fiancée’s wayward son, middle-aged American Lambert Strether embarks on a trip to Paris, where he discovers the young man transformed by his travels and gains a new perspective on life. James’ novel was acclaimed for its evocation of the city and use of third-person narrative.
The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford (1915)
As he recalls the breakdown of his marriage and that of his friends, Leonora and Edward Ashburnham – the ‘good solider’ – John Dowell inadvertently reveals his narrow viewpoint and his unreliability as a narrator. The non-chronological structure of his story reflects the author’s desire to create a literary form of Impressionism.
Women in Love by DH Lawrence (1920)
With its broad contrasts of setting and characters DH Lawrence’s tale of the love lives of Ursula and Gudrun Brangwen, and the attraction the sisters’ partners felt towards one another, is one of his most ambitious novels. While rooted in the realism of the 19th century the work is replete with symbolic scenes that reveal the characters’ nature and ends on an ambiguity.
Ulysses by James Joyce (1922)
With a structure that echoes Odysseus and a narrative style that makes extensive use of stream-of-consciousness, parody and allusion, Joyce’s novel follows Leopold Bloom as he goes about an ordinary day in his life in Dublin, and brought the process of thinking itself to the fore.
The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (1925)
While some contemporary reviewers considered The Great Gatsby to be unrealistic, or just another account of modern life, later critics have paid heed to its protagonist’s inability to fully live the American dream, seeing the novel as a reflection of the division between the country’s rich and poor, gendered social pressures, and fears over national identity.
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf (1927)
Having focused on her character’s inner state in Mrs Dalloway, Virginia Woolf used an omniscient narrator to express the thoughts of several characters in To the Lighthouse, using them – rather than actions – to explore the tensions and allegiances of the Ramsay family and creating what is often considered to be a key example of multiple focalization.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (1932)
Set in London in 2540, when citizens have been engineered to fulfil specific places in the social hierarchy, Huxley’s novel reflects a distrust of politics and technology, and anxiety about a future driven by science, consumption and the pursuit of pleasure. With vivid imagery and figurative language, it raises questions about conformity and choice that continue to resonate.
Absalom! Absalom! by William Faulkner (1936)
Ostensibly Faulkner’s novel tells the story of Thomas Sutpen, who moved from western Virginia to Mississippi to seek wealth and a better future for himself but the events are recalled by various narrators, each adding their own details and revealing as much about their own mindset as their subject’s.
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1939)
The Joad family, poor tenant farmers who were forced to leave Oklahoma during the Great Depression, face exploitation, prejudice and an on-going struggle to survive when they reach California. Realist in style, Steinbeck’s work was condemned by some as communist propaganda but received numerous awards and is now recognized as one of the great American novels.
For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway (1940)
An American general tasked with helping anti-fascist guerillas to destroy a bridge behind enemy lines during the Spanish Civil War finds his sense of duty clashes with the leader’s unwillingness to endanger the group. Written with a direct, journalistic style that was revolutionary at the time, the novel explores the brutality of war but also the loss of idealism.
Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1943)
After crashing his plane in the Sahara, this story’s narrator is surprised to be greeted by a prince who lives on a small asteroid but has been exploring other planets. His recollections of his encounters with one absurd character after another blend fantastical elements associated with children’s books with a critique of society, often confounding contemporary reviewers.
1984 by George Orwell (1949)
Revisiting the Russian political system that he allegorized in Animal Farm, George Orwell set 1984 in an authoritarian state locked into a perpetual war. Concepts such as Big Brother, Room 101 and the Thought Police have since become synonymous with oppressive regimes with the author’s name itself being used adjectivally for all that is dystopian.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1954)
Written when two superpowers were vying for dominance, Golding’s draft version of his debut novel opened with a group of boys being evacuated from a nuclear war. An allegory of the fragility of human society and morality, its narrative traces the boys’ decent into savagery and is rich with symbolism.
Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov (1962)
An important example of metafiction, Nabokov’s novel is presented as a 999-line poem and commentary by a fictional poet, John Shade, and his academic colleague Charles Kinbote. These two elements together create the storyline, but the scope and reliability of the narration continues to be the source of critical debate.
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Márquez (1967)
This sweeping narrative spans seven generations of the Buendiá family, who established the town of Macondo in a remote part of the Columbian jungle in the early 1800s. The unusual events that occur there, and the fates of the characters, are told through the novel’s wealth of symbolism and pioneering use of magical realism.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K Dick (1968)
In post-apocalyptic San Franciso a bounty hunter, Rick Deckard, is tasked with shutting down six androids, built of organic materials and identical to humans in appearance. Used as the basis for the film Blade Runner, the novel raises ethical questions about empathy, intelligence and what it means to be human.
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (1969)
American soldier Billy Pilgrim survives capture by the German army and the bombing of Dresden, as well as encounters with alien beings. Through the simple sentences of an unreliable narrator, the novel reveals how these events impacted Billy’s understanding of fate and free will, concluding with the sense of meaninglessness that became central to much postmodern thinking.
Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie (1981)
Saleem Sinai is born at the exact moment when India gained independence and, like other children born in the hour that followed, has a special power – in his case, telepathy. Rushdie’s allegory of India’s transition makes great use of magical realism to bring together characters from a multitude of cultures and regions with the story of Saleem’s family and experience.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (1985)
After a totalitarian regime overthrows the American government a strictly patriarchal dictatorship backed by the military is put into place. Writing in response to attitudes expressed by some among the religious right, and including only those events that have happened somewhere in the world, Atwood’s work exemplifies speculative fiction.
Beloved by Toni Morrison (1987)
Based on a true story, Beloved centres around the family of a former slave, Sethe, who killed her infant daughter rather than hand her over to US marshals. Through a process of ‘rememory’ Sethe engages with the past, reliving the horror and in the process conveying the personal psychological legacy of the trauma inflicted by slavery.
