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Paradise Lost
First published in 1667, and revised in 1674, John Milton's epic poem in blank verse is regarded as a masterpiece of English literature. Exploring such themes as the nature of religion, free will and the role of the English monarchy, it tells the story of Adam and Eve's eating of the forbidden fruit and their subsequent banishment from the Garden of Eden. -
Robinson Crusoe
This well-known novel by English author Daniel Defoe is considered one of the founding pillars of the adventure novel genre. More broadly, it helped popularise the novel form in Europe and exemplifies the influence of British colonialism on the literary scene. It inspired many similar works, such as Swift's "Gulliver's Travels," and it themes have had a profound effect on European literature to this day. -
Goethe's Faust
Published in two parts in 1808 and 1839 respectively, this hallmark of Romantic literature, written by the German literary giant Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, has been hailed for its accurate depiction of the religious, societal and philosophical issues of the time through the classical German folk character Faust. -
Mémoires d'Outre-Tombe
Published in twelve volumes between 1849 and 1850, this autobiographical work by the celebrated French romanticist François-René de Chateaubriand tells the tale of his life including his experiences during the French revolution, his subsequent American exile and his position as French ambassador to Rome under Napoleon. It had great influence on young Romantic writers such as Victor Hugo. -
Michael Robartes and the Dancer
This collection of poems by the Irishman William Butler Yeats, which contains the famous work "The Second Coming," is a staple of Modernist literature. Its themes of loss, confusion and the search for alternate ways of appraising reality exemplify the main tennets of the movement, which originated in the wake of the Great War of 1914-1918. -
We
Authored by Russian naval engineer Yevgeny Zamyatin, this dystopian novel is often interpreted as a response to the Bolshevik revolution of 1917 and the evils of an all-controlling state. It has been suggested that it was the inspiration for Orwell's more famous novel 1984, and it is held as the foundational work of dystopian fiction in the twentieth century.
