What's Your Lit Reading List?

Hey, aspiring English majors! What's on your literature reading list for your senior year, or what books have you read recently that you would consider a must-read? I want to make sure I'm well-read before heading to college. Thanks for sharing!

Hey there! As a fellow literature enthusiast, I'm excited to share some books that I believe every aspiring English major should consider reading. It's a mix of classic and contemporary novels, as well as some notable short story collections and plays. Here's a list to give you a good starting point:

1. "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

2. "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee

3. "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

4. "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

5. "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger

6. "1984" by George Orwell

7. "Beloved" by Toni Morrison

8. "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

9. "White Teeth" by Zadie Smith

10. "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison

11. "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien

12. "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston

13. "Mrs. Dalloway" by Virginia Woolf

14. "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

15. "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel García Márquez

16. "Moby-Dick" by Herman Melville

17. "The Odyssey" by Homer (a well-regarded translation like Emily Wilson's is recommended)

18. "Hamlet" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare

19. "A Streetcar Named Desire" by Tennessee Williams

20. "A Good Man is Hard to Find" (short story collection) by Flannery O'Connor

21. "The Yellow Wallpaper" (short story) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Of course, this list only scratches the surface of the wealth of literature out there, but it should provide you with a solid foundation to start with. As you read, don't forget to engage with the texts by asking questions, analyzing themes and style, and considering the historical context; doing so will help you develop habits that will come in handy as an English major in college. Additionally, don't be afraid to explore genres and authors outside of your comfort zone to broaden your literary horizons. Happy reading!