Over 100 Classic Novels Summarised in the Style of an Alphabetic Poem

Hands up: there are lots of classic novels I haven’t read. The advent of chatGPT has made it possible to summarise these classics very easily, which is at least a starting point for getting familiar with their outlines and themes.

But what about doing this in a more interesting and creative way - such as a poem where each line starts with the next letter of the Alphabet?

Let’s see! (Click the title to read the poem).

• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

• The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

• The Color Purple by Alice Walker

• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

• The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

• Dracula by Bram Stoker

• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

• Bleak House by Charles Dickens

• David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

• Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

• Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens

• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

• Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

• The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri

• The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

• A Passage to India by E.M. Forster

• A Room with a View by E.M. Forster

• Howards End by E.M. Forster

• The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

• North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

• Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

• All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

• A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

• For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

• The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

• The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

• Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

• Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald

• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

• The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford

• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

• The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

• The Trial by Franz Kafka

• The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

• Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

• The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

• Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

• The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

• Daniel Deronda by George Eliot

• Middlemarch by George Eliot

• Silas Marner by George Eliot

• The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot

• 1984 by George Orwell

• Animal Farm by George Orwell

• Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

• The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

• The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James

• Moby Dick by Herman Melville

• The Iliad by Homer

• The Odyssey by Homer

• Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev

• The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

• The Call of the Wild by Jack London

• White Fang by Jack London

• A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

• Dubliners by James Joyce

• Ulysses by James Joyce

• Emma by Jane Austen

• Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

• Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

• Persuasion by Jane Austen

• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

• Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

• The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

• East of Eden by John Steinbeck

• Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

• Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

• Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

• The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

• The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

• Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

• The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy

• War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

• Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

• The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

• The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu

• The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

• The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

• The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

• The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

• Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

• The Red and the Black by Stendhal

• The Once and Future King by T.H. White

• Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

• Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy

• Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

• The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy

• The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy

• Death in Venice by Thomas Mann

• The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon

• Beloved by Toni Morrison

• Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

• The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo

• Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

• To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

• Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham

• The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

• The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

• As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

• The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

• Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Let me know if you’d like more added to the list.

An Alphabetic Plot Poem for 1984

"1984" is a dystopian novel that explores themes such as government oppression, propaganda, and individual freedom. It provides a thought-provoking commentary on the dangers of totalitarianism and the power of language to control people's thoughts and actions. Reading "1984" can be a thrilling and eye-opening experience, as it encourages readers to question their own beliefs about government, society, and human nature. Additionally, the novel's vivid and evocative writing style has made it a literary classic that is still relevant today.

A world of oppression, under Big Brother's reign

Beneath the surface, resistance begins to gain

Controlled by fear, the Party's power in full swing

Dissenters vanish, free thought, a forbidden thing

Eyes everywhere, telescreens, a constant gaze

Fighting for freedom, in a world of haze

Greed for power, the Party's ultimate goal

History erased, the truth, a black hole

Innocence lost, a love story in despair

Joy turned to pain, Winston's fate unfair

Knowledge forbidden, newspeak, a tool of the state

Loyalty demanded, betrayal sealed their fate

Ministry of Love, a place of torture and dread

Newspeak's purpose, to alter what's said

Oppression in full force, the Thought Police at hand

Propaganda and lies, controlling the land

Quest for freedom, in a world of deception

Reality blurred, in a twisted perception

Struggle for truth, in a land of lies

Tyranny reigning, as freedom dies

Unforgettable, a warning of a dystopian fate

Vigilance needed, before it's too late

Winston's fate, a reminder to all

Xenophobic regimes, on the rise and standing tall

Yearning for change, a hope that won't die

Zeal for freedom, a flame that will not lie

And so the story of "1984"

Becomes a part of history, forevermore.

An Alphabetic Plot Poem for The Great Gatsby

There are several reasons why a reader might want to read "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald:

• Critique of the American Dream: "The Great Gatsby" is often viewed as a critique of the American Dream, which is the idea that anyone can achieve success and prosperity through hard work and determination. The novel explores the dark side of this ideal, as the characters' pursuit of wealth and status ultimately leads to tragedy.

• Exploration of Love and Relationships: The novel explores the complex dynamics of love and relationships, particularly in the context of the Jazz Age. The main character, Jay Gatsby, is driven by his love for the wealthy socialite Daisy Buchanan, and their tumultuous relationship is at the heart of the story.

• Vivid Descriptions of the Jazz Age: Fitzgerald's writing is known for its vivid descriptions of the Jazz Age, a time of cultural and social change in America. From the lavish parties to the fashionable clothing to the music and art of the era, the novel immerses readers in the sights, sounds, and textures of this fascinating time period.

• Memorable Characters: "The Great Gatsby" features several memorable characters, including the enigmatic Jay Gatsby, the disillusioned narrator Nick Carraway, and the manipulative socialite Daisy Buchanan. These characters are complex and multifaceted, offering readers a nuanced portrayal of human nature.

Overall, "The Great Gatsby" is a classic novel that offers readers a critique of the American Dream, a exploration of love and relationships, vivid descriptions of the Jazz Age, and memorable characters. It is a must-read for anyone interested in American literature, history, or culture.

A man of mystery, Jay Gatsby by name

Born poor, but now chasing wealth and fame

Careless partygoers, Daisy's beauty, Tom's pride

Distant green light, symbol of Gatsby's ride

Eccentric, flamboyant, living for the thrill

Foolish dreams, impossible to fulfill

Gatsby's love, a romantic quest

Hopeless ending, Daisy's heart at rest

Intriguing characters, a Jazz Age flair

Juxtaposed with longing, love and despair

Kings and queens, in Gatsby's mansion grand

Lies and secrets, beneath the glamourous brand

Money and power, a world of excess

New York's elite, ignoring the mess

Obsessed with love, Gatsby's heart ablaze

Passionate, yet empty, in a loveless craze

Quest for the American Dream, at its height

Reckless abandon, Gatsby's fight

Symbols and metaphors, Fitzgerald's tale

Tragic ending, love's betrayal

Unforgettable prose, a masterpiece of art

Vanishing dreams, breaking the heart

Wistful and haunting, Gatsby's fate

Xanadu, shattered by love's cruel bait

Yearning for a past, that can never be

Zeal for love, a hopeless plea

And so the story of "The Great Gatsby"

Becomes a part of history, forever classy.