Memorable quotes from classic reads

If you are looking for some great classic reads, and in particular, take in some very powerful words, then get your hands on these classical literature novels curated by the Talekey review team.

A Room With A View

Author: E.M. Forster

Year: 1908

“We cast a shadow on something wherever we stand, and it is no good moving from place to place to save things; because the shadow always follows. Choose a place where you won’t do harm - yes, choose a place where you won’t do very much harm, and stand in it for all you are worth, facing the sunshine.”

Kafka On The Shore

Author: Haruki Murakami

Year: 2002

"Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart."

Ulysses

Author: James Joyce

Year: 1922

"History, Stephen said, is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake."

The Mysterious Island

Author: Jules Verne

Year: 1874

"It is a great misfortune to be alone, my friends; and it must be believed that solitude can quickly destroy reason."

London Fields

Author: Martin Amis

Year: 1989

"And meanwhile time goes about its immemorial work of making everyone look and feel like shit."

For more great classical literature reads and eBooks, check out Talekey.

Memorable quotes from classic novels

If you have read a lot of the classics then you may know some of these lines. Read on and enjoy!

The Price Of Salt

Author: Patricia Highsmith

Year: 1952

“Perhaps it was freedom itself that choked her.”

The Good Soldier

Author: Ford Madox Ford

Year: 1915

"Why can't people have what they want? The things were all there to content everybody; yet everybody has the wrong thing."

Middlemarch

Author: George Eliot

Year: 1874

“We mortals, men and women, devour many a disappointment between breakfast and dinner-time; keep back the tears and look a little pale about the lips, and in answer to inquiries say, “Oh, nothing!” Pride helps; and pride is not a bad thing when it only urges us to hide our hurts— not to hurt others.”

Beloved

Author: Toni Morrison

Year: 1987

“You are your best thing”

Breakfast At Tiffany's

Author: Truman Capote

Year: 1958

“Anyone who ever gave you confidence, you owe them a lot.”

The Sound And The Fury

Author: William Faulkner

Year: 1929

“Clocks slay time… time is dead as long as it is being clicked off by little wheels; only when the clock stops does time come to life.”

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Is Instagram Bringing Back the Classic Novel?

A mere generation ago, reading a classic novel was a rite of passage. Far more than mere required reading at school, summertimes often led to long days of lounging in the shade with nothing more than a book and our imaginations. Fast forward 30-40 years and we can’t help but notice that the current generation of teenagers doesn’t really read. Not books, at least. While the youth of today do in fact consume copious quantities of the written word, those words, for the most part, emerge from screens in the form of trending tweets and short articles like this one. And even then, for every minute spent reading there’s perhaps five minutes spent on Instagram.

Enter the New York Public Library. Rather than accept the death of novel reading the Library decided to approach readers a new way, and bring books to the medium of readers’ choice. In the summer of 2018, The New York Public Library began sharing complete books through Instagram Stories to wild success and acclaim. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll was the first title brought to live in the inventive Instagram post, followed up by The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman later in the year. Readers could enjoy a seamless literary experience through their smartphones as they sip their lates, and while some purists may bemoan the lack of a physical book, other applaud the audacity and inventiveness.

Looking for some timeless titles? Visit our online library at www.talekey.com for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more, accessible anytime from your favorite devices.

The Five Greatest Novels According to The Guardian

Back in 2013 Robert McCrum of the Guardian embarked on a two year long mission to compile a list of the 100 best novels written in English. Released in 2015, the list certainly revealed some surprising choices, and while we won’t bore you with the full 100, here are his top 5:

1. The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan (1678)

What some considered a surprising pick for top spot, McCrum lists The Pilgrim’s Progress, a story of a man in search of truth, in no small part due to “the simple clarity and beauty of Bunyan’s prose.”

2. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (1719)

For the reasoning behind his #2 choice, McCrum states: “By the end of the 19th century, no book in English literary history had enjoyed more editions, spin-offs and translations.” Robinson Crusoe has undoubtedly enjoyed worldwide success.

3. Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift (1726)

A favorite of many a fan, McCrum notes that since its release, Gulliver’s Travels has never been out of print, on of the reasons it earned the #3 spot on the list.

4. Clarissa by Samuel Richardson (1748)

The story of a tragic heroine pressured to marry a wealthy man she detests by her unscrupulous nouveau-riche family, and one that Samuel Johnson described as “the first book in the world for the knowledge it displays of the human heart.”

5. Tom Jones by Henry Fielding (1749)

Last but not least, as his #5 pick McCrumb chose Tom Jones, a classic English novel that captures the spirit of its age.

Looking to get acquainted with the classics? Visit our online library at www.talekey.com for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more, accessible anytime from your favorite devices.