List Challenges
Movies Books Travel Food Other
Trending
New
Popular
Sign In
 Make a List Browse Lists Search Lists Leaders Help / Contact Newsletter

Jim's Lit. Class Blues: Stuff They Made You Read Whether You Wanted to or Not

Here are 72 books from my high school and undergraduate days(I.e., the dark ages before YA literature and alternative reading lists) that were the constant required reading in English and Lit. Courses. In several instances, I was assigned the same book in high school AND college, which was particularly irritating because they were always rhe books I avoided the first time in secondary school. Some of these books I liked when I first read them, some I developed an appreciation for later on, and some I couldn't stand then and I can't stand now. A couple, notably the ones by Joyce, caused me to redefine "higher education " as that which I received by reading obscure books while firing up the biggest doobie I could get my hands on.
231 users · 1,100 views
 
made by James Loranger
avg. score: 23 of 72 (31%)
required scores: 1, 12, 17, 24, 35 
type to search

How many have you read?

Page 1 of 2
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
1
Mark Twain
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes/The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Conan Doyle)
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes/The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
2
Arthur Conan Doyle
As I Lay Dying (William Faulkner)
As I Lay Dying
3
William Faulkner
As You Like It (Shakespeare -Signet)
As You Like It
4
Shakespeare -Signet
The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas (Gertrude Stein)
The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas
5
Gertrude Stein
Beowulf (Wright -Trans)
Beowulf
6
Wright -Trans
Canterbury Tales (Coghill Trans.)
Canterbury Tales
7
Coghill Trans.
The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
The Catcher in the Rye
8
J.D. Salinger
A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens)
A Christmas Carol
9
Charles Dickens
The Crisis (Thomas Paine)
The Crisis
10
Thomas Paine
The Crucible (Arthur Miller)
The Crucible
11
Arthur Miller
Death in Venice (Thomas Mann)
Death in Venice
12
Thomas Mann
The Diary of a Madman (Nikolai Gogol)
The Diary of a Madman
13
Nikolai Gogol
Dubliners (Joyce)
Dubliners
14
Joyce
The First Circle (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn)
The First Circle
15
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Frankenstein (Mary Shelley)
Frankenstein
16
Mary Shelley
The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
The Great Gatsby
17
Fitzgerald
Grendel (John Gardner)
Grendel
18
John Gardner
Gulliver's Travels (Jonathan Swift)
Gulliver's Travels
19
Jonathan Swift
Hamlet (Shakespeare)
Hamlet
20
Shakespeare
Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad)
Heart of Darkness
21
Joseph Conrad
Henry V (Shakespeare -Signet)
Henry V
22
Shakespeare -Signet
The House of the Seven Gables (Nathaniel Hawthorne)
The House of the Seven Gables
23
Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Iliad (Homer)
The Iliad
24
Homer
Invisible Man (Ralph Ellison)
Invisible Man
25
Ralph Ellison
Johnny Tremain (Esther Forbes)
Johnny Tremain
26
Esther Forbes
Julius Caesar (Shakespeare - Signet)
Julius Caesar
27
Shakespeare - Signet
King Lear (Shakespeare (Signet))
King Lear
28
Shakespeare (Signet)
Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
Lord of the Flies
29
William Golding
MacBeth (Shakespeare)
MacBeth
30
Shakespeare
The Man Who Died (D.H. Lawrence)
The Man Who Died
31
D.H. Lawrence
Man's Fate (André Malraux)
Man's Fate
32
André Malraux
The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare - Signet)
The Merchant of Venice
33
Shakespeare - Signet
A Midsummer Night's Dream (Shakespeare-Signet)
A Midsummer Night's Dream
34
Shakespeare-Signet
Miss Lonelyhearts & the Day of the Locust (Nathanael West)
Miss Lonelyhearts & the Day of the Locust
35
Nathanael West
A Modest Proposal (Jonathan Swift)
A Modest Proposal
36
Jonathan Swift
My Antonia (Willa Cather)
My Antonia
37
Willa Cather
A Night to Remember (Lord)
A Night to Remember
38
Lord
Nostromo (Conrad - Penguin Classics))
Nostromo
39
Conrad - Penguin Classics)
Notes From the Underground (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
Notes From the Underground
40
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Page 1 of 2
Click books you've read
Lists Similar to 'Jim's Lit. Class Blues: Stuff They Made You Read Whether You Wanted to or Not'
Movies Cora Saw in Cinema Class, English or French Class, Health and Art Class
Movies Cora Saw in Cinema Class, English or French Class, Health and Art Class
127
26
Stuff Gopher73's Daughter Wants to Know Whether You Like
Stuff Gopher73's Daughter Wants to Know Whether You Like
46
32
Booklist From Sonicenvy's Library School YA Lit Class
Booklist From Sonicenvy's Library School YA Lit Class
694
90
Books From Oh, No! Lit Class Podcast
Books From Oh, No! Lit Class Podcast
514
100
Books Mr. Boyd Doesn't Care Whether You Read or Not, but He Did
Books Mr. Boyd Doesn't Care Whether You Read or Not, but He Did
242
100
10 Great Thriller Movies Made by World-Class Directors
10 Great Thriller Movies Made by World-Class Directors
146
10
10 Great Horror Movies Made by World-Class Directors
10 Great Horror Movies Made by World-Class Directors
146
10
Films and Specials Made Before Jim Henson Died
Films and Specials Made Before Jim Henson Died
106
28
Lit Loving Librarian's One Read and One to Read
Lit Loving Librarian's One Read and One to Read
1,279
456
Brit Lit - MH's Favorites in Brit Lit
Brit Lit - MH's Favorites in Brit Lit
509
130
Classic Novels Rewritten as Dude Lit + Popular Dude Lit Books
Classic Novels Rewritten as Dude Lit + Popular Dude Lit Books
453
40
Sequels to Jim Carrey Movies Without Jim Carrey
Sequels to Jim Carrey Movies Without Jim Carrey
175
10
The Other Stuff MCU Directors Have Made
The Other Stuff MCU Directors Have Made
87
107
21 Books You've Wanted to Read but Been Lazy to Get Around
21 Books You've Wanted to Read but Been Lazy to Get Around
497
21
Books You Would Have Read If You Were in Mr. Blanck's Class
Books You Would Have Read If You Were in Mr. Blanck's Class
13,196
56
Books That All Class of 2017 Graduates Should Have Read Before Leaving High School
Books That All Class of 2017 Graduates Should Have Read Before Leaving High School
573
18
Books You Would Have Read If You Were in Mr. L' S Class
Books You Would Have Read If You Were in Mr. L' S Class
178
43
Those Disturbing Short Stories You Read in English Class
Those Disturbing Short Stories You Read in English Class
135
10
Jim Mustich's 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die
Jim Mustich's 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die
13,946
1000
Classics This Lit Major Has Read (So Far)
Classics This Lit Major Has Read (So Far)
3,004
127
Have You Read as Much as This English Lit Major?
Have You Read as Much as This English Lit Major?
2,176
101
Hipster Lit: If You Haven't Read 'em, Pretend You Have
Hipster Lit: If You Haven't Read 'em, Pretend You Have
2,000
26
Classic Lit Reading Challenge - 90 Classic Books to Read
Classic Lit Reading Challenge - 90 Classic Books to Read
2,596
90
Books Every Lit Nerd Should Read
Books Every Lit Nerd Should Read
811
40
Lit Loving Librarian's Books Read
Lit Loving Librarian's Books Read
606
1055
Lit Loving Librarians Books Read by Goodreads Friends Vol 1
Lit Loving Librarians Books Read by Goodreads Friends Vol 1
540
300
A Film That Divides Opinion Whether You Like It or Not
A Film That Divides Opinion Whether You Like It or Not
474
40
Jim's 100 by 100: Must Read Fiction Past and Present
Jim's 100 by 100: Must Read Fiction Past and Present
480
100
A List of Literature I'd Like to Read- Mostly Classics, Gothic Lit, and Horror
A List of Literature I'd Like to Read- Mostly Classics, Gothic Lit, and Horror
541
138
Engrossing Chick Lit to Read on the Beach
Engrossing Chick Lit to Read on the Beach
381
80
All Similar Lists
Newsletter · Help/Contact · Privacy · Copyright Claim   © 2025 App Spring, Inc. · This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.
Seen It - Movies & TV 
Android & iOS
Seen It is a new app from the creators of List Challenges. You can view movies and shows in one place and filter by streaming provider, genre, release year, runtime, and rating (Rotten Tomatoes, Imdb, and/or Metacritic). Also, you can track what you've seen, want to see, like, or dislike, as well as track individual seasons or episodes of shows. In addition, you can see the most watched/liked stuff amongst your friends. Learn more at SEENIT.FUN