"Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new after all."
-Abraham Lincoln

Here is the continuation of my list of top 10 Classics:

1. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
2. Little Women, by Louisa M. Alcott
3. My Antonia, by Willa Cather
4. The Odyssey, by Homer
5. The Death of Ivan Ilych, by Leo Tolstoy
6. The Divine Comedy, by Dante
7. Any work of Shakespeare’s, especially Julius Caesar and Hamlet
8. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, as translated by J.R.R. Tolkien
9. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
10. The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis

6) I think this book is an important read, especially for Catholics. The Divine Comedy is known as a monumental piece of Catholic Literature. Technically The Divine Comedy is a poem, which I think makes it even more enjoyable to read. Dante has some really interesting and enlightening takes on Hell, Purgatory and Heaven.

7) Shakespeare is one of my favorite authors of all time. I love his sonnets and plays. For this list of Classics though I think the ideal 2 plays are Hamlet and Julius Caesar. I thought Julius Caesar was a really interesting account of an important historical event. Before I read it I had assumed that all of the History plays were boring, but I actually ended up really liking Julius Caesar. I think getting to see into the characters minds and thought processes, like you get to do when you read/see a play, makes history more interesting. I actually don’t have really concrete reasons for why I like Hamlet so much.

8) I love stories of King Arthur and his knights, so naturally I was really excited to read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. But it proved to be more than just an enjoyable read about knights in shining armor and damsels in distress. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight contained lessons in charity, chastity, loyalty and, of course, chivalry. After reading this book I went online and looked up the Code of Chivalry. What I found was really interesting and I think applies, in some ways, to us today as the Church militant. A lot of it especially applies to guys and I would really encourage you to take a look at it, It is, if nothing else, interesting.
Here’s a link to site that lists the Code of chivalry:
http://www.astro.umd.edu/~marshall/chivalry.html

9) Ok so I cheated by 2 years with this one, To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960. Regardless, it is an amazing and important read. Atticus, Scout and Boo Radley are timeless characters who everyone should recognize. To Kill a Mockingbird is written in first person, narrated by Scout, a young girl growing up in Maycomb, Alabama with her brother, Jem, and Father, Atticus, a lawyer. Atticus has been used as a moral example for lawyers through the years.

10) The Chronicles of Narnia are relatively new to be considered classics, but they did make the 50 year minimum and they are too fabulous to not be included in this list. C.S. Lewis is an incredible writer! The Chronicles of Narnia is just one example of his excellent writing; others include The Four Loves, Mere Christianity and Surprised by Joy (just to name a few). Lewis beautifully interwove Christian analogies into The Chronicles of Narnia which make it an even better read. I’ll admit I have yet to finish the series but it’s definitely at the top of my list.