Classics discussion

Here, we will recommend classics to one another. I recommend just about all of the Jane Austen books. Jane Austen writes in a witty way and her characters are so realistic and funny.

I would recommend Jane Eyre as an intense read, that really gets in to the head of its heroine who is surprisingly modern in many ways (a very clear sense of her own identity and that she does not have to take the dismissal of the world of someone poor and plain like herself.)

I agree.

I finished reading Dracula by Bram Stoker recently and it was one of my favorite books of all time. The way it is written through diary entries, letters, and newspaper clippings make it so much more immersive, and the characters are incredibly relatable.

That being said, practically everyone knows that Dracula is a vampire, just as most people already know the twist ending of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This can ruin the book for anyone looking for a genuine horror experience, as practically all the horror comes from not knowing what is actually happening. That doesn't mean it isn't completely worth reading, though. Even if it is no longer scary, the knowledge people have about Dracula in the present day makes the novel a stellar comedy. Jonathan's complete obliviousness, VanHelsing's jokes, and even Count Dracula himself fill the book with outlandish humor. Did I mention there's a cowboy? Because there is a cowboy, and every time I tell people that there is an actual cowboy in Dracula, they think I'm making it up. There is also a strong female lead in the character of Mina, who is possibly the smartest character in the book, and even that fact is made humorous by the actions of the other leads.

Aside from the comedic value, Dracula also features one of the sweetest romances I've ever seen in gothic literature. Pay close attention to the interactions between Jonathan and Mina. There's genuinely no toxicity here.

There is a 19th century gothic suspense/horror/romantic novel called "The Beetle", with the plot that involves hypnotic suggestion, a cult of Isis, romantic rivalry, suspense - it was written by Richard Marsh and published in the same. year as "Dracula", originally outselling Stoker's novel. You can get it free on Kindle.
https://www.amazon.com/Beetle-Richard...