Literary Classics with Strong Characterization

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• Classics
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The Count of Monte Cristo
By Alexandre Dumas
F DUMAS
For Edmund Dantes, life couldn’t be better. At 19, he is soon to be captain of his own ship and marry his true love. But his life is suddenly turned upside down when he is arrested. Without a fair trial, he is condemned to solitary confinement in the miserable Chateau d’If. Soon, it is clear that Edmond has been framed by a handful of powerful enemies. After 15 years, he escapes, transforms himself into the Count of Monte Cristo, and plans his revenge.

The Woman in White
By Wilkie Collins
MYSTERY COLLINS
Readers will thrill with the story of Walter Hartright, a poor art teacher, who falls in love with one of his students. As the story unfolds, readers get to meet the mysterious woman in white and the fiendish baronet out to steal a fortune, and encounter plot twists involving insane asylums, hidden identities, fake death scenes, blackmail, and murder.

Washington Square
By Henry James
F JAMES
James tells the story of Catherine Sloper, a young heiress who is wooed by Morris Townsend, a handsome gentleman who is more interested in her inheritance than he is in her. They become engaged, albeit against the wishes of her stubborn father. She must make a choice between the only man she will ever love and the wealth that she will inherit. Named for the upscale area of New York in which the novel is set, “Washington Square” is a classic examination of social class in mid-19th century New York.

Jane Fairfax: Jane Austen’s Emma, Through Another’s Eyes
By Joan Aiken
F AIKEN
Although this is not a classic, Jane Austen fans will enjoy Joan Aiken’s books because she manages to capture much of the language, wit, irony, and humor of Austen. Jane Fairfax successfully evokes the world of Austen in both manner and style and keeps true to the spirit of Austen in terms of plot. Jane Fairfax, so enigmatic and somewhat sly in Emma, is brought into focus as the main character of this sequel.