Subject
Young men -- Fiction Books
Best books
Henry Fielding
History of Tom Jones, a Foundling
"History of Tom Jones, a Foundling" by Henry Fielding is a comic novel published in 1749. This picaresque tale follows Tom, an abandoned baby raised by the wealthy Squire Allworthy, as he grows into a spirited youth who falls in love with his neighbor's daughter, Sophia Western. When jealous schemes and his status as a foundling threaten their romance, Tom is banished and embarks on adventurous travels across Britain. Mysteries of birth, cases of mistaken identity, and unexpected revelations converge in this intricately plotted story of love and fortune.
Charles Dickens
Great Expectations
"Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens is a novel first published serially from 1860 to 1861. The story follows Pip, a young orphan living with his sister and her blacksmith husband on England's coastal marshes. After a terrifying encounter with an escaped convict and strange visits to the bitter Miss Havisham and her cold adopted daughter Estella, Pip's life transforms when he mysteriously receives a fortune from an unknown benefactor. This bildungsroman explores wealth and poverty, love and rejection, through vivid characters and dramatic scenes that have captivated readers for generations.
James Joyce
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
"A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" by James Joyce is a novel published in 1916. Written in a modernist style, it follows young Stephen Dedalus through his religious and intellectual awakening as he questions and rebels against Catholic and Irish conventions. The work traces Stephen's developing consciousness as he struggles with faith, identity, and artistic ambition, ultimately leading to his self-exile from Ireland to Europe. Joyce employs innovative techniques like free indirect speech to peer into his protagonist's evolving mind in this groundbreaking Künstlerroman.
Charles Dickens
David Copperfield
"David Copperfield" by Charles Dickens is a novel published in 1849-1850. Narrated by David himself, this bildungsroman follows his journey from infancy to maturity through Victorian England. After his mother's tragic remarriage to the cruel Murdstone, young David endures hardship at boarding school, child labor in London, and eventual escape to his eccentric aunt. As he grows, David navigates friendship, betrayal, love, and ambition while encountering unforgettable characters—from the villainous Uriah Heep to the devoted Agnes—ultimately seeking his place in the world.
Herman Melville
Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street
"Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street" by Herman Melville is a short story first published in 1853. A Wall Street lawyer hires a new copying clerk named Bartleby, who initially works diligently but soon begins refusing all tasks with the phrase "I would prefer not to." As Bartleby's passive resistance intensifies, the baffled narrator struggles to understand his enigmatic employee. This darkly compelling tale explores isolation, compassion, and the mystery of human behavior in an increasingly impersonal world.
Charles Dickens
Nicholas Nickleby
"Nicholas Nickleby" by Charles Dickens is a novel originally published as a serial from 1838 to 1839. After his father's death, young Nicholas must support his mother and sister, seeking help from their wealthy but cold-hearted uncle Ralph. When Ralph sends Nicholas to a brutal Yorkshire boarding school, he witnesses terrible cruelty and befriends an abused servant boy named Smike. Their escape sets off a chain of events involving theatrical troupes, harassment, schemes, and dark family secrets that will test Nicholas's courage and determination.
F. Scott (Francis Scott) Fitzgerald
This Side of Paradise
"This Side of Paradise" by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a novel published in 1920. It follows Amory Blaine, a handsome Princeton student who pursues literature and romance while searching for his destined purpose. Through failed love affairs with debutantes and flappers, wartime service, and financial setbacks, Amory confronts the emptiness of ambition corrupted by greed and social climbing. The novel captures American youth at the dawn of the Jazz Age, exploring their revolt against traditional values and their disillusionment with contemporary society.
F. Scott (Francis Scott) Fitzgerald
The Beautiful and Damned
"The Beautiful and Damned" by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a novel published in 1922. Set in Jazz Age New York, it follows young heir Anthony Patch and his beautiful flapper wife Gloria Gilbert as they pursue a life of parties and excess. Their vow to live without regret and seek happiness at any cost soon tests their marriage as infatuation fades and selfish attitudes collide. While awaiting Anthony's inheritance, the couple descends into hedonism and cynicism, facing consequences that threaten to destroy everything they once were.
Jack London
Martin Eden
"Martin Eden" by Jack London is a novel published in 1909 about a young working-class sailor who struggles to become a writer. Driven by love for Ruth Morse, a woman from a bourgeois family, Martin Eden pursues intense self-education to rise above his circumstances. As he transforms himself through relentless effort, he becomes increasingly isolated from both his working-class roots and the elite society he sought to join. The novel explores themes of social class, individualism, and the cost of ambition.
Edgar Allan Poe
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket Comprising the details of a mutiny and atrocious butchery on board the American brig Grampus, on her way to the South Seas, in the month of June, 1827.
"The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket" by Edgar Allan Poe is a novel written and published in 1838. Young Arthur Gordon Pym stows away on a whaling ship, launching a harrowing maritime adventure filled with mutiny, shipwreck, and survival against impossible odds. As Pym journeys ever southward toward the Antarctic, his voyage grows increasingly strange and unsettling. Poe's only complete novel blends realistic seafaring detail with mysterious elements that defy easy explanation, culminating in an enigmatic ending near the South Pole.
Joseph Eichendorff
Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts: Novelle
"Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts: Novelle" by Freiherr von Joseph Eichendorff is a novella completed in 1822/23 and first published in 1826. A miller's son, dismissed as a good-for-nothing, sets out into the world with only his violin. He falls in love with a beautiful lady at a Viennese castle, becomes a toll collector, then abandons everything when she seems unattainable. His wandering journey takes him through Italy to Rome, following mysterious letters and glimpses of his beloved through gardens, palaces, and moonlit streets.
Charles Dickens
Martin Chuzzlewit
"Martin Chuzzlewit" by Charles Dickens is a novel serialized between 1843 and 1844. This satirical tale explores selfishness through the quarrelsome Chuzzlewit family. When young Martin clashes with his wealthy grandfather over love, he's cast out and apprenticed to the scheming architect Pecksniff. As family members maneuver for inheritance, villains emerge and a journey to America unfolds. Featuring memorable characters like the hypocritical Pecksniff and the notorious Mrs. Gamp, this picaresque adventure weaves deception, romance, and dark schemes into Dickens's sharp social commentary.
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