The Best Classics to Read in the Fall
Though my aesthetic tastes trend towards spring and summer, my heart loves the fall. Something about encroaching winter sends a delicious shiver up my spine. Curling up with a wonderful gothic story, letting the words wrap around you, sets a certain scene most appropriate for falling leaves and ghost stories.
Classics in the fall work on two levels. On the first, the pre-technology setting builds a dark atmosphere; carriages rumbling through the dark, dimly lit gentlemen’s clubs, holding a single candle to explore a creepy attic. On the second, because of the slight remove of an older setting, there’s a certain escapism that keeps even the scariest stories low-stakes. You can put your book down without genuine fear of Jack the Ripper (as you are not a sex worker in Victorian London).
Grab your biggest mug of tea, settle onto your fainting couch, and pick up one of these 21 classics to read in the fall.
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Classic Novels to Read in the Fall
While I’ve classified the following fictional stories as novels, many of them are actually novellas - books shorter than a novel but longer than a short story. By modern publishing standards, most novellas come in at under 200 pages. Classic authors truly mastered the art of building fear in a real (and efficient) manner.
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Northanger Abbey follows a young woman named Catherine during her first society season. A lover of gothic novels, Catherine works herself into a state when she’s invited to the mysterious Northanger Abbey. Austen provides insightful (and relevant) commentary on youth, naïveté, and the interplay between cynicism and escapism. This novel had such an impact that it served to encapsulate contemporary gothic horror (more on that later).
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
Though it doesn’t get the recognition that Frankenstein or Dracula do, The Woman in White (1859) had a massive impact on the horror genre. A young man makes his way to London to find his fortune, and picks up a beautiful young woman in white on the way. Eventually he realizes this Victorian hitchhiker has recently come from an asylum…and they share an inexplicable link. The story grapples with question of class and work, and interestingly for a novel by a man, the powerlessness of women to control their identities. Published in a weekly magazine (on the heels of A Tale of Two Cities), every chapter ends in a sensational twist, making for fun and engaging reading.
A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
While The Moonstone (1868) by Wilkie Collins is widely considered the first modern detective novel, A Study in Scarlet (1887) took the genre to new heights. In it, we are introduced to one of the greatest detectives of all time: Sherlock Holmes. In one of his most compelling stories, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle assigns Holmes his first case: a body is discovered in Brixton surrounded by enigmatic clues. With the help of his reasonable sidekick Dr. Watson serving as. the audience proxy, we follow the path of Holmes’s prodigious mind. If you want a spookier Holmes story, try The Hound of the Baskerville.
The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas
In the middle of 17th century Holland, Cornelius von Baerle has one goal: to cultivate a black tulip and achieve notoriety during the height of tulipmania. Unfortunately, von Baerle finds himself unwittingly caught up in an assassination plot and sentenced to life in prison for high treason. With the help of Rosa, the beautiful jailer’s daughter, he once again takes up his quest - and perhaps, buy his freedom. The Black Tulip explores the corrupt underbelly of the shining city of Amsterdam during the height of its economic power. More intriguing than scary, it’s nonetheless sufficiently dark for a fall evening.
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
Gothic horror novelists love an unnamed narrator, and James used the trope well in The Turn of the Screw. Our mysterious protagonist arrives at a country home to two orphan children - Miles and Flora. In her turn as a governess, the protagonist increasingly feels as though something menacing is bearing down on her. As she learns the truth of her predecessor’s history, she begins to wonder if the children are more involved than they let on. The Turn of the Screw is pure, delicious atmosphere.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Rebecca contains one of the most famous opening lines in literature, “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” Continuously in print since its publication in 1938, Rebecca tells the story of another unnamed young woman. Hungry for adventure and adulthood, our 21 year old protagonist agrees to marry a middle-aged widower she meets on vacation and is whisked away to his country estate - Manderley. She soon finds herself in the shadow of his dead wife, Rebecca, and under her phantasmagorical thumb thanks to the bitter housekeeper Mrs. Danvers.
The Castle of Wolfenbach by Eliza Parsons
Mentioned in Northanger Abbey as one of the “horrid novels,” The Castle of Wolfenbach merits its own read. A young woman named Matilda Weimar flees her lewd uncle to the mysterious Castle Wolfenbach. She passes her time by acquainting herself with the castle, and soon learns the former Countess has disappeared mysteriously. As she unravels the enigma, her lascivious uncle’s presence looms once again. Can she solve the mystery and spurn his advances once and for all? By far the oldest book on this list, (published in 1793), its plot should nonetheless delight modern readers with its spooky and salacious twists and turns.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Widely considered the first horror novel, Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein at the age of only 18 years old (and won a contest against Lord Byron). Precocious young scientist Victor Frankenstein is determined to reanimate life. When, to everyone’s surprise, he’s successful, the “creature” is powerful and intelligent beyond anyone’s reckonings. The story opens on Victor in the Arctic, trying to track the monster down, and is told through a series of letters. What follows is a story of the very worst ends of hubris - and a literal precursor to the idea of “killing your darlings.”
This is the fabulous 70s paperback cover of my copy.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Highly original for its time, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde packs a real punch. This classic tale Dr. Jekyll is a prominent scientist in Victorian London. A dastardly figure named Mr. Hyde stalks the dark streets of London. Thanks to a generous benefactor who pays off his crimes, the respectable Dr. Jekyll, Hyde’s antics remain outside the law (though not outside wagging tongues). When Dr. Jekyll amends his will to include Mr. Hyde, a lawyer named Mr. Utterson becomes suspicious - and finds a more complex mystery than he imagined.
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Up there with Frankenstein as one of the best monster books of all time, Dracula tells the story of the mysterious Count Dracula’s emigration from Transylvania to London, and the peril that follows. A young woman’s blood drained from her body, a castle full of secrets, this book has it all. Introducing iconic characters like Renfield and van Helsing, Dracula grapples with insatiable desire and questionable sanity in an ornate Victorian backdrop.
Idylls of the King by Alfred Lord Tennyson
Many of my fall classic recommendations lean towards the chilling and macabre. However, fall evokes a lot of associations with fairy tales and folk traditions as well. The story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table fits this criteria neatly. Part history, part myth, this epic is nearly 2,000 years old. Alfred Lord Tennyson’s version is a beautifully written epic poem. It follows the version of the story laid out in the 13th century epic Le morte d’Arthur. Tennyson’s use of antique language fits neatly in with the 18th and 19th century obsession with medievalism - an artistic movement that resurrected interest in the art and mythology popular during the medieval era.
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Like Idylls of the King, Dorian Gray isn’t as obviously haunting as others on this list. However, this story (and the sick feeling it leaves in your stomach) will stick with you long after you read it. A young, hedonistic man has a secret: there’s a portrait in his home that ages for him. As the man, Dorian Gray, moves through life, his image is preserved but his soul becomes more and more corrupted. Wilde has written a masterpiece of atmosphere. You feel the simmering cruelty behind every gleaming interaction, and the overall impression left is far more sinister than scary.
Classic Plays & Short Stories to Read in the Fall
If you want to get your old-fashioned gothic fix, but are low on time (or frankly the mental energy to read a lot of text) a play or short story is a great way to scratch the itch. With plays in particular, always read the stage directions and notes! It sets up all the atmosphere the playwright is trying to foment.
Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward
Whipsmart, quick, and fun, Blithe Spirit is one of the most popular plays by the giant of 20th century British playwriting, Noel Coward. An author decides to host a seance for a story about a murderous psychic. Much to his chagrin, the medium is legitimate - and calls back the ghost of his first wife. Tormented by both the ghost (and his increasingly frustrated second wife), he grows more and more desperate. The show (premiered in 1941) brought much-needed levity to war-torn England, and the relationship between the main character and his living wife holds up surprisingly well for modern relationships.
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving
In the New York hamlet of Sleepy Hollow, the villagers are plagued by visions of a headless horseman galloping through the woods at night and killing unsuspecting travelers. Young Ichabod Crane, the lanky, unwieldy new school teacher, becomes fascinated by the legend of the careening marauder, and obsessed with seeing it. Adapted numerous times, this classic story has the air of a kid at camp telling a story with a flashlight under their chin - whatever the most polished version of that is. The modern town of Sleepy Hollow has leaned into its macabre reputation, with charming pubs and graveyard tours, but the story will transport you no matter where you live.
“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
If you thought, “what if The Hunger Games was darker and more scary and also shorter?” let me introduce you to “The Lottery.” Shirley Jackson, modern master of horror, can write a spectacularly spooky tale of just about any length. In this famous story, a small town gathers in the town square every summer to draw slips of paper holding their fate. Ostensibly this ritual is designed to purge the community of bad luck, but in practice, it resurrects an ancient fear and cruelty every year.
“The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs
Famous humorist W.W. Jacobs is known for little else in the horror genre outside this haunting story, but that’s quite frankly enough. When the White family gets ahold of a magical monkey’s paw that grants wishes, they’re immediately hooked. Soon they realize, however, that with each wish, comes a terrible price. The deeper they get into trouble, the steeper the price to pay. What would you do to raise a beloved son from the dead? What kind of consequences would you endure? While “be careful what you wish for” is much older than this story, “The Monkey’s Paw” takes that question to its extreme.
Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring
The gallows humor of the WWII era cannot be understated. Premiered the same year as Blithe Spirit, Arsenic and Old Lace tells the story of two elderly aunts whose border turns up dead. When their nephew finds the body on the cusp of his wedding, the aunts cheerfully inform their nephew that they are, in fact, the ones who killed the man. Subtle without being self-serious, this classic black comedy has a film starring Cary Grant, but reading the play is equally enjoyable in my opinion.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Despite the fact that it contains some serious factual errors, The Crucible perfectly captures the hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials in 17th century Massachusetts. After a long, hard winter, in January of 1692, a group of girls and young women begin accusing people in their small village of Salem of witchcraft. Miller saw chilling parallels between the events in Salem and the Red Scare of the 1950s. What he wrote emerged as a timeless yet timely tale of the toll hysteria takes on communities.
“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Now one of the most well-trod texts in the teenage classroom, “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a classic allegory about the toil of a misogynist society on women. A perfectly healthy woman is locked up by her husband in a room for three months, ostensibly as a cure, but only grows more and more distant from reality. Based on Gilman’s own experience with a misogynist medical community, as an allegory, “The Yellow Wallpaper” is eerily prescient 130 years after its publication.
“The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe
Indisputably the king of horrific short fiction, Edgar Allen Poe’s catalogue contains a wealth of stories perfect for reading during spooky season. “The Cask of Amontillado” is perhaps Poe’s most brutal story, but “The Tell-Tale Heart” is his most famous. When a man commits a murder, he starts to hallucinate the sound of the victim’s heart under the floorboards. While simple in premise, Poe masterfully outlines the man’s guilt-ridden descent into madness.
The Tempest by Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s large body of work contains its fair share of the fantastic and phantasmagorical. Theatre companies commonly stage MacBeth in the fall. For fans of the gruesome, it doesn’t get much more grotesque than Titus Andronicus. However, The Tempest, a story of a crew shipwrecked on a magical island, has Shakespeare’s trademark ruminations on humanity, plus a healthy dose of magic. The beautiful Miranda lives on the island with her parent, Prospero (or Prospera, as it’s often stated with a woman). She catches the eye of Prince Ferdinand, one of the shipwrecked crew. The appearance of more men inspires a lustful rage in Prospero’s servant, Caliban, one of Shakespeare’s grossest villains. In addition, the play includes one of the creepiest quotes in the cannon: “Hell is empty. All the devils are here.”
What books would you add to this list? Tell me in the comments!
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