The Classics Corner

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Writing machine on a desk with a magnifier glass and literary papers

A guide to literary term categories and their definitions

What's the difference between genre, style, narrative techniques, figures of speech, literary movement? Literary analysis has a long catalogue of words and expressions. So to understand them better, let's group them into big categories first.

Before You Read·School & Literary Fiction

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

poetic autumn landscape featuring a lane in a forest

Poetry·Seasonal

10 Best Classic Autumn Poems to Get into the Vibes of the Season

NEWS

Do We Need Another Hercule Poirot?

Maybe Kenneth Branagh overdid the moustache, and for most people, David Suchet was a perfect match. So, are you prepared for a new young Hercule Poirot?

World Book and Copyright Day

World Book and Copyright Day is held annually on April 23. This event is organised by UNESCO to promote reading and to show the significance of books as a link between people, generations, and cultures.

A fairy child in a wood with butterflies

International Children’s Book Day

The International Children's Book Day is held annually on April 2. The 2026 theme is "Plant Stories and the World will Bloom!"

A woman on a theatre stage having a look from the red curtain

World Theatre Day

World Theatre Day is celebrated on March 27 every year. This event is organised by the International Theatre Institute to promote the joy of watching a live performance and its importance as an art form.

SCREEN

Upcoming 2026 Movies Based on Classic Books

It is always a pleasure to watch screen adaptations of our favourite books, as live-action movies and TV shows can give them a new dimension or new takes. So here is the 2026 release calendar of new movies and shows based on classic books. Keep in mind that this article is updated regularly to add or change information if needed. *updated 8th October*

“A sign of intelligence is an awareness of one’s own ignorance.”

NICCOLÒ MACHIAVELLI

EXPLORE AUTHOR OF THE DAY

MID-SEPTEMBER POPULARITY RANKING

Top Authors

▲ Fyodor Dostoevsky
► Jane Austen
▲ John Steinbeck
▼ Homer
► Alexandre Dumas
▲ Mary Shelley
▼ Emily Brontë
▲ Bram Stoker
▲ Arthur Conan Doyle
▲ Oscar Wilde

Top Books

► The Odyssey
▲ Frankenstein
▼ The Count of Monte Cristo
► Pride and Prejudice
► Crime and Punishment
▼ Wuthering Heights
▲ Dracula
▲ The Picture of Dorian Gray
▲ East of Eden
▼ Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations

A guide to literary term categories and their definitions

Before You Read·School & Literary Fiction

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Richard is accepted in a very selective class at a Vermont college. His recollections of this period reveal that he and his friends have a secret: they murdered one of their own. But it is just the tip of the iceberg.

Before You Read·Comedy & Humour·School & Literary Fiction

Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis

James Dixon, “Jim”, tries to keep his job as a history lecturer at a university. But how will he manage when his pranks and efforts always seem to backfire?

Poetry·Seasonal

10 Best Classic Autumn Poems to Get into the Vibes of the Season

Autumn is the season that inspires poets the most. It is often associated with the passage of time and the cycle of life.

Before You Read·School & Literary Fiction

Stoner by John Williams

William Stoner is a student at an agricultural college. During an English literature course, he is so struck by this new world of knowledge that he changes his studies to become an academic.

A stack of letters on a wooden table, there are also flowers

Before You Read·School & Literary Fiction

Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster

17-year-old Jerusha Abbott is living in an orphanage, when an anonymous benefactor decides to pay for her education and send her to college. She then takes the train to a new life full of promise and exciting discoveries.

Before You Read·Crime & Detective Fiction

The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katharine Green

When Horatio Leavenworth gets shot in his library, Mr Raymond, a lawyer, is asked to look after the interests of Mr Leavenworth's nieces, Mary and Eleonore. But smitten with one of the nieces, he struggles to remain objective.

Before You Read·Crime & Detective Fiction

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

Mortimer, a close friend of the late Charles Baskerville, who died in mysterious circumstances, pays a visit to Sherlock Holmes to tell him about the curse plaguing the Baskerville family.