Thérése Raquin-Émile Zola

Thérése Raquin, a novel written by Émile Zola in 1866, is a tale of adultery and murder in the quiet and dark Parisian streets; the narration of the author, despite the graphic and sometimes terrifying content, is cold and almost clinical. The shocking twists and turns of the novel and the protagonists' actions are spoken in a conversational tone, almost as though the reader is to expect such things from the characters. The individuals described in the novel are carefully created and analysed, with minute details being made to seem vitally important to the plot line, such as the colour of clothing, smoking habits or even the hair style of characters. This writing style, though sometimes infuriating, does add a certain charm to the novel, and certainly 'brings the book alive' to the audience.

If you are not a fan of French Literature, I personally believe this could be the book to change your mind. Even though it was written almost 150 years ago, the ease of the story and pace of the novel are comparable to that of a modern day book.

On the Road - Jack Kerouac

Largely known as one of the greatest American novels of the 20th Century, 'On the Road' is a partly autobiographical tale of 'Sal Paradise' (Kerouac), his erratic companion 'Dean Moriarty' (Kerouac's real-life friend Neal Cassady)and their travels around Northern America.

The novel is set in the late 1940s, when young Sal Paradise is living in New York; with the opening line of "I first met Dean not long after my wife and I split up", the reader immediately senses that the protagonist is at a place in his life where the future is uncertain and unclear; this sets the tone of the entire book.

For the duration of the novel, 'Paradise' is travelling from New York to other parts of America, notably San Francisco, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles; thus attributing to the name 'On the Road'. Kerouac describes in vivid detail his experiences of the memorable characters on his journey and at his many destinations; the reader almost envies the excitement and ease at which 'Paradise' hitch-hikes for days on end constantly surrounded by interesting and charismatic people.

Whilst reading, there is the ever present influence of 'Dean Moriarty', who 'Paradise' views with the utmost respect and love; even at times when his actions and sanity are highly debatable. 'Moriarty' has various fixations include drugs, women, his father and family life; but at time the seemingly idiosyncratic 'Moriarty' focuses on very in depth subjects, such as intellectualism and moral philosophies.

Kerouac's continuous use of spontaneous prose, which some readers may find hard to adjust to, is the perfect grammatical tool to express the spirited and impromptu lifestyle which is described throughout the novel. It may not come as a surprise that when writing his first draft, Kerouac was reported to type the entire text on what was known as a 'scroll', a piece manuscript one hundred and twenty-foot long, which was then cut up at appropriate 'chapters'.

In my opinion, 'On the Road' is a perfect testimonial to life in mid-20th century America. The actions and events described are fascinating and almost alien to life in the modern day; the idea of simply dropping everything to travel with friends, with no money, transport or plans is rarely performed in today's society. I conclude that 'On the Road' by Jack Kerouac is truly deserving of its title as a 'modern day classic'.