I'd say a Christmas Carol as it's basically the blueprint for the Christmas genre as a whole and is the most adapted text of all time. I also voted Pride and the Prejudice, Dracula, Frankenstein, Alice in Wonderland and Jekyll and Hyde too as they all are timeless stories and benchmarks for their respective genres.
There are SO MANY correct answers to this poll it isn't even funny How can I choose? Arguably all of those books were hugely influential.
Dracula and Frankenstein basically invented the horror genre, but then there's Pride & Prejudice.. Les Miserables.. War of the Worlds.. Three Musketeers..
Kidnapped. Nah, just kidding. You were bound to forget a few. Good list.
I tried to whittle it down by choosing the most famous ones in recent pop culture, and ended up with 16 left anyway ( ), so I'll just vote for my favourite - The Picture of Dorian Gray. They're all iconic anyway, and I'd consider equal the ones that have become ubiquitous in recent pop culture - I mean, what's the point comparing? To have lasted this long and to still connect with people on a wide cultural level is remarkable. It's silly to argue beyond that.
*Also, technically, The Importance of Being Earnest isn't a novel either.
If they banned film and television, maybe we would get more great novels? Worth a shot?
Because "Harry Potter", "The Fault in Our Stars", "Fifty Shades of Grey" and "The Hunger Games" are not literary masterpieces by any stretch of the imagination.
If they banned film and television, maybe we would get more great novels? Worth a shot?
Because "Harry Potter", "The Fault in Our Stars", "Fifty Shades of Grey" and "The Hunger Games" are not literary masterpieces by any stretch of the imagination.
There are still great novels being written, they're just not resonating with the public as much as they used to. It's difficult for the printed word to ignite as much debate/controversy culturally when you can expose everything visually on film - and why wish to destroy that creative outlet when it is just as worth using in exploring the human condition artistically?
Also, Pride and Prejudice, Madame Bovary, Wuthering Heights, Oliver Twist, Vanity Fair, War and Peace, Anna Karenina and I also voted for Jules Verne's ones because I love him.
Wuthering Heights and anything by Dickens are the definition of the 19th century tbh. I don't like American lit as much as European lit during this time (Moby Dick and Tom Sawyer are awful).
How can I choose? Arguably all of those books were hugely influential.
I always use that term as an insult. But it's not even a contender!
Nah, just kidding. You were bound to forget a few. Good list. 
), so I'll just vote for my favourite - The Picture of Dorian Gray. They're all iconic anyway, and I'd consider equal the ones that have become ubiquitous in recent pop culture - I mean, what's the point comparing? To have lasted this long and to still connect with people on a wide cultural level is remarkable. It's silly to argue beyond that. 
