Top 10 Classic Foreign Novellas

Author: Goethe
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: This book selects works based on their content and form, primarily focusing on the originality of the works. For example, Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther adopts a diary format, Balzac's Gobseck showcases an excellent narrative technique, and Mérimée's Carmen takes a unique perspective in its source material. Secondly, the influence of the works is considered, such as Maupassant's Boule de Suif and Mark Twain's The Damned United. Regarding Gogol's The Overcoat, Dostoevsky once said: "We all come from The Overcoat." Thirdly, the gravity of the works is highlighted, like Tolstoy's The Kreutzer Sonata and Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground. Fourthly, the balance between content and form is emphasized, such as Thackeray's The Lady of the Lights. Fifthly, the significant evolution of the novella form is illustrated, such as Wharton's The Reckoning and Gogol's The Overcoat.