Most modern people turn their noses up at the classics. Anything that looks even remotely similar to something you might’ve read in high school is naturally something you’d try to avoid when you actually have a choice of what to read. Maybe, though, if you knew the background of these classics - that is to say, the stories which inspired them - you’d be more apt to check them out!
Here are what I think are the Top 5 most intriguing backstories:
5.) Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë
Yet another regency romance, Jane Eyre’s height of popularity directly paralleled that of Jane Austen’s novels. Brontë found Austen’s novels to be, for lack of a better term, raunchy, by regency era standards. Considered vastly more appropriate in comparison to its competition at the time, Brontë’s novel skyrocketed in the years preceding her death. However, now, after both of their lifetimes, Austen’s novels hugely outsell Brontë’s all over the world.
4.) The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregory
This story, though fictional for the most part, follows one of the greatest horror stories in the world - the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn. This novel goes through all of the gritty details of everything Anne was willing to go through to bear a son of the King. She even goes as far as to enlist her own brother as a...donor...of sorts. For this, they both are convicted of high treason and sentenced to death by beheading.
3.) Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
Okay, so it isn’t exactly a classic, but it had to be on the list. I’ll give it to you. This is a book that everyone loves to hate. However, the backstory to it is one that I wasn’t familiar with until recently. Did you know that the idea of Twilight came to Meyer in a dream one night? She was actually worried about what people close to her may think, being that she is Mormon. Meyer was the beginning of a new era of vampire lore. Long gone are the days of terrifying, ghostly figures. Now it’s all about the sex appeal.
2.) Dracula - Bram Stoker
Based in ancient Romania, Dracula’s tale is one that has rendered hundreds of interpretations to date. The story of the original vampire is one that has intrigued and terrified its readers for generations.
As terrifying as the fictional character is, the real Romanian King he was based on was even more vicious. In battle, he would spear his victims alive and put them on display outside of his castle fortress for advancing armies to see. One account insists that there were so many speared soldiers on the castle’s hillside, it was nearly impossible to advance at all.
1.) Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
It’s typically seen as a stiff, regency courtship between two overly-perfect characters. What you may not know, though, is that this infamous love story, initially entitled First Impressions, directly parallels Austen’s own infatuation with Thomas LeFroy. Unfortunately, unlike her heroine, Elizabeth, who found her happy ending with Fitzwilliam Darcy, Austen was not as fortunate. She never married.
So, there you have it, folks! Surely something on this list sparked your imagination. I’ve read every book on this list myself and can admit that some of them were a bear to get through, but in the end it was worth it. These are the stories that help us form our own writing styles and understandings of old cultures. Even if none of these particularly interest you, try reading something by one of these esteemed authors. All of their works are phenomenal!
