SAT is used by college admissions boards in the U.S. to gauge your readiness for college. It tests you in three main areas, namely, Critical Reading, Writing, and Math. Unlike the math section of the test, there are no formulas for reading and writing sections. The only way to get ahead is to build up your vocabulary and critical reasoning skills.
There are a lot of books that are specially dedicated to preparing the SAT reading and writing sections. These “prep books” are more focused on teaching you word lists and strategies. However, in my opinion, building critical reasoning skills is best done through reading complex prose.
The reading section of the test will feature passages from a wide variety of areas. Most commonly, you will find passages taken from classic literature. These passages often prove to be difficult for those who rarely read elevated prose from the classic era.
The style of writing commonly associated with classical literature is rich and descriptive. The words used and how they are applied make for a riveting reading experience. Moreover, you can feel the various emotions and social complexities surrounding the story to be palpable. All of this combined gives you an insight into how context and meaning complement each other. As you read through various books, you will feel more confident in your writing, expression, and reasoning skills.
Hence, preparing from a “strategy” guide is not an ideal approach as it misses out on subtleties that only extensive reading can teach you. Below, I have curated a list of the ten best classical fiction novels that use the kind of language expected on SAT.
You will learn a myriad of new words and also build-up your reasoning and writing skills.
In this Article
- 1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin
- 2. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
- 3. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
- 4. The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
- 5. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
- 6. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
- 7. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- 8. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
- 9. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
- 10. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin
Set in a small English village in 1812, this classic novel is one of the greatest love stories ever told!
A developing country squire is trying to find husbands for his five daughters. When one of them, Elizabeth, meets wealthy Mr. Darcy at a dance, they don’t see much in common. But during the next few months, they overcome their differences and fall in love.
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2. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
A servant in Wuthering Heights’ house tells a traveler the unfortunate tale of lovers Cathy and Heathcliff. The story of tragic lovers Cathy (Merle Oberon) and Heathcliff (Sir Laurence Olivier) are forced by circumstance and prejudice to live their lives apart despite a deep affection for one another.
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3. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
The Awakening, a novel by Kate Chopin, was published in 1899. Originally titled A Solitary Soul, the story depicts a young mother’s struggle to achieve sexual and personal emancipation in the postbellum American South’s oppressive environment.
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4. The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
The Red Badge of Courage is the story of Henry Fleming, a teenager who enlists with the Union Army in the hopes of fulfilling his dreams of glory. Shortly after enrolling, the reality of his decision sets in. He experiences tedious waiting, not immediate glory.
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5. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
This novel revolves around the adventures of a noble (hidalgo) from La Mancha named Alonso Quixano. Alonso reads so many chivalric romances that he loses his mind and decides to become a knight-errant (caballero andante) to revive chivalry and serve his nation under Don Quixote’s name de la Mancha.
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6. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
The Three Musketeers is set between 1625 and 1628. It recounts the adventures of a young man named D’Artagnan (a character based on Charles de Batz-Castelmore d’Artagnan) after he leaves home to travel to Paris, hoping to join the Musketeers of the Guard.
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7. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Set in Jazz Age New York, the novel tells the tragic story of Jay Gatsby, a self-made millionaire, and his pursuit of Daisy Buchanan, a wealthy young woman whom he loved in his youth.
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8. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The book explores a group of British boys stranded on an uninhabited island and their disastrous attempt to govern themselves. Themes include the tension between groupthink and individuality, between rational and emotional reactions, and between morality and immorality.
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9. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The novel is set in a village in Puritan New England. The main character is Hester Prynne, a young woman who has borne a child out of wedlock. Hester believes herself a widow, but her husband, Roger Chillingworth, arrives in New England very much alive and conceals his identity.
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10. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
The novel examines a futuristic society called the World State that revolves around science and efficiency. In this society, emotions and individuality are conditioned out of children at a young age, and there are no lasting relationships because “everyone belongs to everyone else.”
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