WH shows young writers how important planning and structure is and how they can add to a story's irony, meaning and poetic justice. It's also amazing in other aspects (use of doubles, emotion, etc.) and gave us an awesome declaration of love ("I am Heathcliff!")
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey
Illustrated Principle: Narration can make or break a story.
Not only is One Flew a crazy story about crazy people, it's also shown to us through the eyes of a crazy person, Chief Bromden. Since he is a paranoid schizophrenic, Bromden can be an unreliable narrator, feeding us his hallucinations and actual hospital events with the same spoon. This novel could have been a surreal disaster, but Kesey balances the storyline and Bromden's perception perfectly, showing that selecting a "different" narrator to be original or avant garde doesn't work unless you back it up.
Kesey was enabled by the depth of his characters. Almost each character's voice, motives, background, etc. are so strongly defined that they shine through any fog Bromden's mind creates.
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Illustrated Principle: Some green lights are more special than others.
Anyone who has studied this book for class will tell you, Gatsby's rich symbolism is mad important. Symbols are optional rungs that can make a story's ladder more complete and help it reach higher. They can add another level of meaning to a story.
Fitzgerald is particularly proficient at using symbolism. Other writers tend to use artificial, detached metaphors that seem contrived, but Fitzgerald's are natural to their setting and situation-two locations with different lifestyles; a light on the end of a dock; a billboard. Characters connect better with organic symbols, which makes stories flow nicely.
Black Boy, by Richard Wright
Illustrated Principle: Sometimes the best characters aren't from your imagination.
This is one of the best autobiographies found in high school curricula. Wright makes readers feel his pain and joy as he goes through hardships and occasional good fortune without being whiny, overdramatic, or unbelievable.
Any writers can use their own life story and emotions to make better stories. Even lives that are too "normal" or "boring" to be main plot material can be borrowed from to amplify certain emotions or add detail to stories. Look into your own life and actively find ways you can relate to your characters and their situations.
The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White
Illustrated Principle: Omit needless words! (And others.)
Okay, so this isn't exactly a novel like the other books on this list, but it is a must-have for any writer-young, old, or uncomfortable-with-disclosing-their-age. Strunk and White encourage correct usage, consistent style, and strong sentences. This book helps writers become aware of their bad habits and fix them. It's a great reference to keep around the pen and pad, typewriter, or computadora. No writer should be without it!
If you haven't read all these books, now would be a great moment to update your "To Read" list. Of course, these are just some of the great curriculum books young writers can study. Pride and Prejudice, Candide, Fahrenheit 451, A Tale of Two Cities and others come to mind.
Just remember that reading all these books won't necessarily transform you magically into MegaWriter X or anything like that. After you finish a novel, there is still much work to do. If you read, find what you like about each book and figure out how to apply what you've learned to your writing, you just might come up with something great.
Good luck!
