You mean set in the 18th century o written in the 18th century?
I have to say I have read both kinds and the results are quite mixed XD
About novels set in the 18th century – There are only two kinds: the ones that have great research, and the ones that didn’t even search what people wore under their clothes and have a scene of someone dressing or undressing and NOTHING makes sense. I have to say that most times those inaccuracies are just odd and make me roll my eyes, but if the novel is well written and interesting, well we can forgive them. These are a couple I’ve read lately:
About novels written in the 18th century – This is a tricky business, and you need to know and understand before starting to read the, that people wrote and talked quite differently in the 18th century. There will always be weird words that you’ll have to search the meaning, and weird situations that we no longer relate to because, you know modern world. Now, of course there are all kinds of cool stuff written in the 18th century: from epistolary novels to adventure novels, and of course let’s not forget erotic novels. Here a small selection of stuff that it’s likely you all might have read in school, but that there is no reason why not enjoy again:
Dangerous Liaisons (1782), by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. The ultimate novel to get the French nobility, written in a epistolary form (like a collection of letters that you should definitely not be reading).
Gulliver’s Travels (1726), by Jonathan Swift. Yeah, this was written in the 18th century. Fantasy for everyone, not mattering what century you’re from.
The Castle of Otranto (1764), by Horace Walpole. A perfect novel for our inner gothic.
Robinson Crusoe (1719), by Daniel Defoe. Because we all wanna know about “The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, Of York, Mariner: Who lived Eight and Twenty Years, all alone in an un-inhabited Island on the Coast of America, near the Mouth of the Great River of Oroonoque; Having been cast on Shore by Shipwreck, wherein all the Men perished but himself. With An Account how he was at last as strangely deliver’d by Pyrates”. Oh, yeah, all that is the original title of the book.
In France during the 18th century, “pornographic novels” were all the rage and the best sellers, so here you can read Justine (1791) (and/or ALL of Sade’s work), Thérèse the Philosopher (1748) by Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d’Argens. Because, this genre was not invented by fanfiction.
There is of course a long long LONG list of more novels, written or inspired in the 18th century, so readers, please add your favourite ones!
Daintyfire 