Widely seen as a landmark work of early feminism, the novel's blend of realistic narrative, incisive social commentary, and psychological complexity makes The Awakening a precursor of American modernist literature.

Another choice that hardly needs introduction.

A social novel focusing on the perspectives of mill owners and workers in an industrialising city as well as featuring a romantic subplot, the 2004 serial adaptation feature Richard Armitage as John Thornton.

A New Zealand writer and critic who was an important figure in the modernist movement.

This is one of the earliest published autobiographical novels by an African American woman.

Edgeworth was one of the first realist writers in children's literature and a significant figure in the evolution of the novel in Europe, Castle Rackrent is believed to be the novel of hers closest to her intention as the others were often edited and approved by her father.

Also published as The Champion of Virtue, this gothic novel is said to have influenced Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as well as the gothic genre itself.