Hilarious summaries of classic novels? There’s a comic for that.

Who needs SparkNotes?

There are few things in life as relaxing as cuddling up with a good book.

And it’s even better with a classic novel, right? But classics can sometimes be … kind of funny.

In a hilarious series of comics, illustrator John Atkinson gives us some less-than-classic descriptions of the classic books you probably had to read in high school.

In 1926, The New York Times described Ernest Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises” as “a truly gripping story, told in a lean, hard, athletic narrative prose that puts more literary English to shame.”


Atkinson’s description? “Lost generation gets drunk. They’re still lost.”

Yeah, he gets it.

Here are some of his favorite versions of the abridged classics:

Of course, classics are classics for a reason.

Many of these books are timeless favorites. We love them and many of us will read them repeatedly. But having a laugh about the things we enjoy can totally be good for the soul.

Culture

A bed-bound 96-year-old suddenly got up to pick out his burial suit before saying his final words

Culture

A Minnesota family gave up hope of finding a lost wedding ring until a 9-year-old cracked the case

Finance

How big of a lottery jackpot would make you happiest? Researchers found the sweet spot.

Wholesome

An old man and woman dance to pop music in a Roman piazza, not a tip jar in sight