Which classics would you recommend to people who don't enjoy reading classics?

[Pony]

Mm, fun question. Depending on whom I'm recommending it to, I'd say To Kill a Mockingbird or
The Importance of Being Earnest (a play, but still). Also, perhaps Anne of Green Gables or The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (not because I necessarily think it's that good, but it's very short and a fairly inspiring plot). Oh! Also The Haunting of Hill House for anyone into more haunted-type tales.

[Julie]

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

[Ali]

This comes from someone who grew up on somewhat different set of classics (and tends to have unpopular opinions about most of the required )

For those who need them still relevant
The Master and Margarita - I was close to putting it under "for everybody", but I don't really think there are books for everybody.
Animal Farm - with the caveat: rather then trying to guess what time and place it is about, focusing on the link between changes pushed and language used to describe the changes.
Honorable mention: Limes inferior - I guess it's time to stop hoping someone will translate it and get down to it myself.

For those who want fun adventures
It's hard for me to put something here, because in my country adventure classic starter pack are Kornel Makuszyński Alfred Szklarski and Karl May
I've always liked James Oliver Curwood much more than Jack London too.
A Connecticut Yankee in King Artur's Court - could be a gateway to both Utopia genre and Arthuriana.
With Fire and Sword - for those who already read and liked some modern historical fiction.
The Name of the Rose - for the crime readers.

For horror fans
The Monk - for those who feel the need to see every film with a scary nun in it (is it filled to the brim with the most annoying horror tropes? yes. is it so horrifying you can forget all about it while reading? also yes).
In a Glass Darkly - for those who will complain about every plot hole but will keep on watching/reading horrors anyway.
The King in Yellow - another one I was tempted to label 'for everyone'.

More realistic drama
The Forsythe Saga
The Blue Castle
Sense and Sensibility
The Sorrows of Young Werther
Three Comrades
anything by Nikolai Gogol

Less realistic drama
The Street of Crocodiles
The House of the Spirits
I suppose Hermann Hesse fits here. I'm not a fan but he was always hugely popular among my friends. "Demian" was a relatively painless read.
Honorable mention: One Hundred Years of Solitude - a book that got me out of the longest reading slump in my life. However, reading the reviews on Goodreads makes me think the English translation must have lost the very things that worked miracles on me, so I can't really recommend it anyone who will read it in English.

[Jan]

Oscar Wilde

[Summer]

I agree, needs to be easy language, relatively short, not much description and an active plot throughout to keep them hooked (as they'll be biased to think its 'boring') so needs something that won't be.

I'd say Pride and Prejudice (better if they know the film) or Persuasion are a good shout.

Wuthering Heights I think shows how classics can be really dramatic.

Dracula is also a fun one, especially with the emails for it in 'real-time' & the memes.

Finally I think an Agatha Christie is a good shout.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

Ali wrote: "This comes from someone who grew up on somewhat different set of classics (and tends to have unpopular opinions about most of the required )..."

Your list is awesome. I have added many books to my Wish List today. Thank you!

[Sarah]

I frequently recommend classics to people, even if that person dosen't very much like the genre 😂
I would recommend Animal Farm to someone who dosen't like classics as it reads quite like a modern book (at least to me?), and I think the symbolism is easy to notice for any type of reader, not just classic readers.
I would also recommend Lord of the Rings trilogy, as I (think) it's counted as a classic and because it has movies to accompany it, readers may find it more enjoyable to follow along with!

but this is just what I think, and I am a little biased towards older books to modern ones.

[Aquaria]

Kandice wrote: "Linda wrote: "My list would include Anne of Green Gables,, The Little House books, The secret Garden, Rebecca, Mark Twain, Little Women."

I know YA is a relatively new genre, but those would all f..."

Du Maurier's Rebecca is of the same class as Dorothy Hughes, Raymond Chandler or James Cain, rather than a Holly Jackson or Karen MacManus. The subtleties of the sexual themes alone are too complex for all but the older end of typical YA readers. As it is, a good rule of thumb: If Hitchcock filmed your book, you are most definitely NOT YA.

Not all of Twain is for kids or YA, either. His non-fiction, especially, can have some themes that are too mature or challenging for younger readers.

It behooves us not to confuse a previous generation's compelled restraint regarding adult language and themes with suitability for younger readers. They are not the same thing.

[Aquaria]

Debbie wrote: "Woah. The Count of Monte Cristo!? I actually loved this book but I definitely wouldn't recommend it to someone who doesn't read classics! So if it is bone dry."

Bone dry to you, perhaps, but I have converted several non-readers to bibliophiles by having them read Count of Monte Cristo, first. I do advise them to go with the Bantam abridgement (Lowell Bair trans.), especially those who are appallingly proud of not having read a book since high school or college. I recommended it so often with success that I now keep a stack of them on hand to give away as an incentive to discover the joys of reading. If you haven't been able to find that edition at a used store, blame me. Even when I visit a book shop while traveling, I look for a copy of that CoMC to add to the pile. I also keep it stocked in my little free library, because it is the book most likely not to come back. My free library is only two blocks from a high school, and the word must be out that I try to keep their
most-assigned books on hand. I usually go through 4-5 copies of CoMC every spring.

[Sarah]

The Lord of the Flies is an easy read, and not very long either.
I read both the book and the audio version on Spotify, and I would recommend the audiobook, it's easier to follow along, specifically towards the end of the novel :)