To develop one's fine taste in English, one of the most effective ways is to read English books widely. Yet one may be at a loss to choose the proper books, especially as a beginner. I would like to share some of my experience. My first English novel was Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, but my experience was somewhat discouraging. When I read it, I had great difficulty in understand the novel , let alone enjoying it. It's not the words that troubled me, but rather the way Austen organized sentences, and her way of thinking, which seemed too distant to me at that time. So my first suggestion is, as a beginner, you should choose modern novels instead of classical ones. I do not mean you shouldreject (say no to) classical novels completely but start with something easier. Actually , my second reading ofPride and Prejudicegreatly pleased me. However, reading novels is not the only way to improve your English . In fact, English essays   can at once inform you, entertain you, and improve your taste in English. The best example is Bertrand Russell's works. Its language is not simple, yet you cannot help feeling the elegance  and wisdom of his writing.  Last but not least, never follow others' suggestions and opinions blindly. Some days ago, I read Somerset Maugham's autobiography The Summing Up. In a chapter he regards Edward Gibbon and Samuel Johnson's style as pompous . Though I admire Maugham's works, I can't agree with his view. Probably one can say this about Johnson's works, but definitely not Gibbon's . In fact, Gibbon's clear style makes his works highly readable, and you can hardly believe they were written over 200 years ago. So we should be open to various ideas, but always think and decide for ourselves. Bertrand Russell's works are mentioned in the text as an example of   _  .
Perfect dramas best-written poems beautiful essays humorous short stories .