Top 10 Lost Works of Literature

Discover the top 10 most fascinating lost works of literature, from Aristotle’s missing manuscripts to Sylvia Plath’s destroyed novel. Explore the stories behind these unfinished, stolen, and vanished masterpieces that continue to intrigue scholars and readers alike.

1. Double Exposure by Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath, known for her poetry and the novel The Bell Jar, was working on a second novel, Double Exposure, before her tragic death in 1963. After her death, her estranged husband, Ted Hughes, inherited her manuscripts and destroyed much of her remaining work, possibly to hide unflattering depictions of himself. To this day, the novel’s content remains a mystery.

2. Works Before 1922 by Ernest Hemingway

In 1922, Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley, was carrying a trunk with all of his early writings, including a novel based on his experiences in World War I. Tragically, the luggage was stolen, and the manuscripts were never recovered. The loss deprived the world of Hemingway’s early artistic development.

3. The Mysterious Stranger by Mark Twain

Mark Twain attempted to write The Mysterious Stranger three times but never completed it. The story centers around a young Satan, the nephew of the biblical figure, living in an Austrian village. Twain’s struggle to finish it reflects his own inner conflicts during the latter years of his life, leaving readers wondering how the intriguing story would have ended.

4. The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens

Dickens was in the midst of writing The Mystery of Edwin Drood when he passed away in 1870. Even Queen Victoria declined Dickens’ offer to reveal the ending to her, wanting to experience the mystery like everyone else. The novel’s abrupt ending has inspired countless theories, making it one of literature’s most famous unfinished works.

5. Memoirs by Lord Byron

After Lord Byron’s death, his friends and publisher destroyed his personal memoirs, fearing that they would ruin his reputation. As one of the most influential poets of the Romantic era, the destruction of his memoirs deprived scholars of valuable insight into Byron’s personal life and thoughts.

6. The Magic Harp by Wolfgang von Goethe

Goethe intended The Magic Harp to be a triumphant sequel to Mozart’s The Magic Flute, with even more extravagant themes and scenes. However, Goethe abandoned the project, leaving the world to wonder whether it could have rivaled his magnum opus, Faust.

7. Sanditon by Jane Austen

Austen’s unfinished novel Sanditon gives a tantalizing glimpse of a new story with witty characters and sharp social observations. Originally titled The Brothers, Austen died before completing it, leaving behind only a fragment. Despite being incomplete, it offers a glimpse of the brilliance that made Austen’s work timeless.

8. Love’s Labour’s Won by William Shakespeare

Although some scholars believe Love’s Labour’s Won might be an alternate title for The Taming of the Shrew, others argue it was a lost play entirely. The mention of the work in contemporary lists suggests that Shakespeare may have written it, and its disappearance has been a subject of literary debate for centuries.

9. The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

Chaucer planned for The Canterbury Tales to include 124 stories, but only 22 were completed before his death. Despite being unfinished, the tales remain a cornerstone of English literature, offering profound insights into medieval life and human nature. One can only imagine what other fascinating tales Chaucer might have included.

10. Various Works by Aristotle

Although Aristotle’s writings have profoundly shaped philosophy, science, and ethics, nearly two-thirds of his works are lost. These missing texts could have provided even deeper insights into his thoughts and teachings, leaving scholars with only fragments of his intellectual legacy.