I'm a native U.S. English speaker. In high school, in our English classes, we read through a number of books that were considered classics. I haven't formally taken classes since then. I'm not sure what you mean by "classical novels," but I am a somewhat bookish person and I frequently read books written just about anytime from 1850 on, simply for pleasure. For example, last year I read "Ben-Hur, a Story of the Christ," by Lew Wallace, written in 1880; I started it out of curiosity because it was such a best-seller in its time; I'm not a religious person and I was quite surprised by how interesting and readable it was. I own "The Annotated Sherlock Holmes," an expensive three-volume set that has all of the stories and novels surrounded by notes and explanations because I like the stories a lot, and have probably read through all of them several times. I read "Pride and Prejudice," by Jane Austen, last year, for the first time. I managed to get through it, but I don't seem to be a Jane Austen fan. I assure you though that many people absolutely do love her books, not as "classics" but simply as wonderful novels, it just seems that I am not one of them. It is probably because I am not a very "social" person myself and am not that appreciative of nuances of social attitude.

I love to read DIckens. He always makes me laugh out loud. George Orwell is another favourite of mine, and also Hemingway. At school in England, we learn how to write for different purposes in English Language; and study plays, novels and poetry in English Literature. What is your favourite classic novel Annette?

I teach classic novels as well as writing to American high school and college students. Students still read classic novels sometimes, but the trend is moving toward more "popular" fiction such as Harry Potter and young adult fiction. Our education system is also trying to move away from fiction to nonfiction although many teachers resist it.

We read some at school and many read others in their leisure time. My favourite author is probably George Eliot. Some people choose to study English literature at university/college. In the UK, we generally don't learn writing skills but it's not a bad idea. If you want a job in a field which requires a high level of writing ability, you are expected to have developed that ability from your everyday life and all your studies.

In the US, we read classics in middle and high school and often in college. We also take writing classes all through school (from elementary school up through college). I still read classics, but not everyone does. (As a side question, do students in your schools learn essay writing in school?)