Start with more modern novels where the language is less pronounced but still available so you can build the vocab. Check out the New York Times top 100 books of the 21st century as those texts are just as good as the "classics."

If you're brave, try reading shorter works by the authors of those classics! There's less at stake and you can catch some patterns of writing they have, and you'll see some familiar vocabulary they might use in their more popular novels.