'Gentle' Reader

'Gentle' Reader

In ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' (July 11), characters from such classic novels as ''Dracula,'' ''The Picture of Dorian Gray,'' and ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' make like the Justice League and join up to fight crime -- in Victorian England. The film draws from Alan Moore's graphic novel of the same name, published in 2000, and from the original tomes, all of which were written in the 1800s. To prepare for the movie, you can tackle all those big books...or toss out your CliffsNotes and scan our guide to this unusually literate summer blockbuster.