Firstly, I apologise for the blog neglect. But prior to writing this, I spent the first half of the summer in a miasma of blind panic as A'Level results day grew ever nearer... and the latter half will now be spent in a similar state, as in two weeks I leave for University. Therefore in preparation for my impending last step of education (19 days) not that i'm counting or anything, I thought a post that was somewhat more academic might be in order. So here are 5 books- not necessarily my top 5 favourite books- but books which have not only changed my perspective on literature, but in some rare cases, life in general.
1. Tess of the d'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
Okay, I lied slightly during my introduction... because this is my favourite book in the entire world. So much so, I decided to write my A'Level English coursework on it! The controversial nature of this novel (originally published in 1891) was the feature that initially enraptured me as a reader. The manner in which it challenged sexual morality and the social taboo's of the Victorian era resulted in strong criticisms- possibly gaining Tess the title as one of the most important novels within English literature. Set in impoverished Wessex, the novel follows the life of Tess Durbeyfield, most notably her cruel transformation from a naive young girl, to an experienced mother and woman, and the callous seduction, ending in rape and pregnancy, at the hands of Alec d'Urberville. But what really gets me is the catalytic nature of this novel. Furthered by Hardy's brutal and often judgemental narration, the reader is encouraged to see that Tess's situation could have been altered by her own choices- therefore posing the dreadful irony that perhaps she deserved her tragic misfortune and untimely demise.
"A strong woman who recklessly throws away her strength, she is worse than a weak woman who has never any strength to throw away"
2. An Education - Lynn Barber
You may be familiar with the 2009 film adaptation of these memoirs starring Carey Mulligan? If so, you are in the same situation I was: having seen and loved the film and desperate to know whether this wonderfully relatable story had any resonance with real events. You're in luck. Similarly to the film, the book begins with Barber's schoolgirl love-affair with Jewish, and deliciously cultured, conman Simon Goldman; with the story casually following her endeavours into city life, affluence and sexual inexperience. But as the film ends, the memoir continues into her Oxford education, career as a female journalist, marriage, maternity, and the eventual death of her husband. Since reading An Education Lynn Barber has somewhat become one of my female icons, and if I am ever half the journalist she is, it will be a job well done.
"She's a suburban girl who's frightened that she's going to get cut out of everything good that happens in the city. That, to me, is a big story in popular culture. It's the story of pretty much every rock 'n' roll band." - Nick Hornby
3. Wide Sargasso Sea - Jean Rhys
Now, just to throw it out there, i'm really not a massive fan of Jane Eyre. Honestly, I just wish Jane would stop dithering, passing out and would pull herself together- but what can you do? However, this 1966 postcolonial parallel novel by contemporary writer, Jean Rhys is a whole other kettle of fish. Acting as a prequel to Jane Eyre, Wide Sargasso Sea follows the life of Antoinette Cosway (later known as Bertha Mason) through her semi-orphaned Caribbean youth, unhappy marriage to Mr Rochester, and eventual relocation to England. It's a story full of duality, not only Antoinette's cultural ambiguity where she neither belongs to the black Jamaican's nor the white European's, but the duality in her declining mental state and her role as a Creole woman in a heavily patriarchal society. To read this novel, it's probably also worth reading Jane Eyre (sorry!), but it really does add a whole new level of sympathy and understanding to Antoinette/Betha's character. And, arguably, debates whether her mental decline was inevitable or induced by Rochester's cruelty.
"There are always two deaths, the real one and the one people know about"
4. Lady Chatterley's Lover - D.H Lawrence
I know, there had to be a saucy book, didn't there? But I really, really love this novel. First published in 1928, Lady Chatterley's Lover was subsequently banned for it's vivid descriptions of sex between a working-class man and an upper-class woman, and for including words which were then unprintable (even the notion!). The novel's protagonist is Constance, a young married woman whose husband has been left paralysed from the waist down due to a war injury. Alongside his physical injury, his emotional neglect of Connie leads to marital distance. Her frustration leads to an affair with Oliver Mellors, the gamekeeper of their grounds. The prose is absolutely beautifully written, creating developing themes of injustice within society- where intellectuals dominate over the working-class, and the impossibility of living without physical intimacy and with the mind alone.
"We've got to live, no matter how many skies have fallen"
5. The Conquest - Elizabeth Chadwick
This was a difficult one, as I have in fact read almost every book by this author and loved them all. Set just after the battle of Hastings in 1066 (all of her books are set within the Medieval period) it follows two different time periods. Starting with Ailith, a spirited mother who loses her husband during the battle of Hastings, later to be saved from suicide by the handsome and womanising Norman invader, Rolf De Brize. And finishing with her daughter, Julitta- and her impoverished childhood leading into a loveless, arranged marriage. Chadwick's historical accuracy and vivid descriptions really add colour and personality to a historical period which I previously knew little about. Other good reads are 'The Greatest Knight', 'The Wild Hunt', 'The Marsh Kings Daughter', 'The Champion' and 'The Falcons of Montabard'.
"Handfasted, like a bride and groom, they entered the keep"
1. Tess of the d'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
Okay, I lied slightly during my introduction... because this is my favourite book in the entire world. So much so, I decided to write my A'Level English coursework on it! The controversial nature of this novel (originally published in 1891) was the feature that initially enraptured me as a reader. The manner in which it challenged sexual morality and the social taboo's of the Victorian era resulted in strong criticisms- possibly gaining Tess the title as one of the most important novels within English literature. Set in impoverished Wessex, the novel follows the life of Tess Durbeyfield, most notably her cruel transformation from a naive young girl, to an experienced mother and woman, and the callous seduction, ending in rape and pregnancy, at the hands of Alec d'Urberville. But what really gets me is the catalytic nature of this novel. Furthered by Hardy's brutal and often judgemental narration, the reader is encouraged to see that Tess's situation could have been altered by her own choices- therefore posing the dreadful irony that perhaps she deserved her tragic misfortune and untimely demise."A strong woman who recklessly throws away her strength, she is worse than a weak woman who has never any strength to throw away"
2. An Education - Lynn Barber
"She's a suburban girl who's frightened that she's going to get cut out of everything good that happens in the city. That, to me, is a big story in popular culture. It's the story of pretty much every rock 'n' roll band." - Nick Hornby
3. Wide Sargasso Sea - Jean Rhys
Now, just to throw it out there, i'm really not a massive fan of Jane Eyre. Honestly, I just wish Jane would stop dithering, passing out and would pull herself together- but what can you do? However, this 1966 postcolonial parallel novel by contemporary writer, Jean Rhys is a whole other kettle of fish. Acting as a prequel to Jane Eyre, Wide Sargasso Sea follows the life of Antoinette Cosway (later known as Bertha Mason) through her semi-orphaned Caribbean youth, unhappy marriage to Mr Rochester, and eventual relocation to England. It's a story full of duality, not only Antoinette's cultural ambiguity where she neither belongs to the black Jamaican's nor the white European's, but the duality in her declining mental state and her role as a Creole woman in a heavily patriarchal society. To read this novel, it's probably also worth reading Jane Eyre (sorry!), but it really does add a whole new level of sympathy and understanding to Antoinette/Betha's character. And, arguably, debates whether her mental decline was inevitable or induced by Rochester's cruelty."There are always two deaths, the real one and the one people know about"
4. Lady Chatterley's Lover - D.H Lawrence
"We've got to live, no matter how many skies have fallen"
5. The Conquest - Elizabeth Chadwick
This was a difficult one, as I have in fact read almost every book by this author and loved them all. Set just after the battle of Hastings in 1066 (all of her books are set within the Medieval period) it follows two different time periods. Starting with Ailith, a spirited mother who loses her husband during the battle of Hastings, later to be saved from suicide by the handsome and womanising Norman invader, Rolf De Brize. And finishing with her daughter, Julitta- and her impoverished childhood leading into a loveless, arranged marriage. Chadwick's historical accuracy and vivid descriptions really add colour and personality to a historical period which I previously knew little about. Other good reads are 'The Greatest Knight', 'The Wild Hunt', 'The Marsh Kings Daughter', 'The Champion' and 'The Falcons of Montabard'.
"Handfasted, like a bride and groom, they entered the keep"
Do you have any book recommendations?
Books that have made you change your outlook on things?
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