There is something so amiable in the prejudices of a young mind, that one is sorry to see them give way to the reception of more general opinions.My mom got me started on the classics at an early age, easing into them with "Great Expectations" & "A Christmas Carol" from the Great Illustrated Classics series. I would stay home with a babysitter while they did their Christmas shopping, & they always brought me an early Christmas surprise. For several years, it was a GIC.
When it comes time to pick a classic, I didn't even know where to begin. Steinbeck? Hemingway? The Brontë girls? Trying to pick a favorite Russian writer? Then what about the French masterpieces? My head was spinning for a while, & it took me some time to find a book that has "bewitched me body & soul" (actually a quote from the film version of my second favorite classic, by the same author).
If I think of a book that calls on feminism before its time, that inspires me to love others as I am & without sacrificing my beliefs, that allows me to believe in true & romantic love, that touches on every emotion of familial life; if I think of a book that calls to mind memories of my family, of the particular details of when & where I was reading it, there is only one title. There is only one book that touches on all aspects of what a favorite classic should be–what that moves you with its writing, beauty of characters, plot, & impression it leaves on your life happening as you read it.
I started Sense & Sensibility during an ice storm, while my mom, sister & I were staying at a family friend's house to have electricity & water. I was in high school, filled with a desire for romance & obsessed with classic literature. I was beginning to understand that the world is still not quite right in its perception of women. I was wrapped in a blanket on a wicker couch in a guest room, & I fell even more in love with Jane Austen.
In lieu of going into the plot & my reasons for preferring it to Pride & Prejudice (or Emma, or Mansfield Park–so hard to choose!), I point you to this collection of quotations, this lovely edition of the novel & this promise: I promise you will love the entire family, the multiple love stories strung through the novel, the feminist undertones ahead of their time & the ease you have losing yourself in their world. The characters are the most welcoming I've read.
With Christmas comes the Christmas wish list... & the promise of another year of great books being published. What books are on your wish list? What classics do you love most?
Not into classics? Here's a list of the best books from this year for you to consider as well.
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