Tag: Classics
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A Classic Couple: THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN and THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS
Today I’m here to discuss a rather unlikely Classic Couple (this one made of two classics!): The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (1885) and The Wind in the Willows (1908). As most American students who have been assigned to read Huck Finn in English class will know, this classic novel is about a white boy and black slave…
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WATERSHIP DOWN by Richard Adams | Review
I picked up Watership Down by Richard Adams earlier this summer because I wanted to read a book that didn’t involve people or romance. My father had recommended this classic to me years ago, so when I saw it on the library shelf I figured I would give it a try. Upon turning to the first page…
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WIDE SARGASSO SEA by Jean Rhys | Review
“Wide Sargasso Sea, a masterpiece of modern fiction, was Jean Rhys’s return to the literary center stage. She had a startling early career and was known for her extraordinary prose and haunting women characters. With Wide Sargasso Sea, her last and best-selling novel, she ingeniously brings into light one of fiction’s most fascinating characters: the…
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A Classic Couple: The Catcher in the Rye and The Perks of Being a Wallflower
When I realized recently that I have never made a Classic Couple pairing of J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye (1951) and Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999), I vowed to remedy that situation immediately. This classic/contemporary duo always reminds me of the start of the school year, which makes this the…
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A Classic Couple: Romeo & Juliet and The Hunger Games
Sometimes it seems as though everyone is birthed from the womb with an inherent knowledge of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. I have a feeling that a similar situation will happen with Suzanne Collins’ novel The Hunger Games in a few generations. Just as the mention of Shakespeare’s famous play immediately conjures up ideas of star-crossed lovers and family feuds, The…
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A Classic Couple: Middlemarch and Nervous Conditions
A few months ago I discussed Tsitsi Dangarembga’s 1988 novel Nervous Conditions in the context of feminist writing and postcolonial literature. Today, I’ll like to talk about this remarkable novel in a slightly different context: coupled with George Eliot’s classic 1871 novel Middlemarch. Published over a century apart and set against very different backdrops, these two novels are nevertheless tied…
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A Classic Couple: Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea
Charlotte Brontë’s 1847 novel Jane Eyre is one of the books that first made me fall in love with classic literature. I remember reading it on a family road trip before my senior year of high school, captivated by Jane’s independence and resilience. For years librarians, professors, and bookish friends who know that Jane Eyre is a favorite of…
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A Classic Couple: The Lost World and Jurassic Park
Today I bring you a very specie edition of A Classic Couple featuring two remarkable books: The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1912) and Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (1990). You may be wondering what a novel by the creator of Sherlock Holmes has to do with the book that inspired my favorite movie. The answer? The Lost…
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A Classic Couple: Orlando and Every Day
It’s time for another Classic Couple! I love this feature so much but for some reason it tends to be the last thing on my mind when scheduling posts. In an effort to be more regular about it in the future, today I’d like to share an interesting and unexpected pair: Virginia Woolf’s novel Orlando (1928) and…
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BETWEEN THE ACTS by Virginia Woolf | Review
In Woolf’s final novel, villagers present their annual pageant, made up of scenes from the history of England, at a house in the heart of the country as personal dramas simmer. Between the Acts is also a striking evocation of English experience in the months leading up to the Second World War. Through dialogue, humour…
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