#funread

Over the summer I read Jane Austen’s six major novels (posted below) in less than a month. As a result, I didn’t get the chance to thoroughly enjoy each novel separately. In my head they all sort of fused into one big glob of romance-ness. After reading the last of the six, I almost completely forgot what Persuasion was about (it being the first one I read); my brain just didn’t care about holding onto it. Therefore, having to read Persuasion for my Romantic Period class was great because it allowed my brain another chance to retain and actually enjoy it the second time around.

One aspect of this novel that I find interesting is that it was published one year after Jane Austen passed away. For some reason I always get so curious about things like this, and it leaves me with a trail of (mostly unnecessary) questions. For instance: Did Austen actually finish writing the book? Does the fact that Austen died before publishing it mean she didn’t get to perfect it? What if Austen didn’t publish it because she planned on changing it? After she died, who decided that it should be published? Did they change or edit anything? If so, what if they changed something that went against what Austen envisioned for her novel? Ultimately, isn’t there a chance that the Persuasion that was published, the one we read today, could be something completely different than what Austen originally planned?

This novel is intense. Emily Brontë explores a different sort of love: obsession. It illustrates the obsessive love of two characters, how it affects them, the people around them, and even the generations that come after. The indirect narration was a bit confusing at first, but it was a great read nonetheless.

I absolutely adore the Brontë sisters. I think I’d actually recommend them over Jane Austen now. Admittedly, Austen wrote some pretty amazing novels; she really knew how to compose a proper love story. However, I couldn’t help but compare her to the Brontë sisters. In my opinion, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights are much more compelling romance novels. They seemed more realistic and didn’t feel like a generic, predictable love story like how Austen’s novels tend to be.

The Brontë sisters were seriously talented writers. Their stories are unique, raw, and entertaining as hell, at least the two I’ve read so far have been. I can’t wait to read their other novels.  

This book contains a collection of plays written by the one and only Oscar Wilde. It includes: Lady Windermere’s Fan, Salome, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, and The Importance of Being Earnest.

Having really only experienced plays from Shakespeare, I was super excited to read these. I enjoyed almost all of them. Salome was a bit tiresome, it just didn’t seem to belong in this collection so I couldn’t get into it as well as the others, but they were all amazing nonetheless.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is one of my favourite reads. Robert Louis Stevenson brilliantly incorporated several genres in his short novel. He created a spectacular gothic sci-fi thriller, with a dash of drama, horror, and mystery. What surprises me the most is that he wrote the novel within a week, excluding the months he took to refine it. What I loathe the most is that, due to how immensely popular this book has become, I never had the chance to experience the shocking Hyde-is-Jekyll reveal that Victorian readers witnessed first-hand. Those lucky bastards got to feel the fear and suspense that Stevenson created himself. They were able to try and solve the strange mystery of Mr. Hyde before the media took control and spread different versions of the original story all around the world.

A medieval morality play about the journey everyone must go through in order to find salvation in the eyes of God, if you’re into that sort of thing.

I highly recommend reading this short play. Of all things, it was definitely a fun read. Enjoy!