This month’s column is all about classics. I consider a classic to be a book that was written many years ago that is still as relevant and beloved today.
“Anne of Green Gables” by Lucy Maud Montgomery is a wholesome tale of a girl struggling to fit in with her new family while simultaneously figuring herself out as a person. “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen is the story of a family that isn’t as conventional as it seems, with a self-important mother, a father who doesn’t believe in society's rules, and five unique daughters. George Orwell’s “1984” is about a dystopian world in which there is always someone watching all movements and thoughts, scanning for any signs of disloyalty to Big Brother, the supposed god of all living people.
Now, without further ado, let’s get into the recommendations:
“Anne of Green Gables,” published in 1908, is one of my absolute favorite books. This book is set on Prince Edward Island, Canada, and is about a young girl named Anne, an orphan with bright red hair and green eyes. Anne is taken in by Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, enrolled in school, and has to go through the turmoil of making friends, pleasing teachers, and getting good grades. Anne always had a flair for the dramatic, and tends to blow things out of proportion.
She maintains an almost entirely carefree air throughout her childhood, whilst still making many mistakes. She falls off a roof, accidentally gives her best friend liquor poisoning, and smashes a glass plate over her rival's head, all within about a year. As she gets older, she ultimately starts to mature, and as her challenges grow into real world problems, she learns who she really is, and what is most important to her. Although this story is set over 100 years ago, its themes of growing up and maturing are still relevant today.
My second recommendation is “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen, published in 1813. Austen often wrote stories with nods to the unfair standards for women, usually featuring a female protagonist who isn’t completely comfortable with the rules of society. “Pride and Prejudice” is one of these books and revolves around the Bennet family. Mrs. Bennet is a woman who is concerned about who her daughters will marry, very much a traditionalist. Mr. Bennet is almost the opposite, an odd man who doesn’t fit in with traditional society and does not care in the slightest who his daughters will marry, as long as they are successful and content in life.
The family has five children, the oldest being a modest girl named Jane, who is sweet and always does what she is told. The protagonist of the story, Elizabeth, is an intelligent girl, who thinks there is more to life than getting married. Elizabeth questions things more than her mother thinks she ought to, and is always optimistic. Mary, the middle child, is very much a bookworm. She is smart, and knows it. Mary is often overly self-important, and is seen as a bit uptight. The two youngest daughters, Kitty and Lydia, always have their heads in the clouds, immature young girls who never know what they are talking about.
When Elizabeth encounters a man named Mr. Darcy, she is intrigued. After further conversation, Elizabeth decides Mr. Darcy is a snotty immature young man, and her intrigue fades. Mr. Darcy however seems to become even more infatuated with Elizabeth as time goes on, but his feelings are not exactly reciprocated. As the family navigates through life, they learn valuable information about themselves and each other.
“1984” by George Orwell, published in 1949, was recommended to me by a friend of mine, so now I am passing the recommendation on. It is one of my favorite dystopian novels of all time, written about a world in which you are always being watched. The book starts off by introducing the main character, Winston Smith. He lives on a continent called Oceania, where a ruler named Big Brother watches over everything. In Oceania, Big Brother is worshipped as a savior, and anyone who talks or even thinks badly about him mysteriously disappears. The citizens are constantly being fed propaganda, and most of them believe the things they are told, except for Winston, who has always felt it was an injustice to not be able to think, speak, or believe freely. Winston secretly writes his true thoughts in a journal, all while pretending to worship Big Brother. His life continues monotonously, until he falls in love with a fellow colleague, Julia, and both their lives are changed forever.
These three books are my all-time favorite classics, and I hope they can become some of yours as well. If you have any suggestions for other book recommendations, you can email me at [email protected].
Happy reading!