For Love of the Classics

For all of my adult life I have loved Classic Literature. Actually, I can go further back than that when I discovered Anne of Green Gables at the age of 15 so I guess high school was my first introduction. Wait! No it was maybe junior high when I read Call of the Wild. Well, maybe I've been into classic literature for all of my life.

I mean, there is also classic children's literature like Where the Wild Things Are (my favorite childhood book). I didn't get into the classic fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson until College when my professor actually introduced me to those stories, ya know, way before Disney ever got their claws into them. FYI: The originals are much darker, especially the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales.

So now that I think about it, I've always been interested in the classics. Classic movies, classic music, classic art, and classic books. Don't get me wrong. I do have my favorites of the modern everything. I love Modern Gothic Art. I adore Modern Rock (but come on, classic rock is the BEST), Modern movies and TV shows will always be a thing for me and yeah, I even like some Modern literature (though I am pretty picky about which ones).

The modern stuff is great but there is just something about the classics. Movies, TV shows and music hold a special nostalgia for me that really helped me survive my childhood. They will hold a special place in my heart and I do love to go back to them every now and then.

Classic literature does something else for me though. When I read a Jane Austen novel I am transported back to a completely different time. It's not just another world but another time. I love History so the classics make me feel like I am reliving some of that history. I am seeing it through the author's eyes. Their writings are a reflection of their generations, their time period.

Lately, I have been on a classic literature kick. The past three months have been spent in the world of The Strange Case of Dorian Grey. Before that, I was transported to the world and time of Jane Ere. I'll be honest, I struggled a bit with that one but in the end, I think I finally have a decent understanding of Jane and her world view during that time.

But of course, no classic literature binge is complete for me without reading Jane Austen. My favorite book is Pride & Prejudice. I swear, I have read that book three times over the course of the years I have loved Jane Austen. I didn't discover her until college many years ago.

Now I am trying to read the rest of her books, with some other authors between. Like the one I am currently reading that apparently goes unheard of by even some of the most educated and enthusiastic of the classic readers. Her name is Ann Radcliffe and I learned about her recently while reading some info on Jane Austen.

Ann Radcliffe actually inspired many writers of the time like Jane Austen and Lord Byron. She wrote what was called at the time Gothic Romance and was a pioneer for Gothic Fiction. I love Gothic Fiction and yet, until recently, I had never heard of her. How is this possible?

One could argue, and argue well, our education system is to blame. Though, I think that so many throughout history go overlooked because of their minority status, unfortunately and the public school education system is only one piece of that pie. While doing some research on her, she wasn't the first to write a gothic novel but she was the one to change it's reputation.

Way back in the 1700's Gothic Fiction was considered trash but Ann took it to new heights with her third book, The Romance of the Forrest (1791). Please, if you are interested in learning more about this amazing woman, read up on her. She's fascinating.

Currently, I am reading her first novel published in 1789 called, The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne. So far, I am enjoying it very much. I absolutely recommend you give her a chance if you love the classics.

Thanks so much for reading!