I was revisited today by an old friend, Lord of the Flies. It wasn't that long ago that I read it, but it still seems too long. I flipped through it, read certain parts that I love, and realized how truly good it is. William Golding is brilliant writer. His book is full of symbolism and morals and lessons to be learned, yet it is still an entertaining, adventurous and extremely well written story. It slowly grows on you as you read and eventually becomes a close, wise friend. You realize how much you love it when you pick it up. It's not like the Hunger Games trilogy which fills you with immediate, frenzied passion to find out the end of the story, but is a consistent, modest fondness that is easily forgotten (however it will resurface every time you pick up the book).
I don't know, it is something to observe. This year I am going to be reading plenty of classics and I am wondering if they will all have this effect. Do our books today give us temporary highs and show us different lives but don't teach us different lessons? I feel like classic books are wiser than the ones today. They say something, they have a purpose. Is that lacking in books today? I don't know. It's an interesting question that I hope I can find the answer to.
Sarah
I agree. Though there are still many good books today, I feel like a lot of them are dramas that are fairly simple to read. They may still be wonderful books, but beneath the surface, they do not have the same allure and depth of wisdom that an old book has. I feel the same way you do about Lord of the Flies with the books The Sun Also Rises, Catcher in the Rye, Jane Eyre, etc. etc.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of this generation is obsessed with romance and lives very different from their own (like you said). Not that those things are completely bad, but it seems as if people only see books as an escape, rather than words of wisdom that can be learned from.
I'm glad you posted this. I've been thinking that same thing for quite a while. Hope all is well! Love you. :)
Exactly! I'm glad we feel the same way. :) I hope everything is well with you too! Love you!
ReplyDelete