I’m ashamed. Over the past six months the blog has taken the
backest of the back seats possible in my priorities. Who knew final term of
third year would be so time-consuming? Now that I’ve finished my degree (sob)
I’m going through a slight mourning period – hence this post. Looking back on
my degree, I feel so lucky that there hasn’t been a single minute I haven’t
enjoyed. True, I haven’t loved (or read) every single text on the course –
trying to plough my way through abstract concepts of history and time at one am
the day of the seminar definitely made me realise I am not an inhabitant of the
philosophical literature camp. However, every single thing I have read and
studied has taught me something, and further ignited my passion.
To pay homage to the past three years I’ve compiled a list
of the five best novels I have been introduced to and read throughout my
degree. This was hard – there are just so many! At heart, I’m an early modern
Shakespeare kinda gal (that doesn’t sound nerdy at all) but I don’t want to
neglect the huge range of literature and culture that I might never have
discovered if it wasn’t for my time at Sussex.
The
God of Small Things – Arundhati Roy
I’ve mentioned this book before in my previous posts,
usually with regards to the exotic Indian culture it introduced me to. The book
was written in 1997 – significantly 50 years after India gained independence
from the British Empire (in 1947). The fact that the novel won the Booker Prize
perhaps points to the fact that this is a novel aimed at and written for the
West, yet drenched in Indian culture and tradition. Although Roy was accused of
trivialising the political struggles in India at the time, such as the rise of
Communism, the domestication of these issues only further proves the gulf that
is still so prevalent between Indian culture and the West. Mammaji’s obsession
with the television and the culture of soap operas, for instance, is skilfully
juxtaposed with her unwavering loyalty to ancient Indian traditions of caste
and class – a point of contention which the entire text pivots around.
However, the emphasis lies in the title itself – this book
is about the small things as impacted by the wider world. The family
relationships are genuine and tangible and the questions of love – ‘where does
the love go?’ ‘what are the laws of love?’ ‘can you love too much?’ - draw the non-linear plot together around the
twins Estha and Rahel. A novel combining culture differentiation, archaic
traditions, and human relationships, The
God of Small Things maintains an emotional connection with any reader whilst
providing an exciting exoticism.
Read it now! Get it here
The
Golden Notebook – Doris Lessing
I encountered this book right at the other end of my degree,
in fact only a few months ago. Not to sound corny, but I do feel that this book
changed my life, and I annoyingly harp on about it to literally everyone. I
can’t help it – I just can’t see how someone could read it and not feel an
alteration in their thinking and living. This is the first (hopefully of many)
books I’ve read by Doris Lessing, but from reading her introduction to the book
(and watching a video of her casually dismissing being awarded the Nobel Prize)
she seems like a pretty great lady. In the introduction, Lessing goes to great
lengths to dismiss all the things critics have suggested the book is about
(feminism, communism, racism, fascism). However, whilst for Lessing this book
is ‘about’ none of these things, for me it is about ALL of them.
Revolving around the life of writer Anna Wulf, the novel is
split into sections: the ‘true’ novel Free
Women, and then Anna’s notebooks: Red, Yellow, Blue and Black. Finally,
there is the Golden Notebook. It’s hard to discuss the book briefly, there is
just SO MUCH to say on it. But it is also an intensely personal reading
experience – Lessing’s philosophy is firm: the reader gets out what he or she
is searching for. So I’ll leave you to get out of it what you will and
interpret in your own way. What I will say is that it’s the most informative
piece of fiction I’ve ever read and I’m still working my way through all the
political, sexual and psychological contexts in which the text is written. This
novel is a masterpiece – yes it is a heavy read and yes it is long, but it is
also necessary and relevant. I will never stop avidly (forcibly…) recommending The Golden Notebook to people.
Read it now! Get it here
Lolita
– Vladimir Nabokov
I read this for a course on satire in literature which, I
have to say, wasn’t my favourite course. I loved the satirical traditions of
the ancient worlds, but the modern satires ultimately revolving around sex and
brutal violence weren’t for me. It was potentially discussing these in a room
full of men as one of the only women which put me off. However, as part of the
course I did read a book I never would otherwise have picked up: Lolita.
The novel has so many different textures and layers, just
thinking about it makes me want to go back and read it again. It’s one of those
books that I think you have to read multiple times in order to get the most
enjoyment out of it. Known today as one of the infamous ‘Banned Books’ people
can still get a little shamefaced talking about it. The story is of
self-concious, loner Humbert, who falls in love with young verging-on-pubescent
Lolita. Nabokov’s genius really comes in as the tables begin to turn as Lolita
becomes the manipulative villain and Humbert the blithering idiot victim. The
reader asks themselves ‘how can his love be a crime?’. It is only when we step
back out of Humbert’s own narration that we can see the situation with fresh
eyes. Nabokov’s manipulation of characters and distortion of right and wrong is
what sticks in the mind once the novel is over, it is a novel which throws up
more questions than it answers, begging to be read over and over.
Read it now! Get it here
New
Grub Street – George Gissing
Bit of a different one here – but I do love my Victorian
novels. Gissing is a bit different from more conventional Victorian writers
such as Austen or Hardy, his stance wavers between traditionalism set out by
earlier writers and experimental modernism that would be taken up by writers
such as Joyce. As well as testing out new fictional styles and novel forms,
Gissing takes up fascinating questions of growing capitalism,
industrialisation, and economic pressure within his own context – questions
which were adopted by political writers such as Orwell and Wells much later.
The novel follows the lives of a number of different
aspiring and established writers in an ever-expanding London. In true realist
fashion, Gissing creates each character around a set of values and social
constructs, forcing them to partake in a survival of the fittest style
competition. Gissing shows how the life of a writer is all encompassing – from
the physical manifestations of writers’ block, to the crippling restrictions of
age and gender. Coupling this with the metatextuality imposed by Gissing’s own
writing and critical background, New Grub
Street is one of the best representations of the impact of capitalism on
the world of literature and culture of its time, and has resonated with each
generation since.
Read it now! Get it here
Gulliver’s
Travels – Jonathan Swift
As the saying goes… ‘an oldie but a goodie’. My sister is
appalled I’m including this in the list, but I just love this book! (and most
of Swift’s other work). I’ve studied it a few times over the years and each
time I find something new to laugh at, it’s just such a good piece of satirical
fiction. I won’t say much on this one as it’s very well known – people probably
know it best for the Land of the Lilliputs. But even the less known sections,
such as the world of the Houyhnhnms, are enthralling and so enlightening.
Swift’s not-so-subtle digs at humankind and the physicality of the body are not
only hilarious, but also say a lot about the controversial nature of his
writing and views on society. One of the earliest examples of social satire –
this one is a classic and a must-read.
Read it now! Get it here
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