Books are possibly one’s best friend. They listen to you when you need to vent quietly, and they tell you stories, profound and brilliant. We have by now learned to live vicariously through books. Reading emerged as the most popular hobby because the activity is therapeutic. Some even consider reading a habit- your day is not over unless you read at least a few chapters from your favorite novels by the nightstand. This International Book-lovers’ Day let’s celebrate to recreate the spell that is cast by the charm of books. In the words of professor Dumbledore, “Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it.” And that is all there is to books.
While we mostly pick up a John Green or a J.D Salinger or even Murakami from bookstores we haven’t forgotten the age old classics that have borne the contemporary works. Old is after all gold and occasionally we do go back to a Dickens or a Tagore. Even the younger generation have their favorite classics to go back to and this is what they shared with HotFridayTalks.com.
Image Credit: Rajlekha Sil
Rajlekha Sil goes back to Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. “There’s a lot of gender issues involved in the novel, which I feel is extremely pertinent even in this century. We can find a lot of gender reversal roles there. Plus, the novel revolves around the concept of space, especially the concept of liminal space which we also find in Tagore’s Ghare Baire” she says.
Image Credit: Monami Goswami
Monami Goswami’s favorite is, Jane Austen’s Pride And Prejudice. “It has so many layers to it, I find something new every time I read it. I think the protagonist Elizabeth Bennet is a very independent and strong woman, so I kind of relate to her common sense and individual spirit” says Monami
Image Credit: Deepshikha Majumdar
Here’s how Deepshikha explains her love for Jane Austen’s Jane Eyre. “I love this, because of the way Jane’s character develops even after she goes through all the struggles. It has many mysterious elements too. Like that red room in which Jane was locked. Also the way Jane discovers Bertha Mason’s existence. And finally the romantic aspect between Jane and Mr. Rochester. All these things add up to make it my favourite classic” says Deepshikha.
So, however much our lifestyle and thought processes may change, to book lovers, classics will always retain their term. Maybe due to this, they have received this tag of classics.
