Jane Austen – Snopes

Five Books that Will Change the Way You Read

Lauren Starnes

There are few things more fulfilling than reading a truly great novel. Often these rich and complex works do not make for the easiest reading, but the rewards make it a worthwhile endeavor. In these works, everything from the plot to the characters and language draws the reader in and beckons him to read on. During my lifetime I have come across several of these thought provoking novels that completely changed the way I approach literature. These life-changing books are packed with intricate language, motifs, characters, and provocative themes. After much thought, I have compiled a list of the top five works that changed the way I read. Enjoy!

1. A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway

I read this novel when I was a senior in high school and again in college. Each time I study this book I am in awe of Hemingway’s bare, yet incredibly poignant style. Through his usage of his own Hemingway Code the author creates nuanced shifts in tone, character, and setting. This novel alerted me to the power of motifs and symbols in literature.

2. All the King’s Men, Robert Penn Warren

It only took about one chapter in this wonderful novel for me to fall in love with it. Warren’s depiction of Willie Stark is at times beautiful and sympathetic, but at other instances damning and critical. Warren’s language and character development in All the King’s Men is unparalleled. I particularly love the foil created by Stark and the narrator, Jack Burden.

3. The Optimist’s Daughter, Eudora Welty

On the surface, Welty’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book seems simple and conservative. However as Welty herself once said in One Writer’s Beginnings, “I am a writer who came from a sheltered life. A sheltered life can be a daring life as well. For all serious daring starts from within.” The Optimist’s Daughter is clearly a testament to this idea. Welty’s seemingly traditional story explores such complex and provocative themes as love, death, truth, and relationships. Finally, she ventures to ask what happens when we realize our parent’s marriage was not what we originally thought it was.

4. The Sound and the Fury, William Faulkner

In this dense and intricate work, Faulkner tells the story of the decaying Compson family. This unsettling story is unlike any other novel I have ever encountered. Faulkner experiments with time, psychology, sexuality, and conscious through the guise of various narrators. Reading and studying The Sound and the Fury taught me about new approaches to style, language, and character in literature.

5. Persuasion, Jane Austen

I’m sure most male readers are rolling their eyes at the inclusion of Austen on this list. As a woman, my affinity for Ms. Austen is probably coded into my DNA. Nevertheless, Persuasion is arguably the author’s best and often most under-appreciated work. This novel is darker than her previous books and represents a shift towards Romantic style and sensibilities. Austen is a master of dialogue and character development. If you can’t stand the love story, at least read and admire Austen for her wit, writing, and satire.

Senior at Washington and Lee University. Originally from Chattanooga, TN. Majoring in English.

Pride and Pigs

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When I was in high school, my junior English teacher assigned us a project: to write the story of the three little pigs in the style of our favorite author. We were not allowed to write the author’s name anywhere on the page and we were graded by the ease with which he guessed that author. A couple of my favorites flitted through my mind- Daphne Du Maurier, Dornford Yates, Martin Cruz-Smith– all with their own entirely different writing styles. I could just imagine all the various sorts of transformations the little pigs would go through in the eyes of these distinctive writers. But I wasn’t going to risk my teaching not having read one of these author’s of mine, so I settled on one that I figured any high school English teacher had to recognize: Jane Austen. I had a great time writing it. It was so easy letting yourself slip into the mind of an author so stylistically well known and use her voice to speak through. There was no need for me to be original, no need for me to be afraid of overstepping my boundaries. The story wasn’t mine and that made it easy.

When I write my own stories it can be agonizing. I never know how much influence I should allow other writers to have over me. I want to be the one to tell my own story, no exceptions. But sometimes, when I read over a piece I wrote a while ago, I could tell you exactly which author I was reading around that time. Usually, when I ask my friends to see if they can tell they can’t see what I’m talking about, but it bothers me. I know its natural for other writers’ influences to creep into your work, but how much is too much? When does the work become more theirs than yours? Sometimes I struggle with this more than others, but I am beginning to believe that everyone’s particular voice is made original by the authors they have read. Influences are allowed as long as they are slightly outweighed by your own inventiveness. They should be the assistants, not the craftsmen.

What do you think? How much influence should you allow into your work?

Cold Weather Reads

Lauren Starnes

Last week it seemed like Spring was just around the corner in beautiful Lexington, Virginia, but on Sunday Mother Nature surprised us with some last minute Winter weather. As I sat inside sipping Mint tea, eating peanut butter M&M’s, and watching the snow fall, I got to thinking about novels that are best read when it’s below freezing.

I made a short list of criteria for these novels. A good cold weather book must be engrossing. The story must transport you from your present dreary “winter wonderland” to sometime or someplace that is extraordinary. In these books, it is not necessarily the physical landscape that matters, but the novel’s emotional landscape is definitely important. Some of my favorite winter reads are Persuasion by Jane Austen, Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom, American Gods by Neil Gaiman, and Charlotte Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre.

When reading during cold and dismal weather it is also essential to choose books that have happy endings. Nothing is worse than reading a depressing book when the outside conditions are equally disheartening. I once read Cormac McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic tale, The Road during a particularly gray, rainy week and I was miserable. So pick your cold weather books wisely! In short, curling up with a good book is one of the most rewarding and enjoyable activities imaginable!

What are your cold weather reads of choice? Do you have certain books that you read during other seasons?

Senior at Washington and Lee University. Originally from Chattanooga, TN. Majoring in English.