The Classics | My Favourites

Classic books are my absolute favourites. There's something about the the history behind them, and the journey they've gone through to still remain being read. Despite the changing times and how different our society is today compared to the societies in which they were written, they still manage to remain relevant and relatable. Although there are many, many of these books that I absolutely love, I limited myself to choosing four to share in this post :)

Hamlet - Shakespeare

North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell

The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

Three of these books I found through studying them in school, and I absolutely loved them. 

Hamlet.

I find it really sad how the majority of people don't like Shakespeare or his plays at all. I think it may stem from that they are difficult to read and understand when you're not used to reading that sort of language. Hamlet is my absolute favourite play out of the ones I have read and studied, with King Lear and Macbeth equal second. There is so much philosophy and incredible writing in it. Even though it was written hundreds of years ago, it is still relevant and contains universal themes and emotions that we still explore in modern books today. I particularly love the famous 'To be, or not to be..' soliloquy, the play within the play, and Act 3, Scene 2 with Hamlet, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern and the recorders. For new Shakespearean readers I do suggest getting a 'No Fear Shakespeare' version which has the Shakespearean version on the left page, then the modern english version on the right page. It just makes it easier to understand the language better and whats going on in the story.

North and South.

North and South is the beautiful, sweet love story of Margaret and Mr Thornton. I must admit it is hard to get into the novel at the beginning, as unfortunately the first nine chapters are a little confusing and it's hard understand what they're doing and where they're going. But I promise you, keep at it because once she finally gets to Milton the story gets awesome. By the end of the novel I absolutely loved the characters and found myself really involved in the story and the feelings of the characters. Loved this book so much!

The Magician's Nephew.

This book is the very first in the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. I still haven't finished the series despite having literally owned them my whole life, but I have read the first few books. Out of the ones that I have read, this is by far my favourite. The beginning of Narnia, the rings, the portal pools, the Witch and Digory and Polly. There are so many hidden messages, meanings and metaphors throughout the novel, it really makes you think. It also leaves you connecting the dots between this book and the later novels. One of my favourite children's books :)

Pride and Prejudice.

Last but definitely not least, Pride and Prejudice. The style of writing in this novel can be considered a little hard to read if you're not used to reading it, as it is quite different to modern writing. The story is a little slow moving too, but I really loved it a lot. It's the classic love story of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy, and is a must-read if you want to get into the classics. I studied this in class, so if you're reading it on your own and do not have a lot of knowledge about the society of that time I do recommend looking it up or reading Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen by Fay Weldon. Just knowing more about the context of the novel and the society of the time that it was written in can really help you appreciate the novel and its themes more.