World Book Day!

Thursday 4th March was World Book Day, so I thought I would share some thoughts about my two favourite novels!

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen:

This was the first Austen novel I read, and it's fair to say that after this I became a hardcore Austen fan, reading the rest of her novels straight away! However, what makes this one so special is her portrayal of the protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet who, in many ways, defies the conventional stereotypes imposed upon her by society through her wit and intemperance, yet still manages to obtain that 'happy ending'. Critics have always said that Austen's ability to create such humour in her novels, especially

through her supreme use of dialogue, has always been one of the best qualities of her novels which is why they are regarded so highly and loved by so many, and obviously, I agree with this, but I also think that her application of virtue ethics to her novels is another aspect that draws us in since, in lieu of the two extremes of faultless characters and those riddled with flaws, she makes her novels more realistic by displaying the complexity of her characters' virtues and vices, and their journeys and struggles as they overcome them which ultimately takes them to their 'happy ending'. This is definitely evident in Pride and Prejudice amongst many of the characters, but Mr. Darcy is a prime example of this as our first impression of him is his haughty, surly nature; however, we start to see later on in the novel that his love for Lizzie has caused him to somewhat overcome this, and it is Lizzie's inability to change her fixed mindset about his nature which causes the delay and miscommunication between them, and I think a novel in which we can oscillate between feelings of love and hate towards the same character at various moments in the plot, marks the sign of a truly incredible literary work.

All the light we cannot see by Anthony Doerr:

I know I've already written a review about this beautiful novel, however, I think it is worth another mention. One of my favourite genres of literature is historical fiction, and I particularly love this wartime novel displaying the extent of a father's love for his daughter, as well as the courage that seemed to burst out of the two young protagonists, Marie-Laure and Werner. This novel was 10 years in the making, and this is evident when you read it because the lyricism and poetic nature of each sentence is so exquisite, making it an extremely powerful and heart-rending novel.

Another touching theme that Doerr explores throughout the novel is obviously the theme of blindness, and he does this not only through the portrayal of Marie-Laure, whose father builds her a mini model of Paris so that she can feel her way around the city, but also through presenting ideas associated with blindness, such as darkness and vulnerability. If we look at the title of the novel, it becomes clear that Doerr is suggesting that although blindness is a physical debilitation, we all at times experience the darkness and fear that comes with a loss of vision, either physical or in this case, metaphorical. Looking back on the novel, the images I have in my head are always shrouded in darkness, and I think that throughout the novel, Doerr explores how Occupied France had lost the ability to see 'the light', ravaged by the Nazis and their lives overrun by thoughts of war, they had lost the luxury and hope of everyday life, which, to me could be a metaphorical source of light in their lives.

So I hope that you had a lovely World Book Day and that you managed to pick up a book; whether it be an old favourite or an exciting new read, books have a way of lifting our spirits and keeping us going!