Do you ever get the feeling that life is just not real enough? Like
we’re floating along, going through the motions but not really
experiencing what we do. I think that may be why I enjoy literature so
much–it forces you to confront the universal issues of human
existence. And yet at the other end of the spectrum is the aesthetic
appeal of art–it almost takes what we know and see in literature and
makes it beautiful whether it really is or not. Grotesque battle
scenes, murder and death, even the crucifixion of Christ, have been
depicted and, as such, beatified simply by the nature of good art. What
defines good art is a completely separate issue… I haven’t read
any really good books lately (aside from the Bible) and I’m feeling
bereft without the intensity of literary study that I experienced in my
last two years of high school. Anybody got suggestions for a good read?
oreosforlunch
Paradise Lost. A beautiful poem blessed by God. Not an actual story but something very close to the real story of Satan’s rebellion against God, the fall of Humanity, and God’s unending love still in the end.
I laughed and cried as I read it, heck, I’m still reading it. And I highly recommend it if you’re looking for good, profound literature.
princessabigail
My top 3 favorite literary works of all time (so far at least) are:
Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and Lois Lensky’s The Giver. These are both “utopian/dystopian” which is interesting to me, but will probably be boring if you dislike the genre.
Irving Stone’s Immortal Wife is a really interesting story about Jessie Benton Fremont (wife of John Fremont) and I am pretty sure all the facts are true. I usually hate historical fiction, but I really liked this one.
EuropeanWanderer
a good read that’s doable with the hillsdale homework load? hmm… have you ever read the sun also rises by hemingway? i love that book. come to my room sometime and you can check out my books. i have all these cheap hardbook classics that i compulsively pick up at secondhand book stores, thrift stores wherever. oh, and come over and hang out any time. no good you sitting in your freshie dorm feeling lonesome–i know that feeling well from freshman year.