The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was my first assigned reading for my Zombie/Vampire in literature graduate seminar and half the time I was chuckling and the other half I could feel goosebumps rising up my arms.The prince reminded me of the Queen of Hearts from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, constantly shouting “off with their heads”, while the other characters only took him half seriously and dealt with the conflicts in the story.The story in itself was rather spooky with perfectly placed eerie details, including the general feel of knights and chivalry and the Gothic atmosphere.Overall, widely considered the first English Gothic…
-
-
Frankenstein
Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley My rating: 2 of 5 stars Part of BBC’s “100 Stories that shaped the World” list, I thought it would be fun to keep track of all the works I have read that are listed.Frankenstein was required reading for three of my courses; once during my undergraduate years and twice during my graduate program. I read it twice and went through the text the third time just skim reading it to remind myself of anything I may have forgotten.Truth be told, reading Frankenstein the first time had me on the edge of my seat, I was invested in the story and just waiting for the…
-
Things Fall Apart
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe My rating: 3 of 5 stars Part of BBC’s “100 Stories that shaped the World” list, I thought it would be fun to keep track of all the works I have read that are listed.It was required reading for my postcolonial literature (PoCo Lit) course I took 8 years ago. I don’t remember much of the actual story, only that the course in general was not one of my favourite and postcolonial literature appears to be not my forte.It was an interesting story, but I believe the whole subject matter of postcolonialism always makes me rather sad and sometimes even makes my stomach turn…
-
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare My rating: 3 of 5 stars Part of BBC’s “100 Stories that shaped the World” list, I thought it would be fun to keep track of all the works I have read that are listed.Oh! The tragedy! I had to read this play in high school and about 7 years later I decided to read it again before seeing it at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.It is not my favourite; to be completely honest it is tied with Hamlet as my least favourite of Shakespeare’s plays.It does capture the angst and brooding nature of the teenage years quite well (personally, I don’t look back on…
-
To Kill A Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee My rating: 5 of 5 stars Part of BBC’s “100 Stories that shaped the World” list, I thought it would be fun to keep track of all the works I have read that are listed.I feel a bit of excitement beginning to bubble in my chest as I remember my time reading this story. I almost feel like celebrating, since this was the first book I read in English…ever. I moved halfway across the world, finishing my high school years in an English-speaking school system at the tender age of 15 and only with the English education I had received in Germany. I…
-
Wide Sargasso Sea
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys My rating: 4 of 5 stars Part of BBC’s “100 Stories that shaped the World” list, I thought it would be fun to keep track of all the works I have read that are listed.I should begin by saying that this story is a sort of prequel to the original Jane Eyre, focusing on Mrs. Rochester.If I still had my copy of this book, it would have a spot on my permanent book shelf. It not only holds a special place in my heart, but also played a crucial role in my academic and personal endeavours in studying and reviewing literature. 11 years ago…
-
Mrs. Dalloway
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf My rating: 5 of 5 stars Part of BBC’s “100 Stories that shaped the World” list, I thought it would be fun to keep track of all the works I have read that are listed.My first conscious experience with the great Virginia Woolf’s works (previous to this novel was an excerpt of A Room of One’s Own for a class I took; I wish I could have read it in its entirety back then). As so often with classic British literature, this novel was assigned reading for an undergrad English course I took about 9 years ago. I can’t remember the name of the course,…
-
Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë My rating: 5 of 5 stars Part of BBC’s “100 Stories that shaped the World” list, I thought it would be fun to keep track of all the works I have read that are listed.I have read Jane Eyre twice. The first time was 11 years ago and required for my intro to English Literature undergraduate course and the second time about 7 years ago part of a little book club I have with my husband. I remember getting into this heated discussion with him about the characters etc. I’m not sure what conclusion we drew, but it felt more like a truce and an…
-
Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen My rating: 5 of 5 stars Part of BBC’s “100 Stories that shaped the World” list, I thought it would be fun to keep track of all the works I have read that are listed.When I found out that Rosamund Pike read Pride and Prejudice for Audible, I got extremely excited and signed up for a subscription just so that I could listen to it.I loved her in the 2005 movie production as Jane Bennett and listened to this version with delight. Pike’s performance and interpretation of the various characters had me chuckle in public. I adored her version of Mr. Collins and Mary…
-
Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë My rating: 2 of 5 stars Part of BBC’s “100 Stories that shaped the World” list, I thought it would be fun to keep track of all the works I have read that are listed.During the last decade or so I read this story 3 times and I can say with absolute certainty that the third time definitely felt like a chore. I had to force myself to go to my local university’s library (not that I don’t like libraries) at 8 in the morning, with a packed lunch and a double shot cappuccino for two-and-a-half days to make it through this book. I had…
