Back to the Classics 2015 Wrap Up

 

I didn't complete all the books on my Back to the Classics Challenge list, but I got through eight (one entry)! The challenge is hosted by Karen of Books and Chocolate. Below are all of the categories along with the books I finished. You can see the complete list of details in Karen's post here. 

 1. A Classic by a Woman Author: The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (1915)
2.  A Classic in Translation: Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan (1954) 
3.  A Very Long Classic Novel: Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (1891) 
4. A Classic with a Person's Name in the Title: Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis (1955)   
5.  A Humorous or Satirical Classic: Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift (1726)  
6.  A Forgotten Classic: A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter (1909) 
7.  A Classic Children's Book: Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter (1913)  
8.  A Classic Play: Richard II by William Shakespeare (1623)

Richard II

Richard II

by William Shakespeare

★★★☆

Richard II is the first play in the Henriad (second tetralogy). It is followed by the three plays, Henry IV, Part 1; Henry IV, Part 2; and Henry V. Shakespeare’s histories have always been his most intimidating works for me. Richard III and Henry V are obviously incredible, but some of the others, like this one, ramble on with so many different names that it can be hard to follow. I decided it was time to just dive in and start at the chronological beginning.

The Wars of the Roses play out in eight different works beginning with Richard II; then Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2, Henry V, Henry VI Part 1, 2, and 3, and Richard III. This play introduces many of the major players that have a role throughout the rest of those plays.

It's about the fall of a king, the shifting of power, unhappy subjects and the plotting that leads to the king’s downfall. There's a beautiful scene between Richard II and his wife in act five. She’s watching he husband lose his power and is heartbroken for him…

“But soft, but see, or rather do not see,

My fair rose wither: yet look up, behold,

That you in pity may dissolve to dew,

And wash him fresh again with true-love tears.”

I recently saw a film version of this one and it was fantastic. It was such a wonderful portrayal and those individuals will stick in my mind as those characters. Also I saw it at the Old Vic in London and Kevin Spacey played Richard II a few years ago. It was a wonderful performance. I’ve found that Shakespeare works so much better for me in book form if I’ve had a chance to see it performed live first.

BOTTOM LINE: A beautiful portrait of the tenuous nature of power and the bittersweet nature of victory. It can be hard to follow because of the sheer number of characters and shifting alliances.  If possible I'd recommend seeing a play or movie version before reading it because it's easier to follow the text when you can put a face with the name.

“I wasted time, and now doth time waste me;

For now hath time made me his numb'ring clock;

My thoughts are minutes, and with sighs they jar

Their watches on unto mine eyes, the outward watch,

Whereto my finger, like a dial's point,

Is pointing still, in cleansing them from tears.”

The Song of the Lark

The Song of the Lark
by Willa Cather
★★★★

Our title “lark” is Thea Kronborg, a young girl growing up in Colorado in the late 19th century. Even at a young age her musical talent is obvious. She learns how to play the piano and her ability soon out shines the resources available in her tiny hometown. Thea’s story is told in six sections which chronicle her struggle to become an artist. 

We watch as she befriends the community doctor, teaches piano lessons, loses a good friend in an accident, discovers the Mexican community in her town, and more. As she grows up she begins the lifelong battle to find a balance between ambition and family, a desire to succeed and her personal relationships. Her journey is a long one, taking her at times away from her goal or into lonely places to improve her talent.

The message that seems to echo throughout time is that you can have success and glory or you can have a life filled with family and friends. So often the two seem mutually exclusive. The closer Thea got to her dream, the farther she was from the people who loved her most. 

When Thea heads to Denver to study music it's a lot like a freshman leaving for college for the first time. They ache for the life they are leaving, but when they return home everything feels different. But in reality she’s the one who has changed, and her experiences are making her see her family in a whole new light. They have completely different in goals and values and she has a hard time reconciling her feelings with this new discovery.

As her priorities shift, she can’t relate to her family in the same way she used to. They have so little in common and a shared childhood can only get you so far. Their intolerance of the Mexican people makes no sense to her and only drives them further apart. I think many people have the same realization when they leave home in those formative years. As you discover more about the world around you and the views of other people, you begin to question the things you took for granted as fact in your youth. 

Thea’s talent is both a gift and a curse. Life is almost simpler for those who aren’t endowed with natural abilities that shine so brightly. Less is expected from them and they are able to choose their path with lower expectations. 

* This is technically the second novel in the author’s Prairie Trilogy, but each novel works as a standalone.

BOTTOM LINE: Cather’s writing is beautiful and I can’t wait to read more of her work. I didn’t love it quite as much as “O Pioneers!” but Thea’s struggle resonated with me. She learned so much over the years. She had to make difficult decisions about her future. As we grow up we are shaped by our experience and the paths we choose. That still remains true a century after the book was first published. 

“There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.”

“People live through such pain only once. Pain comes again—but it finds a tougher surface.”

“Art is only a way of remembering youth. And the older we grow the more precious it seems to us."

Back to the Classics 2015

I love the Back to the Classics Challenge. There are always great categories that make me get a bit creative when I choose my books. For the second year in a row the challenge is being hosted by Karen of Books and Chocolate. Below are all of the categories along with my selections. You can see the complete list of details in Karen's post here. 

Here's my list:

1.  A 19th Century Classic: The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot (1860) 

2.  A 20th Century Classic: The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene (1940)  

3.  A Classic by a Woman Author: The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (1915) 

4.  A Classic in Translation: Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan (1954) 

5.  A Very Long Classic Novel: Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (1891) 

6.  A Classic Novella: The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham (1951) 

7.  A Classic with a Person's Name in the Title: Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis (1955)  

8.  A Humorous or Satirical Classic: Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift (1726) 

9.  A Forgotten Classic: A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter (1909)  

10.  A Nonfiction Classic: A Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain (1880)  

11.  A Classic Children's Book: Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter (1913) 

12.  A Classic Play: Richard II by William Shakespeare (1623)