on the jangling unpredictable beauty of classical literature
classics and their effect on my writing. a list of my fave classics.
hi, welcome to the blotting book! i’m manal and am so excited to have you here. in this space, i will be discussing books and my writing journey. i read and write because words are the only antidote to my loneliness and the sweet sorrow of being alive. i’m sure many of you can relate. please let me know what you think by leaving a comment <3
some of my favorite books happen to be classics. not because i was forced to read them in school, or because of fomo when i hear others extoll their virtues. but i read them because of their jangling, unpredictable beauty. only in classic literature can an author rage on about battles and have readers not skip those words (ahem war & peace). only in these tomes can one start a philosophical debate on moral virtues like ego, crime, and religion (ie. the brothers karamazov or les miserables).
when you read these old books, it sort of feels like music that blesses you with an unpredictable note in a moment you wouldn’t have expected. something that leaves your head light, almost like your soul is momentarily leaving the body.
when i read them, i feel free from the constraints of the predictable patterns and surgical efficiency of modern life. the world of classics runs on their own schedule. not on the hero’s journey or a three act structure. i get to hear long monologues and have a turn about a garden. my adhd enjoys this immersion into an author’s imagination immensely.
modern publishing is governed by one major rule: predictability sells. vampires are in? write more of that. greek myth retellings are cool? put it on the bookstore shelves. the hero arch strokes the heart? use that. sex sells? write sexier sex.
as an unpublished writer working on a novel, i ask myself how much can i include the random beauty of classics in my plotting and dialogues while still writing a novel worthy of publishing? furthermore, how much should i include modern trends and how much of classical philosophizing should i leave out? is it a lost cause to want to write the way you love even if there is no space for it on a bookshelf?
anyways, here are some of my favorite classics:
war and peace by leo tolstoy: is there a better balm on a sad day? nothing makes me dare to hope for a better day more than pierre seeing the 1812 comet.
the code of the woosters by p.g. wodehouse: roderick spode is literature’s funniest villain. and bertie and jeeves are the best comedic team. ever.
pride and prejudice by jane austen: darcy. daaarcy. and elizabeth is pretty cool too.
lolita by vladimir nabokov: name a creepier villain or a more poetic one than humbert humbert.
anna karenina by leo tolstoy: ah levin!!!
the picture of dorian gray by oscar wilde: i’m here for any deal with the devil, especially if it grants immortal beauty. and lord henry is hilarious.
one thousand and one nights translated by husain haddawy: this translation is hands down the best iteration of the tales within tales that shehrezade tells to stay alive.
toodle-oo for now as bertie wooster would say!