Reflections on a Year of Reading English Literature
Word count: 592
“Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen. “Jane Eyre” by Jane Austen. “NW” by Zadie Smith.
General Reflections:
England is a very sophisticated country. Very organized in way. Follow a strict set of commands. I feel as if English authors follow those same structures. English authors are very sophisticated and their diction is beyond the young generation mind. You would have to love English literature to read it. Most English books, well at least the good ones, are the old ones. The one common theme most of the books I read have in common is love. Love plays a big part in English literature and so does betrayal. There always has to be some type of betrayal. Characters in English literature, if a female are portrayed as poor but strong and independent. While the male is more so rude and is a narcissist. They always think they’re better than most. Oh, don’t even get me started on the rich people. They look at servants so below them. The English book I read didn’t take place during modern times. Jane Austen’s work is very outstanding if I say so myself. She knows how to reel her readers in and make them be able to relate. Jane Austen will forever have an impact on the literature world. Her works are being adapted in movies and TV shows.
Pride and Prejudice:
Pride and Prejudice taught me that no matter who the guy is you shouldn’t just fall for him just because he has money. It’s the personality that counts and Darcy was not a nice man and Elizabeth didn’t go running into his arms. Sis made him work real hard for her. Elizabeth taught me not to care about what others have to say about me. She taught me that when you love yourself no one can ever make you feel worthless. Elizabeth’s was wise and because of that she wasn’t naive and I admire her for that. She taught me to always look past a person's persona because sometimes that not who they are at all. She looked past Darcys persona.
Jane Eyre:
Jane Eyre taught me that no matter where you come from always know your worth. Don’t settle for less when you know you can have more. She also taught me to never give up and to continue persevering because what you are going through now is not what you’re gonna go through forever. This is just an obstacle on your path to success. She overcame so many obstacles it was admiring to watch her grow into herself. She made a voice for herself and she taught me to make a voice for myself because if not people will just run over me.
NW:
I really didn’t learn much from NW because I had just started it. All I can say is that it taught me to not be so quick to trust a person just because they are in “crisis.” They might just be playing you and you wouldn’t know. Have a nice heart but be careful who you let into your home.
What I Learned About Myself:
lol this is going to be funny coming from me. I learned that I love romance. Yeah, I said it. I love romance. Only fiction though, I’m not a really big fan of real life romance because those get messy and rarely ever get fixed. Even though I did not like Mr. Darcy, I still wanted him and Elizabeth to get together and Same for Mr. Rochester and Jane. I love the story behind romance. It’s so raw but pure at the same time. It’s crazy and I just love it. Feed me the sappy stuff because I will eat it all.
















