What's on your Autumn Reading List?
Contrary to what many think, autumn is the ideal period to read a book. Winter, you say. Many can't resist to go out and frolic in the snow (unless there's a blizzard). Spring, on the other hand, is a good reason to go outdoors, and a book may be the last thing you want to bring along. As for summer, it depends. (Anything can happen, but this is another matter.)
School begins during this time of the year. University students might groan, as they don't want to think about the reading list. (Modern Literature includes works by Joseph Conrad, Rudyard Kipling, and E.M. Forster. And this is one course. Then there are other books and articles relevant to the course.) Fall is also the busiest time in the publishing calendar. Ian McEwan's "The Children Act", Hilary Mantel's "The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher", and James Ellroy's "Perfidia" are out last month. This month's releases include "The Book of Strange New Things" by Michel Faber, "Lila" by Marilynne Robinson, and "Nora Webster" by Colm TóibÃn. Coursework must come first, though.
Whether we agree or not, autumn defines literature (or it may be the other way around).
Shades of red, yellow, purple, and brown
The opening of school and the beginning of fall are weeks away. "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (1997) is a must-read in this regard. Everyone who read the series recall how Harry's story is told over and over again. The Boy Who Lived was first described as an orphan living with relatives who are neglectful and abusive. On his eleventh birthday, he received an invitation from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. New season, new beginning. The young lad was somewhat excited, not knowing he was connected to the Dark Lord, who once attended Hogwarts.
Autumn is also associated with Halloween, and there can be no better time to talk about Gothic fiction. Susan Hill's "The Woman in Black" (1983) began with Arthur Kipps listening to the ghost stories his wife tells to their children. He became agitated and irritated when he was asked to tell a scary tale. He walked away, not wanting to share his own horrific experience. Arthur was a junior solicitor when he was sent to Crythin Gifford, a small market town on the north east coast of England. He was to attend the funeral of Mrs. Alice Drablow, but the inhabitants were scared to mention her name. He found out about a specter, a presage that a child would die. He didn't believe in it, until he settled down and had a child of his own. The novella is in the style of traditional Gothic novel, also an illustration of how the English countryside seduces outsiders.
Fall has other connotations. It's a season of primary harvest, and in this aspect, Thanksgiving comes to mind. Louisa May Alcott's "An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving" is about a poor family, who despite their means, manage to prepare for this special occasion. And how. Those who enjoy "Little Women" won't be disappointed at this short story. The season also reflects certain attitudes. In the case of "Early Autumn" (1926), Louis Bromfield depicts an upper-class family in Massachusetts who cling to their old ways despite the rapid changes in their hometown. They are seen as hypocrites, unable to accept what is imminent. But at the end of the day, it's the image of red and yellow leaves that makes the season unique. It comes to life when the sun is in the horizon, which Edith Wharton vividly describes in "An Autumn Sunset".
Now it's your turn to tell what's on your autumn reading list.
