return to the classics

Saturday, April 9, 2011

during junior high school
i had a string of memorable english teachers.
mrs. farrell, mrs. watson, and mrs. stafford.
to be precise.

they seemed so old back then.
but in hindsight,
they were not old at all.
they were full of spunk.

they were tough.
they demanded excellence.
they taught me the proper use of good and well.
and they made us read the classic.

and i mean read the book
word for word.
not skim
or read the cliff notes.

there are some books
that stayed with me over the years.
to kill a mockingbird, the yearling, the great gatsby
catcher in the rye, pride and prejudice and a tale of two cities.

there were others that i read
and then promptly forgot.
jane eyre was one of those books.

so when i saw jane eyre last night,
i was ill-prepared.
however, i think was was a good thing.
i had no expectations.

and i loved it.
it was tragic, heartbreaking, and beautiful.
it was about love.
the kind of love you can not live without.

i loved it so,
that i think in honor of
my english teachers
i need to re-read some of the classics.

4 comments:

  1. Your former English teacher aunt thanks you! :)
    Kay

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  2. I'm going to re-read Anna Karenina next. I remember loving it the first time around, but think I'll enjoy it much more this next time. I'll keep updating my Goodreads if you will!!

    V

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  3. Oh, read it! When I read Jane Eyre, I was surprised at how funny it was--or perhaps I should say, witty. I expected it to be over-wrought, I think, and was amazed to find myself laughing out loud and thoroughly enjoying it. Maybe it's just me, but I thought it was a delight.

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  4. every time i read it (4-6 times a year) i love it. but you already know that. haunting isn't it. i am always distracted for days after reading it. adam can always tell when have cracked it open again. dinners are burned, pots are ruined, house is a mess. read it. the movie was great (Michael Fassbender as Mr. Rochester, well, yum is all I will say on that since i am a married woman) but the book is ten times better with so much detail. Jane is my hero. I love her so.

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