How reading the Classics has made me who I am

From the Austen's to the Brontës, the stories that moulded my soul...

Hello, I’m Molly and I write about my slow and simple life in the Scottish Highlands. Please subscribe to support my work and if you want to read more of my stories. You can also find me on YouTube and shop my Slow Scottish Store and sustainable Teemill Clothing.

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I remember vividly being presented with my first classic book.

Now I was 12, my mother decided it was time to start encouraging reading the classics, that she herself adored.

She presented me with Anne of Green Gables as my first test. In retrospect, this was a well chosen book for her nature loving, daydreaming, red-headed daughter. I could relate to Anne on so many levels.

I had been an avid reader for years by this point, but my bookshelves were full of contemporary fiction, often set in fantasy worlds. I was not convinced that this simple story, with its unusual flowery language, was going to give me the same level of thrill.

I was right in a way. Reading Anne of Green Gables was a very different experience to those stories I’d followed before. I made slow progress at first. Struggling to penetrate the language at times. Leading to frustrated huffs and the book being abandoned for many days.

However, not one to turn down a challenge, I persevered. Once I was a few chapters in, something remarkable happened. I’d stopped noticing the strange words of this unfamiliar world and became immersed in the story. I could feel the curiosity growing. What muddle was Anne going to get into next? Would she get that dress with puffed sleeves? Or forgive Gilbert Blythe?

A year on, I’d read the entire Anne of Green Gables series. Books that I would revisit again and again as I matured alongside my beloved Anne.

This was the start of a fascination with classical literature. A relationship that is close to my heart.

I’m a firm believer that what we read makes us who we are. So today, I thought I would take some time to reflect on what I’ve learnt from these rightly renowned books and the unforgettable character that live in them…

Anne of Green Gables

As I have already mentioned this book, I thought it was only right to share what I’ve learnt from this story.

More than anything, Anne has taught me to preserve my inner child and notice the beauty of everyday miracles.

I continually find myself romanticising the ordinary moments. Allowing myself to daydream. Not worrying that this sometimes makes me a little odd. Anne is more than a little odd, but she is beloved all over the world. As she should be.

The Austen heroines

I still have the now very tatty collection of Austen novels on my bookshelf. I devoured these as a teen and was invested in each and every love story.

Perhaps surprisingly, my favourite Austen as a teen was Sense and Sensibility, rather than the usual favourite Pride and Prejudice. This was mostly down to my fascination with the character Marianne. I adore the fact that she wore her heart on her sleeve and strongly related to the feeling of being overwhelmed by the intensity of her emotions.

Marianne taught me to love without abandon.

Its curious how our relationship changes with books over time. I remember I was disappointed when I first read Persuasion. I felt I couldn’t relate to Anne, the heroine, at her grand old age of 26 (!).

The book felt flat compared to the intensity of Sense and Sensibility.

However, on revisiting this story in my late 20’s, I got a very different impression. I appreciated this quieter style of romance.

Anne taught me that this kind of love is just as special and should be treasured.

Wuthering Heights

This was my first venture into the Bronte’s work.

Before this, I had been deep in Austen-land, which was a very different vibe. I instantly fell in love with the raw nature of this book. The characters were like nothing I had ever read.

The passionate relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine was essentially unhinged. A very different love story to what I was used too.

I learnt so much from this book. My love for complicated and flawed characters really started here.

More than anything though, I learnt how much your environment can mould a person. These twisted characters were shaped by their wild Yorkshire moorland home.

I’ve been conscious of how I change with my setting ever since. Its why I chose to live in the Scottish Highlands. My soul’s rightful home.

Gone with the wind

Scarlett O Hara is another complicated character. A protagonist you almost love to hate.

This book is just brimming with story. We follow Scarlett through all manner of hardships. Even in the last pages, when she has seemingly lost the love of her life, you cannot help but believe she will win out in the end.

What I love most about Scarlett is she never set out to be a hero. When we first meet her, its clear that she feels she is set up for a life just like her parents. Her number one concern is that she is adored at all times.

Yet, she ends up in the depths of a war, undergoes extreme poverty and tragically loses multiple loved ones. She demonstrates again and again that she is worth far more than a pretty face.

I admire her resilience deeply and it has something I have held onto for many years. After all, ‘tomorrow is another day’…

Jane Eyre

Another beloved Bronte book.

On the face of it, Jane is a much simpler character than the fiery souls we meet in Wuthering Heights. But, as the Charlotte Bronte beautifully depicts, there is so much strength in this quiet.

This is another book where I’ve felt my viewpoint evolve over the years.

As I teen, I was furious when Jane leaves Mr Rochester. I could not understand how she could chose a life without him. I feel Marianne would have fully agreed with me here…

Now, I find that I view Jane very differently. I’ve come to greatly admire her resolve to stand by her values, no matter the personal sacrifice. It is a lesson for us all.

Rebecca

A more modern classic than the other’s here, but to me, its just as wonderful.

In this love story, we follow an introverted protagonist, that feels completely overshadowed by her husband’s former wife, Rebecca.

Again and again, the comparison between these two wives is made starkly clear. You cannot help but sympathise with the second wife’s apparent failings. Nor help becoming infatuated with Rebecca herself.

As the story unfurls, our feeling as the reader changes. The revelation that Rebecca was not all she seemed, for me, illuminated that you don’t have to be loud and showy to be loved and respected.

This sentiment appealed to my inner introvert. There is no need to aspire to be something that I am not.

I’m sure there are so many more lessons that have left their mark on me, but I will leave it here for now.

I’d love to hear of any books that have impacted your life, or what classic resonates with you the most, so please do comment below.

Until next week,

Molly xx