Middlemarch ~ George Eliot (1871-2)

George Eliot's Middlemarch (1871-2) is an epic classic and famously reviewed by Virginia Woolf as being "one of the few English novels written for grown-up people". Woolf's praise rings true as Middlemarch depicts the lives of an expansive cast of characters within a small rural town, under the looming 1832 Reform Act. The novel, like the Act, expands public attention to the wider population as key characters including Dorothea Brooke, Mr Casaubon and Mary Garth present the experiences of conflicting genders, social classes and ages. These three characters are a small sample of the intriguing, and conflicting, accounts told in the novel; the work rather depicts the whole town. Each character is well developed and while some leading characters such as Dorothea spend more time with the reader than the likes of Mary Garth, each 'character' feels real, with their own aspirations and anxieties. In the subtitle to the work, Eliot describes the novel as "A Study of Provincial Life", suggesting that we are reading a non-fiction report or witnessing a scientific experiment. Both scenarios are thoroughly believable as the detail for each character breathes a formulated personality. The remarkable achievement of this "Study" is Eliot's attention to, and understanding of, gender conflicts: while the psyche of Rosamond Vincy is intricately realised, her desire to escape provincial life, the oppositional arguments of her husband are given equal justice. Opposed to being degraded to a patriarchal obstacle, Doctor Lydgate is given fair treatment by Eliot, where his dichotomy of wanting to pursue his scientific discoveries for himself and battling society's pressure to appease his wife's desires is explored. While under the pen name of 'George Eliot', readers were impressed by 'his' ability to write female characters, yet Mary Ann Evans also had the skill to write, and understand, the psychology of men, thus appealing to a much wider readership with more equal representation.

Both characters, like the remainder of the wide ensemble, are presented with their ambitions, but also their downfalls, a famous example being Rosamond's desires described as "castles in the air", and for this reason, it is difficult to assign the 'hero's and 'villain's of the story: they are all simply human.

The greatest appeal of the novel is ironically it's largest fault: in granting attention to so many figures, the work is lengthy. Much of the narrative is preoccupied with describing the minuscule, opposed to progressing the story. There are also multiple narrative arcs which intermingle, creating a vast and complex web. This inevitable confusion is amplified by the novel's length, yet in following the written style of analysing the details, the work can be completed through patience. Once concluded, the true reward is the understanding and integration into the town and the feeling that Middlemarch speaks to its readers, with each re-reading a new experience, as the stories of the expansive cast will appeal to all, regardless of age, gender, class etc. and will appeal to a different aspect of life upon each return.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ~ Mark Twain (1884)

Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884) was once heralded by Ernest Hemmingway as being the source of “All modern American literature” and “It’s the best book we’ve had”. One of the reasons for its continued praise, specifically within the American canon, is its presentation of the American experience and the nation. Huckleberry Finn tells the story of a young boy running away from his home on a raft down the Mississippi, out of fear of being “sivilized” along with a runaway slave, Jim. The voyage of the protagonists encapsulates a vision shared by the later ‘Beat’ writers to escape from society and regain a sense of national identity which has been consumed by modernity.

The endearing image of the pair on a raft is a true rejection of progression, both in its archaic technology and metaphorically as a battle against the current: society hegemony. The raft also provides a platform for perspective: engaging in philosophical debates and ideas, Huck observes “You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft” in comparison to urban settings. The naïve voice of a child is Twain’s subtle attempt to persuade his readers to the return to the raw, natural environments which provide the background to the American identity. The river itself, the Mississippi, is a characteristically American symbol and by engaging with it, Huck connects with his national identity, indicating a return not only to nature, but to a ‘true’ America.

As the young protagonist travels, readers are granted an insight into the progression of his own identity as he struggles with the dichotomies of risking damnation through the title of ‘Abolitionist’ and dividing himself from his childhood self by marking a distinction from his friend Tom Sawyer, a symbol of adolescent irresponsibility. Twain and Huck later disappoint readers as he falls into Sawyer’s games once he begins to develop his own mature identity, yet clear progression is made throughout the novel. Finn is a bildungsroman hero, and his journey to maturity is made realistic through Twain’s attention to authentic vernacular, a feature which he emphasises in the opening ‘Explanatory’. From a genre perspective, this is Twain’s own linguistic return to the natural American identity, yet this is also a point of controversy: the novel frequently uses the derogatory terms against the African-American slaves which makes the text arguably unsuitable for teaching. The abundance of discrimination makes the novel difficult to read, yet it is often observed that irony arises through its usage as Jim and Huck are in fact close friends. The nature of irony is unstable, thus, so is the novel, and the inability to fully dissect this protagonist remains one of the reasons for its continued intrigue as well as controversy.

With this factor aside, Twain’s novel is an allegorical return to nature which ironically brings conflicting cultures together, to project an image of the American experience and identity to conflict segregated representations within Twain’s context and, interestingly, the modern era. 

The Picture of Dorian Gray ~ Oscar Wilde (1891)

Oscar Wilde’s most controversial work, The Picture of Dorian Gray, is a Gothic classic but a work with which I found difficulty. The story follows young Dorian Gray who possesses the most powerful weapons: youth and beauty. For his aestheticism, he is admired by all around him, especially Basil Hallward and Lord Henry. It is the aristocratic Lord Henry which raises my biggest issue with the novel as it appears that between every two pages, Lord Henry professes the joys and benefits of youth and beauty which while it is a key theme of the novel, it is presented so directly and frequently that his didactic rants become repetitive. He does not add to his abundant quantity of speeches and where the novel is already short, this repetitive devise consumes more space which could be used otherwise. These sections largely lift the novel out of the context of the story as this could be an essay of Wilde’s but we read the story hoping to follow Dorian Gray but his role in the story is often limited making him an uninteresting protagonist. It is towards the latter half of the novel when the elements of the Gothic settle that interest is roused again for the narrative as Gray’s actions show an impact on his portrait where the sins he commits tarnishes the imitation of him; the picture acts as a metaphorical mirror of Gray’s soul which ages and falls into decline whereas the physical body does not. This is the most interesting and valuable feature of the novel as it has endured as a Gothic image which combines terror with the corruption and spirituality which can be used as a metaphor of the conscience. The picture can also be used as a tool to discover Gray’s psyche as he is one of the few to see the changing picture, he may be insane and convinces himself that he is young. Aesthetically he may have changed but he disbelieves it and while this is an interesting reading of the novel, which would make it more terrifying, after editing the final publication, Wilde included various added sections; one in particular in which Gray disproves his identity by his youth. The other characters are convinced, therefore the effects seem realistic, and the painting has truly aged while he has not. Prior to his editing, this would have been a more interesting route of the nature of the painting and the protagonist. The picture keeps the novel, like Dorian, young as it is still recognised as one of the key Gothic texts and while repetitive techniques are used which oppress the novel, the images and premise of the story immortalise its success and impact.

The Wasp Factory ~ Iain Banks (1984)

Iain Banks’ The Wasp Factory is a truly bizarre yet brilliant novel, in fact one of the most disturbing stories I have yet to come across. Written with reference to the Gothic novel, the story takes place from the perspective of Frank: a young boy living on an isolated island with only his father while his estranged mother is absent and his “brother had escaped” from a mental institution. This fact is outlined in the opening to the novel, right from the beginning, we are aware this is a story focused on madness and its impending threat which are key Gothic themes. Another support of this is that Frank realises his brother’s escape through information given by the Wasp Factory. In itself, The Wasp Factory encapsulates the brutal and intricate ethos of the novel as in order to predict the future, wasps are lured into an elaborate trap called “the Factory” where their choice of grimly demise such as melted by candle wax or sticking to fly traps indicates future events. Frank revolves his life around this almost supernatural force and the merciless killing of animals both in the Factory and for his Sacrifice Poles paints an image of a psychopath between the violence-loving Alex from Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange and the uniquely individual logic and mentality of Christopher in Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Frank however is a unique construction as he combines the threat of a violent psychopath with the innocence of a child and as this is a common theme in the Gothic, The Wasp Factory can be aligned with this genre. It is an incentive of the novel to detect these genre intertextualities but the most interesting and informative, yet oddly discreet, is Frank himself. In identifying the core Gothic texts, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a key example and its connections with The Wasp Factory are distinct even from Frank’s name, possibly shortened from Frankenstein. In Shelley’s novel, we are presented with a monster creation made by a monster creator and this basic premise is modernised in Banks’ work. This realisation comes through completing the book and the level of Frank’s monstrosity is better left for the reader to discover in a shocking plot-twist which changes the entire story. The novel is worth reading purely for this moment but besides the surprising narrative, the mysterious and quirky inhabitants of this island are interesting to discover as well as the Gothic elements which construct their existence and psyche. The Wasp Factory is frightening, disturbing, depressing and brilliant and these oppositional tones within the compelling story and characters ensures that Banks’ work is a memorable success which makes its way into the Gothic canon.

Dolly ~ Susan Hill (2012)

After the great impression caused by The Woman in Black, Dolly was the second of Susan Hill’s novels that I read and the reaction, like her most famous work, is a curious tale which draws on the horror conventions used during the Victorian era to create a chilling ghost story that entertains and terrifies. In The Woman in Black, Hill draws on the senses to explore the terror caused by the sounds of a rocking chair and in this story, the sound of rustling is used for the same effect. In the story, the doll comes to life and its activity is recorded through the sound. This is demonstrated clearly from the prologue to the story and is a clear re-indication of Hill’s use of the senses as the primary target for terror and the quickest way to place the story in the reader’s memory. The story focuses on Edward, an orphan who spends his summer with his Aunt Kestrel and cousin, Leonora. Leonora, to contrast the quiet and polite Edward, is a spoilt, spiteful character and her punishment for her behaviour is the eternal haunting by Dolly which is marked by the sound of its rustling when it is near. It is not until Leonora is fully grown that she realises the extent of the haunting and regrets her actions and as this is an exceedingly genius yet terrifying metaphor, I will not detail further and leave it to the Dolly readers the near-future to discover. Perhaps an extreme example of a cautionary tale, the exaggerated cost of bad behaviour acts as a stronger reiteration of the story’s message and where this could be an example of a children’s fable, the disturbing imagery allocates this novella for an older readership. Edward however is not as interesting as a protagonist; unlike Arthur Kipps, Edward has not active role in the story, he merely watches and records what he witnesses. He is similar to a Dickensian protagonist as action happens without his contribution and it is this convention along with the moors setting, grand manor houses and eccentric older relations which sets the story firmly in the Victorian era, narratively and stylistically. In Dolly, Susan Hill presents the darkness of youth which is similar to Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw but extracts the ambiguity to concentrate the source of evil within Dolly. Through the story, Hill subverts connotations of innocence associated with china dolls and as a good ghost story should accomplish, the reader adapts their perspective to the author’s dark view and after reading the story, china dolls do not evoke joy, but incite fear.   

The Remains of the Day ~ Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)

In Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day, a unique story unfolds as from a peculiar perspective, the common tales of the operations of a grand aristocratic household are told by the butler, Mr Stevens.  In the novel, Stevens has devoted his entire life to the servitude of the upper classes and in his twilight years, he tragically realises that he has wasted his life and this is made more emotional as the reader begins to understand more of his history. Told through a series of memories, the narrative jumps through the chronology of Mr Stevens’ past and is used as a representation of the character’s psyche as he is entrenched in the memories of his past and his own perspective. For this limitation, Stevens has been identified as an unreliable narrator and while this may be frustrating as he often confuses his memories, the singular viewpoint enables a deeper understanding of the character as the travel log structure in itself is an individual activity, again reiterating his isolation and generating our sympathy. This serves an excellent example of another of Ishiguro’s innovation as the reader creates these feelings; Stevens rarely tells us how to feel but his story is framed in a series of suggestions and undertones which motivate our emotions. What Stevens lacks in his narration, the reader compensates, realising that the pride of his life as a butler is folly. The Remains of the Day generates real emotion and ranges from frustration with the character’s pompous demeanour from the beginning to pity by its conclusion and through this we become attached to Mr Stevens and with another key character, Miss Kenton. Importantly, while Miss Kenton is a character which appears frequently, this is only through memories; she is never directly present which creates anticipation as the journal format counts down to her arrival, another structural technique which draws us into the novel. In terms of criticism, it is important to acknowledge that this captivation with the story is not initially present. The reader is not aware of Stevens’ life, we see him as lacking dimension and therefore boring which makes the early part of the novel less enjoyable. In further re-readings we can appreciate this character development but in the initial, and crucial first reading, it often lacks the persuasion to follow the story of this aged butler. Stevens develops as a character as the story progresses and by the end, we have integrated into his psyche, making him one of the most believable literary characters and through the emotional impact the novel creates it is a success as long as we perceiver with the story of the remains of Mr Stevens’ day. 

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ~ J.K. Rowling (1997)

Of all the books in recent memory, none have been more successful or influential as J.K. Rowling’s debut novel, the first entry of the saga of The Boy Who Lived: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The book which begins the story of Harry Potter is globally recognised as a tale filled with magic, humour and heart and it will be difficult for any author to now make an impact on the literary and non-literary world quite like Philosopher’s Stone and its sequels. It will be surprising to find anyone who has not read this book as it has become so widely iconic whether through its story, its characters or even the cover design. The intrigue which Harry looks upon the Hogwarts Express on my copy is similar to the millions who approached the novel in the first few years of its existence before the story came to the big screen and highly positive response follows a genuinely enjoyable reading experience. The novel allows this through numerous factors: firstly the characters which each have different personalities such as Harry’s bravery, Hermione’s intelligence, Ron’s loyalty and Draco’s deception. The expanse of attributes which these characters reach ensures that readers connect and associate with them immediately and each are so well described and humanised with humour and emotion that they become more than characters in a book but role models in reality. Personally, I am grateful for Hermione who teaches that intelligence and the pursuit of knowledge is rewarding and not to shy from. It is not just the children who quickly gain celebrity status but the adults and teachers of the books where names such as Dumbledore and Snape have achieved fame through their equally well designed characters which project the wise and charismatic headmaster and mysterious potions master from the pages into our minds. The primary location for the novel additionally becomes a character in itself as  Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a setting physically filled with magic from talking portraits to three-headed dogs. Hogwarts is alive and its numerous secrets make it one of the most difficult ‘characters’ to understand yet we want to delve further and explore more, leading to our following the rest of the saga. The real reason why this book and its sequels are such a success is for the escapism as like Harry, we may be bored of the Muggle world yet nothing is more exciting than the chance to live like a witch or wizard in a fun yet dangerous magical setting and it is this joy that the story brings that encourages further re-readings as the effect of this novel, above the rest in the series, is the most genuine without the later plot complications and darker tones. Truly, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is a truly magical reading experience and I am glad to have grown up with this book as my Bible for the joy, excitement and role models it has given me.