From contemplating every day to going days without having written anything, it’s been a journey of exploration. After almost twenty months of writing every day, wanting to write and searching for inspiration, suddenly I felt tired. So I switched gears. I decided to spend more time reading and quickly realized how distracted it got me. I was obsessively reading one book after another and ignoring my newsletter Contemplations altogether. Upon finishing another book just this afternoon, I decided to not start the next one on my list and instead contemplate.
The last three books I read have all been recommendations backed by 4/5 stars on Goodreads which means I thoroughly enjoyed each one and felt so satisfied after finishing each one. The kind of satisfaction which makes you want to recommend the book to others and which gives you the urge to want to talk about the book with someone who might have read it. Since that isn’t possible immediately, I did the next best thing to keep me busy and that was to check in on my apps and reconnect.
Almost as if on cue, an article shows up in my feed on great authors and timeless pieces of writing. Having grown up reading many of the classic novels and known authors, this article caught my interest almost immediately. Why? The mere mention of one great author, Jane Austen. When I think of Jane Austen it takes me back to my childhood, to my school days and more specifically to my English class. Good memories. More importantly though, good reads.
So according to the article, next year, 2025, celebrates 250 years since the birth of Jane Austen. This means that the literature she is known for has withstood two centuries and many generations of readers. Her words were relevant then and still are today. What makes the words of an author great? A good book or a good piece of writing doesn’t necessarily answer questions. Rather it makes you think of interesting questions. It pushes you to ponder on subjects and maybe reflect on your own life or surroundings. In essence, it makes you think of a bigger picture. When you do that, your thoughts turn philosophical because the bigger picture is more universal. It applies to all kinds of people. This kind of literature has no boundaries. It is precisely this kind of literature which then inspires adaptations which enable current generations to understand the underlying messages that the author originally wrote about.
Jane Austen wrote about social class and changes in social status. She wrote about marriage and relationships. Often focusing on love and the need for financial security. Austin’s loved characters were strong smart women who challenged the norms. She was an amazing storyteller who understood human nature very well. She added humor and irony to state her observations and in turn make readers reflect on their own nature and behavior. Because she had mastered the essence of human characters so well, her work has been adapted time and again and continues to stay relevant even today.
The last three books I read were about women. Fighting their fight, making their voices heard, and showing the strength of their being. The impact of the female mind on society and human relationships. These authors were not from the same country as Jane Austen nor from the same social status or cultural background as Jane Austen. Yet they reinforced the universal nature of certain themes and how timeless they are.
Reading is important. That’s what was taught to us very early in our educational journey. It enables us to open up our minds is what we were told. More importantly it enables us to explore our mind and our thoughts. Writing then helps express those thoughts. The combination of the two is critical. If the writers stop writing we won’t have anything to read and if the readers stop reading then the ability to explore the bigger picture will be lost. So while I was feeling guilty that I was neglecting my contemplations, I was happy to be reading good literature and exploring the bigger picture that Jane Austen so encouraged us to do a long long time ago.
Thanks !
Recommendations?