Favourites 1800-1880

Just a few minutes left of 2008 and I'm writing about literature. What else would one expect?
Along with my extensive New Years Resolution list,I will be making a Subjects-To-Post-About list. I am a big fan of lists.

Favourite works of literature 1800-1880:
A Doll's House by Henrick Ibsen
My absolute favourite play. Ibsen's depiction of the trapped Nora is nothing short of genius. This truly was the birth of modern drama. I've had the pleasure of reading snippets of several of his other plays, wonderful in their own right, but there's nothing like the first work one read. The alternate ending to please theatre patrons of the time is a travesty. If you see that it is included with the version you're reading, skip it; you're much better off without it. I highly recommend this one. It's far too often overlooked.

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
The first Jane Austen novel I ever read. It's very similar to Pride and Prejudice but, in some ways, a bit quirkier. It's certainly not as straightforward. The two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, are opposites. Elinor worships self-control and restraint, particularly in love, about all else, whereas Marianne values passion. I've always identified with Elinor and I thought her storyline worked out beautifully. I will say though, Edward Ferrars is Jane Austen's most unlikable hero and Willoughby is her most likable villain.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
It's unavoidable. I nurse a soft spot for Sense and Sensibility but this is just as good. I think everyone knows the storyline by now. It's a good read, even if you have seen the movie.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
I loved Wuthering Heights. The writing style is not the most refined, sophisticated or complicated, but the storyline makes up for it. I'm not a big fan of unrestrained passion, but for some reason the unrefined purity worked for me. I absolutely could not put it down. The way the stories intertwined was marvelous. A pure romance novel, as much as I hate to admit it. And, even by Jeffrey Eugenides' standards-- a love story.

That's about as sappy as it's going to get. Even so, it makes me cringe.
Happy 2009!