Sisters, Knights Errant and Talking Animals
Christi HymelShare
So what are the books you are willing to read over and over and over again? That is a really hard question! Whenever I try to narrow it down to just three, I immediately feel like I am betraying my old friends in all the other books I love. But for the purposes of this post, I am going to try! First on my list would have to be Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. First published over 200 years ago, it still has valuable lessons to teach us today. Austen is really the one who created the modern novel. She was most certainly ahead of her time. Her novels all center around the ideas of manners, morality, and marriage. All of her books end with a marriage, just as all of Shakespeare’s comedies did. When I think of earthly marriage, I think of the marriage to come between and Christ and His bride the church. There is something magical about a marriage between two people who are deeply in love and had to weather great storms to get to wedding day. But Pride and Prejudice is much more than a love story. It is the story of a family of sisters, a community of friends, and how these characters are all woven together. I try to read or listen to an audible version of P&P at least once a year. The writing is exquisite and I have most of it memorized by now. The first lesson I ever learned from P&P was that Lydias do not end up with Mr. Darcys. Silly, flirtatious girls end up with silly, flirtatious boys who do not know how to treat a lady. When I was working at a residential home for troubled teen-agers, I made all the girls read Pride and Prejudice and watch the movie. What did I expect or hope for them as they read P&P? I hoped to show them a version of a girl who knew her own mind, wasn’t swayed by the whims of the day, and who could remain steadfast in knowing her worth. The main character Elizabeth knew those things well, lived out of that knowledge and went on to a happy ending. Her counter part, Lydia, her youngest silly sister, is a pretty good portrayal of most girls today. They are silly, have nothing in their heads and always live in the aftermath of their own destructive behavior. The beautifully painted portraits of the characters, the rich language, the noble themes, the glimpses of all that is good, true and beautiful has made me return to this book over and over again for the last 30 years. Next up on my short list of books to read over and over again is Don Quixote. Written by Miguel de Cervantes, it is the greatest literary work to ever come out of Spain. It is also one of the most translated books in the world. Strangely enough Cervantes and Shakespeare both died on the same day, April 22, 1616. This book always makes me cry. It is the story of a man who sees the world not as it is, but rather as it could be. It is rather famously known as the book about a crazy man who “tilts at windmills” thinking they are the giants he needs to defeat. The prevailing thought is that Don Quixote read so many books about knights that he came to see himself as one. It has always been true that we are that of which we behold. The villagers all make fun of him and his side kick Sancho Panza who travel throughout Spain looking to live the noble life of the once great Knights of the Crusades. Don Quixote believed in protecting the poor, righting wrongs and living by the code of chivalry. It was said of him that he couldn’t separate the real world from the make-believe. So, he travelled through Spain looking for adventure and trying to fight the evils of his day. And evils were plentiful. It was the time of nobility and peasants. The peasants lived mundane lives just trying to survive under the shadow of the noble rulers who were often less than noble to the peasants. The peasants couldn’t read or write and were destined to lives of daily struggle. Quixote very much wanted to elevate their position and bring beauty to their dreary world. In his book-filled mind, he created a damsel who needed rescuing from the evils of her world. Her name was Aldonza, but Quixote changed it to Dulcinea, which means sweet. Just as the Father changes our names when he changes us from the wretches we are into His beloved heirs. The book is full of hilarious, laugh out loud adventures of this errant knight but also some heart breaking scenes when he appears to be dying and realizes he has been thought a fool by everyone around him. You will laugh, cry and surely be changed by reading this book. I will leave you this quote from Cervantes to ponder. I can hardly ever read this quote without crying despite having read it many, many time. ”When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams-this may be madness. Too much sanity may be madness-and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be!” Last on my list would have to be the Chronicles of Narnia. I know, I know…this is cheating because Narnia is not one book, but seven! However, there is no separating them as far as I am concerned. Each one is beautifully written with too many quotes to share here and each one gives us a beautiful glimpse of our Savior. I try to read through all seven books every few years. I find I read faster and faster as I get closer to the final book, The Last Battle. You may be wondering why I would include children’s books on my list. But these are not just children’s books! C.S. Lewis the author of Narnia and many more books, said that “some day you will be old enough to read fairy tales again.” He was writing to his friend’s daughter, Lucy, to whom his first book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was dedicated. He realized that by time he finished writing all seven books, she would no longer be a girl, but would have grown into a lady. But still he had hope that she would grow old enough to read and appreciate the ideas and themes in the books. There are actually many reasons to read Narnia: it is excellent literature with rich characterization, fascinating plots, lots of humor that even adults can appreciate but even better each story points us to Christ, his life, death and resurrection. You will laugh, you will cry and your heart will swell for the beautiful picture painted of Christ. If you’ve never read all seven books, I strongly encourage you to make it a goal in the near future. When I think about these books, Pride and Prejudice, Don Quixote, and Narnia, I think about all that is lovely, true, beautiful and good wrapped up in stories that have changed me, made me want to be a better person, and made me more aware of how beautiful life can be.