Classic Aspirations
Classics are always such a
pleasure to take up & read . There are times, however, when one wonders
about the antecedents of certain characters, or more commonly, What happens to
them after a few years. Here are some of my all-time favorites alongside their
chronological "partners".
(This is not a review, merely my thoughts/impressions)
SET 1.
Need I say more ?! Few would
not have enjoyed it, and I am certainly not among them.
I have enjoyed not just the
book, but also several movies & TV series based on this classic. Always a
winner.
Pastiche : Death Comes to Pemberley by PD James (2011)
Then along came PD James’
“Death Come to Pemberley”, which traces events a few years after Elizabeth
& Mr. Darcy get married, with crime & murder thrown in.
Can’t say I was too impressed
with this book. It had some mystery & a whodunit curiosity, but the 2
protagonists were shown to be very weak, helpless individuals, who just seemed
to wait for events to unfold without any control or idea of how to cope with
problems. After P&P, it was a let-down to say the least – not in the
writing style, but in the characterization. Maybe the fault lies in my own
idealization of characters?!
Disclaimer :
I don’t remember reading any of PD James’ earlier novels, hence my opinion is
no reflection on her greatness & popularity. It is tremendously commendable
that she penned a novel at that late age !
SET 2.
Original : Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (1847)
As a young girl, I quite
romanticized this book & it’s characters & have enjoyed the movies
& TV series based on this novel. Mr Rochester, however much he is
criticized today by ‘feminists’, held a certain fascination for me. For some
reason, the most poignant scene in one of the series (probably the 1973 BBC
miniseries) was when the now-blind hero calls out in forlorn despair to Jane
thrice. And a rags-to-riches ‘Cinderella’ story is always so inspiring, even if
only fiction ;-)
Prequel : Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean
Rhys (1966)
A beautiful journey into The Caribbean & thoroughly enjoyed reading about the
native as well as Creole culture. I also love the fact that the author traces
the life of the mystery woman, Bertha – a lesser, obscure character in the
original, rather than the protagonists. Although, like ‘Rebecca’, she was
always present in the background. Yes, the ‘original’ hero is painted as a dark
man, but the Jean’s use of multiple voices to narrate the story brings to light
each character’s emotions & rationale.
Inspired (?!) : The Evil Genius by Wilkie Collins (1885)
Shortly after reading Jane
Eyre this time, I took up this book.
Imagine my utter surprise
when the first few pages read Exactly like Jane Eyre !!! The story starts off
with almost the same setting, similar characters, similar events ! Fortunately,
later events take a slightly different turn & there are discussions on
marriage, divorce, domesticity… It was interesting to read the views of those
times in relation to the present. The ‘heroine’ seems to be constantly at the
wrong end of destiny, naïve, & indecisive. Definitely not one of his best
books, but nevertheless, a quick read for a lazy afternoon.
Would love to hear your thoughts & perspective ....
