A literary journey
Growing up as a child I could not read and write, and I had a very difficult early school life as a late developer. But I would sit quietly by the side of my elder sister as she narrated stories of princes and princesses; thereafter I was already intoxicated with the magic of literature for the rest of my life. As rightly said by Jane Yolen, “Literature is a textually transmitted disease, normally contracted in childhood.” Fascinated, I could read a book and easily get transported to a pleasant realm of fancy, a land of magic. I grew up with stories and fairy tale dreams which seemed to be too far to reach yet had a lot of meaning to me.
It was not until my university days that I rediscovered my love for literature. During those days, although I was not a literature student, I was always fascinated by great classics. Every time I went to the library, I saw to it that I always spent some time reading a novel or a literary critic. Sitting hours on the first floor of the university library with a classic book in my hand and reading story of the medieval time was a pleasure in which I was obsessed. I still have that feeling of excitement and blissfulness each time I am able to explore the beauty of these great works. The classical epic of Homer Iliad and Odysseus are still being read by many and they enjoy its beauty and relevance to everyday life. See how beautiful literature is!
Literature talks about life, our life. Literature reflects the life of a person in happiness and pain, in love and betrayal, faith and duty, as well as, in glory and death. All these are part and parcel of man, but they should never be taken for granted since these will give humans a significant experience that may change their point of view or attitude towards life. Literature taught me many things, from the very simple lesson to more complicated realities of life. Many novels, short stories and poems have inspired me to emulate the good things being reflected in the story. As René Descartes once said, “La lecture de tous les bons livres est comme une conversation avec les plus honnêtes gens des siècles passés”. At time, I am amazed how the authors of these literature can capture and get hold of my emotions as if I am really part of their story. I think these are some of the reasons why we should read and enjoy the beauty of literature.
Beauty in literature
One of the reasons why Literature is so different from other subjects of knowledge is because of its aesthetic appeal. Is literary work beautiful? Yes of course! Not just for the past and today but the beauty of literature will last for a lifetime. No doubt, authors and poets of all times used words and phrases that can make the readers visualize what they are reading. Appreciating the beauty of literature gives us the benefit of knowing what life is all about and eventually develops into an emotional therapy. By reading literature, I often escape from the problems of the real world and enter a new one that gives me hope for and substance to life. Literature, thus, helps us to realize that life is beautiful, and that we need to open our eyes to see the goodness of nature and live life with full of love and understanding of our surrounding. As told by E M Forster « What is wonderful about great literature is that it transforms the man who reads it towards the condition of the man who wrote it. »
The real beauty of literature lies on the way the plot of the story is written using the simplest yet appealing phrases that influence the reader how they may live their lives in accordance with the moral of the story. The author through his power of words can capture our attention and pull us deeply into the world of the characters and make us very sympathetic to the protagonist of the story.
I read literature because I sincerely believe there is power in these stories. I love exploring how the characters evolve with circumstances. That’s the joy of studying literature. Although sometimes literature may require some critical skill, yet I think it leads us into a world of understanding beauty and art. At times, it is difficult to tell why exactly I am interested in these great works; maybe there is an inner voice which tells me to embrace my love for this impeccable art. I now realize that reading a novel to appreciate its complexity is a beautiful thing in life. Thus, during weekends I can lock myself away, reading page after page of the finest classic and getting captivated in the stories. This also enables me to temporarily relieved from my worries and escape from my busy world.
People from all cultures and all ages have defined beauty in their own way. However, classical works, be it a novel or music, do have a universal beauty which has fascinated people over several centuries. Great literature is incredibly interesting, the characters and scenes are magical, and the story leaves us breathless. It is as if we are elevated from the ordinary status of our minds to a highly spiritual and aesthetic experience after reading great works.
Beauty in great works is captivating, we are struck by the vital energy it spreads. Appreciation of such beauty is often related to perfection, love and morality. To John Keats, beauty is truth, truth is beauty.
William Wordsworth sees beauty in nature, to him ‘nature never did betray the heart that loved her’. This beauty is highly motivating to the reader as the work captures ideas, emotions and harmonizes the inner principles of life.
Feminine Beauty in Medieval Literature
The idea of beauty has been revealed through various pieces of literary prose writing and poetry. Various writers have described beauty in different approaches. While some have taken the physical traits to explain beauty, others have gone rather abstract taking emotions, personality, and uniqueness as the actual beauty.
Authors and poets from different ages have enlightened the concept of feminine beauty in their works, though, everyone has a different understanding and approach of expressing this notion of beauty. The depiction of feminine glamour is a fundamental aspect in literature, and this is where the idea of romance comes to our mind. I think feminine beauty and romance can never be considered as two separate passions.
In the majority of the literary works, we find beauty in its aesthetic form almost always associated with woman. It is not necessarily about the external appearance, but rather the internal traits of the characters as they are attractive for their courage, their convictions, their goodness, and their morale. In my sphere of literature, I found the most beautiful women of the world in: Helen of Troy (of Homer’s Iliad), Cleopatra (of Shakespeare’s Antony & Cleopatra), Jane Eyre (of Charlotte Brontë), Tess Durbeyfield (of Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles), Lara (of Boris Pasternak’s Doctor Zhivago), and my favorite Anna (of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina) just to mention a few.
In the world of literature there are several women-heroines who stay forever in the mind of the reader. These women of literature, because of their appearance, strong character, and actions, become models of admiration and often source of inspiration.
Conclusion
A good book will change your life, will make you laugh, will make you cry, and more importantly guide you to make good decisions in life. Literature may lead you to see the world in a different way by exploring a few places to begin your journey through books.
Literature aims to flourish truth and beauty which resonate the elegance of delight and blow the breezes of spiritual well-being in human thought. The romantic enthusiasm of these great classics shows the simplicity of the time in which the author lived, it shows that men and women of other ages were very much like us, loving as we do love, having the same problems, and following the same ideals.
One of my favorite poets, John Keats said that beauty stands as the spirit of life and art, and I would like to end the article with John Keats’s famous quote ‘A thing of Beauty is a joy forever.’
* Raj Khooblall is a longtime literature lover and has published short stories and literary critic. His favorite author is Leo Tolstoy.