MY ALL-TIME FAVOURITE CLASSICS
Summary
TLDRIn this video, the host shares her all-time favorite classic novels, starting with 'The Catcher in the Rye' and 'The Bell Jar' discussing their portrayal of mental health. She then covers 'Anne of Green Gables', 'Mrs. Dalloway', and 'Pride and Prejudice', before delving into the Bronte sisters' works, particularly praising 'Wuthering Heights' and 'Jane Eyre'. The video concludes with 'Shirley' by Charlotte Brontë as her ultimate favorite, reflecting on how these classics have influenced her life and inviting viewers to share their own.
Takeaways
- 📚 The video features a discussion on the host's all-time favorite classic books, which they have been reading for the past three years.
- 🎬 The host shares their personal journey with these classics, highlighting how certain books resonated with them during challenging times.
- 🔟 The list starts with 'The Catcher in the Rye' by JD Salinger and 'The Bell Jar' by Sylvia Plath, which are praised for their honest portrayal of mental health.
- 🌟 'Anne of Green Gables' by LM Montgomery is described as a transformative book that changed the host's perspective on the world.
- 🌿 'Mrs. Dalloway' by Virginia Woolf is appreciated for its rich detail and stream-of-consciousness narrative style.
- 📖 The video mentions the first two classics the host ever read, 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen and 'Agnes Grey' by Anne Bronte, which sparked a love for classic literature.
- 🌲 'The Woodlanders' by Thomas Hardy is noted for its exploration of difficult themes and its intimate descriptions of the natural landscape.
- 🏰 'Northanger Abbey' by Jane Austen is highlighted for its parody of the Gothic genre and its focus on the protagonist's journey of self-discovery.
- 🌾 'Far from the Madding Crowd' by Thomas Hardy is a favorite for its detailed depiction of rural life and the challenges faced by its female protagonist.
- ⚡ 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Brontë is deeply admired for its complex love story and the emotional impact it had on the host.
- 🌟 'Shirley' by Charlotte Brontë is revealed as the host's ultimate favorite classic, celebrated for its themes of friendship, love, and the impact of life events on mental health.
Q & A
What is the main theme of the video?
-The main theme of the video is the recommendation of classic books that the speaker believes everyone should read.
How long has the speaker been reading classics?
-The speaker has been reading classics seriously for about the last three years.
What is unique about the order in which the books are presented in the video?
-The books are presented in order from the speaker's least favorite to their favorite, which is not the speaker's usual approach.
Which two books are mentioned as being in joint 10th place and why are they considered similar?
-The two books in joint 10th place are 'The Catcher in the Rye' by J.D. Salinger and 'The Bell Jar' by Sylvia Plath. They are considered similar because they share themes of mental health, similar main characters, and were written around the same period.
What is the main character's name in 'Anne of Green Gables' and what does the book teach the speaker?
-The main character in 'Anne of Green Gables' is Anne Shirley. The book teaches the speaker to see the world differently, with open eyes, and to think about the stories behind things.
How does the speaker describe the writing style of 'Mrs. Dalloway' by Virginia Woolf?
-The speaker describes 'Mrs. Dalloway' as rich in detail and description, and written in a fascinating stream-of-consciousness style.
What are the two books in seventh and sixth place, and what impact did they have on the speaker's reading journey?
-The two books are 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen and 'Agnes Grey' by Anne Brontë. They were the first two classics the speaker read and they changed something for her, making her appreciate and engage critically with books from the past.
What themes are explored in 'The Woodlanders' by Thomas Hardy?
-In 'The Woodlanders', themes explored include divorce laws, true love, serendipity, and the importance of farming in rural communities.
Why does the speaker particularly like 'Northanger Abbey' by Jane Austen?
-The speaker likes 'Northanger Abbey' for its rich history, its parody of the Gothic genre, and its focus on Catherine Morland's journey to become a heroine despite not fitting the typical mold.
What are the similarities and differences between 'Far from the Madding Crowd' and 'The Woodlanders' by Thomas Hardy?
-Both 'Far from the Madding Crowd' and 'The Woodlanders' detail the landscape and evoke strong feelings of nature. However, 'Far from the Madding Crowd' focuses on Bathsheba Everdene's inheritance of a farm and her role as a woman in a traditionally male world, while 'The Woodlanders' is about Grace Melbury and her expectations to marry.
Why does the speaker consider 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Brontë as one of their all-time favorite classics?
-The speaker considers 'Wuthering Heights' as one of their all-time favorite classics because it provided them with hope during a difficult time, it is a complicated love story with a dark atmosphere that resonated with the speaker, and it has led them to become a Brontë society young ambassador.
What makes 'Shirley' by Charlotte Brontë the speaker's favorite classic of all time?
-'Shirley' is the speaker's favorite classic because it is a story about friendship, intertwined romances, and the psychology of love. It also discusses social issues like milling and the Luddite uprisings. The speaker feels a deep connection to the characters and sees it as a source of inspiration and learning.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to Classic Book Recommendations
The speaker expresses excitement for creating a video discussing their all-time favorite classic books. They have been reading classics for three years and have selected books that they believe everyone should read. The video will cover books from their least favorite to their most favorite. The first two books mentioned, 'The Catcher in the Rye' by J.D. Salinger and 'The Bell Jar' by Sylvia Plath, are discussed as character-driven stories that address mental health during a time when it was not widely acknowledged. Both books are appreciated for their honest portrayal of the characters' emotional struggles.
🌱 Exploring Themes of Love and Life in Classic Literature
The speaker continues with their top classic book recommendations, discussing 'Anne of Green Gables' by L.M. Montgomery, which left a profound impact on them. They praise the book for its transformative effect on their worldview and its protagonist, Anne, who teaches the reader to perceive the world with open eyes. They also mention 'Mrs. Dalloway' by Virginia Woolf, appreciating its rich detail and stream-of-consciousness narrative style. The speaker reflects on the first two classics they ever read, 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen and 'Agnes Grey' by Anne Brontë, noting how these books shaped their love for classic literature and their critical engagement with it.
🌲 Delving into the Works of Thomas Hardy and the Brontë Sisters
The speaker discusses 'The Woodlanders' by Thomas Hardy, highlighting its exploration of difficult themes in Victorian society and its intimate portrayal of the natural landscape. They also mention 'Northanger Abbey' by Jane Austen, appreciating its rich history, parody of the Gothic genre, and the character development of Catherine Morland. The speaker then talks about 'Far from the Madding Crowd', another Hardy novel, focusing on its strong depiction of the rural landscape and the challenges faced by women in traditionally male-dominated roles.
🏞️ The Power of Nature and Love in 'Wuthering Heights' and 'Shirley'
The speaker shares their love for 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Brontë, describing it as a complex and dark love story that provided them with hope during a difficult time. They also discuss 'Shirley' by Charlotte Brontë, which they consider their favorite classic and book of all time. They appreciate the book's exploration of love, friendship, and the impact of life events on mental health, as well as its historical context. The speaker concludes by expressing gratitude for the Brontë sisters' influence on their life and their anticipation of how their relationship with 'Shirley' might evolve as they grow older.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Classics
💡Mental Health
💡Character-Driven
💡Stream-of-Consciousness
💡Gothic Genre
💡Luddite Uprisings
💡Hate-to-Love Relationship
💡Rural Communities
💡Foundling
💡Romanticism
Highlights
Introduction to a video discussing the presenter's all-time favorite classic books.
The video will list books from least to most favorite, a departure from the usual approach.
Joint 10th place books, 'The Catcher in the Rye' and 'The Bell Jar', are praised for their character-driven narratives and themes of mental health.
The importance of character development over plot in 'The Catcher in the Rye' and 'The Bell Jar'.
Recommendation for readers interested in mental health themes, with a caution about sensitive content.
9th place book, 'Anne of Green Gables', is celebrated for its transformative impact on the presenter's worldview.
The character Anne Shirley's influence on the presenter's perspective on life.
8th place book, 'Mrs. Dalloway', is lauded for its rich detail and stream-of-consciousness style.
The unique narrative structure of 'Mrs. Dalloway' that captures a day in the life of various characters.
7th and 6th place books, 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'Agnes Grey', are credited with sparking the presenter's love for classics.
The transformative power of 'Pride and Prejudice' and its exploration of societal norms and love.
5th place book, 'The Woodlanders', is highlighted for its exploration of difficult themes and beautiful landscape descriptions.
4th place book, 'Northanger Abbey', is appreciated for its rich history and parody of Gothic literature.
3rd place book, 'Far from the Madding Crowd', is praised for its detailed portrayal of rural life and strong female characters.
2nd place book, 'Wuthering Heights', is described as a complex love story that resonated deeply with the presenter during a difficult time.
The presenter's favorite classic and book of all time, 'Shirley', is in 1st place for its romanticism and impact on the presenter's life.
The Bronte sisters' influence on the presenter's personal growth and love for literature.
A call to action for viewers to share their favorite classics in the comments.
Transcripts
hi guys and welcome back to my classics
series I am so excited to make today's
video because it is a video I have
wanted to film for so long
it is my all-time favorite classics
video I've been reading classics
seriously for about the last three years
and in that time I've read lots that I
like a lot but there are some in my mind
that are just so special to me and so I
wanted to make a video where I could
recommend you the books that I think
everybody should read so without going
on too much I will get into the video
but I will add that I'm going to go in
order from my least favorite favorite to
my favorite which is not something I
usually do but I have some very clear
favorites and I'm sure you can already
guess what they are and I'm gonna get
into it now and talk to you about my
favorite classics so in joint 10th place
we have two books I think could be
considered books siblings because they
have very similar themes very similar
main characters and were written around
the same period and they are The Catcher
in the Rye by JD Salinger and the bell
jar by Sylvia Plath both of these books
talk about mental health at a time when
it wasn't generally accepted that people
really cared about their minds it was a
time when electroconvulsive therapy was
popular and people weren't really
supposed to talk about their feelings
but in comes Holden Caulfield in The
Catcher in the Rye and Esther in the
bell jar and both of them are very open
in their struggles with mental health
which can be very difficult to read at
times but you explore their feelings and
their emotions and what has led to them
spiraling and also I think it really
focuses on the characters in the story
so some books are very plot driven but
these are definitely character-driven
stories and I think that what I liked
about them so much is that I wrote them
at a time in my life when I really
needed them when I needed someone to
voice how I was feeling in my own head
as I read both of these books and I felt
like somebody understood what I was
going through and for me that is why I
love these so much I'd recommend them to
anybody who is a bit nervous about
reading classics because they are more
recent releases and so they have a much
more accessible style but also for
anybody who is interested in reading
about mental health while still being
cautious that they do discuss suicide
and quite strong emotions so that if
that is something you're not comfortable
with reading then that's okay and this
might not be for you but if it is
something you can handle then I read do
you think that you should read these two
in 9th place we have a book that I read
recently and it captured my imagination
and my heart and it is Anne of Green
Gables by LM Montgomery you know when
some books come along and you just know
this is the book that you have needed
all your life well this is what Anne of
Green Gables was like for me when I
first read it I knew that it was gonna
transform the way I thought about the
world I knew I was gonna fall in love
with the story and the characters and I
know it's something that I'm not gonna
let go for a very long time and if Green
Gables is a children's classic by a
Canadian author and it follows and
surely who is an orphan and each book in
a series fires her at a different point
during her life what I loved about Anne
as a main character is that she taught
me to see the world differently she
taught me to see the world with my eyes
open and to think about the things
around us in terms of the story behind
them and how we can beautify things in
our mind to see them in a different way
and definitely doesn't make the right
decisions all of the time but I think
this is also a moral journey and I'm
really enjoying picking up the next
books in the series in eighth place we
have mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
this was the first Virginia Woolf book I
read and I loved it because it is just
so rich in detail and description and
told in this fascinating
stream-of-consciousness style which i
think is so challenging for the brain to
work around but that's why I loved it so
much
lots of these classics I'm featuring on
this list our concert reads they are
books I would turn to when I don't
really want to think or have the option
of thinking about them but I also don't
have to I can read them and switch off
but mrs. Dalloway is not that kind of
book it's the kind of book that keeps
you on your toes that makes you think
about the imagery she's using and what's
happening to the characters and whereas
a book like The Catcher in the Rye is
very character driven instead of plot
driven mrs. Dalloway is neither it is
slightly about the characters but it's
also about capturing a snippet of life a
snippet of the world as so many
different people see it and so you see
the landscape of London and mrs.
Dalloway on a single day and you follow
very
characters around and you really hear
their thoughts as you are reading it
which can be tricky at first but I love
the challenge and that's why I like this
book so much in seventh and sixth place
we have two books that I read very close
to each other and they were the first
two classics I ever read and they are
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and
Agnes gray by Anne Bronte and with at
least two books I don't know if I'd be
sitting here today talking so
confidently about the books that I've
read and talking so openly about my
feelings about them because these two
books reading them really did change
something for me it made me really have
an appreciation for books that were
written far in the past and also made me
engaged critically with them in a way
that I hadn't outside of school before
so Pride and Prejudice is a very famous
love story but it is also about Lizzie
Bennet overcoming her prejudices and
also mr. Darcy overcoming his and so you
have two characters who really mirror
each other and one of my favorite tropes
in fiction in general is the hate to
love relationship which is definitely
the vibe that Lizzie and mr. Darcy have
going on it's a story that has captured
so many hearts including mine and I've
loved exploring various adaptations of
course the 1995 BBC version is the best
I won't hear any different but as a
story that I find many layers to every
single time I read it and it's one that
I haven't forgot about even though I
read it many years ago and a Curtis gray
is the same it is a story that really
makes you think and that you can find
different angles every time you read it
and I think that whereas Pride and
Prejudice is a very epic love story
Agnes gray is a much quieter book it's
about morals and finding your own way in
the world and once it does have that
kind of romance aspect to it is about so
much more than that and it follows the
main character Agnes as she becomes a
governess and goes to various families
where she has to look after the children
and it's about her finding who she is
whilst also discovering things about the
world she didn't know about I don't know
if I would love the Bronte's as much if
I hadn't read Agnes gray but more on the
Bronte later down to the final five now
and in fifth place we have the
woodlanders by Thomas Hardy the first
instance or Thomas Hardy appearing on
this list I'd say my two favorite
classic sources are the Bronte sisters
if we can include them as one author the
Bronte sisters as a whole then and also
Thomas Hardy I love his books
I love the settings which is probably my
favorite thing about them I love the way
that he explores such difficult themes
in his books that were such a big issue
in Victorian society and how he really
stands up to the women he's writing
about stored endures is set in a small
hamlet in Hardy's fictional County of
Wessex which is based loosely on Dorset
and it's about grace Melbury and her
expectations to marry after she returns
to her home but also it's about divorce
laws and true love and if we're meant to
be together
I find that a lot of Hardy's books deal
with serendipity and these moments that
are meant to be and moments that aren't
meant to be and I definitely said that
this is one of my favourite books of his
because of the way he writes about the
landscape
I loved the woodland Sutton and I loved
how he describes it in such intimate
detail you really feel like you get to
know her as a place after you finish
reading the book in fourth place now we
actually have a very interesting choice
I'm not exactly sure why I chose this
book as one of my top five favorites
because it is Northanger Abbey by Jane
Austen but I would say that in some ways
I enjoy Pride and Prejudice more than
this book but Northanger Abbey is one of
my favorite books because of the rich
history behind it the way that Jane
Austen talks about lots of different
books in it that she likes reading the
way it draws on lots of different genres
it is a parody of the Gothic genre which
was becoming very popular around the
time that she was writing it and it's
also one of my favorites of her books
because it is about Catherine Morland
and the first line in the book is no one
who had ever seen Catherine Morland in
her infancy would have supposed her to
be born a heroine and I really can
relate to that that feeling of some
people being born heroines and some
people being the secondary characters in
the world and so Catherine really takes
center stage even though she isn't that
kind of character she idolizes the
heroines she reads about but she's not
one herself and yet during the course of
the novel we see her take different
paths
that lead her to really shine and you go
on that journey with her but also as
you're reading this and as you read Jane
Austen other books you can go on that
journey with her writing because this is
one of her first novels but actually it
was published after she died so you can
see the progression she made as a writer
and so I think it has a very rich
history and lots in him that you can
unpick which is why it's one of my
favorite books even though it's not
always an obvious choice top three
classics now which was a very difficult
decision to make but in number three we
have far from the madding crowd by
Thomas Hardy which is by far my favorite
Thomas Hardy Burke has very many
similarities between the woodlanders but
he wrote far for the madding crowd first
and that follows Bathsheba Everdene who
has very many suitors and inherits her
uncle's farm while she takes control and
has to run it it's a book I try to
return to every spring and just like in
the woodlanders it really details the
landscape that Hardy is writing about
and it really evokes these strong
feelings of nature and the importance of
farming on rural communities but also it
details being a woman in a traditionally
male world and how women had to cope
with the challenges of this in fact I
like this book so much because I also
love the recent adaptation of it
starring Carey Mulligan because it's a
film that I think just sums up what a
good book adaptation should be but I
really like about reading classics is
that there is often a wealth of extra
material relating to them and so you
just read that book and you don't have
to leave it behind you can explore it in
many different ways I think Thomas
Hardy's writing really shines in far for
the madding crowd so if you want someone
to start with his books and this would
not be a bad place to go in second place
we have weathering Heights by Emily
brontë which I'm sure comes as not much
of a surprise to lots of you who have
watched my videos before weathering
Heights is by far one of my favorite
books of all time not just one of my
favorite classics but I think I said
book that everybody should read and it
means so much to me I read this at a
really difficult time I read it when I
thought so alone when my head felt
really dark when it just felt like there
was a cloud living in my brain and so
when I read Wuthering Heights
it made me
like it was okay to feel like I was
feeling it's a very dark book but at the
end there's hope for the future and that
gave me hope reading about it I also
read it on a very rainy November day and
so I really felt like I captured the
atmosphere of the book and I would
describe weathering Heights as a very
complicated love story not necessarily a
romantic love story not a positive love
story but it is about this tumultuous
relationship between Heathcliff and
Cathy and the circumstances surrounding
their lives Heathcliff is a foundling he
is somebody who was found and you don't
know his background but he rises up
throughout the novel and turns himself
into something so much more than anyone
ever thought he would be whilst
Catherine is very spoiled
she knows the direction she wants to go
in line from because of that she doesn't
make the wrong decisions like many other
protagonists I mentioned she makes a
decision that she thinks is best for her
and not necessarily for everybody else I
feel like this is a book that I'm always
going to love and has led me to so many
things like I wouldn't have become the
Bronte society young ambassador if I
didn't love this book so much and that
journey has taken me to so many places I
didn't think I'd ever go and so I owe a
lot to this book and I'm so grateful
that I decided to read it and drumroll
please we have my favorite classic of
all time and my favorite book of all
time it is surely by Charlotte Bronte it
is amazing this is a book that I hope
that everybody reads but I understand
that it's not for everybody but actually
that's why I like it so much because it
is a story about two women Caroline
Houston and Shirley Kilda and their
friendship and intertwined romances and
it's about the perils of love it goes
into the psychology of love as well and
how the events that happen in our lives
can affect our mental health it also
talks about milling and it talks about
the Luddite uprisings in Yorkshire at
the turn of the 19th century but I love
it because it just feels like pure
romanticism for me even though on the
first page charlotte talks about how
it's not a romance and she wants to
write something as cool as Monday
morning for me I think
idolize this book too much I idealize it
as well and for me it just means so much
more than just this book and it wasn't
even about the time that I read it
because I feel like at any point I had
to read this book I would have loved it
as much as I do now but every time I go
back to it it makes me feel so good
inside and it just makes me feel like I
can conquer anything
I love reading back up my favorite
passages I love reading about Caroline
and Shirley I feel like I'm very similar
to Caroline but I want to be like
Shirley and so from a moral point of
view as well I feel like I take a lot
from Shirley and I think I can learn a
lot from this book and it's a book I
can't wait to explore as I get older I
feel like my relationship with it is
going to change because at the start of
the book I'm the same age as Carolina's
and so as I get older I'm wondering how
I will feel about it and whether I will
feel differently and I'm actually really
excited about that possibility so
Shirley is my favorite book of all time
and I can't quite sum up what it means
to me I talk about it so much and I'm
sure it doesn't come as a surprise a lot
of you that weathering Heights and
Shirley are featured as my top of two
books there is just something about the
Bronte's words that means so much to me
something about their story that
enhances their words to I just think
they're incredible when they give me
such power and have taught me so many
life skills I just feel like I wouldn't
be the person I am today without the
Bronte's and that's why I love them so
much
I really hope you enjoyed this video and
picked up lots of recommendations I'd
love to know if any of these books took
you by surprise and also love to know in
the comments or what your favorite
classics are of all time and we can
share recommendations so thank you so
much for watching this video and I will
see you guys soon happy reading
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