Classic Indulgence

I only read a few classic novels a year, but their beauty lingers long after I’ve finished the book. What stays with me is usually something subtle: a beautiful turn of phrase, a gentle reflection, or the airiness of a gracefully crafted scene.

A classic book doesn’t read the same as a contemporary one. The plots and characters take time to develop. These books can hardly be devoured in a single sitting. Classics need to be savoured slowly, with many pauses, ideally in a beautiful place, such as in a delightful garden, where the long-winded descriptions in the book can feel close and real. They’re the kind of books you might need to put down, only to pick up again after a few days.

Classics transport us to another time and place. We discover the hopes, dreams and desires of the people who came before us. The sentences, written when time moved less quickly, the impeccable manners and the dainty references to clothing and decorum offer a feast for the senses.

Classic literature is very broad, spanning centuries and covering many regions of the globe. But if we consider some classic female authors of the English-speaking world, we can certainly view their work as a precursor to the contemporary romantic fiction many of us relish. Books by Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott, Charlotte Brontë, or Edith Wharton all focus on the sentimental growth of strong female characters as do today’s romance bestsellers.

I love the language used in classic books and enjoy needing to look up the occasional word in the dictionary. These novels also prompt travel ideas. Literary tours, including visits to authors’ childhood homes and the scenery that influenced their stories appeal to many readers.

Most of all, it’s the courage, poise, and elegance of these authors, and their writing, that I appreciate above all.

TEXT BY FATIMA RIZZO