Classics Considered

I was tagged (a few weeks ago now) by Hamlette – thank you very much! 🙂 I actually started filling this out a week ago or so, but only just finished it today.

The Outline 

1. Link back to who tagged you 
2. Share the Graphic on your blog 
3. Share the Outline on your post 
4. Share a detail you love about the season of summer into fall 
5. List at least 7 random/ specific things YOU love to read about in books, big or small 
6. Tag 7 people who would enjoy taking part/whose answers you are curious to read!

We are nowhere near summer or fall in the northern hemisphere, but I do enjoy when the leaves are just turning yellow, and it feels like a better version of summer. 🙂

Now, onto my list, in no particular order…

1) Creepy Inherited House

Imagine thinking you’d come into money and a nice place to live, but your new home isn’t as friendly as you thought it would be. (I love this trope so much I actually wrote the draft of a novel with it. :))

Examples: Kidnapped by R. L. Stevenson, Malicroix by Henri Bosco

2) Sisterly Devotion

My sister and I have had a special bond going back to when we were very little, so stories about similar relationships always get to me.

Examples: The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, Till We Have Faces by CS Lewis, Frozen (yes, the Disney movie), Sentimental Value (2025 film)

3) Intense Religious Dilemma

Christian life is challenging, and oftentimes it isn’t reflected in fiction. I get extra excited when I do find a good representation in a book or film.

Examples: The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene, Sachiko by Shusaku Endo, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, A Hidden Life (2019 film)

4) Slice of Life, with a Side of Solitude

There’s just something comforting about stories that feature simple lives and people finding their way in solitude or loneliness. It doesn’t have to be a sad story, but it’s often bittersweet.

Examples: The Gate by Natsume Soseki, Perfect Days (2023 film)

5) Dystopia with Literary (or Visual) Beauty

It’s been a minute since I was on my dystopian classics kick, but I’ve not so soon forgotten the beautiful writing in Zamyatin’s We, nor some of the haunting, cinematic scenes in Benson’s Lord of the World. Most recently, Mr H and I watched Metropolis (1927) for the first time and were amazed by the visual design.

6) Old-Timey Wit and Sarcasm

I am quite a fan of the sparse, deadpan humor in the Bronte novels, and of course many English authors of the 20th century made it a main feature in their books.

7) Wildly Subverted Expectations (Gone Well)

This can go very badly, but I’m thinking right now of Passing by Nella Larsen, which – for such a tiny book – took me on a whole journey, ending up at a point I did not see coming. I think what made it brilliant is that it delivered on its initial idea and went beyond by adding more layers to the story and characters. Love books like that!

Tagging (if you want to do it): Stephen, Cyberkitten, and Cleo, and anyone else who fancies doing this. 🙂