Five Unforgettable Mothers from Literature

 In exactly two weeks time (if you live in the UK) it is Mothering Sunday (14 March 2021). With this in mind, I just thought I would put together a little list of some unforgettable mothers in literature. Most of them are pretty great mums. The last one . . .

Included are links to books are available to purchase from bookshop.org (Disclosure: if you purchase books through links in this blog, I may earn a commission from bookshop.org, but that does not influence the content of this blog and bookshop.org supports independent bookshops)

1. Molly Weasley from the Harry Potter series (J. K. Rowling)

If you do a search online for great mums in literature, Molly Weasley figures in numerous list articles. Not only is she the matriarch of the Weasley family but she is also something of a mother figure to the series' hero, Harry Potter, who has a pretty poor family situation himself. Not only does this character take care of all the usual motherly duties - cheerfully feeding, clothing, and protecting her children - she also goes to the fight when she has to.

The Harry Potter complete collection available here

2. Margaret March from Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)

Margaret "Marmee" March is another mother from literature that can be found on multiple online lists. It can't be easy for a single woman to raise four daughters during a civil war but Mrs. March loves her children and does everything she can to help them. She is a good listener, always having time to listen to her children's problems, and her daughters know that they can tell her anything.

Book available to purchase here

3. "Ma" from Room (Emma Donoghue)

This story, told from the perspective of five-year-old Jack, is not an easy read, and "Ma" is arguably the most tested mother on this list. The majority of this story takes place in the room of the title, where "Ma" and Jack are being held captive and have been held captive for many years by a man referred to as "Old Nick" in the story. The author apparently was inspired by the Fritzl case in Austria to write this story. "Ma" is a character that does all she can to protect her child in the worst of circumstances.

Available for purchase here

4. Miss Honey from Matilda (Roald Dahl)

Matilda Wormwood finds herself inhabiting a world of unpleasant characters - her family doesn't really seem to care about her very much at all and the headmistress of her school is a tyrant. However, Matilda finds warmth, friendship, and a mother figure in her teacher, Miss Jennifer Honey. This story reminds us that family is more than blood and, at the conclusion of the story, their relationship is cemented as they become an adoptive family.

Available for purchase here

5. Norma Bates from Psycho (Robert Bloch)

Well, this list is called "Five Unforgettable Mothers from Literature", not "Five Good Mothers . . .", and I don't think there's any denying that this mother figure is unforgettable. The character of Norman Bates has been compared to real life murderer, Ed Gein, who also had an odd relationship with his mother, having suffered abuse at her hands. This is definitely a mother/son relationship that will live on in the mind after the last page has been read.

Available for purchase here

Well, that's it. There are more mothers out there between the pages of some of our most favourite books. Which ones have stayed with you?

Profile of a Bookworm Blogger

 In which I discuss my bibliophilic tendencies

My having a book about my person - whether I'm on the street, on a park bench seat, or up in a tree - is almost certainly a certainty!

I read everyday.

Now, as I make that admission, you may start to form images of my being a rather bookish fellow - a tote bag of some sort over my shoulder, thick framed glasses sat on the bridge of my nose, and a cup of black coffee perched somewhere within reach. Perhaps I wear a cool hipster cardigan, to go with my cool hipster facial hair, which really ties together the whole bookish-hipster thing that I am going for, no? That's a very nice, and Instagram ready, image. But, it's not me. No, think more Chris Pratt in Parks and Recreation, only with a book in hand. That's closer.

I do like to think, in my more deluded moments, that my being widely read lends me, at least a slight, air of intellect, and perhaps sophistication - we all have an ego, that's my only excuse. However, truth be told, the books that I have immersed myself in have not conferred upon me those attributes. No, they have left me with something more important though - the thoughts, lessons, feelings, and ideas of men and women from other times, and other places. A good book can leave you feeling small and, at the same time, part of something huge, like when you look up and consider the ocean of space and stars in which we are suspended.

Mostly, I read for joy though.

But, reading is a solitary activity which is, most of the time, fine by me - I am a tad more introverted than I am extroverted. Still, I sit here, click-clacking away at the keyboard now, reaching out into the void that is the internet, tossing my thoughts and feelings about reading out there. Obviously, I hope that it will reach someone and, dare I hope, some sort of connection is made. Otherwise, what is the point?

Maybe joy. Maybe that's the point again . . .

At the moment I am reading The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro and it could very well be the case that, much like how Stevens, the butler of Darlington Hall, is stultified by his life in service, I am made a little dull by my interest in all things bookish - which would go some way to explaining why I feel a need to allude to a literary character when describing myself; it might make the portrait a little less bloody boring!

Still, I do hope that these posts are of interest to somebody. As I sit here in my room, bookish and writerly notions in a perfect cloud of sparkly hope dust erupted above my noggin, hunched over this laptop, clickery-clacking the keys to form these words that you are reading (hopefully!), I hope that somebody is reading. I hope somebody shares it. And, I hope that we can have an exchange . . .

Anyway . . .

Signing off. Read well. Be good. Please enjoy the below picture - nothing bookish here, just my late dog (otherwise known as my best friend) viciously attacking my face with her weapon of choice, her tongue.

I'd Rather Be Reading . . .

 In which I consider a few typical day-to-day activities and ask myself, 'Would I rather be reading?'

This post is purely for the lulz, baby! I just take a few everyday activities, and then I ask myself, 'Would I rather be reading?'

So, let's crack on, shall we? I imagine we all have better things to be getting on with . . .

1. Sleeping

I do fight off sleep if I can when I am in the middle of a chapter and my eyelids begin to feel weighted. I am not the sort to stick a bookmark in the middle of a chapter. In fact, generally, I always finish a chapter once I have started it unless there are circumstances beyond my control which keep me from doing so. Death, illness, a natural disaster. Things like that . . . 

I would rather be reading. But, I am not quite at the point where I am keeping my eyes open with match sticks a la The Clockwork Orange to stave off sleep and read more.

2. Showering

When a reader has the opportunity, they should always pick a bath over a shower! You can read in the bath. You cannot read in the shower. You will have to trust me on that one . . . However, because of time constraints and because the shower is more environmentally friendly, a shower is, more often than not the preferred option.

If I say that I would rather be reading, you might think me rather disgusting (and be thankful that you are receiving my thoughts via the words on a screen, rather than face-to-face), but I assure you that I shower often and do not forsake personal hygiene for personal pleasure. Well . . . we all have pyjama days, right? I like to read in the bath if I can - I will take that over a shower ideally!

3. Watching a film/TV 

As book readers we have all said it - "I preferred the book". Still, there are times when I feel the need to relax in front of the television and lose myself in a good sitcom, drama, or documentary. I have my Netflix account just like everyone else and there are evenings when I've found myself saying, "Oh, just one more episode", knowing full well it will probably be about two more episodes. Maybe three.

I find myself watching less films as I get older. I don't know why. I think it's because of the time asked of me - a film of about an hour and a half plus runs the risk of losing my attention these days. However, I am still quite happy to immerse myself into a book for as long as it takes. So, all in all, I would rather be reading.

4. Eating

Like tiredness, I will ignore hunger to finish the chapter that I am reading. Sorry, body. That's just how I roll. I mean, what am I supposed to do, run the risk of getting stains on the pages? Put the book down? Pfft. You don't know me too well, do you?

This is a tricky one because I do like food. However, like I said I will ignore hunger . . . Plus, I am more likely to spend money in a bookshop (when I have money) than I am to spend it in a restaurant. So, yeah, I would rather be reading.

5. Sex

Sometimes men don't want to have sex. I know, right! But, it's true. Sometimes, we would rather be reading. Well, I would anyway. Also, with this entry I am stretching the term "day-to-day activities" here. For myself anyway. Without getting into it too much, I am pretty confident that I can go without this for significant stretches of time . . . We have been in the middle of a global pandemic for about a year now, so, there's that . . .

Anyway . . .

I would probably give up sex first before books but, who am I kidding, under the right circumstances, the book would fall to the floor and be forgotten about pretty quickly for this one.

6. Socialising

I love to see family, and I love to see friends, and I love to exchange messages with good and decent people. However, the parties that I find myself attending through little to no agency of my own - yeah, I might be considering whether or not I can sneak off to a relatively unpopulated area to catch up on my reading. And, just as a heads up, I do usually have a book about my person . . .

If it is good company, I can let my book go. If it's a party where I might be expected to socialise with people I don't know or have little in common with, I would probably rather be reading.

So, from this brief list, I can safely say, I would probably rather be reading or, if not that, accommodating reading into the experience.

I don't whether I should be proud of that or not. Probably not.

Anyway. Be nice. Be kind. Read lots. Listen to music. And, do you, everyone else is taken, as Oscar Wilde sort of said!

LGBTQ Characters in Books

 Just like almost EVERYONE, I watched and loved the great television series It's A Sin, written by the ever talented Russell T. Davies, and starring a whole cast of talented actors (Olly Alexander, Callum Scott Howells, Lydia West, Neil Patrick Harris, Nathaniel Curtis, Keeley Hawes, Omari Douglas, Shaun Dooley, Stephen Fry . . . and many more - they're really all so good in this!).

In one scene, Nathaniel Curtis' character is tasked with pulling from the shelves of a library any books which reference LGBTQ characters or storylines. The scene makes reference to Section 28 (a law that prohibited the "promotion of homosexuality", introduced by Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government and in effect from 1988 until 2000 - in Scotland - and 2003 - England and Wales), and just how little of a voice the LGBTQ members of society have had historically and culturally.

The scene - typical for this series - is able to make you smile, sad, and thoughtful in the space of the moments that it takes place on screen. 

If you haven't seen It's A Sin yet, I think you should stop reading now and go watch it because, to be honest, anything I write here isn't going to be as good as this show is - it doesn't even get within sniffing distance!

But, you know what, that scene made me think - where are all the LGBTQ characters in literature? Are they there? Well, they are. But, they can be hard to find, in my opinion . . .

First of all, there are characters who we might never have noticed as being LGBTQ, such as Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter franchise. J. K. Rowling revealed in 2007 that she had "always thought of Dumbledore as gay". Now, writers do know their characters best - they often give their characters a history, habits, hopes, dreams, fears, desires, etc., that the audience never sees. In this way, the writer is better able to flesh out the character and write them better. However, if J. K. Rowling had not made it known to her audience, after the original Harry Potter series had come to its conclusion, we might not have ever noticed. Some might have spotted it and it might have become the thing of online fan theory debates, but it isn't really explicit in the novels. Going back to the books, there might be the whisper of a hint with regards to the character's sexuality.  I'm certainly not sure that anyone tasked with seeking out LGBTQ characters in literature would have recognised  him as such. This subtle hinting (sometimes so subtle it's missed) at character sexuality has been a method adopted frequently by writers - another example I found when researching this article was the character of Deadpool, the Marvel character; the character, we are told, is pansexual (this is hinted at by his flirtatious way with other men) but in his history (the character was created in 1991) he's only ever had relationships with women (and women-presenting aliens).

Still, Deadpool's flirtatious way with people, aliens, and mutants of male or male-presenting sex might at least get him noticed during a similar exercise to that which Nathaniel Curtis' character is made to undertake in the scene from It's A Sin . . .

In Stieg Larsson's creation, Lisbeth Salander, we meet a character who is complex, badass, and explicitly bisexual, amongst many other things. The character, first appearing in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, back 2005, has become a memorable part of the literary landscape in the early part f this century - some feel that the series' success can very much be laid at the feet of the character of Lisbeth Salander. She is a gifted but troubled character. She makes her own way in the world - most certainly not relying on any prescribed route as she navigates her way through her world. She is androgynous, bisexual, and a badass. She even has a street named after her in Stieg Larsson's Swedish home town - Lisbeth Salander gata. 

Another bisexual woman in popular culture is Diana Prince, or Wonder Woman, as she is otherwise known. Wonder Woman begins her life on the island of Themyscira, a place entirely devoid of men and, as she tells Superman in issue #48 of Sensation Comics when she officiates a wedding for two women, where she comes from it is "not 'gay' marriage. It's just marriage". Also in 2016, the writer, Greg Rucka, explicitly revealed that the character was bisexual. The origins of Wonder Woman, coming as she does from the women-only Themyscirda, mean that she will be free of the heteronormative expectations and point of view. To the writers of Woman Woman it seems obvious that the character will have had lesbian relationships coming, as she does from an island without men. On Themyscira, no men may step foot and anyone that leaves forgets the location of the island, and so it would seem that if the inhabitants of the island are forming relationships then they are lesbian relationships.

It only occurred to me as I was doing the research for this article that I have never read a book in which there featured a memorable trans character! I have to take into consideration that this might say something about how diverse my own bookshelves are, but I think they are still hard to find. I have on my "to read list" The World According to Garp by John Irving and Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami, both of which feature trans characters. I know that the characters are out there - as I type in various phrases onto Google and Wikipedia the proffered results confirm this, but I do come away feeling that these characters are still on the fringes. But, I do now have some idea as to the titles I might want to add my bookshelves after those searches!

For a long time, representation of LGBTQ life and love was considered dangerous and subversive. Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray was originally more explicit in its references to gay desire, but these references were censored before publication. Then, as we see in It's A Sin, one hundred years later, we were still bothered by all this. Even today, people seem really quite concerned over the sexuality of other people and "what it all means!"

Representation of relationships, identities, and sexuality, beyond the heteronormative accepted default position that has been depicted in literature for so long, is increasing it seems. As I did my searches in preparation for writing this, it is obvious that the amount and depth of discussion with regards to sexuality and identity has been incrementally increasing over time. And, in the twenty-first century, we are having deeper and better discussions than we have before. However, you only need to take a little look on Twitter and you will see there are still those who don't quite get it. There are still those that think the discussion, the representation, is dangerous and subversive. They don't take into consideration that the literature, the art, the film, the television shows, the discussions, are giving strength to those who have been oppressed and suppressed for too long.

I don't know. I just like books. And, I think a book might be a good place to start!

If you fancy exploring LGBTQ literature a little further, here is a link to a book list from Penguin Random House that you might find interesting, but do explore for yourself too - it's more fun that way!

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/the-read-down/the-ultimate-book-list-for-pride-month

Please do comment and share, if you happen to think that this post is worth commenting on or sharing. I don't pretend to know everything, or to be perfect, so, if you feel I have gotten something wrong here, call me out on it! It's the only way I will learn . . .

It's A Sin is available to watch on All4 streaming service in the UK and HBO Max in America.

Eight Great Reasons to Read Everyday!

 

Personally, I don't need a reason to read, but here are some great reasons as to why I, pretty much all the time, have a book about my person . . .

1. Good for the brain

There are studies that show regular reading can boost brain power. In the same way that exercise at the gym can improve muscle strength, reading regularly can improve brain connectivity. A study in 2013, making use of MRI scans, measured the effect that reading can have on the brain whilst reading. Whilst reading a novel over a period of nine days, it was found that areas of the brain connectivity increased in study participants. It has also been posited that reading often can even slow the process of mental decline that comes with old age!

2. The more kids read, the better they get at reading

This one basically follows the "practice makes perfect" rule of thumb. If children read often, and they read widely, they become better readers. Really, this just makes sense. Every writer has their own style, their own voice, and approaches subject matter from different points of view. They will even make use of different words to convey their messages. Reading widely offers a child more opportunities for discovery essentially - discovery of new words, discovery of different points of view, discovery of different voices . . .

3. Listening and understanding

Following on from number two, what about the benefits of reading to children? Well, when a child has a story read to them it gives them an opportunity to listen and understand. Much is said in the tone of voice, and body language, and so, even when a child doesn't understand every word that is said, they can still come away with an understanding of the story and its structure. It also provides an opportunity for children to ask about words and topics they don't completely understand. And, you know what, it's a great bonding experience - and that goes for people of all ages, reading aloud with anyone of any age can be great!

4. Exercises empathetic understanding

Books provide us the opportunity to immerse ourselves into the experiences of men, women, children, animals, and other beings both real and imaginary. We can read the words of someone who lived centuries ago. We are offered the opportunity to read from the perspective of somebody of a different gender, age, race, cultural experience . . . And, more besides. And, in a way that we can't when we watch a screen, we immerse ourselves into those experiences - our brains building, from the words on the page, the world we are being invited in to.

5. Reading reduces stress

Studies have shown that reading can help to reduce stress. In fact, a study in 2009 found that reading can lower blood pressure and heart rate - it was found that thirty minutes of reading was as effective of thirty minutes of yoga. It may depend somewhat on what you are reading though - probably better to pick up a good novel rather than an online news article (especially with all those negative comments and fighting in the comment thread!).

6. Helps put you to sleep

Well, if it calms you down, it's probably going to be good at putting you in a good place for nodding off too, right? Apart from that though, the brain is good at picking up on cues and, if reading becomes a regular part of your bed time routine, it signals to the brain that it's time to quiet down and get ready for sleep. If you're a fan of e-Readers, it is probably best to read from good old fashioned paper books - light shining into the eyes from a screen isn't good for getting off to sleep.

7. Education

If you're reading non-fiction, this is obvious - there are more books than any one person could ever hope to read in multiple life times, and plenty of books written by experts in their fields. And, lucky us, we have access to that ocean of knowledge for the cost of a pint or two of beer. The difference there being, of course, that the book will hopefully leave your head a better space for having consumed its contents . . . over the beer which will lead to a hangover . . . Yeah . . . Anyway, also bear in mind libraries - lots of free knowledge there. And, even if you are reading fiction, as previously mentioned, there are opportunities for learning about other points of view and life experiences.

8. Better writing skills

One piece of advice that writers often pass on to other writers is to read, read, read, and then read some more. In his book, On Writing, Stephen King tells us, "If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write." And, I mean, that makes sense, right? As a writer, words are your tools, and if you read, you gain a better understanding of those tools, and how to effectively make use of them. It gives you the opportunity to broaden your understanding and, even if you aren't aiming for becoming a best selling author, leaves you better at being able to communicate and convey thoughts, feelings, and ideas through the written word.

So, now that you've plenty of good reasons, what are you going to read now?

Brave New World Revisited

 In 1932, Aldous Huxley's most well known novel, Brave New World, depicted a dystopian future society that was controlled using sophisticated methods. 

At the end of the 1950's, Huxley revisited the topics that he had touched on in that novel with Brave New World Revisited. This work, rather than being a work of fiction, is an examination of Brave New World and essay on those issues that he had visited in that novel. From the very beginning, he argues that many of the predictions and prophecies he had made in his most famous work were uncomfortably closer than he imagined they would be so soon. And, with Huxley discussing topics such as overpopulation, drug use, and how ideas are sold to the masses, this work, like Brave New World, is very much still a relevant read. There is much in our world - the political landscape, advertising, social media - that you might be able to see in Huxley's predictions. He didn't get it exactly spot on but, in a world where many of us are slaves to algorithms and what's trending, he wasn't too far of the mark.

I don't know about you, but I see a lot of the Brave New World in us today - when I take to social media and I see people, with blinkers on, defending the political parties and/or figures that they have aligned themselves with, without criticism, I think of Brave New World. When I watch films like The Social Dilemma - detailing how we are manipulated by today's technology - I think of Brave New World. And, there is a discussion to be had about whether or not we have become too dependent on medication to fix our ills and woes - which, yeah, you guessed it, brings to mind elements of Brave New World for me.

Huxley once said, “Everyone who knows how to read has it in their power to magnify themselves, to multiply the ways in which they exist, to make their life full, significant, and interesting.” And, in my personal opinion, you get some of that from reading Huxley. This is my fourth post about a Huxley work, and I make no apologies for that. 

In twelve years, it will be one hundred years since Brave New World was published. Who knows where society will be there by then . . .

When discussing famous dystopian novels, people often contrast and compare Brave New World with Orwell's 1984, asking the question, which one are we more likely to be heading towards. Personally, I can see elements of both in our world. What about you? What do you think?

Links to other posts about Huxley works -

https://monstareader.blogspot.com/2021/02/mescaline-and-mysticism.html

https://monstareader.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-devils-of-loudon-by-aldous-huxley.html

https://monstareader.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-perennial-philosophy.html

Mescaline and Mysticism

 The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley

This blog is in serious danger of becoming a little Huxley-heavy! But, personally, I have no problem with that and have some pride in the fact that, of the three blog posts I have published on Huxley's books, Brave New World has only come up in passing. But, that's the little literary snob in me, so perhaps it's best to move on.

In 1953, Aldous Huxley (pictured above, 1931) took four-tenths of a gram of mescaline and waited to see what would happen. In The Doors of Perception he described the effects of this experiment. And it is a beautifully written account of the visionary experience ever written.

Aldous Huxley was a man interested in mysticism and what Meister Eckhart called "istigkeit", or the is-ness of things, and he explores this in this account. Through this account, we learn that when Huxley took that dose of mescaline, the active principle of the cactus peyote, he saw through the everyday surface of things and "istigkeit" of all about him. 

Personally, The Doors of Perception, is just as memorable and important to me as Brave New World. It is not just the telling of a giggly and trippy day spent on an hallucinogen, but a work exploring mysticism, the deeper meanings and beauty behind the mundanities of life, and how we use mood and mind altering substances. A subject that Huxley was obviously interested in - remember soma from Brave New World.

Through Huxley, we are shown how this experience offered insight into the universe about him. The universe about us. As I said, this is not the account of a trippy hippie afternoon on acid - I mean, look at that picture above! The man was an intellectual with a keen interest in what intrigued him. Huxley's account of the experiment on mescaline is well written and well worth the read. It is a telling that tells of an experience in which the veil fell away and the inner, deeper, richer, and wonderful is-ness of existence was revealed to a mind on survival mode, a mind worn by the mundane. An experience where the beauty in the crease in a trouser leg is obvious. 

Read it - you'll understand.

Available for purchase here (Disclosure: if you make a purchase through links in this blog, I may earn a commission from the seller, but that does not influence the content of this blog).

Fun Facts

- The band, The Doors, named themselves after this book, and it earned Huxley his place, amongst many other public figures, on the cover of The Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

- Huxley died on the same day that JFK was assassinated - 22 November, 1963. It is also the same day that C. S. Lewis died. Both authors' deaths received little attention because of the tragic shooting and murder of the thirty-fifth President of the United States.

- Huxley died of cancer and, on his death bed, he asked his wife to inject him with LSD. This is how he passed out of the world. Accounts say he left this life peacefully, a 'good death'. After a dose of 100 milligrams, his wife asked him if he would like more, he nodded in assent, and she injected a further 100 milligrams.

The Devils of Loudon by Aldous Huxley

 A true story of supposed demon possession in seventeenth century France

Urbain Grandier, a priest of the parish of Loudon, was burned at the stake in 1634. Despite his being a holy man, he also had desires for the flesh and was a seducer of women. This trait eventually brought a conspiracy against him, a conspiracy that took him to the stake.

He was, in 1634, found guilty of causing the possession of a Prioress and her nuns by devils.

In this telling of the events at Loudon in the seventeenth century, Huxley tells of the events that lead to Grandier's torture and death. Events that seem to have less to do with witchcraft and demon possession and more to do with human jealousies, sexuality, superstition, and hatred.

The Devils of Loudon is not one of Huxley's better known books but is most definitely worth the reading. Before I read this book, I was unsure as to whether I would be interested by the topic of the book. However, I have a lot of time for Huxley and gave the book a chance. And, I was not disappointed. Huxley, a man who was drawn to mysticism, the religious, and human nature, handles each of these and more in this telling of the events surrounding the priest's death and the most sensational case of supposed possession in history.

I may be a tad bias - as I say, I have a lot of time for Huxley - but I would recommend this book. If you have read Brave New World and you are considering giving another of Huxley's books ago, I can't promise that you will find this book intriguing and interesting. It is a very different kind of book. But, for those interested in human nature, witchcraft, religiosity, and human malice, you could do worse than read this book.

The Perennial Philosophy

 A little Huxley

The Perennial Philosophy isn't one of Aldous Huxley's best known works. And, for those thinking of trying others of his titles because they liked Brave New World might be a little disappointed by this book.

In this exploration of all the great world religions - and the scriptures, teachers, and teachings of said religions - Huxley looks at the basic unifying beliefs that lie beneath. It does become apparent, as the book takes in different aspects of religious belief and practice, that the major religions have unifying beliefs in the human attempt to find Truth and ultimate Reality. Reality with a capital R. Truth with a capital T.

In The Perennial Philosophy Huxley's observations are supported by quotes from great and notable mystics and theologians, and religious works and scriptures. 

Huxley himself was personally interested in mysticism and universalism, or the perennial philosophy. When analysing others of his works, there are traces of these philosophies in his writing. 

Huxley invested time and effort into learning about, and later teaching on, eastern religions and philosophies, particularly the Vedanta. He learned meditation and spiritual practice from a swami. He later took mescaline, and believed the experience to be one of clarifying and profound insight into the truth of reality (see The Doors of Perception).

However, Huxley was an intellectual and much more agnostic than a mystic. Because of this, he wasn't fully able to embrace the life of a man immersed into an institutional religion. 

When reading The Perennial Philosophy, I came away, as I have when I have read other of Huxley's books, that this is the work of someone trying to seek out the right way, or the best way. That this is a work interested in trying to discover what it is, not just to be human, but what it is to be good, to be fulfilled. I also come away with the feeling that this is the work of a man seeking something deeper than what lay on the surface of things, and for that I have a lot of time indeed.

I am a big fan of Huxley's writing. I have a lot of time for them and recommend them to you.

Shakespeare . . . I mean, that's it. No more introduction needed.

 Sonnets

Shakespeare is a writer that you have to read at school. We all have to do it - Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth etc. We learn that Shakespeare is a writer to be studied, not enjoyed. Of course, it doesn't help that, his English being the English of the sixteenth century, his work requires some deciphering.

I haven't started on the positives, have I?

Well, I am just trying to be honest. I mean, I think I was put off the works of Shakespeare because of those reasons, and it took me a while to realise that Shakespeare's work can be enjoyed and appreciated just as any other writer's work. Shakespeare's work isn't meant to be studied, it is meant to be felt. 

My advice would be to not let any of those reasons deter you from reading Shakespeare. Read his writing for yourself, decide for yourself.

Shakespeare's reach can't be denied. And, it is understandable. He used the language well, and his sonnets are the perfect example of this.

Shakespeare's sonnets are musical and haunting. They fall through the centuries and land delicately in the twenty-first, sending out ripples. Though, perhaps that isn't quite the image to call to mind - ripples fade away, right? I am not sure that Shakespeare will.

Oh, I don't know. The sonnets are beautiful. Some of them, or bits of them anyway, you will recognise. Others, you won't. But they really are beautiful - some of the finest poetry ever written. 

These are not original sentiments. However, they are accurate, in my opinion.

All that can really be said is that you should read Shakespeare for yourself. Decide for yourself. Don't let the dusty English lessons put you off. And, the sonnets are an excellent place to start.

If I could offer some advice, I would say, read them aloud to yourself - feel the words in your mouth and how they fall together. Read them with your heartbeat. And, give each individual sonnet the time and attention it deserves. They can be read one after the other, but they are better appreciated when read slowly and given the attention that they command. And, if you stumble over an archaic word or two, take the time to find out its meaning, then go back and read the sonnet again. Take the time.

This blog is not for the academics. Definitely not. But, you know what, Shakespeare's works and plays were not just for the academics - he wrote to entertain the people.