It’s no secret that when you read as part of your degree, your enjoyment of it can dwindle over the years. The demands of constant reading on top of classes and life make it difficult to know what to prioritise.
Growing up, I always enjoyed good books, but when I got to university to study French and English Literature, I started to resent the fact that I had no choice in the books I read – often being set up to two novels a week on top of criticism and tutorial preparation. The limitations of the reading list and the pressure to get everything read make for an unsettling combination, often resulting in giving up halfway through.
As a consequence, I don’t get the chance to read for pleasure as much as I would like, seeing reading around my degree as a distraction or a waste of time – instead of the escape and stress-reliever it is proven to be.
I have been buying books throughout the academic year, intending to read them during the summer, only to find that by then, I have so many books to get through that I end up reverting to the familiar musings of Dolly Alderton and Sally Rooney which I have read so many times I could recite the last chapter from memory.
The disappointment of seeing Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness‘ on my reading list for a third time, or the confusion in front of another James Joyce novel made me want to run a mile from any kind of ‘proper’ reading. As graduation approaches, however, I do wonder what I’ll choose to read after University and that makes me grateful for the variety of literature I have read during my time here, that I otherwise would not have.
If you’re looking for something to help you relax coming into deadline season, I’m going to share four favourites from my course from the last four years:
In first year, we read Toni Morrison’s heart-breaking Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel ‘Beloved‘, which I had to read in the middle of the day in halls with all the lights on so I wouldn’t have nightmares. It didn’t work and I didn’t sleep for a week, but it is only right to be afraid of such a harrowing depiction of a dreadful part of America’s history.
In second year, I read my first ever Jane Austen book in the form of the satirically dark ‘Northanger Abbey‘. It’s funny, it’s clever and the irony is pitch-perfect.
In third year, I read more Shakespeare than anyone should have to read, but ‘Hamlet‘ is famous for a reason.
This year, I read the masterpiece that is E.M Forster’s Howard’s End. A commentary on the condition of England at the turn of the 20th century, this is a classic that has it all: drama, romance and (best of all) short chapters.
“Girl reading at the beach” by pedrosimoes7 is licensed under CC BY 2.0