From dramatic performances to abstract and incomprehensible poems, as a student, you may have come across a few texts that felt elusive and that you could not wrap your head around—despite tireless hours in lecture halls. Below, however, I explore texts that I met with the opposite reaction: some which I truly enjoyed studying and delving into. Here are four of my favourite works that I studied for my degree and that I do not regret reading.
My Last Duchess by Robert Browning
Although this poem seems innocent to the naked eye—perhaps a man innocently reminiscing about his late wife—this dramatic monologue reveals the sinister intentions of a Duke. Behind an alarmingly beautiful depiction of what seems to be a widower lost in grief, you will find that other motives drive his words. The speaker’s use of enjambment masks the sounds of the rhyming couplets and iambic pentameter: a perfectly orchestrated speech. Browning aids us to read between the lines as we come to the natural conclusion that if you are impressed by a man’s eloquence, it’s likely a premeditated speech!
We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
Feeling uncultured felt like an understatement when I learned that this novel helped to inspire George Orwell’s 1984. This science fiction work is incredibly written and includes everything a perfect dystopian needs: a crazed, inhumane government, its citizens dehumanised and reduced to numbers, a brainwashed narrator who slowly becomes sensitised to the horrors of his reality (just in time, or too late?). Read it now to find out…
Mrs Warren’s Profession by George Bernard Shaw
A witty, short but meaningful play which revolves around a protagonist with mommy issues (justifiably so), and out-of-touch characters. It is a play altogether crafted to reveal the juxtaposition between one’s social class and how truly “classy” they are. Spoiler alert—there’s no correlation between the two. Shaw successfully mocks a civilisation completely detached from the ugly social realities which the play exposes. I found Shaw’s humour similar to Oscar Wilde’s, especially the way it is depicted in The Importance of Being Earnest, another must-read. Interestingly, Shaw was one of the only people who stood by Wilde during his infamous trial. What’s not to like?
Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev
A critique of society during Turgenev’s time, with themes of rejecting conventions or simply reality. You will find men who yearn for the same women, an unlikeable nihilist who, against all odds, falls in love, and the epitome of the modern woman (for 1859). It is a thoroughly enjoyable (although not always so gleeful), and enlightening read on the social and political state of Russia during this epoch.
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