Caught in the Web of Literature, Or How I Came to Read (Part 2)

When I was young my dad frequently went on many business trips. As daddy’s girl, I allowed him to go on these trips if he promised to bring back something interesting. Returning from one of those business trips, when I was about eight years old, my dad brought me back a book. At first glance I thought the book looked unappealing. The girl was obviously not a princess, and the only intriguing thing about her was her purple eyes. I asked my father why he thought I should read the book, trying not to convey any of my misgivings. He said he read the back cover and thought I might like it. Only with his confidence buoying me up, did I read the back cover, and then the first couple of pages. Alanna was supposed to be sent off to a convent to learn magic and her twin brother to the castle to become a knight, but the two switch places and Alanna goes off to be the knight, while her brother studies magic. I was hooked. This book fuelled the expansion of my imagination though reading. It was called Alanna: The First Adventure and was the first in a quartet of novels for young adults.

After that book I quickly and greedily devoured every book written by that author and continued to purchase every book of hers published. My interests were stuck fast to fantasy writing. I loved reading about knights, princesses, castles, magic, kings, and monsters. I especially liked reading about quirky princesses; anyone who was out the ordinary fairy tale was interesting to me. One story I enjoyed was called Ella Enchanted. It was loosely based on Cinderella, but truly its own story. It was far more imaginative than the original story and not as grotesque. Told in first person, by a brave, strong-willed girl named Ella, and full of wit, it was enjoyable and funny. It was also right up my alley. I loved stories about princesses, and unlike Alanna who was a very strong female protagonist but wanted to be a knight, Ella was strong, feminine and funny. Who knew, that with these tales of bravery and strength, I would be caught in the luring web of reading forever.

For many years of my childhood, I read mostly fantasy stories. When I was in high school and college my reading turned more towards classic literature per the “required reading lists”. My readings were more of Hamlet, The Great Gatsby, and The Fountainhead, as in high school, than the fun fantasy I enjoyed most. And in college I read works such as Dante’s Divine Comedy, Crime and Punishment, and Emma. I learned to analyze these literary works and evaluate them through from different critical perspectives and get multiple meanings as well as to enjoy them as literary works. I learned to imitate these readings and create my own literary pieces.

Initially I found value in literature’s ability to provide me with material to create imaginary worlds with. Later when I was able to analyze literature for its social, psychological, and cultural information, my imagination was not daunted; rather my abilities to interact with literature were expanded. I could turn to literature to act as an escape or for material to create with, or I could turn to literature to learn from it about cultures and peoples around the world. Through literature I could see another time and another place, in the world of imagination, whether fictional or real.