Tag: Classics

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig

Title: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Author: Robert M. Pirsig
# Pages: 404
Published: April 1974
Rating: 5 stars

I decided to make this my first read of the year after I had to put it aside a year or so ago. It is one of my brother’s favorites, and we have similar reading tastes, so I figured I had to give it another go.

Pirsig uses a first-person narrator to tell the story of a father and son and their summer motorcycle trip across the Northwestern United States. The father contemplates his relationship with his son while they drive, which leads him to a comparison of motorcycle maintenance and science, religion, and philosophy.

This is a brilliant book, one I will definitely read again. It not only made me want to get a motorcycle and take my own trip; it also made me want to learn more about philosophy and re-evaluate my own ideas about life.

Favorite Quotes:

We’re in such a hurry most of the time we never get much chance to talk. The result is a kind of endless day-to-day shallowness, a monotony that leaves a person wondering years later where all the time went and sorry that it’s all gone.

You are never dedicated to something you have complete confidence in. No one is fanatically shouting that the sun is going to rise tomorrow. They know it’s going to rise tomorrow. When people are fanatically dedicated to political or religious faiths or any other kinds of dogmas or goals, it’s always because these dogmas or goals are in doubt.

The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.

Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre

Title: Jane Eyre
Author: Charlotte Bronte
# Pages: 507
Published: 1847
Rating: 4 stars

Jane Eyre was the first novel published by Charlotte Bronte, and it was originally published under Bronte’s pen name, Currer Bell. Charlotte Bronte was a member of a very creative and literary family–she and her sisters published a book of poems in 1846, and by the end of 1847 both of Charlotte’s sisters also had novels published. 

The story is of Jane, is a poor orphan being raised in the home of her late uncle.  Since her uncle has died, she is the responsibility of her aunt who clearly has no love for her niece.  Her cousins are mean to her while they grow up, and they ridicule and look down on her due to her position as a poor orphan. Jane is eventually sent away to boarding school, where the conditions are deplorable but, as happens in so many good stories, she meets a wonderful friend and a wonderful mentor.  Bronte patterned the boarding school after one that her two older sisters attended, both of whom passes away as children because of illnesses contracted at the school.

After boarding school, Jane decides to move on with her life and finds a position as a governess. She finds happiness there and enjoys teaching, spending time with her student, and speaking with her master, Mr. Rochester.  There are a lot of twists and turns in the plot, though it ends up pretty much the way you would expect it to.

One of the defining features of Jane Eyre is the Gothic theme that runs throughout the story. From ghosts to secret rooms, Bronte gives the reader everything a Gothic fan could hope for. It’s also fraught with symbolism, which makes it fun for people who like to dissect their literature. 

Favorite Quotes:

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” 

“I do not think, sir, you have any right to command me, merely because you are older than I, or because you have seen more of the world than I have; your claim to superiority depends on the use you have made of your time and experience.” 

“Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs.”

“I would always rather be happy than dignified”

Little Women

Little Women (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) (Penguin Threads) by Alcott, Louisa May De Luxe edition (2012)

Title: Little Women
Author: Louisa May Alcott
# Pages: 491
Published: 1868 (Good Wives, or Part 2, in 1869)
Rating: 5 stars

Little Women is one of my all time favorite books and has held its place at the top of my chart for 20+ years. I know, I know, it seems like every little girl grew up loving the March sisters. How unoriginal of me. But you know what I say to those who view this “unoriginality” with disdain? GOOD RIDDANCE! If you don’t like Little Women, that probably means you haven’t read it. 

Louisa May Alcott was tasked with writing a book for girls, so she drew from the experiences of the only group of girls she enjoyed: her sisters. Alcott’s tales of day-to-day life in 19th century America are equal parts uplifting and heartbreaking, joyful and painful. Alcott draws in her readers with her simple writing style and well-developed characters, and she keeps them interested by laying out journeys for those characters that are easy for readers of any age to identify with. 

Jo March is the heroine of Alcott’s novel, and while the story is told by a third-person narrator, it primarily follows Jo’s life and shows her experience and point of view. Her journey begins as a stubborn, independent teenager who yearns for the freedom to study, travel, and write–freedoms that weren’t readily available for women of her time. As she grows up, she learns when she needs to acquiesce to society’s expectations for her, and when she can assert her stubbornness to get the freedoms she desperately wants. 

As Alcott’s auto-biographical character, Jo gives the reader an insight into how Alcott viewed her world. Repressed by society because of her gender, Alcott, like Jo, rebelled against societal norms and delighted in writing things of a more macabre nature. She agreed to write Little Women and its sequels only to benefit her family, and inserted her small rebellions into the work to maintain her own ideals while giving in to society’s pressures (like refusing to allow Jo to marry Laurie). 

If you’re looking for a well-written novel that will pull on your heartstrings and lift your spirits, Little Women is the book for you. 

Favorite quotes:

I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning to sail my ship. (pg. 457)
****
I want to do something splendid before I go into my castle,–something heoric, or wonderful,–that won’t be forgotten after I’m dead. I don’t know what, but I’m on the watch for it, and mean to astonish you all, some day. (pg. 143)
****
I like good, strong words, that mean something. (pg. 36)
****
Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well. (pg. 118)

I was lucky enough to visit Orchard House in 2017. This was the Alcott’s family home, and the setting for Little Women. You can read more about that incredible trip, the Alcotts, and Little Women here.