September and Some Early Autumn
The province has gotten a taste of fall this week with cool breezes and temperatures that had me putting on long sleeves. It’s been nice to have a bit of autumn, especially since usually this is the point where the heat seems to grate on me the most. I long for the depth of September followed by the colours of October, and for the end of a difficult year.
For September, I’ve decided to go back to some of my favourite writers and classics as a way to reassure myself that I do love this time of year and it’s okay to enjoy it. Lately, it feels like every shift in the weather is threatening and every seasonal change might bring disaster. Which makes me sad because I enjoy the seasons so much. I just have to remind myself to let go and enjoy them.
A Short and Powerful Classic
When I was in high school, George Orwell’s Animal Farm was part of the English curriculum and I can definitely see why. Its length is accessible and, for such a low page count, there is a lot of power here. Animal Farm is a book that leaves a lasting impact. This novel is one of the ones that showed me what a literary statement could be and how vital writing is during the darkest times and through the most horrible of regimes. It also showed me the absolute striking beauty of the allegorical tale.
Lasting Resonance
The fact that Animal Farm is still getting actively banned is really a testament to how much this story has resonating across time. Sure, it’s the tale of the rise of Stalin (and to some extent Hitler) told through the barnyard of Animal Farm, but it’s not just about the dictators of the past. Animal Farm discusses the horrors of propaganda and seems to predict our current reality of fake news. The re-writing of history as well as its erasure. If anything, Animal Farm serves as a grim warning that history can and often does repeat itself.
If we let it.
Young Readers?
Recently I saw a poster that proposed an adaption of Animal Farm that was a musical adaption for young audiences. And part of me was happy to see kids exposed to literature, but a larger part of me had a lot of questions. Did they take out the executions? Did the battles still include guns? How about the alcohol and the glue factory?
I read this book as a teenager and with the guide of a teacher. I think it might be a bit too intense for younger children unless they do get some careful guidance with the subject matter and some historical context.
Calm and Quiet
We do have a few tough things to get through this month, but I’m trying my best to take time between the tough things to spend some time with my lovely spouse and do the things that we enjoy.
One of those things is definitely going to the bookstore, but I also have to remind myself that I cannot use old paper and ink to shield me from my problems or dreaded tasks. My to-read pile is getting unwieldy and I want to make some progress this year instead of just adding to the stacks. However, it is hard to do that when I have a doting spouse who is trying her best to spoil me on my birthday. She is helping me a bit though, by reminding me that I have other hobbies than reading and there are presents that aren’t necessarily book-based.
