Recently in school I've had the chance to begin reading Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë, in my English class. Having heard much praise and critical acclaim for the book, I dived right in, only to be thrown off straight away by Mr. Lockwood, the narrator for the first few chapters. Knowing that I have to study this book for an exam however, I let it pass, and continued the difficult read. As the book progressed, the narrator changed to Nelly, the housekeeper, and the language became easier to understand.
It was then that I realized that I actually didn't like this change. Although the book had become a lot easier to read, I was surprised to find Nelly's narration plain and uninteresting, in comparison to Mr. Lockwood's almost-whimsical retelling of the first part of the story. I also found myself much less interested in Heathcliff's character, who was now made out to be just a wild child who cared for Catherine, in contrast to the hardened, broken man that was described by Mr. Lockwood. I understand that Nelly retells the story of how Heathcliff became that hardened man, but overall, the narration didn't feel as engaging, and I found myself caring less as my English teacher told me to underline important quotes.
Despite this, I plan to continue reading the book, and hopefully after a re-read, change my opinion on it, for both personal and exam reasons.
Now, I'm going to jump over to another book here, but bear with me. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger; when I began reading this book, once again for English class, I had mixed expectations. I had heard that it had an unusual language style, and a plot that made little sense, and not much of a story, according to some of my friends. Nevertheless, I began reading, and I was immediately intrigued by Holden's style of narration. I'm not going to spoil the story, but I went from being intrigued, to being unable to stand the language, to feeling sorry for Holden, to looking more into it, to loving the use of metaphor, and finally to declaring it the most influential book that I have ever read. I then proceeded to find out how my other friends had got on with the book, and was disappointed to learn that many of them didn't understand the book, and didn't like Holden, or the plot.
My question to The Escapist Forums is this: What defines a strong and engaging narrative in a modern context? I understand that both of these books are considerably old (Heights: 1847, Catcher: 1951), yet despite this, and source depending, they still hold up against modern novels today. What qualities have given these books their seemingly Timeless appeal, and are we to expect this appeal to dwindle, or strengthen, in future?
On a half-related note, the most influential game I have played is Bastion, a game renown for its dynamic narrative and story.
It was then that I realized that I actually didn't like this change. Although the book had become a lot easier to read, I was surprised to find Nelly's narration plain and uninteresting, in comparison to Mr. Lockwood's almost-whimsical retelling of the first part of the story. I also found myself much less interested in Heathcliff's character, who was now made out to be just a wild child who cared for Catherine, in contrast to the hardened, broken man that was described by Mr. Lockwood. I understand that Nelly retells the story of how Heathcliff became that hardened man, but overall, the narration didn't feel as engaging, and I found myself caring less as my English teacher told me to underline important quotes.
Despite this, I plan to continue reading the book, and hopefully after a re-read, change my opinion on it, for both personal and exam reasons.
Now, I'm going to jump over to another book here, but bear with me. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger; when I began reading this book, once again for English class, I had mixed expectations. I had heard that it had an unusual language style, and a plot that made little sense, and not much of a story, according to some of my friends. Nevertheless, I began reading, and I was immediately intrigued by Holden's style of narration. I'm not going to spoil the story, but I went from being intrigued, to being unable to stand the language, to feeling sorry for Holden, to looking more into it, to loving the use of metaphor, and finally to declaring it the most influential book that I have ever read. I then proceeded to find out how my other friends had got on with the book, and was disappointed to learn that many of them didn't understand the book, and didn't like Holden, or the plot.
My question to The Escapist Forums is this: What defines a strong and engaging narrative in a modern context? I understand that both of these books are considerably old (Heights: 1847, Catcher: 1951), yet despite this, and source depending, they still hold up against modern novels today. What qualities have given these books their seemingly Timeless appeal, and are we to expect this appeal to dwindle, or strengthen, in future?
On a half-related note, the most influential game I have played is Bastion, a game renown for its dynamic narrative and story.