2016 Classics Challenge: January
Promoting classic books to students can be difficult sometimes. That's why I've decided to take the 2016 Classics Challenge where I try to read one classic book a month.
This challenge is organised by a blog called The Pretty Books which is filled with amazing photos of books and reading ideas.
For January, I decided to read Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw."
Published in 1898, it's the story of an unnamed woman asked to take care of two orphans for a summer on an estate in Essex, UK.
She soon discovers that the boy, Miles, has been permanently expelled from his school for unknown reasons.
She also notices two people wandering the grounds of the estate, people that she doesn't know. Any attempt to make contact with them proves fruitless. It becomes apparent, at least to her, that the children are secretly communicating with these two mysterious figures.
Bent on uncovering the truth, the woman discovers things that she wish she hadn't.
I won't spoil it any more than that, but I'm glad I now have this novel under my belt to promote to the students!
This challenge is organised by a blog called The Pretty Books which is filled with amazing photos of books and reading ideas.
For January, I decided to read Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw."
Published in 1898, it's the story of an unnamed woman asked to take care of two orphans for a summer on an estate in Essex, UK.
She soon discovers that the boy, Miles, has been permanently expelled from his school for unknown reasons.
She also notices two people wandering the grounds of the estate, people that she doesn't know. Any attempt to make contact with them proves fruitless. It becomes apparent, at least to her, that the children are secretly communicating with these two mysterious figures.
Bent on uncovering the truth, the woman discovers things that she wish she hadn't.
I won't spoil it any more than that, but I'm glad I now have this novel under my belt to promote to the students!
The Classics Challenge asks some questions of its participants, here are my answers:
WHEN I discovered this classic: I had heard the name several times but never knew anything about it, I probably heard it as a child somewhere.
WHY I chose to read it: It's been sitting on my book shelf for far too long.
WHAT makes it a classic: In my opinion it lays the foundation for several different themes still seen in horror today, especially films, and it's genuinely creepy.
WHAT I thought of this classic: Although I had to go back and re-read a few pages to make sure I hadn't missed anything, I did think the story had some real frights and a lot of tension.
Will it stay a classic: Absolutely, from what I've read, the main character's motives and sanity are still debated today.
WHO I'd recommend it to: Any horror fan, anyone that wants to dig up the history of children being the focus of most horror films today.
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