I was pretty hesitant about this course at first, but I’ve ended up absolutely loving it! I have to admit, I only took this class to fulfill my literature requirement so I could graduate but I’m really glad I did, and I’ll definitely recommend the course to anyone who asks. It has been so great to get back into reading again. Maybe not for my poor friends who have had to listen to me talking about the book I’ve read every week, but I’m hoping to keep up the habit in my spare time over the summer.
Reflecting on my goals from the first week of class… I would say I’ve come to really enjoy a new genre of book and have certainly felt passionately about a few of these books, particularly during these last few weeks. I’d be curious to go back and read the books from the start of the course and see how I felt about them now. Although I’m not sure I could ever enjoy Proust…
I’m proud of my commitment to this course, and my organization! I was worried about the structure and having to pre plan all the books I would read as I’m usually a go with the flow type of person when it comes to school. There were a few close calls, where I remembered I had to read a book at around noon on the Sunday it was due, but luckily I’m a fast reader.
After watching the final lecture, I’d like to focus on the theme of childhood, and the transition between childhood to adulthood, as it was a theme I’m sure many of us found relatable whilst reading these books. Reflecting on how my mind has expanded (is how it feels to me) since I was a child, how everything felt so simple and more colourful back then, contemplating the different stages of our growth into adulthood and comparing my own stories to those of these characters I have come to know throughout this course. Even in these past few years, from the age of 18 to 22, I feel I have changed so much, mostly in my way of thinking, and it makes me a little sad to be honest. There are times where I wish I could be young and think simply and naively again, but I find a sense of comfort in these books, that we all grow up, it’s a part of life and there is beauty in that.
5 replies on “Conclusion”
“There are times where I wish I could be young and think simply and naively again, but I find a sense of comfort in these books, that we all grow up, it’s a part of life and there is beauty in that.” I’ll keep those final words in mind. Best of luck in your academic life!
“It has been so great to get back into reading again. Maybe not for my poor friends who have had to listen to me talking about the book I’ve read every week, but I’m hoping to keep up the habit in my spare time over the summer.”
Yay! This is our dream!
“There are times where I wish I could be young and think simply and naively again”
I hear that, but I think so do some of the texts that we’ve read. Indeed, you say you’re “not sure [you] could ever enjoy Proust,” and that’s fair enough, but in part I think that’s what he’s trying to do… to recover some of the novelty (but also the confusion… when we look back nostalgically we may forget that) of a child’s experience amid an adult world.
Thanks for all your contributions!
I really enjoyed reading your post. I liked how you reflected on how your experience with the course changed over time, especially going from taking it just to fulfill a requirement to actually really enjoying it. Your point about childhood and growing up also really stood out to me because it’s such a relatable feeling. I thought the way you connected that to the books we read was really thoughtful, and I liked how you ended on the idea that there’s still beauty in growing up even if it can feel sad sometimes.
I agree that this is a course that I would recommend to others. I also took this to fulfill my literature requirement, but ended up actually enjoying it!
Childhood was definitely a big part of the books and I only read 2 other than the required and wonder if the others are also heavily childhood themed. This is a course where I would go back read the books that I didn’t originally because I’m curious to see if I would have liked them and how they might connect to the others in the sense of themes and childhood. I do know that it was a coincidence that a lot of the books had a childhood theme to it but it would be interesting to read the rest to see which ones have it.
I relate on the speed reading on Sundays with you. I have work on Sundays so I’d be reading on my break and on my way to and from work.
Hey Catrin, your reflection was really thoughtful and its nice to see how much you enjoyed this course. I especially liked your point about growing up with the mix of nostalgia and acceptance feels very relatable as it was very simple when we were kids before but growing up there is a beauty and the books do help in us making sense of it.