“With twice his wits, she had to see things through his eyes — one of the tragedies of married life.”
Life is made up of countless mundane moments with seldom anything special happening. Yet, it is the reflections and feelings contained in those moments that hold the power to transform anyone. This is a story of such moments, a deep look into a day in the life of Mrs Clarissa Dalloway.
She performs the perfect homemaker, while her mind runs over a sea of memories, suppressed emotions. On that day, a tea conversation with an ex-lover and unexpected flowers from her husband pushes her over the edge. With every fold of the napkin, she re-examines the choices that brought her there.
Touted as Woolf ’s best novel, the story takes a deep look into an ordinary women’s feelings, choices, and dreams.
Through a heartfelt and engaging story, the reader realises how we truly live a new life everyday through our feelings.
“Looking at these stars suddenly dwarfed my own troubles and all the gravities of terrestrial life.”
Where did the idea of time travelling originate? How did the idea of transcending unseen realms of universe take over popular culture?
An endearing story of a time traveller’s journey into the future. A pull of the lever and the machine sends him to the year 802,701, there he discovers two bizarre races—the ethereal Eloi and the subterranean Morlocks—who not only symbolize the duality of human nature but show the terrifying reality of the men of tomorrow as well. Here, his machine is stolen, will he be able to get back?
The traveller’s journey shows him a reality that is more dystopic than the present, making him realise that some questions are better left unanswered. The modern world’s fascination with time travelling can be traced back to this original story by H. G Wells, considered the father of science fiction.
“Calm —indeed the calmest— reflection might be better than the most confused decisions”
One morning, Gregor Samsa wakes up to find himself transformed into a horrible vermin. Here begins Metamorphosis, the most resounding story of the inherent human conflicts and the suppressed dark side of the human existence.
As Samsa struggles to remind those around him that he is still human despite his new repulsive appearance; we see his friends and family struggle to remember the person that lives in this unappealing creature. Are we inherently a superficial society?
Can we truly look past the surface to appreciate inner beauty? Do we possess the ability to selfishly care for others?
The Metamorphosis is a compelling, sarcastic, and emotional story holding a mirror to the feelings of alienation common to all alike.
- A haunting tale of identity, isolation, and human nature.
- Explores society’s struggle to look beyond appearances.
- A thought-provoking reflection on alienation and acceptance.
- Challenges the idea of selfless care and human empathy.
- A timeless classic that questions the depth of human connection.
“One can’t live with one’s finger everlastingly on one’s pulse.”
Charles Marlow, an English seaman, is an ivory trader on the Congo River in Central Africa. The story is a narration of his experiences as he journeys up the river in search of another trader named Mr. Kurtz.
As Marlow sails into the heart of Africa, he is horrified and confused by the brutalities he sees displayed at the hands of the traders; the torture, slavery and horror that is part of every-day life in that part of the world.
What happens when Marlow finally meets Kurtz? Will he question all of his assumptions and beliefs about civilization and human nature?
It’s a journey into the power struggle and dark truths of European Colonialism, displaying the blatant horrors human suppression. An evocative, thought-provoking book, forcing the reader to seek answers to the harsh realities of civilised life.
“One loves ultimately one’s desires, not the thing desired.”
Friedrich Nietzsche was a leading German philosopher, a pioneer in raising existential thoughts and forcing society at large to question why they need faith, religion and a sense of belonging.
At the heart of Nietzsche’s argument is the idea that to learn the truth one must question everything they have ever learned or observed. Nothing is free from this self-interrogation, including self-perception, societal teachings, and religion.
Nietzsche insists that nothing can be split into black and white—there exist only shades of grey. This argument forms the foundation for his discussion of religion.
Through his philosophy, Nietzsche insists individuals find their own truth and will, and impose it upon the world to find their authentic way of life.
“Without a sign, his sword the brave man draws, and asks no omen, but his country’s cause”
Often considered the first great book of literature, The Illiad is an epic poem which set the stage for all larger-than-life dramas the creative world has since witnessed.
It tells the story of the darkest episode of the most retold Trojan War. It’s an epic poem, with beautiful lyrical tone, set around an eternal love story, an eternal friendship, and an eternal enmity.
At the centre of the story is Achilles, the greatest warrior-champion of the Greeks, the great principled and morally upright King Priam offering valuable insights to life, the beautiful Helen and all the mistakes one makes in love, war, and life.
The Illiad is a must read for all fond of beautifully strung words that pull at heart strings with a deep sense of catharsis.
“He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.”
Anna Karenina, a beautiful, sensuous, and rebellious young woman, is unhappily married to the wealthy but cold aristocrat Alexey Alexandrovitch. Restless in her passionless marriage, she lives in a society and times where Church rules the order for the wealthy; one wrong can bring down the entire family. Thus, she was floating through life until she met Count Vronsky. They fell passionately in love, convinced they met their soulmates. The story goes through their struggles to get approval for divorce, and their desire to live together in a complex society.
Tolstoy uses his characters to raise complex questions about family’s, egos that become a handcuff, and a society that becomes limiting to individual happiness. His famous novel is seemingly ahead of its times as it questions the inherent bias within people.
“Our memory has no guarantees at all, and yet we bow more often than…justified to the compulsion to believe what it says.”
What are the most common dreams and why do we have them? Does a dream about death, swimming, seeing a snake or flying symbolize something?
First published by Sigmund Freud in 1899, The Interpretation of Dreams is a deep and psychological research into what our dreams tell about our subconscious fears, traumas, and inherent desires.
Freud’s theories delve into the idea of dreams as a means to wish fulfilment, and the significance of childhood experiences on adult life.
Frued argues and insists that if we fully understand dreams, we will fully understand the unconscious mind.
Encompassing dozens of case histories and detailed analyses of actual dreams; this critical text presents Freud’s legendary work as a tool for comprehending our sleeping experiences.
“Of the many things hidden from the knowledge of man, nothing is more unintelligible than the human heart”
Sequal to The Illiad, the story begins ten years after the Trojan War and the Fall of Troy, when Odysseus, one of the war heroes, has still not returned to his kingdom Ithaca.
The Odyssey, which means the story of Odysseus, highlight another universal truth about life which is the desire to return home, the destructions and sacrifices of war.
When assumed dead, Odysseus’s wife Penelope and son Telemachus struggle with a group of unruly suitors who have overrun their palace wanting to marry Penelope and take over his house. But Odysseus is still alive; imprisoned on the island of Ogygia by Calypso, who is possessed by love for him and desires to make him her immortal husband.
Homer’s epic poem, larger than life emotions, and philosophical thoughts is a reminder of the bitter-sweet melancholies and the simplest desires of life.
“It is because I think so much of warm and sensitive hearts, that I would spare them from being wounded.”
A cruel act of fate is disappointing a young heart which has the softest hopes from life. Born impoverished and orphaned at birth, Oliver Twist begins his life in a workhouse an apprentice. He flees to London fed up with the constant beatings by his mentor.
He arrives in London with high hopes for a better life but is met with a series of rude shocks. What happens when he meets Jack Dawkins, goes to work with him only to be taken to the police when mistaken for a thief?
Oliver Twist is a sarcastic, intelligent, witty novel with incredible twists and turns.
The story the strives to overcome the miserable conditions for the lower class, searches for an identity, and a sense of belonging.
