Hello everyone! -Unrolls the huge roll of paper - Here it goes!
I am proud of my parents who among several other things, had introduced me to wonderful world of books, and that too in three languages allowing me to explore the unknown territories while sitting in the safety of my bed.
However, for most people, books have always been a source of recreation and entertainment where I live. People believe that one can have a serious career with lot of potential only if he/she is a doctor or an engineer. Studying literature is not something serious! After all what's the big deal in flipping the pages of a few cute books with beautiful covers, reading a few stories and poetry. That's not studies! That's fun. And that serious studies cannot be fun, can it? Basically, if you aren't minting enough money after your education, it seems your line of studies is not good enough.
So, I studied what by social norms would lead to a lucrative career. The only thing that felt amiss was that I was rarely with the books that I loved, any more. And then when everything was going right as per social norms, I wanted to do something different. Something that the social norms would glare at! I wanted to read books. I wanted to study literature. I wanted to teach literature at some point!
I started reading books ... more than what I have ever read. Science fictions.. Y&A Bestsellers... Murder Mysteries...Legal thrillers.. and then I was bored.. bored of the same plots being twisted and re-bottled under a new title and those becoming bestsellers.
I decided to try something else. Why not try something that has been praised and loved by generations of book addicts? The classics, may be! William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, H.G. Wells may be? And then I felt I was in my place. I felt I had so much to explore.. about those times when these books were authored, of the life of people in those times through these works of fiction. And my lost urge to learn about literature started to build up again. I want to teach literature to kids.. but I need a formal education for the same.
How is it like to study literature formally? Is it as good as studying it as an amateur? Does it give you sense of freedom? Does the experience get even better? To study formally or not to study is the question.
Pompey Bum we met the other day! Nice to see you again!