Can you believe we are already in October? I don’t know about you, but I think it’s been a good reading year so far. But we only have three more months in the year, which means three more prompts in the 2018 Reading Challenge! So what exactly is the theme for this month?
The October prompt is ‘An eighteenth century classic’.
Moment of honesty here. When I made the list for the 2018 reading challenge I didn’t mean for this to be a category. When I typed ‘eighteenth century’ what I was picturing in my mind was ‘1800’s’. My intention was to read some Jane Austen but then when I looked back at the list a few weeks ago to choose my October book I realized my error…
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But I’m in too far to back out now, so instead of Austen I will be reading A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift. Now this isn’t a long work – my Kindle app tells me it will only take me about a half an hour to read. But from what I understand, this was a politically important satirical essay targeted at the economic plight of Irish families at that time. I read and enjoyed Gulliver’s Travels as a child, though I didn’t get the symbolism in it at the time, so I hope I will similarly enjoy A Modest Proposal.
I’m not very great at reading books in olden periods.. Just never get around to picking them so this one seems like a great option.
Yes, it’s a very small time commitment – perfect for dipping your toe in the water of older literature.
I had no idea A Modest Proposal was so short! Maybe I’ll add that to my reading list because it’s totally doable!
I didn’t know it was that short either! I thought it was a novel all these years, and it’s actually just a satirical essay.
Sounds like an interesting read and one that you’ll be finished in no time. I admire how many books you read!
Oh, well thank you! You make time for what you love and I’ve always loved reading since I was a small child.
Before having a baby, I loved to spend time reading.Now I don’t have as much time. I am always open to different genres. I love memoirs. Thanks for sharing!
Strangely enough, memoir is the one genre that I haven’t really ventured into. A lot of people say it’s their favorite, so I really should try it!
I’m excited to hear about what you thought of it!
I mostly thought, ‘I hope no one thought his suggestion was serious!’ lol