Question

how did French and German literature affect Helen?

Answer 1

Helen plays a glowing panegyric to books and the enlightening role they played in her otherwise dark life. In chapter 21 of her novel ‘The Story of My Life’ she shares with the audience the deep influence she had from the books since her childhood. We come to know she read her first connected story in May, 1887, when she was seven years old. The first book that fascinated her imagination was the story of "Little Lord Fauntleroy." Afterwards she read many books such as "Greek Heroes," La Fontaine's "Fables," Hawthorne's "Wonder Book," "Bible Stories," Lamb's "Tales from Shakespeare," "A Child's History of England" by Dickens, "The Arabian Nights," "The Swiss Family Robinson," "The Pilgrim's Progress," "Robinson Crusoe," "Little Women," and "Heidi,". She tells the readers how the Greek stories thrilled her more than the Bible stories; but as she grew old she found the stories in the Bible no less glorious.

Then she shares with us her love for Shakespeare. She says that the plays of Shakespeare such as Macbeth, King Lear, and Twelfth Night left a lasting impression on her life. She read these plays many times in her life.

Helen tells the readers that her second most favourite subject was history. She had read all the historical works such as Green's "History of the English People", Freeman's "History of Europe", Emerton's "Middle Ages", Swinton's "World History”, etc.

Helen liked both German and French literatures. According to Helen German literature was different from French literature in many ways. German literature gave more stress to strength, truth, and potency of woman’s self-sacrificing love.

In French literature, Helen liked reading Moliere and Racine; she admired Victor Hugo’s romanticism, genius, and brilliancy. She considered Hugo, Goethe and Schiller as interpreters of eternal things.

 

Answer 2

Helen started to like French and German literature during her college days and it affected her greatly. She loved various writers novels like Goethe, Hugo, Schiller etc.

Though French and German literature have different styles , one thing was common between them. That was how they revered truth to be its own beauty,

Helen always remarks how these writers influenced her greatly in several ways. She used to be very happy when she read their books and loved to be lost in the world of truth and beauty.