Question

Right from childhood ,Helen had a great fascination for books.comment?

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 called books her friends. She also tells us her favourite authors, writers and poets among which were: Carlyle for his ruggedness and scorn of shams; Wordsworth, who teaches the oneness of man and nature; Hood for his surprises, Herrick for quaintness and the palpable scent of lily and rose in his verses; Whittier for his enthusiasms and moral rectitude, and Mark Twain for his joviality and vivacity.

She says Literature was her Utopia. No barrier of the senses shut her out from the sweet, gracious discourse of her book-friends. They talked to her without embarrassment or awkwardness.