The books that are the most sacred to me are as follows: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo, and Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Of course, there are many other pieces of work that I love, but these speak to my soul.
I noticed that most of these writers were from the late nineteenth century, and so I started to read more from that period, imagining that my literary mother was Ayn Rand and my literary father was Fyodor Dostoyevsky (what a pair!). I suppose my literary uncle could be Victor Hugo and my literary aunt Emily Brontë. With them alongside me, I noticed that from 1776 to 1850 (74 years) was about one generation since the birth of America.
I truly believe that my initial emotional response to first reading my favorite novels was a sign that the culture was better, healthier back then. Would I want to go back in time to live there? No, our lives are much better today than they ever were before; however, I think I am missing out on a more enriched cultural environment (and perhaps more people would have read my novels back then than now).
Based on some more thought about my favorite books, artwork, music, and overall esthetic, I realized that my favorite time period fell between 1850 and 1906. So, like you do, I made a timeline on Canva for a clearer picture:
1800-1850 = Romantic Era / 1850-1880 = Realism Era
1850 = Metal nibs and Copperplate calligraphy in use [Blacksmiths were still important throughout the 1800s; Bach lived and composed from 1685-1750]
1802-1885 = Victor Hugo’s birth and death; The Hunchback of Notre Dame was published in 1831
1837-1901 = Victorian Era [My esthetic]
1817-1898 = Indian Wars in the U.S.
1818-1848 = Emily Brontë’s birth and death; Wuthering Heights was published in 1847
1861-1865 = Civil War in the U.S.
1821-1881 = Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s birth and death; Crime and Punishment was published in 1866
1870-1914 = Second Industrial Revolution; First Industrial Revolution was from 1760-1840
1840-1893 = Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s birth and death; Swan Lake was composed in 1875 and performed in 1877
1849-1917 = John William Waterhouse’s birth and death; Lamia was created in 1905
1905-1982 = Ayn Rand’s birth and death; Atlas Shrugged was published in 1957 [The esthetic idea of Romantic Realism was created]
1906 = The Hartig House built [Queen Anne style architecture in the U.S. was popular from 1800-1900]
I think it is extremely important for people to analyze if there is such a historical period that matches their own esthetic tastes because it reveals more about you as a person. With this new information, I will be devoting much more of my reading to that time period. And what is also great about an older period is that all of my primary sources will already be in the public domain, so I can find them for free on sites like gutenberg.org and archive.org.
I encourage you, too, to embrace the journey and learn more about yourself through history.
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Views Expressed Disclaimer: The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent the postings, strategies, or opinions of American Wordsmith, LLC. Please also know that while I consider myself an Objectivist and my work is inspired by Objectivism, it is not nor should it be considered Objectivist since I am not the creator of the philosophy. For more information about Ayn Rand’s philosophy visit: aynrand.org.