Ask an English Major: Living in Literature
English majors know the joy of getting lost in a good book. But what if jumping into the pages of your favorite story were actually possible? We sat down with seven English majors and asked them the same question:
If you could live in the world or circumstances of any book, what would it be and why?
Audrey Lauren Rick: Being small for my age gave me a keenness for fantasy and fairytales as a child. When I found The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy Tale Detectives I loved it for its introduction to meek characters who grow into their strength in a search to understand their orphanhood. The mystery unfolds through a nine-book series that encounters many well-known characters from The Brothers Grimm. Living in the world of the Grimm Sisters would give way to the countless fairy tales many of us know, but it would do so in a way that leads one to form deeper understanding of the tales grown up upon. It’d be such fun to live in a colorful world with fairies, princes, giants, and a few monsters too!
Stewart Ruddy: Whenever I am asked what my favorite book is or what world from a book I would live in, my mind automatically jumps to Harry Potter. My attraction to the magic and characters in this book series has lasted from my childhood. I’ll be specific and say that I would live within the world of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I have read this specific book more times than I can count, and the cover of my copy is falling off. I’m not entirely sure what draws me so much to this book, but I think maybe the spectacle of the Triwizard Tournament and the Quidditch World Cup would make this world so enthralling to live in.
Liana Shcherbina: If I could live in the world of any book, I would most definitely live in the world of the character Max from the series Maximum Ride by James Patterson. Ever since I read the books in high school, the eager child in me kept imagining living a life like Max. She and a whole group of kids were born with wings after being experimented on while they were still embryos and, in the series, they encounter many enemies and fight to save the world. Some days I still wonder what it would feel like to have wings to be able to escape reality and find love, while saving the world at the same time. On some days, that life sounds more appealing than this one.
Kaitlyn Samons: I’d probably have to go with Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, but not because of all of the crazy monsters! His work inspired the film Atlantis: The Lost Empire and since I was a little girl I’ve wanted my own lava dog. The why of it goes beyond pet admiration onto the idea that health is not a daily concern of the people as their technologies have far surpassed that of primitive medications. A world with little threat of war/outside invasion, a thriving ecosystem that is respected by the persons of the empire, and burgeoning technologies that think beyond what we have even today… it’s a dream. Courtney Granger: As a child, my favorite books were from the Anne of Green Gables 
series! The little farming village that Anne moves to, Avonlea, seemed like such a picturesque town where everyone knows everyone else in their tight knit community. The descriptions always made it sound so beautiful and idyllic, even the less-picturesque places like The Haunted Wood seemed so interesting to me as I was growing up. Life seemed so much simpler in Avonlea than it has ever seemed to me here, so that is definitely where I would choose to live!
Tess Sloger: 
If I were able to delve into the world of any novel, I would choose HarryPotter. Even with the threat of Voldemort lurking in the shadows, Hogwarts would still be my pick. Daley Fricks: I too would prefer to live amongst the wizardry at Hogwarts. I have always been quite the Harry Potter fanatic, with the inner desire to explore the wizarding world and become a magizoologist like Luna Lovegood!
Written By: Hannah Pearson
4/24/2018