This is quite an interesting programme for one who's fond of English classic literature like me. In it, Sebastian Faulks reflects on the fact that millions of novels are read every year. And also on the fact that very often we return to the old ones again and again. Why? Is it the prose? Is it the plot? Or is it the writer? In recent years, he says, people talking about novels have focused on authors. In his opinion, instead, the only people who matter are the characters: the heroes, lovers, snobs and villains. People whose inner life we get to know so well that they are more familiar to us than our family and friends. So much so, that it is in the power of their experiences that we see our all lives in a new light. These characters live beyond their time and beyond the page. The lives of these characters help to understand ourselves.
Here are some of the classic heroes he introduced:
Robinson Crusoe, Tom Jones, Becky Sharp, Sherlock Holmes.
Robinson Crusoe, Tom Jones, Becky Sharp, Sherlock Holmes.