Love letter to my most-loved literature

Claire Doll
MSMU Class of 2024

(2/2025) Since before I can even remember, I have loved literature. From the moment my fingertips brushed the crisp pages of a Junie B. Jones book, to this past May when I walked across the stage with a degree in English, I have felt bound to literature. Perhaps this is because ideas are eternal, and books can hold onto ideas longer than people, and in a world of devastation and unknowingness, nothing is more comforting and inspiring than ideas. Or, perhaps this is because words can be cosmetically beautiful, like in poetry, designed rhythmically, by meter or rhyme, tying the tongue when spoken, sticking to the heart. In 2024 I read 45 books, and my goal is even higher for 2025. There is nothing I love more than a book with stunning language that makes me think, think, and think some more.

When I became an English teacher, I realized just how important it is to expose literature to others. We can delve into figurative language, or narrative structure, or let’s write an alternate ending to the story! Let’s write a letter to the main character, let’s illustrate the setting! A love of reading must be fostered slowly, carefully. It takes one book to produce a lifelong reader, but it also takes one book to turn students away.

In honor of February, I decided to write a "love letter" to my favorite pieces of literature that I have read and taught in schools. Books and short stories that have resonated not only with me, but also with my students. I highly encourage you to check out these stories for yourself!

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

This Victorian-Era novel was a choice for summer reading right before senior year of high school, and it literally took me the entire summer to read. It was long. However, Jane Eyre is filled with beautiful language, powerful lessons, and a revolutionary romance story. Reminiscent of the fairytale Cinderella, this novel spans the life of Jane Eyre through her orphaned childhood, her adolescence at the Lowood School, and finally her employment as a governess at a manor called Thornfield. There, Jane teaches a French girl Adele and sparks an impassioned relationship with her employer, Mr. Rochester. Jane finds herself falling in love with Rochester, beginning a tumultuous relationship that not only consumes Jane, but also reveals a dark and spiraling secret about Rochester and Thornfield.

I still think about Jane Eyre to this day, although I read it six years ago. It is a story of romance and love, but also intelligence and independence—can Jane have both? You’ll find some tropes in this story quite familiar, as several modern books and movies echo the plot twist in Jane Eyre. Thanks to my high school English literature teacher, I have absolutely fallen in love with this novel. When I travelled to London in March 2022, I even bought a Penguin English Library Classic version of this book for my library!

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

The Outsiders is the first novel I ever taught, so it will forever hold a special place in my heart. I read this with my eighth-grade students in Thurmont, and it is literally quite impossible to not fall head over heels into this plot. We meet Ponyboy Curtis and his group of greaser friends; we meet the Socs, the greasers’ rivals. The story, the characters, and the settings are so beautifully 1960s, from the drive-in movies to the Mustangs. After Ponyboy witnesses a tragic event with his friend, Johnny, the two flee town and their lives turn unexpectedly. Themes of social class, loyalty, friendship, and identity surface in this stunning novel. The words themselves would give me chills, and the story still resonates with me to this day.

I loved teaching this to my eighth graders because there was so much to do with characterization and theme. My students would ask to read The Outsiders and do nothing else—and when students these days ask this, you must follow. I still remember those dark mornings at 7:30 a.m. when we would read together, and all you could hear was the sound of flipping pages, and breaths drawn, and heart-stopping words being spoken into the air.

"The Landlady" by Roald Dahl

I just recently taught "The Landlady" to my seventh-grade students! This short story follows seventeen-year-old Billy Weaver as he searches for a place to stay in Bath, England while on business. Looking for a rather cheaper option, he stumbles upon a bed and breakfast where a kind, old lady greets him. Deciding to stay here, Billy settles into his room for the night and chats with the seemingly nice landlady. However, throughout the evening, as he sips his almond-flavored tea, Billy can’t help but notice some strange details of the Bed and Breakfast: the nearly-still pet dog perched by the fireplace, or the sole two names in the guestbook that he can barely remember. Two names, he recalls, that he saw in the newspaper, where they both had been listed as missing. But before Billy makes these connections, it might be too late.

My students LOVED this story! It’s a mystery that doesn’t quite frame itself as one, so students must be very careful while reading. I loved teaching "The Landlady" because there is so much to do with foreshadowing and characterization and figurative language. At the end of this unit, I gave students a choice of summative projects: Make a "WANTED" poster for the landlady, or create an advertisement for the bed and breakfast, or even write a newspaper article about the criminal landlady. This story was a huge success in my classroom.

These are obviously just a few of my favorite, most loved texts. I am so lucky to have encountered such meaningful pieces of literature in my career as a student (and now a teacher)! This February, write a love letter to your favorite book. There’s got to be one story out there that still sticks with you, to this day.

Read other articles by Claire Doll