This is the fourth and final post I've partnered with Lulu*s to bring you, inspired by my favorite novels. Today's book, Martin Eden by Jack London, might be my favorite book of all time. It's difficult for me to label anything as a favorite, from songs to movies to books, because I don't really compare novels from different genres to each other--I have a favorite science fiction book, a favorite YA novel, favorite 19th century poet, etc. But favorite book, no qualifiers? I don't know. That said, Martin Eden is one book I have read more than any other and have yet to tire of it. I underline half of the sentences on every page and constantly recommend it to my friends.Martin Eden is titled after the protagonist--a young man and former sailor who through a random good deed is invited into the home of bourgeois family, where he meets Ruth Morse and falls hopelessly in love. Far from a love story, the book follows Martin's struggles to "make good" or improve himself and become worthy of Ruth's affections. I get swept away with Martin's progress each time I read this novel; I fall in love with the way he sees the world and silently cheer as his ability to articulate his thoughts and memories grows by leaps and bounds.
There isn't as much in Ruth to admire, despite Martin's estimation of her she's quite a simple girl and very content with her life. However, Martin envisions something fantastic when he looks at her--she is the most supreme of all womanly beings. In her is the finest example of human progress and delicate refinement. My outfit today is inspired by that idea of Ruth, perhaps best described in his own words, "She was a pale, ethereal creature, with wide, spiritual blue eyes and a wealth of golden hair. He did not know how she was dressed, except that the dress was as wonderful as she. He likened her to a pale gold flower upon a slender stem."
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