Special Collections Reflection

The thing that was most striking to me in the special collections was the beautiful illustrations inside the books. For years I had let myself become brainwashed into thinking that illustration in books was "kiddy" and lacked depth. However, after seeing the amazing illustrations in their copies of "Othello" and "Beowulf", I've realized how much significance it can add to the work. Literature is an art form. It's the art of using words to paint a picture and tell a story and convey some sort of higher meaning. Adding in gorgeous pictures and paintings enhanced the work, making it more whole. It drew me further into the page. I felt like I could read for days due to the fact that I was always yearning to see the next picture. Another example of where a work is greatly aided by illustrations was their copy of Milton's "Paradise Lost." The book is often hard to follow at times, but having pictures there kept me engaged as I read several pages, and it also cleared up any confusion of what was going on. Even in "Shakespeare's Sonnets" where the pictures never actually depicted anything, the level of detail on each poem was staggering and I was moved by the saturation of colors in contrast with the black and white words that were printed on the page.