My Lake of Shining Waters

When I was about 11, I remember picking up a book most girls have read and loved- Anne of Green Gables. Immediately, I identified with Anne's character, who was in love with all things beautiful and romantic. She would rename places that had boring names, for example, Barry's Pond become the Lake of Shining Waters. From there, I began to watch the film version of this story, which begins with Anne becoming distracted by the beauty of a poem called "The Lady of Shalott." Of course I had to read the poem that Anne was in love with, so I remember looking this poem online. 

At once I was mesmerized by this epic poem. 

Willows whiten, aspens quiver,

Little breezes dusk and shiver
Thro' the wave that runs for ever
By the island in the river
   Flowing down to Camelot.
Four gray walls, and four gray towers,
Overlook a space of flowers,
And the silent isle imbowers
   The Lady of Shalott.

This is only one stanza of a poem that tells of a Lady trapped in a tower by magic. http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/shalott.htm In the book, Anne is so inspired by this piece of poetry that she and her friends decide to play act and actually send Anne in a boat down the pond, pretending she is the Lady of Shalott. I was later looking for this poem online, when I found many others had been inspired by the Lady of Shalott and had attempted to recreate her in art.

This pattern can continue on forever. Literature has the power to connect all things. An idea or a character can remind you of something else you read. A favorite author can inspire you to delve into their original inspiration. Life has a way of guiding you to the books that connect to your current situation. I am continually amazed at how the internet supports literature. It has become so easy to find a book you have been looking for, or to give you ideas on what to read next. But not only does it help you find what you are looking for, it helps intertwine all things creative. Art, poetry and literature can be found in the same place, just waiting to be discovered. At first, I believed the internet to be an ordinary, practical thing, used for convenience. It was Barry's Pond. Now, I have been converted and the internet has been transformed into my own Lake of Shining Waters, full of mystery and all things beautiful, just waiting to be discovered.