Thoughts on reading the classics

(Guiseppe Arcimboldo 1566)

In his book Why Read the Classics? Italian writer Italo Calvino defined classics as ‘books which, the more we think we know them through hearsay, the more original, unexpected, and innovative we find them when we actually read them.’ While I’m not here to debate what exactly qualifies a book as a classic (for the purpose of this article any classic I refer to will have been published at least 50 years ago) what I do want to speak to is my relationship with them. 

While I studied English Literature through university, a lot of what we read was introduced to us as classics. After being forced to read everything from Chaucer to Faulkner, I couldn’t wait to read modern-day writers who wrote about the world I lived in. Then after immersing myself in beach reads and mysteries for awhile, I began again to return to the most-lauded of literature. Some that I hadn’t had to read (Austen just doesn’t do it for me, as much as it pains me to say so), and those that made me realize that some of them really are as good as everyone says (To Kill A Mockingbird, The Grapes of Wrath, A Christmas Carol).
 
Classics often get a bad rep - they’re sometimes deemed as irrelevant books written by old, white men, that are laborious to get through. Which, I suppose, is true. But, on the flip side, they do offer timeless insights into human nature and society, and there’s a reason they continue to resonate decades - and sometimes centuries - after their first publication. 
 
There are many I still want to read (Don Quixote and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall to name but two), some I one day want to go back to, and others I press into the hands of fellow readers at every opportunity I can. So, if you want to try a classic or two but don’t know where to start, here are a few of my favourites, for your reading pleasure…
 
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Of course, it’s a difficult book to read, but Melville’s classic is so firmly entrenched in our cultural references and myths. Beyond that, it’s full of wisdom and beautiful language like no other. And once you’ve finished, you’ll completely understand the obsessive pursuit of a pointless battle to its bitter, violent end.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
I’m not going to say much other than it ranks as THE great American novel. With its flawed, sad characters (Nick, Jay, Daisy, Tom), its rags-to-riches story, its poetic language, the decadence of the 1920s, no one else has ever wrote the death of the American dream like F. Scott did.

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Do you like really big books? Tolstoy revolutionized the modern novel by packing in more human experience than in any other work of fiction. Yes, it’s daunting, but it’s also totally worth it.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Exploring themes of racism and injustice, it’s also a great story about love and coming-of-age. Reaching across gender, class and cultural differences, the novel is a study in understanding and compassion in a world torn open by bitterness and anger.

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
This book refashioned what a novel could do and gives us perspective into our own humanity by witnessing true evil. It may be an uneasy read, but it forces us to experience the lives of characters radically different from us.

1984 by George Orwell
In light of increasingly authoritarian government, Orwell experienced a resurgence with the arrival of right-wing populism. As a manifesto on the psychology of power and mechanisms of control, Orwell’s work is a brilliant political prophecy.

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway’s first novel is about being young, but disillusioned. The characters live in the most beautiful city in the world, spend their days traveling, fishing, drinking, making love, and generally reveling in their youth. But they are alsomorally lost. With honesty and raw emotion, it captures the disillusionment of the Lost Generation.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck or East of Eden
Steinbeck personalized the injustices dealt to migrants during the Great Depression and helped raise awareness which later spawned political activist movements. As relevant as ever, the story captures the need for cooperation and unity rather than individualistic ideals during hard times.
 
Do you have a favourite classic? Is there one you’ve been eager to read but haven’t gotten around to yet? And which classic did you first fall in love with? Let me know if you avoid, or love, them.
 
And in the meantime, happy reading!
Joni