11 Interesting Reasons to Read the Classics

This blog post was not meant to be about this. After blogging last week that I was reverting to blogging about my passion for classic literature, I wanted to write a blog about the importance of reading the classics.

After writing over half of what I intended, I started to lose enthusiasm for the subject. I think this was for 2 reasons. 1) Because I’ve already covered the subject in some of my earlier blog posts and 2) It felt like the subject and tone was too serious.

Therefore, I’ve decided to do a fun kind of listical blog post, to get me started again with the classic reading blog, and come up with some interesting reasons, based on my own reading and love for the classics over 10 years, to hopefully make you want to read them too.

So let me suggest the following:

1. The classics do historical fiction really well – You might think of historical fiction as books written by modern authors such as Hilary Mantel, Phillipa Gregory and Bernard Cornwell. But some of the greatest books ever written were historical fiction – The Iliad, The Odyssey, the history plays of Shakespeare, A Tale of Two Cities, the Les Rougon-Macquart series of novels by Emile Zola, and even perhaps without realising it, War and Peace. These all crafted stories out of real historical events and they did it very well!

2. Plato is not boring philosophy – I do like reading philosophy, but can admit that it can sometimes be very structured and unimaginative. Plato’s written philosophy is not boring. From the courtroom drama of Apology, to the creation of a supposed Utopia in Republic, Plato’s philosophy was definitely imaginative. Always set as dialogues between 2 or more people (always including Socrates of course), with wonderful settings in Ancient Greece, Plato is the best way to give philosophy a try.

3. Unless of course you opt for the thoughts and meditations of Marcus Aurelius – The Roman emperor trying to make sense of the world, ‘Mediations’ is often the first book I recommend to begin reading the classics. This book is not written as a dialogue, and is not trying to tell you how to live a good life, but telling himself how to live a good life. Which helps you in the process. Some of the greatest wisdom you’ll ever read. Trust me.

4. Intimated by the size? Start with a short story – The classics aren’t all door stopper epics. Yes, the behemoths are well known – War and Peace, Don Quixote, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Brothers Karamazov, Middlemarch, Bleak House etc. But some of the best known novelists were prolific short story and novella writers too. Tolstoy was a great short story writer; must reads include The Death of Ivan Ilych, How much land does a man need? and What Men Live By. James Joyce, the writer of the enormous Ulysses, also wrote the wonderful short story collection Dubliners. Perhaps the greatest was Anton Chekhov, an absolute master of the short story. Notable ones to start with are The Lady with the Little Dog, The Fiancée and The Bet.

5. And if you don’t read the classics, you’ll never find out how much land a man does need! – Also check out Chekhov’s diss track of Tolstoy’s answer in the short story Gooseberries.

6. Reading Shakespeare as an adult, is not the same as it was in school – This could apply to other classics taught in school as well. Learning Shakespeare at school didn’t do much for me either. It was boring and did not live up to the source material. But in school the choice was not yours. You were given the play and told how to study it. As a free-thinking adult, you have choice and time, and if you decide which Shakespeare you want to read, you might just realise why he’s the greatest writer that ever lived.

7. It will make you a better reader – It seems that the idea of becoming a better reader is lost these days. Mortimer Adler, author of How to Read a Book, stated that it is important to read books that are over our heads, as this will make us better readers. Meaning, we will be able to tackle and understand more complex texts. The best way to understand Shakespeare better, is to read more Shakespeare. I do believe this is the case, as at some point if you do read books that are perhaps more modern and (dons protective helmet) not regarded as classics, you will find these books quick and easy to read, and also dare I say it, not very interesting. Stretch your brain.

8. It doesn’t end when the book finishes – The classics have been studied over and over again for decades, and in many cases, hundreds of years. This is one of the key indicators of a classic. If you enjoy a particular classic, you can be sure that there are many further resources to help you explore the book further – commentaries, lectures, videos, societies (!), all kinds of media you can gather on the internet to enjoy the work further. One of my particular favourites is listening to a lecture by The Great Courses, a great resource to explore classic literature (amongst many other subjects) much further.

9. It feels good to be told ‘you’re well read’ – I know it shouldn’t feel good, but it does 🤷‍♂️

10. Reading a second time often makes it better – There are books that some experts label as ‘inexhaustible’. Meaning, no matter how many times you read it, you will always find something new to learn and understand things you perhaps previously didn’t. I can’t claim to have read many books a second time (always wanting to read something new) but I have always enjoyed a book further, if I read it a second time. Even on the second read, a book seems to gain a higher level of clarity. Chapters of a novel, perhaps not greatly enjoyed the first time, often make much more sense regarding how they are helping the story on the second read.

11. A lifetime spent well – I read an answer on Quora recently from an older man, who said he lead a very boring life, he didn’t travel much, but he had lots of time to read his books, and they made him happy. It was heart-warming to read, but further still, there were many comments from people stating they wish they could have a boring life like his. I do believe that people who really love and appreciate books are happy people. Whilst I believe a full life does include going out and seeing the world, there are always two worlds – the world out there and the world in there (points to head)! The brain can create a vast world, perhaps many worlds, within ourselves, and books develop our imagination, a kind of virtual reality from within. See the world, meet many people, but always have a book to read. I’ve had great reading slumps before, and I know I am always happiest when actively reading. The greatest books ever written will give you joy, personal growth and a greater understanding of the world. A life spent well.