[463 Professor's Eye] Modern Life Vs. The Classics

   To begin with, what exactly are the classics? It would take this whole article and more to define what makes a classic. Italo Calvino does exactly that in his preface to Why Read the Classics? (Penguin, 1986); and as Calvino wrote several masterpieces himself, he should know. But, for the sake of simplicity, let us say a classic is anything published from antiquity to fifty or sixty years ago that meets certain criteria: (1) it has an aura of greatness, (2) it is loved and reread over and over, and (3) it has fused with and even shaped the wider culture.  

   So, why read a classic work of fiction? Firstly, reading any book is to be commended as reading fiction develops empathy in the reader. When we read fiction, we have access to characters’ thoughts, feelings, and experiences in ways that are impossible in other mediums such as film and television. In my opinion, novels are the pinnacle of human creative expression.

   Therefore, reading the classics connects the reader with some of the greatest thinkers who have ever lived. And unlike film or television, each connection between author and reader is unique, so each reader will imagine and interpret the world that is presented on the page differently. 

   Reading classic fiction connects the reader with things they could not experience any other way. Through Dickens, we can experience the Victorian streets of London, but more importantly, we experience the minds and lives of the characters who walked those streets. Yes, they wear strange clothes and talk in old-fashioned ways, but what may strike the modern reader is how similar those characters’ fears, dreams, and daily struggles are to their own. Classic literature teaches us that the human condition is universal, regardless of time and place. 

   Beyond the ability to time travel, classic fiction connects the reader with masters of style. Vladimir Nabokov wrote masterpieces in Russian and English. Nabokov was synesthetic. Synesthesia is a medical condition whereby one’s senses are jumbled, so a person will literally see sounds and smell colours. Nabokov used this to his advantage by producing descriptive passages so wondrously that many readers find themselves reading each paragraph twice. 

   Gabriel García Márquez (another style master) created a South America so pungent that to read his books is like slipping into a dream. Through his writing, the struggles of generations and indeed an entire continent are presented in magical story-worlds that are rich in poetry, surrealism, and meaning. The chance to explore places that do not fully exist in the company of a lyrical master is surely an offer too great to pass up. 

   In an earlier paragraph, I noted that humans are connected by universal experiences that transcend time and place. This offers the modern reader a great fount of wisdom from which they can freely drink. For example, from Shakespeare alone, there is much to learn about prejudice (Othello), loyalty (King Lear), and ambition (Macbeth) to name but three of his plays. Like their male counterparts, female writers such as Jane Austin, George Elliot (pseudonym), and Virginia Woolf share their unique thoughts and experiences, but they also give us insights into the gender-based issues that were prevalent at the time of the authors’ lives.

   To sum up, reading classic works allows the modern reader to experience the past and connect through time with great minds. Moreover, each literary journey contains its own wonders, which might be stylistic, linguistic, or derived from characters or settings – or perhaps all of those things combined. Crucially, though, each reading experience will be unique, and that in itself makes reading classic fiction well worth your time.