Classics. Why read them? That’s what I always thought. Reading for me was always a tedious activity. Schools have a way of making reading seem unappealing. Even though I knew I had to do it in order to finish a reading comprehension test or assignment and get a good grade, I simply wasn’t interested in the material; which, in itself, left me feeling pretty dumb. Right up until high school, I had a few classmates who, when the teacher asked questions about the readings we did, always knew what was going on. Instead of trying harder to understand it, I would just get frustrated and feel jealous of my classmates who did seem to like (or, at the very least, understand) the book we were discussing.
I used to lack vocabulary, concentration, and patience… However, this doesn’t mean I’m somehow now cured and understand everything I read nowadays. But I’ve come to terms with the idea that I’m not as smart as people tell me I am, and that’s okay. Once you put your feet on the ground and start seeing yourself in a new lightーa more accurate and realistic view, to be specificーyou’ll start getting a better idea of the things you’re really good at and what areas require a little push.
My reading journey has been a great way for me to measure my progress. I started it in October of 2020. My first classic was The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It’s a pretty short book, so if you feel like starting to read classics, but are scared of lengthy books, this read is a great choice for you.
The Little Prince is marketed as a children’s book, but I think it’s one of those books that gets better every time you read it, regardless of how much time has passed since you first read it. I would’ve loved to have read it when I was younger to see if there was any change in how I viewed things back then. Nonetheless, there’s no use in thinking about what-ifs. Since I first read The Little Prince, I decided to make it a yearly tradition and read it every year for my birthday. For now, I don’t want to say too much about the book if you haven’t read it, but if you’re in a mood to question the absurd things that adults do, and to rekindle with your younger self, this is the best way to do it. It’s a heartfelt story, and I’ll be the first to admit I shed quite a few tears at the end.
Reading classics has opened my eyes to how many references books can contain. It can be fun to understand a joke about a book because it makes you feel cultured. But don’t feel discouraged to read classics because only “cultured” people read them, or because they’re generally thought of as harder to read than contemporary books. Regardless of the truth behind these statements (what does “cultured” even mean?), they will never be good enough reasons for you to not read one. You’ll be missing out on wonderful worlds that have outlived their own authors. Some classics are just so good that people keep telling the same story again and again; I’m looking at you, Bridgerton.
Now, here’s a list you should check out if you don’t know where to start:
- The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
Happy reading!