Welcome to my new mini series - the classics chat! In these posts, I'll be sharing everything to do with my classics reading journey, the next classics I want to read, my favourite authors and so much more!
Today I wanted to talk about why I read classics as a teenager. This is partly for my own benefit, as I have been in a bit of a classics slump and haven't read any for a while, but I think this is really interesting to talk about too. I also recently read an article about how Jane Austen is becoming more popular among my generation (click here to read it!), which also helped to inspire this post!
Before I start, a little definition of what classic literature is to me, as a teenager. In my opinion, a classic is a book written before 1950. I would consider books written since 1900 such as the Diary Of Anne Frank and Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier modern classics.
Firstly, I read classics because I love learning about history, from people who were actually there. I love thinking about how everything has changed so much over the last few hundred years! I just love finding out about the way the role of women has changed over the last centaury and all the other fascinating things that have happened in our history!
Secondly, the writing is just so beautiful. Every phrase is so well-written, so thought out, and they are classics for a reason, they are the books that have stood the test of time for a reason. Sometimes the writing in YA disappoints me and leaves me feeling unsatisfied, like I wanted more detail, more depth in the descriptions. But the writing in classics is just so stunning, from how characters are described to the vivid landscapes.
Thirdly, classics often have powerful characters and such passionate storylines. Books like Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre are such powerful novels with compelling scenes (as well as being slightly disturbing in places!). The characters in classics stay with you, they impact you, change you, even.
I also love the way that classics allow me to time travel, to escape into a world from so long ago. No, I don't always understand everything, but more and more, I understand the vast, vast majority and love every second of some books. Reading classics, books written a hundred years ago and feeling like in some small way I've been there. I've been to boarding school with Jane Eyre, to regency era dances with the Bennet sisters and on the moors of 1840s Yorkshire with Cathy and Heathcliff.
Leading on from that, there are very few classics that I don't enjoy to some degree. Of course there are some which I enjoy more than others, but I truly do believe that they are here for a reason and these are the best books written of the last few hundred years (or even longer if you want to go there!). In YA, there are so many books I also love and can't get enough of, but there are also so many books that are just over-dramatic, completely ridiculous and very badly written.
Lastly, I'm learning to appreciate that classics are a journey. It takes time to read classics, but that's the beauty of them. You get to the end and you feel so invested in the story, you've spent so much time with these characters, going about their daily lives and you just care so much about them. This is a depth that I don't frequently find in YA.
So there you have it, a little summary of why I read classics as a teenager, and why you should too. You don't have to read War And Peace to read classics, and you definitely don't need a degree or qualification to enjoy them either, and that's the message I want to get across through this mini-series.
I am so excited to share my classics journey with you, and I hope you will come along for the ride. Thank you so much for joining me today, I truly hope you are well, and I will be back next week!
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Great post, Zoē. I know I should read more classics.
ReplyDeleteThank you, I don't think reading classics should be such a highly esteemed and valued thing, they're just old books!! Thank you so much for stopping by!!
DeleteI used to read a lot of classics but now I don't read them as much but if I find a book interesting enough, I wouldn't really care if they are classics or not. But classic books has certain things that you can't find in books today. I can't really define what that is but certainly, books today have different feels than classics. I guess it's the time period they are written in. Certainly, people today are too modern in that they don't always find depths in things that people back then do.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get to read a lot of classics besides Austen and Brontes.
Have a lovely day
I agree with classics having a certain something, a certain depth that modern books lack. I hope I get to read more classics too but right now I'm finding a lot of joy in Austen and the Brontë sisters!! Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and comment, I will attempt to return the favour within the next week, but things are very hectic right now. Happy reading!!
DeleteI personally have never read classics but after reading this post I think I should try to get into it! Great post as always, keep it up!
ReplyDeleteYou should try, although I know they aren't for everyone!! I would start with something a little more modern such as Agatha Christie and then work my way back to Daphne Du Maurier and then onto older authors because they have less accessible language. Happy reading!!
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