I like to think of myself as well read. I think statistically it must be true. However over the last few months it has come to my attention that there have been large swaths of the American Classics Canon that I have outright ignored or disliked to the point of disregard. 

I cared about Poe only so much as it was popular. I tried to like Hemingway to seem interesting. Faulkner bores me to tears. Twain…I just can’t.

I have never read Steinbeck. Gone with the Wind gathers dust on my shelf. Wharton, Cather, Melville all remain a mystery to me. What’s more is they are a mystery I have never been particularly interested in solving. 

A few months ago I wrote a post in defense of the classics. I meant what I wrote then. They are important for a variety of reasons. They teach us many lessons. I generally enjoy classics that take me across borders to other cultures. I’m a big fan of Victorian era fiction. I go crazy for Austen and Shakespeare. I enjoy Hugo and Tolstoy. I’m more likely to try Cervantes than most Americans. 

The more I think about the deep divide in my classic love the more I think it is due to education. I was raised in an US public schools. I learned US history. I understood the dustbowl without Grapes of Wrath and Slavery without Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Where fiction would make these topics more lively, more real, I felt I already had an understanding of the timeframe, the situation, the overall setting.  

Whereas when I read Wuthering Heights I learned about the English Moors. Anna Kareinin gave me insight into Russian life. The Iliad and the Odyssey are backbones of storytelling. I feel like I am experiencing new places and learning new things. I feel like it is an adventure, not a slog through History 101. I can understand the broader history of the world from stories, not just lessons. 

As I am not actually a Historian of any era or place I should probably broaden my reading habits. I am starting with Little Women, more out of a desire to watch the new movie while stuck at home than anything else. So far I find it dry and keep comparing it to Pride and Prejudice, mostly due to the abundance of sisters. I will finish, but it won’t be a book that defines my life like it has been for so many of my reader friends. At least I’ll be able to speak intelligently about my favorite March sister going forward. I don’t think it will be Jo.

Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of classic hate. 

Now I’m not here to start defending a lot of dead white guys. I get it. A lot of classics are hard. They are from another time. They required further context to understand historical events, or a quick language lesson to understand the prose. They aren’t always fun, and sometimes they aren’t even rewarding.

However, I have a deep place in my little historical heart for classics. 

1. They have survived, often a long time. They have resonated with generations. There is a reason why swarms of girls go through Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte phases every year. It’s okay to want to be a member of the Swiss Family Robinson. Dracula can still scare new readers every Halloween. Sure, these books don’t read like new releases, but they have heart and body and life. 
2. They show us another time. Victorian England is depicted in countless films, historical fiction books, podcasts, theater…you name it! All of those representations still don’t compare to reading Dickens. There is so much detail about everyday life in Classics that you may never think about. Even current classics can give readers insight into our lives. 
3. Writing is a political act. We understand (sometimes) our current political climate. We understand our social norms. The last 100 years have turned US culture on it’s head. Men and Women can live together! Women can have careers! Everyone can vote!!! Not to gloss over all of the bad that still happens, but these things would have been unthinkable in centuries past. Many of the classics that do survive challenge the social norms of their time. They often show dangerous thoughts on paper. Appreciate the radical. Big change is started in small places. 
4. They can be fun! Not every classic is stuffy. I would have laughed in your face if you told me in high school that not only would I enjoy The Iliad, but that it would actually be fun, and actually kind of funny. But here I was this summer, laughing at my desk and enjoying the heck out of the Trojan War. I also think Shakespeare’s comedies are still laugh worthy. Capote can still entertain. 

I know not every classic is for everyone. I personally never feel the need to read Faulkner again, or to pick up Moby Dick. I do think they need to be looked at as relevant, important. I know we have a heavy focus on white males in the classics, and that is something that is hard to avoid, but there is still so much to learn and possibly enjoy. 

What are your classic experiences? Do you have a favorite or do you avoid them like the plague?