Literature is
the presentation of its characters’ journeys in order to create a community
between people who share similar ideas and beliefs, allowing them to discuss
and reflect on those ideas and beliefs together.
Calvino’s piece,
Why Read the Classics?, is the
author’s reflection on what important criteria he considers when
reading/re-reading a classic. Though, before discussing the more detailed
criteria, his second definition stands as the qualification for the remaining
that follow. “The classics are those books which constitute a treasured
experience for those who have read and loved them,” (Calvino 4). In essence, it
could be reasoned that recognizing a classic is solely based on the reader. If
reading the book was a genuinely pleasing experience for the reader, one that
they desire to relive, then they have the option of deeming that book a
classic. Yet, it is crucial to find a peer who dissents your decision. If you
find that you are unable to do so it becomes a question of whether or not you
have a unique relationship with the book.
I’d
like to move away from what defines a classic to discuss a certain portion of
Calvino’s opinion. In expanding on his seventh definition of a classic, Calvino
brings up a point that resonates well with a question I often ask in reading a
book. He references Homer’s The Odyssey in
questioning whether the literary analysis that has followed in the centuries after
its original publishing was “implicit in the original text,” (Calvino 5). It is
hard not to ponder that question when reading any literary work. It is very
much possible the author wrote the story to just write it. While I do believe
authors implement themes into their stories, it is hard to imagine one writing
each sentence with the intent of creating rhetoric that has layers of
interpretation. Yet, when rhetoric is clearly distinguishable in a piece, you
must question whether the author wrote the story due to their interest in the
setting and plot or rather to question the readers’ morals and ideals based on the
theme they are implementing.
Calvino’s
final definition of a classic is ultimately his strongest throughout the piece,
“A classic is a work which persists as background noise even when a present
that is totally incompatible with it holds sway,” (Calvino 14). The most
powerful works of literature are those that leave the reader unable to forget
the themes displayed. In every aspect of life the lessons taught in the book
can be applied and as you learn from your own personal experiences, those
lessons can evolve.
Calvino’s
ultimate answer to why we read classics is to better understand our own
personal experiences as well as the experiences of the world as a whole. They
layout a crude path to follow that
is to be extended and reformed by us as we move along our life journey.
Work Cited
Calvino, Italo. Why read the classics? Trans. Martin
McLaughlin. 1981. New York: Vintage
In your second paragraph where you reference The Odyssey you raise a good point that I never fully took into thought. This point was where you questioned as to whether these classic writers wrote for the purpose of the readers to find the deeper meaning or if they were simply writing to give themes.
ReplyDeleteAs for my favorite book to read, I recommend The Boys of Winter by Wayne Coffey. This is a story of how the 1980 USA olympic hockey team defeated the Soviet Union and the inspiring story behind it.