Welcome back to It's a Classical Life! I took a week off from blogging over Easter to visit some family and generally relax. It was lovely and you can see some pictures from our travels in this post. I did, however, keep reading my classics - current read is The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. I'm enjoying it so much and just like A Room With a View by E.M. Foster it is really making me think about English society one or two hundred years ago. I know these books are considered modern classics, but it still amazes me how much has changed and yet, how very little has remained the same in our world. There are still prejudices, still quarrelling families, still heartache and anxiety. It got me thinking about how we can use the classics to help us with our everyday lives, and how just by reading them, we can reap so many benefits.
If you are a regular visitor here you may already know and appreciate these benefits of reading the classics, but if you are new to it, or struggling with reading classic literature, then this may help inspire you to continue with it. There are many benefits to reading in general; it can lower stress levels, strengthen the brain (how cool is that?), alleviate depression, aid in sleep and more. Reading classic literature will do this and more! Read on for my top 5 benefits of reading the classics.
1. Improves your vocabulary
Language is a living thing, in that it changes, evolves, grows and even dies. Many of the words that we can read in classic literature are no longer in use and may require a dictionary for understanding. I cannot extoll the virtues of extending your vocabulary enough. It helps with your general overall comprehension and communication. Having a word, even if it is an old one, to describe a particular feeling, moment or person means we are able to communicate our intentions better. Being able to communicate with a diverse range of people is also an added benefit. Often we talk about the same things with the same people. That's fine if you are happy with that, but if you would like to expand your world more, than use your new vocabulary chatting with different people about different things. We don't simply want to sound smarter, we want to be smarter, and an extensive vocabulary helps with that. Reading a wide range of books is the best way to develop such a thing.
2. Deeper understanding of human nature
Now reading in general can do this, but because the classics deal with such a wide range of societies, cultures, characters and belief systems we are often exposed to more examples of human nature. Research shows that people who read literary fiction, or fiction that focuses on the inner lives of the characters (hello nearly every classic book I've read!), "show a heightened ability to understand the feelings and beliefs of others." Isn't this exactly what the world needs right now? By understanding the motives, circumstances and actions of characters we are better able to draw parallels wth the actions and motives of the people around us. We may not necessarily agree with what they are doing, but we will have a deeper understanding of human nature and what drives people to say or do what they do. We can see the bullies in literature, and we can see the heroes. We can see vices and virtues all from the comfort of our armchair. In doing so, we can think about the kind of people we are, how we react to certain situations and consider if there is a need for change or growth.
3. Gives you a better understanding of history
English and History teachers will constantly teach that what is being read (whether it is a novel, poetry, short stories, a play, whatever!) should also be read in context of time and place. If you love a book, then I highly recommend that you examine the period of history that it was set in. Why were people so antagonistic towards Germans in the early and mid twentieth century? How did colonialism affect the way people from the colonies were viewed? How did industrialisation affect the way people thought and acted? You can read more on the historical context behind Victorian England here. But going further back, look at the historical context behind the Roman and Greek stoic writers, or the epic novels of Homer. The more we read a broad range of classic literature the more we have a better understanding of history and I've always been a firm believer that by studying history we study human nature. Additionally, the better understanding we have of history the better we understand the world that we are living in now and why it is the way that it is.
4. You don't feel alone
This one is my favourite. Too often we feel that we are alone, that people can't (or won't) understand how we feel. But by reading a wide range of classic literature, we realise that what we are feeling is not a new, isolated emotion. In fact, there are many who have felt this way before us. Now we don't necessarily have to react in the same way as some of our favourite characters did, but by being aware that there are others who have shared what we are going through we can feel less alone. I can guarantee that whatever you are feeling has been explored in classic literature. Grief, unrequited love, overbearing family (hello, Mrs Norris from Mansfield Park), anxiety, poverty, racial prejudices, feeling like an underdog, isolation, homesickness, joy, happiness, and so much more; these are the building blocks of classic literature and there really is something for everyone. Oftentimes, the authors of classic literature are going through some emotional conflict which can be reflected in what they are writing. By looking into the private lives of such authors we are exposed to an ever wider group of people who may just have felt what we are feeling today.
5. It's just good fun!
There truly is a classic novel for everyone! If you like rollicking adventure, ethical science fiction, dramatic love stories, crime and mysteries to solve, stories that explore the human conscious, stories with a moral, social and political commentaries, stories that deal with the highest levels of societies or those that look at the marginalised and impoverished, then there is a book for you! Reading classic literature does not have to be an arduous return to high school English class. It can be fun and you can tailor the books that you read to suit your tastes. There are giant epics if you have the time and inclination to bury yourselves into a story, and there are short stories of fifty pages or less that give you a taste of a genre, theme or issue. And then there is, of course, everything in between!
If you're still on the fence, then consider trying just one book and see where it will take you. Not sure where to begin? Then leave a comment below saying what kind of books you like and I'll do my best to guide you in the right direction.
Thanks for stopping by. Please share why you love to read the classics in the comments. Have a lovely weekend friends!
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