My Thoughts on "Classic" Novels

Okay, so with school being back in session for a lot of students around the country, I thought I would share my thoughts on the idea of the “classic” novel.

You may have noticed my use of quotations around the word classic. That was intentional. Mainly because what people consider a classic novel nowadays means more that it is old rather than something that should be inherently taught in classrooms to students to help them understand the way of the world of yesteryear.

Now I will say that there are some novels in this category that I agree should be taught, but there are others that I disagree with. Partly because I did not like the books. Partly because I think teachers read too much into them or have thoughts on them that do not connect with what is written in the pages. But I will get to that later.

Let’s start with a list of some books that I have had to read, more specifically in high school, not college because that opens another can of worms. So, let’s begin:

1984 – George Orwell

Fahrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury

The Illiad – Homer

The Odyssey – Homer

Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte

Brave New World – Aldous Huxley

Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen

Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens

Great Expectations – Charles Dickens

The Crucible – Arthur Miller

Oedipus Cycle – Sophocles

Frankensten – Mary Shelly

The Stranger _ Albert Camus

Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte

Shakespeare

So, let’s start with these for now. As you may have noticed, there are a lot of books on this list. That’s because I put as many as I could remember I had to read from high school that I could give a (hopefully) interesting view on. All of these books are considered classics in their own right. There is not necessarily one way to look at all of them, but these are my collected thoughts on the matter.

I have to say, that I am not a fan of Charles Dickens. That being said, you will notice he is on this list twice. Now, I understand why teachers enjoy his books. They are long, with descriptions that could make even the least attentive reader understand what is going on, and are able to give a look into some of what that era had been like for those living in it. They give a look into the children, specifically the orphans and child workers that are not fully explored in a lot of other novels from that time. Even the way it was published was something relatively new, being serial novels published in newspapers, but, in my opinion, there are so many other books that could possibly connect to today’s students in a more meaningful way that could give them insight to other forms of writing that do not ostracize the students through the language uses in the novel. Dickens, although he is a staple in the literature taught in school, is not one that I would want to teach or be taught again.

Now, I also have to say that I graduated with an English major, so I enjoy reading, and the older style languages are not as difficult for me because I have studied them for over four years. But I know that not all students are the same.

Onto Shakespeare. I have to say, he is one of my favorite playwrights in history. But he is inaccessible to a lot of students, including those who do not have English as their first language. Many teachers will say not to read the spark notes or the Shmoop notes for any of the plays. That the students should just try to get through it and it will come naturally to them. To this, I call bullshit. Once a student is able to understand the plot (ie reading the notes beforehand) they will be able to look at the language and understand it more. That is how I learned what the hell was going on in those first plays I read. Being exposed to the language is very important, yes, but if the student has no previous connection to the story or the language, they will not understand it. So if you are reading this, I give you permission to do it this way. (Not that I am the authority figure you will be learning from, I am just a person with some experience on the matter.)

Now the Bronte sisters are very popular with teachers as well. They show women writers (woo) who were able to rise above their stations in life to be able to become published writers, though they had to do it under a pseudonym. I think some of these are important to, first, give students the ability to read female authors since most of them nowadays are male writers. Second, these women write in a way that is simple, yes. Not much action happens, but there is a lot to extrapolate from them. This includes Jane Austen. All of them are able to show women as more than just decorations for the male characters, instead turning that characterization onto the males in their novels. (Which I find beautifully hilarious, that is why I like these so much). Frankenstein can also be added to this list of influential female writers who aspire to more than writing poetry. She is the first writer of science fiction novels. If that is not impressive, I do not know what is.

The Illiad and The Odyssey are very interesting books to me. Yes, they are for people who are in tune with a lot of the Greek mythology, so one has to be able to understand that on a basic level, but they show a form that is repeated in later pieces, specifically the questing seen in Arthurian legends and many of today’s dystopia novels. I think these two books, while interesting to me, are not fully accessible to everyone, just like Shakespeare. I think it is fine for people to not completely understand what is going on in them, but to look for the allusions that they do understand and look up ones they do not. These two, for me, should be more of a college level than a high school level, but introducing them in senior year can get them more interested in the mythology (and help save the major!!!)

Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, and 1984 are VERY important at the moment. Any kind of dystopian novel from yesteryear to show that there was a similar struggle to what is going on today will be able to give this generation hope that we can get past it. This is the same necessity to keep learning about, if not pay more attention to, the tragedy of the second world war. Showing the ignorance and the fear mongering through literature, through that fictitious lens, can make it more accessible to the students, but will also allow them to relate it to more than just the mid to late 1940s. They will be able to see their current historical moment, see the connections, and hopefully be inspired to change it, if not recognize it. I think there should be more books like this read in high school.

The Crucible is a play that can also be connected to the ideas shown in the three dystopian novels. It shows the Red Scare through the witch trials in Salem.  I, personally, think the witch trials should be studied more, especially since it is the massacre of women just because they could not be fully controlled, but this also shows the cyclical nature of history. There are witch hunts today, with the questioning of Islam and Muslim people being a part of ISIS. It is wholly unjust and unnecessary, but it happens. People turn on their neighbors, they turn their back on what is right, and innocents die because of it. This is an important work because it can show the damage and dangers that go along with this kind of mob mentality to more than just the individual. When this thinking comes along, the entire society is at risk of collapse.

All in all, there is merit in “Classic” literature. But, I do not think we should just blindly learn or teach it. Instead, we must think of the ways to apply it to the lives of the people we teach it to and the society we are trying to connect with instead of just looking for imagery and these “hidden” meanings the authors imbed into it. Sometimes, I think, we should look at it as it is and see what can come of it.

So my question to you is, what are your thoughts on classic novels? Are they antiquated? Should we still learn about them? If so, in what ways should they become relatable? Are there any I missed you would like to talk about? Leave a comment down below and I would be happy to respond!

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I’ll catch you next week!

XOXO

Dana