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Anna Posyniak‑Dutka Should We Chuck Chaucer?

In 2018, the United Kingdom published over 188,000 books. Even if we assume that three quarters of them are reprintsreprints [reprint]reprints or new editions of already existing books, we are left with a staggering numberstaggering numberstaggering number of 47 thousand new titles. Is there time and space for literary classicsliterary classics [literary classic]literary classics in this multitude of new releases which seem to inundate readers with the speed of over 20 new titles every hour?

Perhaps a different question should be answered first. How can one know that a newly published book is worth their precious time? Is reading a blurbblurbblurb enough to make a decision to invest one’s leisure into diving into a world created by an unknown author? With the masterpieces of world literaturemasterpieces of world literature [masterpiece of world literature]masterpieces of world literature, at least theoretically, there shouldn’t be such an issue. After all, books become classicsclassics [classic]classics for a reason. Since they have stood the test of timestood the test of time [stand the test of time]stood the test of time and criticism and are considered canoncanoncanon, it’s quite likely that reading them will benefit us one way or another. Obviously, the rule that since so many people like it, it cannot be bad for you, is somewhat tricky, but in the case of literary classics, we often speak about generations of readers who grew up exposed to those stories. Even if the plot is not the most gripping one, the language definitely deserves the reader’s attention.

Why then do so many people shun novelsnovels [novel]novels, dramasdramas [drama]dramas and epic poetryepic poetryepic poetry which have rightfully entered the pantheon of classic literature? One of the main reasons is, unfortunately, school, which managed to comprise a list of classics that it indiscriminately feeds all kids from their early years. And it’s not the problem that “Boewulf,” “Macbeth,” or “The Grapes of Wrath” are outdatedoutdatedoutdated or boring, because they are not. Or rather they don’t have to be if presented and discussed in a lively and creative manner. The reason why those and hundreds of other books entered the literary canon is the fact that the message they convey is universal and timelesstimelesstimeless. They tell us something about the condition of human minds, ethical codes of conduct and primaeval instincts which rule our choices no matter if it’s the Middle Ages or the time of the Great Depression.

It’s natural that each subsequent new generation has its own heroes and role models to follow. For the people who become teenagers in the 2020s, those might be Harry Potter or the Marvel superheroes more than Hamlet or King Arthur. However, it’s worth making youngsters realise that the protagonistsprotagonists [protagonist]protagonists they admire nowadays have often been modelled on those from classical literatureclassical literatureclassical literature. Conducting such comparative studiescomparative studies [comparative study]comparative studies, however far‑fetched they might seem at first sight, can result in fascinating discoveries and insightful discussions. Contemporary pop culture borrows heavily from classical patterns which laid ground for cultural forms of expressions. It’s a good way to show young readers that what they consider outdatedoutdatedoutdated and obsoleteobsoleteobsolete has actually inspired a lot of what they are keen on reading or watching these days. Literary masterpieces are supposed to become windows and mirrors for those who decide to devote some time to them.

There is one more and perhaps the most important thing. With the advent of the Internet, our attention spanattention spanattention span and the ability to focus on lengthy pieces of writing have been heavily affected. Although the imminent demiseimminent demiseimminent demise of reading skills heraldedheralded [herald]heralded by some may not actually happen, we should bear in mind that the skill of reading comprehensionreading comprehensionreading comprehension is one to be practised. Otherwise, it will gradually deterioratedeterioratedeteriorate. And while many websites are indeed valuable sources of interesting texts, there’s nothing like a great story written in the beautiful language that a classic provides. It’s about our ability to understand reality and to not allow misleading news to manipulate us. That’s why we all should read literary classics.

1 Źródło: Anna Posyniak‑Dutka, licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.