Why do I love Reading Classics ?

I study English Literature at University and I have been fascinated by the British literary heritage and the classics that were among my University syllabus . Yet I wish if Charles Dickens was part of my fiction course , as he is capable of transferring me to an era I have dreamt of being part of it , mostly , after reading his great works such as ; Great Expectations , A Tale of Two Cities , and Hard Times.

I feel grateful for having been provided with an opportunity to understand history and culture in context. This is one of the top reasons . In this regard, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn argues:” The only substitute for an experience we ourselves have never lived through is art, literature. They possess a wonderful ability: beyond distinctions of language, custom, social structure, they can convey the life experience of one whole nation to another… Literature conveys irrefutable condensed experience… from generation to generation” .

-Every literary classic offeres the reader more profound and accessible perspective on historical events. Hard Times by Charles Dickens goes back to the poverty and miserable conditions in London during the Industrial Revolution, while Jane Austen mirrors what family was like in 18th century , and reveals about her attitude towards marriage in 19th century in Sense & Sensibility .

• Classics provided me with something of value, typically their universal themes and characters experiences, emotions and perspectives relevant today. Novels like A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens reflects upon the reality of revolutions today and how the individual is affected. Moreover, 1984 by George Orwell spots the signs of history repeating itself in other societies even today under the dictatorship of a party or a ruling group under the name of “ Big Brother” .
• Classic books usually create memorable stories and characters. Novels like This Side of Paradise by F Scott Fitzgerald where he depicts Amory Blaine as a portrait of an egocentric , bloodless and detached young man who has deep feelings for nobody , including his family , while James Baldwin in If Beale Street Could Talk deals with a Black young man charged with the rape of Puerto Rican woman. A story told through the eyes of Tish, a pregnant nineteen years old, who is deeply in love with Fonny but separated by a judicial system.
• The classics challenge the brain and increase vocabulary , a play like The Tempest by Shakespeare its linguistic function stretches the brain , and a novel like Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronté , rich vocabulary , interesting and poetic style full of imagery and tone .
• If I can sum up , I read classics because they force me to think deeply and critically from different perspectives .

Cyrine Zaibi

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