Homer. Plato. Aristotle. Virgil. Augustine. Beowulf. Dante. Moore. Milton. Bunyan. Kant. Keats. Emerson. Cooper. Marx. Dostoyevsky. Steinbeck. Even Nietzsche. Great authors, all of them. As was previously mentioned, the North Star Academy Library only contains old, musty volumes—expired copyrights, names and grammar of a different age, dialogue, plotlines or philosophy too detailed for many a young reader of these days. In a word, it contains “classics.” Far from being a fact our staff bemoans, this is a reason to rejoice. Why? Because we, the Library, are firm believers in the classics and their worth. Some of my own favorite books have been aging for centuries, ripe and rich like good old cheese, and Father Matthew himself usually scorns to read anything written after the time of Dickens.
What is it that we find so attractive in these books? Why are old volumes from times past worth our while? First, a mark of a classic is its’ applicability to any age, not just its own. They are showcases of good writing, relevant thinking, and true representations of life. The classics teach us the history of their own time periods, even as their timeless styles reach beyond those periods. Furthermore, they anchor the basis of all western civilization by cataloguing the thoughts and ideas of the men who formed it.
Above all, the classics stimulate thought. Whether they are Plato and his mind-whirling series of questions, or the epic tale of Beowulf, it is a mark of a classic to make you think. Different authors from different time periods and genres accomplish this goal in a widely varying range of styles. By making us think, the classics help us consider ideas, philosophies, and writing styles through the unique lens of that particular author's perspective. In this way we can see how the classical writers are connected even through time: both Dostoyevsky and Augustine examine in totally different ways the human mind and life. By reading both of them, we not only acquire knowledge, but we get to experience first-hand the evolvement of ideas. It's like following a trail through time: we see Plato begin the philosophy of the "god-given spark" inside a human...and watch a train of authors produce the idea of a human's natural good. We get to watch Dante build on Boethius. And through it all, we're made to think not only about what we're reading, but also about how it's presented.
If people want to understand the development of philosophy, government, and the basis of all western civilization—they need to understand how all of these build on ideas from the classical age. If we don't understand where their thoughts came from, how can we understand those ages and times? How, even more, can we understand our own times? Consider the government of the United States, for example. They have a pledge of allegiance that says, "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands...(emphasis added)." The founding fathers closely considered both democracies and republics, and chose the latter. This is all very well for the student whose diet is “Alice’s Big Secret”, but the student who has thoughtfully read Plato's “Republic” and Cicero's “De Republica”, will understand much more closely the ideas upon which the founding fathers built that country. Thus, they will be more educated citizens, and more faithful stewards of the blessings they have through their country. For Ecclesiastes does speak truth when it says, "There is nothing new under the sun." Many of the more recent philosophies you will hear of today have their roots in some ancient thinker. By reading and knowing the old philosophies, we can recognize them, even when they come to us in a newer, modern form.
But classics are not all boring government or stuffy philosophy. Consider the epic Homer, the meticulous Thucydides, or even the fierce Dante. All these men's books are riveting accounts, which still, in a strange way, apply to our lives today. Remember the movie 300 that came out this past year, and received opposition from the Persian side of the world? A way to know whether or not the movie-makers represented the truth correctly is to read Thucydides' account of “The Peloponnesian Wars”. This shows us that reading the classics is an excellent way to learn history, as well. However much the author's ideas may apply to all time periods, the author himself is firmly imbedded in his day and age, and will espouse events from only that time period.
Classics are also models of excellent writing. While in more early literature, such as Beowulf, we can't always appreciate the grandeur of the old-English verse, as the classics become more modern we can fully appreciate their excellence. It is through the precision of the writing that we first begin to think about the great content. Great writing isn’t ostentatious writing; it directs our attention to the ideas, not to itself. Whether it is the startling prose of someone like Ernest Hemmingway or the rhythm of Shakespeare's lines, we can learn much from the style of the great writers.
Furthermore, the classics are timeless in that they are the complete opposite of cotton-candy reading. Much of the literature published today is full of fancies, dreams, and more often than not, inappropriate chunks. While some of the great books—“Anna Karenina” for instance—have content in which the main character sins, there is a big difference between these two kinds of books. The key, when reading books with sin in them, is noticing how that sin is presented. In the classics, from my experience, the sin is presented as sin, and the consequences of sin are documented as well. In “The Count of Monte Cristo”, the main character gets caught in a downward spiral of revenge and hate, but even as he realizes his sin, he must face its consequences. A modern movie adaptation of The Count shows Dantes as doing the same wrongs that he does in the book, but the ending is a happy one, in which Dantes gets what he wishes. When the author of a book or movie stops portraying wrong as wrong, that is when we need to be careful. We will run into sin in the world, but the danger is passed when we see it as sin and can as such avoid it. The classics are not, however, meant to be read lightly. They can contain faulty philosophies that must be carefully examined. Even as we enjoy the great writing, unusual representations of truth, and great historical context, we should still be careful with what we read. However, on the whole, the usual absence of a candy-coated approach to sin is another reason why the classics are worth reading.
If all of this has not convinced you, we invite you to our Library. Try out one of the classic books whose name you recognize but have never read. Think about reading them with what we've said in mind. Perhaps even pick a series of books through time whose philosophies build on each other. Consider trying Homer, or read Plato and Aristotle in succession. Or, move forward in time, and try out Shakespeare, Moore, Dickens and Orczy. Join the throng of people who have for centuries read, loved, and learned from some of the greatest books of all time.
----Poll----
Yes, a boring old poll. We library staff racked our brains for how we could make it more interesting, but let us tell you, Mr. Poll was very stuck on being boring. So we just left him to his own devices. If you do answer this poll though, you might just get a special prize! Or you might not...or you might find that the special prize is actually just a virtual balloon. But what harm in sending in the poll answer anyway? If you do, the library will improve. We do take your suggestions seriously. If we don't, then we'll stagnate, and we all know how fun that is.
So anyway, what's the poll? Just select from the following list the thing that YOU would most enjoy seeing in our library.
A) Book Reviews
B) A study place
C) Student Work Gallery (i.e. Things written by students added to the library.)
D) Other (Yes, please specify what other thing you would like.)
If you're feeling particularly generous of heart, please send in a brief explanation of why you want what you selected. It doesn't have to be long, maybe just a sentence or two. And, as always, the library staff is constantly working to add more books to the library! Suggestions of what books to add are always appreciated. Thanks for your time!
Please send in your comments to the “Library Staff” mailbox. We look forward to hearing from you!