Susanna Howard
Susanna Howard is a Library Assistant in the Reference and Local History department at CDPL.
Plenty of people resolve to read more in the new year. It’s a good goal, at least in this librarian’s opinion. Reading exercises your brain. It can introduce you to new words, new information, and new perspectives. It should be fun and relaxing, but the pressure to read is a source of frustration for many, many people.
Classic literature is a particularly heinous offender in disillusioning potential bookworms. These books are held up as required reading if you want to call yourself an educated citizen of the world, but many diligent, intelligent people find them absolutely impossible.
If you’re going to read a classic work of literature, first of all, you should actually want to read the book. Shame is not enough. If you treat reading like a punishment, it will feel like a punishment. Building a good relationship with reading, as with anything, requires patience and positive reinforcement, so read the summaries and pick out a classic that appeals to you – not just the one that will seem most impressive.
Time has not been kind to classics. Jokes, references, and household objects that would have required no explanation to contemporary readers so clutter up the story that only half of the words on the page mean anything, and what remains is disjointed and shallow. Annotated editions add that context back in.
If you or a loved one has taken an English class sometime in the last twenty years, you’ve probably heard of “No Fear Shakespeare”, which provides the original text next to its modern equivalent. It’s not a cop-out to have something explained clearly, it’s an important part of teaching and learning. You can use that information to form your own opinions and practice researching and interpreting on your own.
It can be slow going, but the point of a book is to read it, not to have read it. Make the process fun! Join or form a book club; gossip about centuries-old plot twists and Jane Austen’s most eligible bachelors.
Remember that there is more than one way to enjoy a story. If you find yourself re-reading the same paragraph over and over, try listening to the audiobook. A good narrator can play the story like an instrument, drawing you in and making it unforgettable. If you think more visually, look for it as a graphic novel. Classics have the advantage of having been retold, adapted, and spun off in a million different ways since their original publication, so you have more avenues of approach available than with this week’s bestseller.
There’s a reason these stories have endured so long and inspired so much. Are they better than new releases? Not necessarily, but give one a fair shot and you might love it.
Check out what’s happening on our website at www.cdpl.lib.in.us or call us at 765-362-2242. The library is open Monday-Thursday 9a-9p, Friday-Saturday 9a-5p, and Sunday 1-5p.
