Why Read The Classics Assertion

Why Read the Classics? 

By Italo Calvino, Translated by Patrick Creagh 

In Italo Calvino’s Why Read the Classics?  he argues his perspective on the importance of reading classical books, as they can have a very influential and impactful meaning on a person. Throughout Calvino’s argument he breaks down his points into a list, in which he describes each of the potential meanings that one might have of classical books as well as inserting his own thoughts. As you read the article there are a couple of main points, one of them being the impact of reading a classic at the right time and place. He expresses how one might read one of the many classics during their youth years in which the person is either not fully able to connect to the book or fully grasp the ideas that the book is trying to get across as they don’t have much experience with the outside world. He suggests that it is better for one to re-read certain classics as one starts to mature and become an adult, as you may get a completely different experience and meaning from it being able to make connections to your life experiences that as a youth you couldn’t. He goes on to say, “There should therefore be a time in adult life devoted to revisiting the most important books of our youth. Even if the books have remained the same, we have most certainly changed, and our encounter will be an entirely new thing.” He encourages the idea that everytime that you pick up a classic you will get a different experience than the previous one, there is always something different that you will notice and as you mature the concepts that are in the books might open your eyes to see things differently. In his writing he also mentions that a lot of the times we tend to have certain stereotypes about classics, whether we think that they might be boring or that they are just outdated. The importance of the classics is being able to connect to the book past a superficial level and have different outlooks on the things that we believe as individuals and they are also a way for readers to connect throughout the books. 

Reflection: 

As I was writing my assertion something that went well for me was being able to have multiple pieces of evidence that would back up my main ideas, in order to be able to describe each quote. Something that I want to do better for next time is write my ideas and connections as clear as possible so that it is easier to follow along. Overall, writing this assertion was enjoyable because the article gave various different perspectives and ideas to either agree or disagree with. I feel like getting started is the hardest part but once the ideas start flowing, it’s much easier to write.