Channelling the Essence of the Greats: Why Writers Should Read Classics

Reading and writing are like breathing in and breathing out, respectively. As writers, reading allows us to get inspiration for story ideas and to explore different writing styles and techniques. It is in the best interests of writers striving to hone their craft to read habitually.

With so many books out there, you might have trouble deciding what to read. In my opinion, you cannot go wrong reading the classics. After all, these books from the past are called classics for a reason; they have stood the test of time due to being well-crafted and brilliantly expressing universal themes that continue to resonate with readers to this day.

Here are a few more reasons why you should consider reading the classics:

• Engage with and reflect on the past. Classical books provide you a glimpse into the lives of individuals and the cultures of societies from different time periods. Reading about them broadens your understanding of the human condition and experience, allowing you to create well thought-out and realistic characters and worlds for your own projects.

• Enhance reading comprehension and writing skills. Compared to contemporary books, classics have more complex sentences and vocabulary, making them challenging but rewarding to read. Reading and studying the classics helps you develop a distinct and formal voice as a writer.

• Cheap and widely available. Classics tend to be cheaper on a per-page basis compared to contemporary books. Not to mention, Project Gutenberg has a broad selection of classics in eBook format for free, including the works of greats like Mary Shelley, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Fyodor Dostoevksy, HP Lovecraft, and more!

Tips for reading the classics

As mentioned above, the classics are challenging and perhaps even frustrating for modern audiences to get through. But with the right mentality and approach, they can be just as fun (or more so, in my opinion at least) to read as contemporary literature. Here are a few tips to help you read them:

• Take your time to read word-by-word and re-read passages. The dense language and complex sentences of classics make them difficult to read. Reading word-by-word is a good practice in general but doing so for classics is essential for comprehension. You should also re-read passages, especially the more complicated ones, to gain a firmer grasp of the core topics and themes.

• Use a dictionary to look up words you are unfamiliar with. Most classics are written with an ornate vocabulary. Do not be discouraged about having to pause your reading every now and then to look up a word or two. Doing so allows you to better understand the subject matter as well as build your vocabulary.

• Research the setting of the novel. Understanding the political, social, and economic context in which the classics are set in enables you to better sympathize with the characters. Take some time to research the societal norms and key historical events related to the classic you are reading. Even a bit of light research goes a long way in helping you connect with the author’s world.

Recommendations:

Here is a list of novels, novellas, and short stories I recommend you check out:

• Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevksy; Amazon, Gutenberg
• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens; Amazon, Gutenberg
• The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman; Gutenberg
• At The Mountains of Madness by HP Lovecraft; The H.P. Lovecraft Archive
• The Dark Eidolon by Clark Ashton Smith (a personal favorite of mine); Eldritch Dark
• The War of the Worlds by HG Wells; Amazon, Gutenberg
• Enchantress of Venus by Leigh Brackett; Gutenberg
• Shambleau by CL Moore; freedoors
• An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce; Gutenberg
• A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Conner; Gothic Digital Library @ UFSC
• The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger; Amazon, Internet Archive
• 1984 by George Orwell; Amazon, Gutenberg
• A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury; Stony Brook University

Feel free to share your own recommendations. Happy reading!