A how-to for cracking into the Classic Western Canon, making Classic Lit accessible and fun.
I believe books to be the most essential component of the human experience. No other medium allows us to seamlessly fall into another person’s perspective, to see the world as they see it — to explore different time periods, strange love affairs, new adventures. There are hundreds of thousands of worlds laid out in the pages of literature, just waiting for us to experience. So why limit ourselves to a certain subsect of books? I know everyone has their preferences: romance, fantasy, magical realism, etc. But I’m here to broaden your horizons. As someone who has dedicated a significant amount of time to The Classics, I believe there is an entire collection of books yet to be explored. Classic literature contains stories that capture the essence of the human experience and these stories will change your life if you let them.
The question most often asked of me in college was, “How do I read The Classics? They are so confusing, daunting, and outdated. I get bored and give up halfway through.” And to this I say, yes, that’s extremely valid. But I think there is a way to approach The Classics that makes them more accessible and worthy of your time and effort. In this article I will provide a comprehensive book list of how I suggest people approach The Canon in a way that is both interesting and enjoyable.
1. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
I have to begin this list with the beloved Jane Austen, and there is no other novel of hers I could recommend more than Pride and Prejudice. Following two sisters navigating life in a chaotic lower-class home, searching for love and companionship amongst Britain’s high society — this novel offers humor, drama, romance, and poetry to its reader. I’m sure by now you are at least familiar with the story, seen through two wonderful adaptations by BBC and Joe Wright, and have heard of the wonderful protagonist Elizabeth Bennet. But have you read the book? It is short, quick-witted and serves as a lovely introduction for reading old-time English.
2. The Iliad, Homer (Specifically the Emily Wilson translation)
I would be remiss not to include a true Greek classic in this list, and Homer’s The Iliad may be the most famous of them all. Notoriously daunting and confusing, I have seen many fall down the rabbit hole trying to choose which translation to tackle, how to break up the epic into manageable sections, which aspects of the story to focus on, and what to do with the onslaught of characters. This is why I suggest skipping the headache and reading Emily Wilson’s translation. She does what no other translator has attempted to do — to replicate the cadence of the epic in English through iambic pentameter. It reads like a poem, meant to be enjoyed by the public at large. Whether you’ve been reading classic literature for years or this is your first go around, you can experience the triumph and tragedy of The Trojan War through this epic story.
3. Symposium, Plato
I believe everyone should have some exposure to Plato. His dialogues offer a lively debate laced with essential questions about our existence, the world we inhabit, and what lies beyond. Symposium is one of the more accessible and joyous dialogues, offering a balance of humor and philosophy. The reader enters a dinner party attended by an array of different characters, each exploring their own idea of the central question: What is Love? And who doesn’t want to explore and contemplate that?
4. The Bacchae, Euripides/ Medea, Euripides/ Agamemnon, Aeschylus/ Oedipus Rex, Sophocles
The Greek Plays! Where tragedy was conceived! These stories are short in length but endlessly engaging. Whether you wish to read of women going rogue in the wilderness, enacting carnage and revenge on loathsome men; or a troubled mother deciding between the protection or destruction of her children; a woman reclaiming her power against her murderous and controlling husband; or to see where Freud began, there is something for everyone in these plays. Fun, lighthearted, and at times perfectly sinister, I cannot recommend them enough.
5. White Nights, Dostoevsky
Ah, the Russian novel, and all its dreaded implications — the long confusing names, the depressing stories. Dostoevsky is an author synonymous with brilliance and despair. But let me turn you on to a surprisingly tender and accessible novella. White Nights follows a young man living in Saint Petersburg, suffering from loneliness, who meets and quickly falls in love with a young woman. An exploration of isolation and unrequited love, the power of companionship no matter how brief, White Nights is a lovely introduction to the power of Russian literature.
6. Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck offers a world of rolling plains and poetry in his novels (the greatest, in my opinion, being East of Eden). But for those not wanting to dive into a 600-page retelling of Genesis, I give you Of Mice and Men, a short, comprehensive, intensely readable story of two friends looking for work on a farm. You can finish this book in one sitting and will be left utterly shattered by the end. I still think about the final pages to this day, years after first reading them. This is a novel you can return to time and time again, and an excellent introduction to the world of Steinbeck, and more broadly, classic American literature. From here you can go on to tackle J.D. Salinger, Ernest Hemingway, Arthur Miller, or a more modern voice like Cormac McCarthy.
7. Street Haunting, by Virginia Woolf
Wish to become acquainted with the wonderful Virginia Woolf? Look no further than this beloved short story. Following an unnamed woman through the streets of London on a dreary winters’ night, in search of a pencil, the story unfolds into a deep meditation on memory, imagination, and personhood. Her writing allows you to inhabit the protagonist, to walk in her shoes for an evening. A perfect story to curl up and read with a warm cozy drink.
And there you have it! A beginner’s guide to cracking into the Western Literary Canon. I cannot wait to hear your thoughts. Happy reading 🙂
