How I Re-Framed My Relationship with Classic Literature

Like many people, my earliest exposure to the classics was in school. For most of my life, reading Shakespeare, Austen, Homer, and more went hand-in-hand with writing essays, prepping for class, and studying for exams. I loved all of my literature classes, but I wasn’t exactly reading for pleasure. Slowly, I’ve tried to reorient how I view these great works of literature… here are a few mindset shifts that have been helpful for me:

— I CALMED DOWN. Reading classics for me used to be synonymous with schoolwork. I don’t think I ever let myself become fully immersed in a classic novel growing up, because I was always on the hunt for figurative language, themes and motifs, or lines that supported the thesis of whatever essay I was writing about the book! Letting all that go helped me enjoy these books in a new and wonderful way.

— I read with a friend (forever grateful to @damsels_with_daggers for reading Tess of the D’Urbervilles with me!). Having someone to talk to about what’s going on makes the experience richer, and I loved unpacking and discussing everything once the story was over.

— I read more lighthearted books at the same time. I don’t know about you, but there are certain parts of the day where I have more mental energy to focus on what I’m reading. I found myself reaching for a classic in the morning but then reading a few chapters of a fantasy novel or a cute romance at night!

— I followed accounts like @classic.literature.love who encouraged me to take things slow with the classics and focus on the beautiful language!

— I chose classics of varying lengths. If I tried too many 400+ page classics in a year, I would have felt too daunted to start. But thank goodness for 20th Century novels… so many of them are much shorter! Reading a couple of Hemingway and Fitzgerald books alongside Bronte and Hardy helped me keep up my momentum. “Classic literature” doesn’t always mean “600 page book!”

One last thing: while I’m excited to read more classics in 2023, I’m also looking forward to reading contemporary books that engage with and challenge our perceptions of classic literature — Babel and Elektra are two such books on my TBR for the new year! If you have any recommendations, please share them in the comments!👇