A Reevaluation of the Classics of Literature
Being as I consider myself rather well-read for my age, I am beginning to think that we must reevaluate what we literary critics consider the greatest works of world literature. As Nietzsche called for a grand reevaluation of values, I call for a reevaluation of greatness- are some of the “classics” a matter of timeliness and not sheer greatness. I am calling to use critical methods, to determine of those considered great are indeed great, and are to be considered great in the context of world literature today.
We have all been assigned a novel that we read begrudgingly for an academic class, and upon completion we wonder why on earth this was assigned. “Surely they could have chosen something better!” we exclaim with discontent. But the professor voraciously defends the work, claiming that we are shallow critics, and have a lot to learn about literature. I am calling for a recount- we must look over what we hail as “classics”, and sort out all those that do not belong.
In clarification, I am not saying that we should throw out all that we have ever thought about literature- god no! But what I am saying is that we must reexamine what we have regarded as classics. I do not think that all of those works included in the conversation of great literature do not belong, and that new classics have been written and discovered, and ought to be included in the conversation. I have read some so-called classics, and felt like my time would have been spent better sitting around, twiddling my thumbs for the duration of time I spent reading it. We must make a distinction between what is historically significant, and what is actually a classic work. I also wish to give new writers a chance to create a great work.
I would like to state a laundry list of works that I have read that need some reconsideration: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Billy Budd, Foretopman, Moira by Julien Green, The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradburry, King Lear, and Deep River by Shausaku Endo. Some of these are undiscovered classics, and others may not deserve the acclaim they have heretofore received.
There are classics to be discovered and other works that must be left in the dust of literature. This is the reevaluation of classics!
We have all been assigned a novel that we read begrudgingly for an academic class, and upon completion we wonder why on earth this was assigned. “Surely they could have chosen something better!” we exclaim with discontent. But the professor voraciously defends the work, claiming that we are shallow critics, and have a lot to learn about literature. I am calling for a recount- we must look over what we hail as “classics”, and sort out all those that do not belong.
In clarification, I am not saying that we should throw out all that we have ever thought about literature- god no! But what I am saying is that we must reexamine what we have regarded as classics. I do not think that all of those works included in the conversation of great literature do not belong, and that new classics have been written and discovered, and ought to be included in the conversation. I have read some so-called classics, and felt like my time would have been spent better sitting around, twiddling my thumbs for the duration of time I spent reading it. We must make a distinction between what is historically significant, and what is actually a classic work. I also wish to give new writers a chance to create a great work.
I would like to state a laundry list of works that I have read that need some reconsideration: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Billy Budd, Foretopman, Moira by Julien Green, The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradburry, King Lear, and Deep River by Shausaku Endo. Some of these are undiscovered classics, and others may not deserve the acclaim they have heretofore received.
There are classics to be discovered and other works that must be left in the dust of literature. This is the reevaluation of classics!
posted by Brian Hillman at 6:41 PM
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