Why is it important to read classics?

Question

Why is it important to read classics?

Answer 1

They are usually where great ideas and themes start.

Answer 2

It's not THAT important but why not? Theres a reason why some books are called "classics"  

Answer 3

It's not?

Answer 4

      Partly because of the excellent language, and partly because of the plots.  The classics are far deeper than most modern books.  They're worth studying for these two reasons alone, but also you learn about times past from people who actually lived them.  If you want to be a writer especially, I can't recommend classics enough.

Good luck

Mike B

Answer 5

Reading  classics is important because most modern books follow formulas  first used in classic books. Most "new" books are only able to be described as "new" because of the date they were published, they've already been written by different people with only mariginal differences in plot, setting, and characters. The hero's journey (I think originally used in Homer's The Odyssey) is one such formula and can be seen as the core storyline of quite a books now days.

It's like watching a "new" cartoon, almost everything imaginable in a cartoon has already been done by the simpsons, a classic ; ).

Answer 6

1. So when you read "modern" books you can actually understand the references.  Plenty of books, movies, tv shows, and even newspaper articles refer to various works.  You don't want to be the idiot who's sole knowledge of Shakespeare comes from that episode of Gilligan's Island where they make it into a musical.  

2.  They're classics, because they are the best of what is out there.  In art you get points for originality, not recycling Anne Rice by coupling it with multiple Buffy the Vampire Slayer viewings.  You might lose your belief that "old people" don't get it, when you find out that many of the same issues and beliefs were just as "new" 90 years ago as they are.

3. Pap can be fun, but how about you stretch your mind a bit? Read something nutritious every so often.  Just because you have to understand a little history to read Mark Twain, shouldn't stop you from reading one of the gretest American authors of all time.   Just because you Milan Kundera wrote during the Cold War doesn't make his insights into life any less fascinating.

4. Steal from Harry Potter, you're a hack. Steal from Shakespeare, it's a homage.

Answer 7

To learn about thoughts and beliefs people had many years ago. It is always a good idea to read classics also because they must be pretty good if they been around for such a long time without being forgotten.

Answer 8

i dont think it's that important. i enjoy modern books more than classics, but i do like lotr..

if you dont mind simple question:

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Answer 9

I'm not saying that modern books are better than classics, nor am I going to say that classics are better than ALL modern books.

However, if a book is a classic, it is for a reason. It's easy to go to the Young Adult's or Fiction section in the library and find books, but chances are many aren't of stellar quality. A classic has endured the test of time because it posseses the qualities of superior literature. Even though the setting might be a bit in the past, these books contain themes that one can still relate to now. They usually are the kind of books that one cannot put down, the kind of book that teaches one something. They are more than just a good read, they are a piece of work that really makes one think, to look deep inside his or herself.  

That is why I think reading classics is important. Modern books are great, but if you're really looking for something that will make you see the world a little differently after you read it, go for a classic.