Reading classics: a guide

Art by Afreen Majumdar

My first experience with classical literature came when I was in fifth grade during our quarantine bubble–I opened up Great Expectations by Charles Dickens... and proceeded to close it three chapters later. Even now, opening a book brimming with big words and old English is still intimidating. Back then I couldn’t comprehend how anyone would willingly read books that didn’t seem to make a whole lot of logical sense. This summer, however, I set out to do the same thing I attempted to 5 years ago… I wanted to be able to read some of the classics I had heard so much about. Keeping in mind many of the initial struggles, I wanted to share some tips to my success! 

Mansfield Park, Jane Austen

For me, one of the biggest mistakes I made early into this journey was assuming that Jane Austen would be a good easy classic to begin with. To say 12 year old Zadie was befuddled would be an understatement. While the stories themselves are actually quite simple, it’s the language that can definitely trip you up, especially if you're not paying close attention to context. I do want to also point out that along with Mansfield Park, I also read Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice over the summer.  However, I chose to talk about Mansfield Park because it doesn't focus so much on the love story as the rest; rather, it’s a combination of social commentary, history and a little bit of romance.  What sets it apart from the rest of her novels in my opinion is the beautiful illustration of its protagonist: Fanny Price. Austen's ability to make such a seemingly ordinary (even plain some would say) character into such a resonant symbol of resilience is truly phenomenal. My suggestion with reading any Austen novel is to keep note of the characters and their relationship to each other. I found that oftentimes the most difficult part is keeping track of the different names and the family trees because once you have this straightened out, the language won’t prove to be a huge barrier. Jane Austen is truly a writer like no other, and if you haven’t experienced her guiding you through the halls of Mansfield Park, I confidently attest that it’s a staple of English literature for good reason. 

Crime and Punishment, Fydor Dostoyevsky 

It goes without saying that Mansfield Park to Crime and Punishment was quite the jump to make. My first real plunge into Russian literature, the book (around 500 pages) looked a lot more intimidating than it read. It’s a brilliant exploration into the guilty conscious beginning with the murder of a pawnbroker and ending in a trial. This being said, it's definitely a commitment to make, I’d say you’d have to be fairly dedicated to work through it. The universal concepts and Dostoyevsky’s philosophy aren’t super hard to understand, but it certainly requires time and a lot of brainpower. All that aside, it is 100% worth the read. There is just so much complexity riddled in every single page, so many rich ideas and themes to wrap your head around. Its ability to reveal to the reader our own humanity is quite affecting, with commentary around class and morality that remains shockingly relevant in our society today. My biggest piece of advice (same as the last) is keep track of the characters and their names (like literally write it down). Half of the struggle for me was figuring out the difference between the characters, the Russian names are very long and very similar, so you’ll save yourself so much time by taking notes. This book took me over a month to get through and between sections I found myself entirely lost as to what was happening, requiring a lot of back-tracking. That being said, it looked a lot more scary than it really was and I think the brilliance of Dostoyevsky leaves you with lots of questions and also forces us to look within. 

A Room of Ones Own, Virginia Woolfe

I have to preface this by saying that this is more of an extended essay than a book; however, I couldn’t forgive myself for not including it. I’d go so far as to say that this is a must-read for any woman with deep interest in writing and literature. The thesis of her writing is that women need both financial and intellectual freedom in order to write. It may at first sound flawed to many of us (myself included) but it’s definitely a trust the process moment. As you get deeper in, she’s able to really explore the de-valuing of true feminine narrative in story-telling and the historical context that follows it. She does this in a way that is concise but also impactful, only around 100 pages the amount of depth you can extract is truly remarkable. It’s a book I’ve found myself returning to, grasping for words and rich perspective you cannot forget. The book is also written in a way that’s accessible for the casual reader. I finished this in a single sitting. Woolf's talent in persuasion, the subtle power in all of her claims, it’s truly unlike anything else I’ve ever read. “Take it all in” is my suggestion, go back to passages and really absorb the richness of the text, you won’t regret  it.  

Picture of Dorian Grey, Oscar Wilde 

The beauty in the composition of Dorian Grey was something that struck me as quite ironic in juxtaposition to the cautionary tale it tells. Admittedly, I went into this book skeptical. Outwardly it seemed pretentious, and this wasn’t an entirely baseless assumption with monologues detailing description of fabrics and jewels; the pacing could be uncomfortable. However, it’s a book that flourishes off the thoughts that make us squirm, as we are meant to see parts of ourselves in the twisted mind of Dorian Grey. While the book has taken on different interpretations, I believe it is only correct to come to the understanding that Wilde wrote this with the intention of critiquing our societal pursuit of aestheticism and the hypocrisy that surrounds it. Taking it slowly is the biggest piece of advice I can give while reading this, trying to speed through it runs the risk of missing so much of the depth embedded in the lines. Some parts will seem tedious, but take a moment to think about how absurd his vanity really is. And then pause to ask, “Is the world of Dorian Grey really that far away or is it perhaps here and now?” 

Take it a step at a time! Classic literature isn’t hard to read, you just have to approach it with the right mindset. That being said, a book is not worth reading if you’re not actively enjoying it. You shouldn’t read out of obligation, and  you owe it to yourself to pick up a new book if what you’re reading feels like a chore to get through. There is so much power in reading classic literature. Oftentimes it forces us to look within and to look out to a world that actually hasn’t changed much.