Five Reasons for Reading Fiction Written at Least a Century or More Ago
There are so many books being published every day! The book of the year. The book that changed us. The most promising debut. A new book from a well-known author.
In this ocean of modern literature, why bother reading any old books? In fact, is there even a point in reading any book that was written a century or even more ago?
Well, for one thing, one can hardly appreciate modern literature without knowing its roots. To fully understand both form and content of a book is to see what is it based upon. For instance, there is this enormous international project where writers from all over the world rewrite Shakespeare’s plays using a modern setting. Someone might argue that reading their books doesn’t require even having read Shakespeare. But is it really possible to discuss a copy without referring to the original?
Not-so-modern books are invaluable in developing literary taste and sense of language. This is especially crucial if you yourself do any kind of writing. Stephen King states that a writing person should read, and read a lot. Arguably, having read hundreds and hundreds of books might be one of the corner stones of his own brilliant writing. But even if you have no writing aspirations, reading a lot of good books will provide you grounds to form an opinion on any book, including those modern ones often referred to in this little piece.
On a completely different note, how else is it possible to study previous ages, eras and epochs? Unfortunately, a time machine is still ahead of us, and those time loops discovered in Kate & Leopold are not so widespread. Books to the rescue! Study different, even dead languages. Learn about everyday life: what people ate, what drank, what wore, what and how thought about things. Dwell into their ideas, morale, and beliefs. Books are monuments of the past, and sometimes we are lucky enough to find them still standing. Apart from any religious connotations, the Bible is a perfectly preserved (again, for obvious reasons, but still) image of its age. True, it may be changed here and there; and yet a woman who cuts the head of the enemy’s chief off is a very powerful character. Isn’t it exciting or at least curious to take a look into that life, life of longevity, life of different matrimonial norms, life of outstanding faith?
If none of this impresses you, there is also reading for the sheer pleasure of it. Among many books a century or more old, a lot are good — or very good. They are interesting. They catch your attention. They are well-written. They are full of great characters and amazing stories. They are packed with new for you thoughts and ideas. They make you want to read ‘just this one chapter’ and stay awake all night. They make you travel around the world, or the worlds, or the universes. They make you happy and sad and excited and angry and jealous and hopeful. They fuel your imagination and brighten your life. After all, these books are time-tested and proven to be, well, at least not a waste of time.
And of course, not everybody can show off in front of their friends and girlfriends/boyfriends, citing Seneca, or Thomas Mann, or Aldous Huxley, or Bhagavad Gita, or anything that is not A Little Life.
