Every avid reader has a book they liked the most. However, they may not assign this book the title of “classic” or “great”. Although all classics entertain and make for good reads, entertainment value alone does not earn that title. Speaking to societal constants, classics are the declaratory statements of a people. Classic works of literature captivate public imagination for generations after publication and exemplify that which is most valuable in a culture. When we collate such works, they form a coherent retelling of a people’s history; we should defend such work from modern fevers that aim to denounce them as anachronistic and undeserving of elevation within a culture.
Shakespeare is the gold standard in English literature. All authors, irrespective of their era, are judged against him and his work has been immortalised in school curricula and the English cultural consciousness. But why? We guarantee no other author the right to be taught in English secondary schools year after year. Mandating the teaching of Shakespeare grants him a special status amongst writers and communicates the idea that there is something unique in his writing, unattainable from any other source. They would be right. No other author is responsible for as much of the English language; Shakespeare alone coined the words “auspicious”, “bedroom” and “engagement” and is responsible for phrases like “must be cruel to be kind” (Hamlet), “seen better days” (Timon of Athens) and “green-eyed” jealousy (Othello). In a day’s work (another Shakespearism), one owes much speech to the Bard of Avon.
Besides his work as a wordsmith, Shakespeare’s works are recognised as English classics due to their role in conveying the social and political climate that he wrote in. His choice of set and subject are no accident and communicate important truths about the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice and The Taming of the Shrew are all centred on what is now Italy – but why? Shakespeare, in doing this, masterfully expresses the late 16th Century view of the Italian states as lands of sophistication and high culture. Moreover, most scholars regard Macbeth as a tribute to James I – references to witchcraft and the paranoia of Macbeth are only understood via the lens of James’ reign. A reading of Shakespeare is a reading of English social history and thus he is held in the highest regard.
Another writer ubiquitous in public thought is George Orwell. A favourite of self-proclaimed dissidents, Orwell (and his namesake adjective, Orwellian) are employed at every turn. Orwell’s unrelenting captivation of the Western political ecosystem elevates his two most popular works, Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four to the "classic" status. Although both were written more than seven decades ago, both books find themselves climbing bestsellers’ lists following the political climate of the moment. When Trump was inaugurated in 2017, Nineteen Eighty-Four surged to the top of Amazon bestseller list and when his father was banned from Twitter earlier this year, Donald Trump Jr.’s declaration that “we are living in Orwell’s 1984” prompted a brief increase in sales. Orwell must be the most invoked author of this era – often by many who have never read him and often by many who do not read at all. Nevertheless, his grip on the political scene, from similarly thinking democratic socialists to classical liberals, demonstrates why his works are classics.
Classics are not regarded solely because of their originality, nor due to their written flair. Therefore, when in conversation as to whether to dethrone classics from curricula, we must recognise why they were placed in curricula in the first place. Nineteen Eighty-Four should be valued above Divergent until Rothian is a popular adjective. In ensuring a civic education, we should consider the cultural impact of a book or an author – such a value has been ignored by detractors of the classics, namely the DisruptTexts movement. Motivated by the critical theory of the last century, DisruptTexts views the traditional literary curriculum as monuments to entrenched privilege and obstacles to social progress. Therefore, ignoring the immense cultural importance of studying writers like Shakespeare, they advocate for the arbitrary centring of “voices of colour” in literature. Interestingly though, DisruptTexts is not interested in centring voices of colour who have contributed to the rich heritage of English literature, hence the absence of authors like Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka, in favour of activists like Ibram X. Kendi. Movements to dethrone the classics are not motivated by a recognition of merit, but rather a puerile desire for novelty. Given that all that we can learn from is old, I suggest that the old is not discarded.
Shakespeare is the gold standard in English literature. All authors, irrespective of their era, are judged against him and his work has been immortalised in school curricula and the English cultural consciousness. But why? We guarantee no other author the right to be taught in English secondary schools year after year. Mandating the teaching of Shakespeare grants him a special status amongst writers and communicates the idea that there is something unique in his writing, unattainable from any other source. They would be right. No other author is responsible for as much of the English language; Shakespeare alone coined the words “auspicious”, “bedroom” and “engagement” and is responsible for phrases like “must be cruel to be kind” (Hamlet), “seen better days” (Timon of Athens) and “green-eyed” jealousy (Othello). In a day’s work (another Shakespearism), one owes much speech to the Bard of Avon.
Besides his work as a wordsmith, Shakespeare’s works are recognised as English classics due to their role in conveying the social and political climate that he wrote in. His choice of set and subject are no accident and communicate important truths about the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice and The Taming of the Shrew are all centred on what is now Italy – but why? Shakespeare, in doing this, masterfully expresses the late 16th Century view of the Italian states as lands of sophistication and high culture. Moreover, most scholars regard Macbeth as a tribute to James I – references to witchcraft and the paranoia of Macbeth are only understood via the lens of James’ reign. A reading of Shakespeare is a reading of English social history and thus he is held in the highest regard.
Another writer ubiquitous in public thought is George Orwell. A favourite of self-proclaimed dissidents, Orwell (and his namesake adjective, Orwellian) are employed at every turn. Orwell’s unrelenting captivation of the Western political ecosystem elevates his two most popular works, Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four to the "classic" status. Although both were written more than seven decades ago, both books find themselves climbing bestsellers’ lists following the political climate of the moment. When Trump was inaugurated in 2017, Nineteen Eighty-Four surged to the top of Amazon bestseller list and when his father was banned from Twitter earlier this year, Donald Trump Jr.’s declaration that “we are living in Orwell’s 1984” prompted a brief increase in sales. Orwell must be the most invoked author of this era – often by many who have never read him and often by many who do not read at all. Nevertheless, his grip on the political scene, from similarly thinking democratic socialists to classical liberals, demonstrates why his works are classics.
Classics are not regarded solely because of their originality, nor due to their written flair. Therefore, when in conversation as to whether to dethrone classics from curricula, we must recognise why they were placed in curricula in the first place. Nineteen Eighty-Four should be valued above Divergent until Rothian is a popular adjective. In ensuring a civic education, we should consider the cultural impact of a book or an author – such a value has been ignored by detractors of the classics, namely the DisruptTexts movement. Motivated by the critical theory of the last century, DisruptTexts views the traditional literary curriculum as monuments to entrenched privilege and obstacles to social progress. Therefore, ignoring the immense cultural importance of studying writers like Shakespeare, they advocate for the arbitrary centring of “voices of colour” in literature. Interestingly though, DisruptTexts is not interested in centring voices of colour who have contributed to the rich heritage of English literature, hence the absence of authors like Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka, in favour of activists like Ibram X. Kendi. Movements to dethrone the classics are not motivated by a recognition of merit, but rather a puerile desire for novelty. Given that all that we can learn from is old, I suggest that the old is not discarded.
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